THE DAILY BRUIN ONLINE 6/14/2004
Ethnic graduation honors black Bruins
By Menaka Fernando
DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF
Leilani Downing came to UCLA in the winter of 1998, only months after the implementation of Proposition 209, which banned the state’s use of affirmative action in hiring and admissions policies. She belonged to the first class of students for which race was no longer considered in University of California admissions.
That year, the number of black students admitted to UCLA plummeted from 470 to 272.
Today, six years later – when UCLA admitted 199 black students – and days before she graduates, Downing is disappointed about how the racial dynamic has changed during her time at UCLA.