Founded as a collaboration between the African American Student Development and the Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, Black Lives at Cal was founded in fall 2021 to do research and archive the untold and unearthed stories of Black history here in Berkeley.
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.