Dear UC ANR Community,
For the past several years, the Black and Allied Employees have organized events to help expand our collective understanding of both the history and present state of Black oppression in the United States. A large number of UC ANR employees joined us for Black History Month and Juneteenth celebrations. We are very encouraged by the positive responses we received from those who participated in the cultural events we organized. The evaluation and feedback indicate our colleagues as well as the community benefit from our speakers and discussions.
Though the UC ANR community appreciates our work and we enjoy bringing this content to you, the events also take months of planning added to our regular work loads, without compensation for the extra work. Turnover among Black UC ANR employees (as well as other employees) remains very high, and many of the members who have put in so much extra time and work to produce these events have moved on to other positions. Those who remain are extremely busy in UC ANR programs and other Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts, which makes it difficult to find extra time to organize this year's events.
However, during this Black History month we hope that our friends and colleagues will strive to educate themselves on the Black experience and rich legacy. Let us remember that the purpose of Black History Month is to give Black people credit where credit is due. James Baldwin once said, “When I was growing up, I was taught in American history books that Africa had no history, and neither did I. That I was a savage about whom the less said the better, who'd been saved by Europe and brought to America. And of course, I believed it. I didn't have much choice. Those were the only books there were.” While Black accomplishments and contributions to history are often overlooked, our nation would also not exist without the work and struggle of Black people.
We hope that you will seriously consider attending other events to celebrate and learn over the course of this month, or find other ways to expand your knowledge of Black history. Here are several lists of UC events to consider attending:
- Black History Month event list from UCOP
- UC Davis Black History Month events
- UC San Francisco Black History Month events
- UC San Diego Black History Month events
We also invite you to consider visiting the following resources:
- What is Black Fatigue, and How Can We Protect Employees from It? — UC Berkeley Greater Good
- 11 Suggested Actions Toward Anti-Racism — UC Davis Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- James Baldwin full speech, 1965
- Interview with Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1967
- I'm a scientist from Kenya, not “the third world” or a “developing country”— Nkuchia M. M'Ikanatha
If you are interested in joining the Black and Allied Employees, feel free to reach out to us at sparreira@ucanr.edu (Stephanie Parreira-Zweier), mlblackburn@ucanr.edu (Mary Blackburn), enmosase@ucanr.edu (Esther Mosase) or twilkins@ucanr.edu (Tamekia Wilkins).
In Solidarity,
Stephanie Parreira-Zweier
Mary Blackburn
Esther Mosase
Tamekia Wilkins
Black and Allied Employees of ANR