Angelmarie Taylor’s Journey Through Adversity to Empowerment

On April 16, a day before the National Day of Higher Education, a powerful coalition of CFA members, Students for Quality Education (SQE), Black Lives Matter (BLM) Grassroots, Los Angeles, and Long Beach chapters mobilized at CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI). They demanded an end to the police harassment and administrative retaliation against Angelmarie Taylor, a young Black student leader and community organizer.

The rally was a resounding success and a testament to powerful community organizing. More than 150 people from other campuses showed up in solidarity. Three CFA chapter presidents joined the rally and escorted Taylor to President Richard Yao’s office to demand accountability. Yao declined to appear and has yet to publicly address the years of abuse that Taylor endured under his leadership.

Taylor’s story, while deeply personal, is not an isolated incident. It reflects a larger pattern of harassment faced by students of color who dare to speak out against the administration. Though the harassment had grown more dangerous and terrifying over the years, the recent show of solidarity let her know that she is far from alone.

The protest also shifted the energy on the campus. The very few Black students, faculty, and staff at CSUCI now feel more empowered to push back against the anti-Black racism they’ve experienced on campus. The message was clear to CSUCI administrators and the University Police Department (UPD): the community is watching and will rise to defend Black lives.

Taylor has been the subject of excessive acts of suppression from both administrators and police.

In Fall 2022, SQE organized a student-led protest demanding reforms to CSU management’s deeply flawed Title IX practices. In response, administrators accused Taylor and another Black student of “illegally” flyering for the protest, despite evidence to the contrary—including the fact that many of the flyers were not from SQE. Taylor was cited for violating four TPM policies, none which had existed prior to that semester. It was clear that the TPM policy changes were arbitrary and being used to suppress any kind of student dissent.

In 2023, Taylor led a protest opposing tuition hikes, poor faculty working conditions, and systemic neglect towards the genocide in Palestine. Following the action, Taylor learned that the CSUCI Dean of Students had compiled an 11-page surveillance report documenting every word or movement she made during the protest. The report, which would be extremely violating for anyone, even logged moments in which Taylor stood still for a moment and did not move.

Taylor was surveilled everywhere she went. When she attended Associated Students Inc. (ASI) meetings, staff would quickly alert the dean, who would rush in and begin taking notes on everything Taylor said. The chief of police would also attend when he was made aware that Taylor was pushing for resolutions on getting police off campus.

It’s no coincidence, then, that in one semester alone, UPD officers pulled Taylor over a total of 12 times, calling these stops “routine checks.” They cited different reasons each time they pulled her over.

On the night before a September 12, 2023 CSU Board of Trustees rally, Taylor was changing a blown-out tire near campus when police were called to investigate “suspicious behavior.” Instead of offering to help after she explained what had happened, the officer searched under her car, under her seats, and in her trunk, giving no explanation but leaving the implication of criminal behavior.

At the rally itself, police were both excessive in number and aggression, with officers putting their hands on students when they tried to go inside the Chancellor’s Office. They also brought in police dogs and metal detectors—an unusually hostile response for a peaceful rally.

This all culminated in the abrupt disenrollment of Taylor from her courses on September 13, 2023. Locked out of Canvas for nearly a month, she was unable to keep up with her coursework and failed her classes. This academic setback, in addition to the ongoing harassment she was facing, put a strain on her mental and physical well-being.

While CFA members successfully pressured President Richard Yao to reinstate her enrollment, the damage was already done. No explanation or apology was ever issued by the president or any other administrator, and no one was held accountable even two years later.

This wasn’t the end to the harassment, as Taylor became the target of retaliation again. On April 1, 2025, during the “Stop the Layoffs” rally, militarized UPD officers accosted Taylor before the rally began, standing just inches away from her. Their acts were meant to be threatening.

A week later, on April 8, Taylor was served another notice by Student Conduct accusing her of violating the TPM policy. This time, the notice concerningly specified that—in her meeting with Student Conduct—she could not be advised by someone with direct knowledge of the incident. Luckily, an attorney from the National Lawyers Guild was happy to represent her pro bono.

However, her hearing, which was originally scheduled on April 16—the same day the protest took place—was postponed due to “unexpected scheduling conflicts.”

Taylor, who had secured legal representation, then received an e-mail from Student Conduct just before midnight on April 17 informing her that she was no longer facing expulsion or criminal charges. As such, she would not be permitted to have an attorney present during her meeting.

In light of this news, the meeting is being rescheduled until further notice.

Though the ongoing and targeted harassment of Taylor and other Black student activists should have never happened, the experience and show of collective strength has transformed Taylor’s fear into a sense of empowerment. She feels safe, supported, and is back on campus to continue her education. Reflecting on the protest and the coalition that rallied beside her, she shared, “I am filled with love. I haven’t cried yet, because there is so much to process. I can’t emphasize how uplifted I feel. I can’t emphasize enough the gratitude that I have for every single person who came out. It means so much to every single Black person on this campus.”

Taylor’s story is far from over. What began as a traumatic ordeal has become a transformative call to action—a testament to Taylor’s resilience and willingness to speak out against injustice. Together, we will keep fighting to ensure that Black students, and all students, faculty, and staff are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.