Sacramento State expands Black-focused honors program as DEI faces pressure
Sacramento State launched a Black Honors College shortly before the Trump administration intensified its push against DEI programs in higher education. The program now enrolls more than 800 students and focuses on Black history, life and culture while welcoming any interested student. Its president says the initiative is part of the university’s mission and could be replicated elsewhere.
Sacramento State’s Black Honors College opened around 2024, shortly before federal scrutiny of DEI intensified. It now serves over 800 students; most are Black, African, African-American or mixed-race, though non-Black students may apply. Courses use a Black studies lens—even math incorporates Black mathematicians’ stories—and instructors are picked for proven effectiveness with Black students, measured partly by fewer course failures and withdrawals.
The college’s dean, Boatamo Ati Mosupyoe, notes women form most of its enrollment, mirroring many U.S. campuses. She aims to add male mentors and role models to attract and support more men. President Luke Wood describes the program as nondiscriminatory and potentially replicable elsewhere.
The program may give Black students at a large public university a stronger sense of belonging and academic support, while exposing non-Black participants to Black-centered scholarship. Its visibility could encourage other institutions to consider similar models, though legal and political pressure around race-specific programs may shape how broadly such efforts spread. Students, faculty and administrators weighing inclusive practices against compliance risks are most directly affected.