City of Berkeley, UC Berkeley, BUSD to host Black History Month events
Nada Lamie/Staff
Last Updated February 4, 2021
The city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley and Berkeley Unified School District, or BUSD, have several virtual events planned to celebrate Black History Month, allowing community members to educate themselves on Black history.
Despite the challenges COVID-19 has created for Black History Month programming, campus will host events such as speaker series, film screenings and conversations. Berkeley Unified School District will be teaching students about the Black Lives Matter movement this week.
UC Berkeley’s African American studies department is hosting a “Critical Conversations” speaker series that will celebrate the life of department founder and writer Barbara Christian and explore “abolition democracy.” The African American Student Development, or AASD, office will also moderate a conversation with Me Too movement founder Tarana Burke Thursday.
African American Initiative expands support, aims to better campus climate
Maya Valluru/Staff
The African American Initiative at UC Berkeley is aiming to continue working to increase Black recruitment and retention rates. The initiative was created in 2015.
Last Updated February 4, 2021
Despite budget cuts faced by UC Berkeley, the African American Initiative, or AAI, hopes to continue its efforts to increase Black recruitment and retention rates, bolster support systems and cultivate a better campus climate.
In order for Black students to have a better UC Berkeley experience, campus needs to focus on equity and justice, according to Takiyah Jackson, AAI committee chair and the African American Student Development director. In fall 2020, the AAI hired its first academic counselor and four students to provide support services for scholar recipients, Jackson added.
How can I give back?
By Nic Brathwaite | Special to the Daily Cal
Last Updated February 4, 2021
When I was younger, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to be. When I first received my acceptance to UC Berkeley, I was ecstatic. Growing up in the Bay Area, I hoped for the opportunity to attend the prestigious university my family always talked about. Since I was young, my family made it clear I was expected to do well in school so I could go to a prestigious university and ultimately end up with a good job. As someone who was later inspired to pursue computer science, I was excited at how I imagined UC Berkeley would help prepare me for my future career.
OLUFEMI “FEMI” OGUNDELE
PRUDENCE CARTER
KYNDALL ELISE DOWELL
CALEB DAWSON
WALTER J. HOOD
JOHN A. POWELL Professor, Berkeley Law, African American Studies, Ethnic Studies
You can read a lightly edited version here or watch the full conversation on our YouTube channel.
TAKIYAH FRANKLIN: Before we get started, I’m going to take this moment to give a brief background on the trajectory of the struggles of Black and brown people at UC Berkeley. In 1968 there was a five-month strike that demanded a radical shift in admissions practices. And that was followed swiftly, in 1969, with a three-month strike that led to the creation of the Ethnic Studies department. Fast forward to 1999 and protests against financial cuts to that very department. The protest continued with rallies and sit-ins that led to a five-point agreement and the creation of a research center on campus now called the Center for Race and Gender.
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