Berkeley

Community Colleges Closing the Racial Opportunity Gap?

Published

9 years ago

September 1, 2017

By Dr. Rowena M. Tomaneng, Berkeley City College President

How can community colleges work effectively and successfully with students coming from the most marginalized communities in the region, many of whom come to college without college-level academic skills? If our formal mission declares a commitment to students of all backgrounds, how can we expect truly academic performances from those students deficient in college-level skills? The severe disproportionate numbers of academically underprepared students comprise students of color, and competent researchers see racism as a profound and long-standing cause of this educational blight.

Students who experience racism have low self-esteem and confidence, feel anxious and stressed, fall behind in schoolwork and get lower results in their exams. In their work on men of color and academic achievement, Harris and Wood (2013) researched how “societal messages about African American and Latino men’s academic abilities or racist stereotypes that depict them as lazy or disinterested in education can influence both students’ and educators’ views about the likelihood that these students will be successful in community college” (from “Student Success for Men of Color in Community Colleges: A Review of Published Literature and Research, 1998-2012).

As a first-generation immigrant from the Philippines, my public education experience in California reflects what many students of color continue to face in educational institutions—marginalization due to explicit and implicit racial/ethnic bias. In grade school, I remember being teased for my accent and being asked if my Pilipino family ate our pets. Even as I pursued my University of California graduate degrees, I experienced disparaging micro aggressions from my white counterparts and professors. Collectively, these experiences impacted my confidence and raised self-doubt in my academic abilities.

In addition to acknowledging research, we need to take stronger action to counter racist and other discriminatory behaviors to restore hope and self-esteem among students of color, so they can believe they will succeed in college. We can also build nurturing learning communities, for example, that use culturally relevant curricula and a pedagogy of self-reflection and personal narrative to validate student experiences. I believe that this “learning community” model provides a necessary cultural and curricular shift on the part of college faculty to begin unpacking the existing assets and capacities of our widely diverse students, rather than to focus on what they do not yet have.

At Berkeley City College (BCC) we have developed learning community programs such as PERSIST (Personal Initiative and Social Transformation), a one-semester bridge program that serves as a gateway toward success in college, for students who wish to transfer or to achieve workforce preparedness. The PERSIST cohort model serves students at the basic skills level who come from socio-economic disadvantage or disability, and as such provides intentional and effective educational access and success for populations underrepresented at BCC.

Our model was also conceived with a Social Justice imperative. PERSIST advances student access, success and equity, and addresses those egalitarian BCC core values of communication, computational skills, critical thinking, self-awareness, interpersonal skills, and information competency. To this end, PERSIST uses an “immersion” model put forth by the Academy for College Excellence (ACE), with two founding faculty as ACE Master Mentors nationwide. Major themes of the PERSIST/ACE Foundational Curriculum include: Deindustrialization of Education, Naming Needs and Emotion, Authentic Communication, and Bringing What You Learn Out into the World.

Successful learning experiences are dependent on the sustained engagement of diverse students. Continued experiences of racism are undeniably associated with increased levels of hopelessness and lower academic achievement. Our current political climate makes it incumbent upon educators to challenge and delegitimize racist and other discriminatory messages in order to restore hope, dreams, and valuation of self among students of color. If we can engage in this consciousness-raising work collectively across our institutions, then we can get one, two, three steps nearer to closing the racial achievement gap.

Visit Berkeley City College if you are interested in learning more about PERSIST and other Learning Community programs. The faculty and I are eager to share our students’ stories with you! You can contact me directly to schedule a visit at rtomaneng@peralta.edu

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

OUSD to Renovate Historic Headquarters

Don't Miss

Opinion: Action Needed Now to Attack Housing Crisis

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Black Repertory Group Needs Volunteers to Help Shape the Next Generation of Artists and Leaders

Legendary performers such as Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover worked with and were inspired by BRG’s founders. More recently, Grammy award-winning artist Kehlani attended the Black Repertory Group Summer Day Camp for several years.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 26, 2026

Oakland Post

Courtesy image.

By Sean Vaughn Scott, Special to The Post

For more than 60 years, the Black Repertory Group (BRG) has changed lives through the arts.

Founded in 1964 by educators and visionaries Birel L. Vaughn and Nora Vaughn, BRG has become one of America’s oldest continuously operating Black theater institutions. For generations, it has preserved culture, developed talent, and provided opportunities for young people to discover their voices and their potential.

The results speak for themselves.

Long before international recognition, Kehlani performed on the BRG stage. During a summer day camp production of “Princess and da Frog,” she portrayed Ray, the lovable firefly whose light guided others through the darkness. Her journey is proof that today’s camper may become tomorrow’s artist, entrepreneur, educator, or leader.

Located at 3201 Adeline St. in Berkeley, BRG continues that mission through its Youth Summer Day Camp of the Arts.

BRG is currently accepting applications and maintains an open enrollment program. Students may enroll throughout the summer as space permits and immediately become part of the BRG family.

We are also proud to be a multicultural opportunity program, welcoming children and families from all backgrounds, cultures, and communities. Through theater, music, dance, public speaking, visual arts, technical theater, and leadership development, students gain confidence, discipline, creativity, and lifelong skills.

As our programs grow, so does our need for volunteers.

We are seeking community members to assist with youth mentoring, registration, costumes, set construction, painting, props, ushering, photography, social media, marketing, technical theater, and fundraising activities. Whether you volunteer for a few hours or throughout the season, your support directly impacts the lives of young people.

BRG also partners with churches, civic organizations, alumni associations, fraternities, sororities, and community groups through theater party fundraisers, group sales, and buy-out performances. These partnerships have helped organizations raise funds while supporting arts and cultural programming.

The theater also serves as the home of the Berkeley NAACP Chapter, which meets every second Saturday of the month from 1 to 3 p.m.

For more than six decades, the Black Repertory Group has remained committed to one belief: every child deserves an opportunity to shine.

The next great artist may already be among us.

The next Kehlani may already be walking through our doors.

We invite you to volunteer, enroll, participate, and become part of the legacy.

For more information please go to www.blackrepertorygroup.com, call (510) 652-2120, or email info@blackrepertorygroup.com

Sean Vaughn Scott is the director of the Black Repertory Group.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Bay Area

UC Berkeley Named Top Public University in the U.S. and No. 7 in the World by ‘U.S. News’

Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014. “A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 24, 2026

Oakland Post

Photo by Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley.

The 2026 Best Global Universities rankings evaluated 2,250 research institutions from more than 100 countries

By Lila Thulin

U.S. News & World Report has ranked UC Berkeley No. 7 in its 2026 list of the best global universities, which assesses more than 2,250 research institutions worldwide.

Berkeley also claimed the honor of top public university in the U.S.

Released on Monday, the list evaluates universities from more than 100 countries on 13 metrics such as global and research reputation (as reported by academics and peers) and number of highly cited scholarly papers.

Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014.

“A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.

The rankings also assess a university’s strength in various subject areas; these assessments are separate from U.S. News’ 2026 Best Graduate Programs rankings released in April.

This year, Berkeley was named in the top three nationally in seven subject areas – environment/ecology, ecology, water resources, physics, computer science, chemistry, and engineering – and in the top five for a total of 17 subjects. Subject rankings are based heavily on scholarly publications and citations as well as reputation.

In September, U.S. News also released its 2026 Best Colleges list, in which Berkeley was also named the No. 1 public institution among American universities.

That honor joins other accolades judging campus to be the best public university in the country, such as those from Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Arts and Culture

Farwest Region Deltas Celebrate Centennial With “September Breakfast” Honoring Vivian Osborne Marsh

The region was established in 1925 under the leadership of Vivian Osborne Marsh, who became its first Regional Director. Marsh was a pioneering scholar and civic leader, earning recognition as the first Black woman to receive both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in anthropology from UC Berkeley.

Published

10 months ago

September 14, 2025

Oakland Post

Farwest Regional Director, Kimberly Usher, Mayor Barbara Lee, US Representative Lateefah Simon, and Farwest Regional Representative, Radiya Ajibade. Photo courtesy of Farwest Regional Photographer Vicki P. Love.

By Antoinette Porter

Hundreds of members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and their guests gathered at the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union at the University of California, Berkeley, to mark the 100th anniversary of the sorority’s Farwest Region.

Marsh went on to serve as Delta Sigma Theta’s 7th National President, where she launched the sorority’s National Library Project to expand access to books in underserved Black communities in the South. During her presidency, the organization also became a prominent voice in the civil rights movement, lobbying Congress to pass anti-lynching legislation.

Bak in the Bay Area, Marsh devoted her career to advancing educational opportunities, mentoring young people, and strengthening community life. That commitment continues to shape the region, which supports initiatives in education, social justice, and economic development. Current projects include raising scholarship funds for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, voter education campaigns, and health and wellness programs.

A century after its founding, the Farwest Region of Delta Sigma Theta remains active across California and other western states, carrying forward Marsh’s vision of service and advocacy.