Speakers gathered over Zoom at the “State of Black Berkeley” event on Feb. 20.
The annual gathering of activists at the “State of Black Berkeley” on Saturday looked different in 2021 than in past years. Attendees greeted each other over Zoom and asked questions or sent compliments in the chatbox, rather than raising hands or applauding in person. Still, with rousing music and a dance break to intersperse impassioned speeches and calls to action, the spirit of the event was unchanged.
The 17 speakers covered a wide range of topics, like how to build community as Berkeley’s Black population continues to shrink; education equity and student support at Berkeley High; police reform and mental health services; equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine; celebrating and protecting Black history and culture, including the statue of a local Black legislator which was vandalized this year; and reparations for the economic losses caused by systemic racism.
Art project or statement? Statue of pioneering Black Berkeley legislator briefly defaced
Someone put a white skeleton mask and some graffiti on the statue of William Byron Rumford on Sacramento Street.
The defaced William Rumford statue on Jan. 8, 2021. Photo: Christine Schwartz
Update, 1:35 p.m.: This may have been part of an art project. The URL on Rumford’s hand leads to this website with photos of other masks the artist appears to have placed on the statue. Berkeleyside has reached out to the artist for more information.
Original story: The bronze statue of William Byron Rumford, the Black Berkeley Assemblymember who pushed through landmark fair housing legislation in the 1960s, was briefly defaced Friday night.