CA AR86

Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science was founded in 1966 as a private, nonprofit institution dedicated to eliminating health disparities and training health professionals for underserved communities in South Los Angeles.

The university has graduated over 600 physicians, 1,270 physician assistants, 1,700 health professionals, and trained 2,700 physician specialists, with over 80 percent of students and 71 percent of faculty from communities of color.

Charles R. Drew graduates are two to three times more likely to practice in medically underserved communities than physicians from traditional medical schools, and one-third of minority physicians in Los Angeles County are alumni of the institution.

The Assembly finds Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science to be of historical significance relative to African American migration to South Los Angeles and the 1965 Watts Rebellion, and recognizes its valuable service to California residents and African American and Latino communities.

The Assembly urges the National Trust for Historic Preservation to recognize Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science as a Historically Black College and University, which would make it eligible for greater federal historic preservation support.