Using a critical race theory framework, this study examines the ways in which race and racialized ideologies are manifested in high-stakes college admissions, the debate over affirmative action, and the college choice behavior of Black high school students. This study allows for the voices of Black high school students in California to describe their lived experiences with Proposition 209, suggesting a deeper meaning to affirmative action than simply the ways in which it affected institutional practices related to admissions decisions. The results indicate that, following the end of affirmative action in California, Black students had altered perceptions of where they were welcome and where they belonged in higher education. The results of this study can help colleges and universities to create, maintain, or improve a positive and welcoming climate for students of color in the wake of such policy changes.