Posts Tagged: August 2020

Share ideas on how to strengthen UC ANR's 2020-2025 strategic plan by Sept. 9

I'd like to thank those of you were able to join one or more of the four strategic plan input sessions to share your ideas on how to strengthen UC ANR.  We hosted four weekly sessions throughout the month of August, each covering a particular focus area. 

• Session #1 - Increasing Program Resources
• Session #2 - Strengthening Partnerships
• Session #3 - Fostering a Positive Work Environment
• Session #4 - Expanding Virtual Reach

With up to 200 participants at each session, we received many thoughtful comments.  Goal owners are reviewing all of the comments from these sessions and will use them to inform the UC ANR strategic plan goals for the next five years.  These goals operationalize organizational priorities for realizing and supporting our mission; they provide a roadmap for future focus and resource allocation.

If you were not able to attend these input sessions and are interested in hearing more about the challenges we face, our accomplishments to date, and the draft strategies for the future – the session recordings and slides are now posted on the UC ANR Strategic Plan web page.

After listening to the recordings, if you would like to provide input, there is still time. Links to surveys for each topical area are available on the web page listed above. The surveys will be closed at 5 p.m. on Sept. 9 to ensure that the goal owners will have time to review additional comments before completing their draft goal summaries.

We received positive feedback on the format of the input sessions, and so will definitely consider this approach again in the future.

Thank you again for your ongoing commitment to creating the best possible future for UC ANR.

Glenda Humiston
Vice President

UC Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment revised

On Aug. 14, 2020, the University of California issued a revised Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment (SVSH) Policy. The revision was required to comply with Title IX regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), which became effective on the same date. This letter summarizes the major policy changes.

Much of the prior SVSH Policy remains unchanged. The same conduct that was prohibited by the policy prior to August 14 is still prohibited.  A subset of this conduct is now covered by the DOE regulations.  This includes sexual assault, relationship violence, stalking and some conduct that constitutes sexual harassment if the person who experienced the conduct was in the United States at the time the conduct occurred and when the conduct occurred on University property or in the context of a University program or activity. The SVSH policy contains definitions that further explain these terms.

If any of the conduct is covered by the DOE regulations and the process could result in discipline, the University must address the conduct through a process that is required by the regulations (referred to in the policy as the “DOE Grievance Process”).  All other conduct will continue to be addressed by the processes that existed prior to August 14, 2020.

For investigated cases that are covered by the DOE Grievance Process, the University must provide a hearing following the investigation. This hearing must take place before a decision is made about whether the accused (known as the “respondent” under the SVSH Policy) violated the policy.  A hearing must be provided in cases where the respondent is a student or an employee. At the hearing, the parties have the right to have their advisor ask the party's questions of the other party and witnesses. If a party does not have an advisor, the University will make a person available who will ask questions on behalf of that party. After the hearing, there is a right to appeal the Hearing Officer's determination.

For investigated cases that are not covered by the DOE Grievance Process that involve employee respondents, there is no hearing or appeal under the SVSH Policy.  Employees retain all rights to hearings and appeals that are available under the relevant grievance procedures. 

The regulations are complex and, as a result, the SVSH Policy is also complex. The description above is just a summary to inform the ANR community of the major changes. The University has developed initial FAQs that are available here.  As we receive additional questions, the FAQs will be updated.

If you have questions about how the policy might be applied to a particular incident or you have other questions that are not answered by the FAQs, please contact John Fox, interim Title IX Officer for UC ANR, at jsafox@ucanr.edu. 

 

 

Join Hispanic Heritage Month celebration Sept. 15-Oct. 15

Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, is a celebration is to recognize Hispanics' contributions and vital presence in the United States.

 

President Lyndon Johnson first approved Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968 and it was expanded to a full month by President Ronald Reagan. Hispanic Heritage Month was officially enacted as a law on August 17, 1988.

As part of this celebration, we are recognizing three Latino professionals who serve their communities while always upholding UC ANR's values of academic excellence, honesty, integrity and community service.

This year UC ANR recognizes 

Claudia Diaz Carrasco, 4-H youth development advisor for Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Diaz has received numerous awards and recognitions for her work with underprivileged youths in urban areas. She has worked with UC ANR for five years. 

Sonia Ríos, UC Cooperative Extensionsubtropical horticulture advisor for Riverside and San Diego counties. Since an early age, Ríos knew her future was in agriculture. Her grandfather and her father worked in agriculture and nurtured her love for nature and the fields. She has worked with UC ANR for almost nine years. 

Javier Miramontes, UCCE nutrition program supervisor for Fresno County. Miramontes enjoys the opportunity his work gives him to serve the community where he grew up. He finds it very rewarding to teach parents, senior citizens and high school students about the importance of a healthy diet and how to create a sustainable environment. He has worked with UC ANR for over five years.

We have several events planned for Hispanic Heritage Month and invite you to participate. See below and the calendar of events at https://ucanr.edu/sites/Spanish/Hispanic_Heritage_Month/Hispanic_Heritage_Month_2020/Zoom_Forums_Calendar.

Documentary: The Mexican Repatriation September 18 from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Mexican Repatriation 
There was a mass deportation of Mexicans and Mexican Americans from the United States between 1929 and 1936. Estimates of how many people were repatriated range from 400,000 to 2 million. An estimated 60% of those deported were birthright citizens of the United States.

Meet the HHM 2020 Honorees September 25 from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

UC Agriculture and Natural Resources joins the Hispanic Heritage Month celebration by recognizing three Latino academics or educators who serve their communities while upholding UC ANR's values of academic excellence, honesty, integrity and community service.

This year UC ANR recognizes

• Claudia Diaz - UCCE 4-H Youth Development advisor for Riverside and San Bernardino counties
• Sonia Ríos - UCCE subtropical horticulture advisor for Riverside and San Diego counties
• Javier Miramontes - Nutrition program supervisor for Fresno County

Documentaries: The Chicano Moratorium & the Zoot Suit Riots  October 2 from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

THE CHICANO MORATORIUM 

On August 29, 1970, a "Chicano Moratorium" against the Vietnam War was held in East Los Angeles Loyola-Marymount film student Tom Myrdahl shot this documentary, capturing the events that unfolded as law enforcement and protesters clashed in and around Laguna Park. This documentary was kept hidden from public view for almost 40 years. Myrdahl offers this historical film on the web as a tribute to the brave citizens of East L.A. who came together 50 years ago to voice their dissent against the Vietnam War.

ZOOT SUIT RIOTS

The Zoot Suit Riots were a series of conflicts on June 3–8, 1943, in Los Angeles, which pitted American service members stationed in Southern California against Mexican American youths who were residents of the city. The Zoot Suit Riots were related to fears and hostilities aroused by the coverage of the Sleepy Lagoon murder trial, following the killing of a young Latino man in what was then an unincorporated commercial area near Los Angeles. The riot appeared to trigger similar attacks that year against Latinos in Chicago, San Diego, Oakland, Evansville, Philadelphia, and New York City. The defiance of zoot suiters became inspirational for Chicanos during the Chicano Movement.

Covid-19 and Hispanics October 9 from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Join a discussion with two journalists from Univision and a farmworker human rights activist. They will share their experiences with the pandemic, the impact of COVID-19 in the Hispanic community, and why they think Latinos have been the ethnic groups hit hardest in the southern United States.

UC ANR 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge Sept. 14–Oct. 5

Welcome to ANR's 21-Day Anti-Racism Challenge!

Sept. 14–Oct. 5, 2020 ucanr.edu/21days

ANR employees, along with other UC locations and thousands of other people across the US and beyond, are committing to deepening understanding of, and willingness to confront, racism for 21 consecutive days.

Diversity scholar Eddie Moore, Jr. created the 21-Day Challenge to encourage a deeper understanding of race, privilege, supremacy, power and oppression. Why 21 days? Some say it takes 21 days to create a habit. The intention of this initiative is to support ANR employees in developing “effective social justice habits” to effect meaningful change.

People at Food Solutions New England Sustainability Institute (FSNE) were inspired by his work and the work of Debby Irving and Marguerite Pennick-Parks to adapt the 21-Day Habit-Building Challenge to their food system network. FSNE has been organizing and hosting the Challenge every year since 2015.

ANR has adapted FSNE's February 2020 21-Day Equity Challenge titled “Beyond Words: to Action and Resiliency” to make it easy for employees to independently dive into their own examination of the program or to create a cohort of ANR employees with whom to share the experience.

Purpose

Through a look at the food system challenge developed by FSNE, we will distinguish that racism is expressed through institutions, cultures and behaviors instead of personal character defects. Uncovering inequities and injustices will assist each of us in broadening our understanding and compassion and grow our engagement towards anti-racism and toward the experiences of Black Americans.

In examining the Black experience, we will consider our own personal layers of privilege and those of all marginalized people, keeping in mind marginalized colleagues, clientele, community members or maybe even family members. Marginalized people include and are not limited to age, class, ability, immigration status, race, sexuality, spirituality, gender, gender expression, ethnicity, culture, gender expression and identity and generation.

Most importantly the challenge will help us discover the many ways we can individually and collectively promote a more just and equitable food system for all. It will also prompt us on ways we can work as individuals, with others at ANR, with marginalized clientele, within our communities and families to dismantle these systems everywhere. 

When

The 21-Day Challenge takes place Sept. 14, 2020, through Oct. 5, 2020.

Who

You and a group of 6 to 8 ANR colleagues with whom you'd like to explore and learn with.

How

• Reach out to a group of ANR colleagues and form a cohort of 6-8 participants.
• Create a set of Group Agreements (example) that foster a secure space for discussion.
• Refer to the assignments listed below and consider how often you will meet (ex., once/week) via phone or Zoom to discuss what you learned, or whether you will share thoughts via some type of chat system such as Slack or Microsoft Teams.

You do not need to complete every single reading and every single assignment to reap benefits. Do what you can.

Activities

As mentioned above, the activities of ANR's Challenge are based on FSNE's February 2020 21-Day Equity Challenge titled “Beyond Words: to Action and Resiliency. We are entering this examination of inequities in the food system to:

• Learn
• Act
• Reflect

Prework - Getting prepared

The post at this link provides suggested “pre-work” to prepare you before you start your journey. Think of it as stretching before a jog or a softball match. Note – you will not receive daily email prompts as suggested in the post. You and your cohort will work through the listed activities independently.

2020 Racial Equity Challenge Launch Webinar (57:45)

Feel free to view the recorded webinar that took place at the start of the March 2020 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge. 

Day 1 – Monday, Sept. 14  Racial Identity Formation

Understanding the process of racial identity development is important for self-awareness, relationship-building, and work for equity. We are, all of us, wonderful mashups of identities, and experiences. Refer to the post at this link to reflect specifically on where you are in the different stages of racial identity development. 

Day 2 – Tuesday, Sept. 15  Racial Socialization

Socialization is a process we all undergo – it is how we develop values, habits and attitudes and learn to function in the world. Understanding the process of socialization can help us understand how we came to where we are in our views of race and racism in the food (and other related) systems and what we are willing and “able” to do to work for justice.

Day 3 – Wednesday, Sept. 16   Indigenous Food Ways

In her book Sacred Instructions: Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-Based Change, Penobscot lawyer, activist and teacher Sherri Mitchell (Weh'na Ha'mu Kwasset) writes, “One of the most important things we can do for ourselves, our children and the future of the planet is to decolonize our minds and ways of life.”

Day 4 – Thursday, Sept. 17  Food and Farm Workers

The very foundation of our food system in the United States is grounded in slavery. This started with the system of plantation slavery in the Southeast, moved into indentured servitude and share cropping and has continued over time with “agricultural exceptionalism,” which has left farmworkers out of labor protections over time.

Day 5 – Friday, Sept. 18  Whiteness and Anti Blackness

Gita Gulati-Partee and Maggie Potapchuk, in an article titled “Paying Attention to White Culture and Privilege: A Missing Link to Advancing Racial Equity,” write “Processes aimed at racial equity change can overlook the privileged side of inequity.” Work for racial justice in our food and other systems must include naming and de-centering whiteness, white privilege, and white superiority/supremacy, which racism is designed to protect and uphold.

Day 6 – Saturday, Sept. 19  Catch -Up and Reflections

While reflecting on the first week's prompts, we invite you to take some time to get quiet and reflect. Is there anything that you see differently based on your participation so far? What images come to mind? How does this impact how you think about your life, work, volunteerism, studies in food systems or your relationship to food? Is there anything you are inspired to do differently?

Day 7 -  Sunday, Sept. 20  Week One Catchup and Reflections

Part of grounding in the reality of racism and other forms of oppression is not simply about thinking, but also honoring our emotional and embodied reactions. There is important information in our feelings and bodies that dominant professional culture can often marginalize. As you reflect on this week's prompts and resources, what emotions come up? What do you sense in your body? What does that tell you? What can you learn from that?

Day 8 – Monday, Sept. 21  Internalized Racism

Of the four levels of racism (internalized, interpersonal, institutional, and systemic) internalized can be the hardest to see and is often the hardest to talk about. And yet for healing to happen, what is otherwise unseen must be named. Internalized racism can manifest as internalized racial inferiority on the part of Black, Indigenous and People of Color and as internalized racial superiority for White people.

Day 9 – Tuesday, Sept. 22  Interpersonal Racism

Though some would believe otherwise, interpersonal racism is very real. We are seeing more visible evidence of this in the time of COVID19, including escalating attacks on Asian and Asian-American communities. Everyone, and especially White people, have a role in calling out racism and bigotry, and this can be a hard thing for some people to do. Even if it is not difficult to do, it can be difficult to do in a way that is ultimately productive, inviting someone who has said or done something that perpetuates racism to change or to consider changing. 

Day 10 – Wednesday, Sept. 23  Institutional Racism

Institutional racism shows up in both formalized and informal ways, from Human Resources policies that privilege white dominant norms of “professionalism” to cultures that instill a sense of belonging to those who feel more comfortable in norms of whiteness (go back to the prompt from Day 5 to dig back into this).

Day 11 – Thursday, Sept. 24  Structural Racism and New Narratives

Poet and novelist Ben Okri wrote, “Beware of the stories you read or tell; subtly, at night, beneath the waters of consciousness, they are altering your world.” Systems scientist Sally J. Goerner has added, “The stories we tell ourselves about how the world works form our greatest survival tool.” Stories hold tremendous power in our world, work, and lives. Writer Chimamanda Adichie notes: “Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign. But stories can also be used to empower, and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people. But stories can also repair that broken dignity.” 

Day 12 – Friday, Sept. 25 Structural Racism & the Racial Wealth Gap

As Inequality.org puts it, “Systemic and structural racism has contributed to the persistence of race-based gaps that manifest in many different economic indicators. The starkest divides are in measures of household wealth, reflecting centuries of white privilege that have made it particularly difficult for people of color to achieve economic security.” This gap means that many Black and Indigenous people and communities and People and Communities of Color are more at risk financially than White people and communities at times of disruption.  And with respect to the food system, it means having less access to the means to purchase land, start a business, etc. 

Day 13 – Saturday, Sept. 26Catching Up and Reflections

Take some time to catch up on this past week's prompts. Reflect on the different approaches we have explored so far for addressing the different levels of racism (internalized, interpersonal, institutional, structural) and white superiority/supremacy.

Day 14 – Sunday, Sept. 27 Reflection 

As with last weekend, we invite you to find some quiet time (if possible and desirable) to get centered and to consider the past two weeks of your participation in the Challenge. Check in with yourself. What do you sense/feel? How are you physically? Intellectually? Emotionally? Spiritually? What are these sensations telling you?

Day 15 – Monday, Sept. 28 Reparations

The National Black Food and Justice Alliance, along with growing numbers of regional and local groups, including white “accomplices,” are calling for reparations of land and resources to Black and Indigenous people to account for decades of extracted wealth.

Day 16 – Tuesday, Sept. 29 Equitable & Liberation Forms of Food System Governance 

Government and governance have both been and continue to be forces for perpetuating and exacerbating racial inequities. By governance, we mean “the processes of interaction and decision-making among actors involved in collective problem-solving that lead to the creation, reinforcement, or reproduction of social norms and institutions.” Governance happens through government, and also through organizations, communities, markets and networks.

Day 17 – Wednesday, Sept. 30 Sovereignty & Self Determination

Someone at a Food Solutions New England Network Team meeting once said, “Equity within fundamentally dehumanizing systems is not what the goal is.” Rather, equity is tied to “liberation” (from racism, othering, white supremacy, patriarchy, extractive forms of governance and economics) when it lifts up food sovereignty and self-determination.

Day 18 – Thursday, Oct. 1 Raising the Next Generations

Each generation is hopefully building on the work of those that came before. We certainly see that up and coming generations seem to be more aware of what is wrong in our food and related systems and are determined to create something better. And this is ideally about multi-generational work …maybe four generations to carry the work forward. 

Day 19 – Friday, Oct. 2 New Patterns, New Vision 

At FSNE, we believe that vision and imagination are powerful “leverage points” in systems for finding a path forward beyond oppressive structures and extractive mindsets. And we know we are in good company! In her book Emergent Strategy, adrienne maree brown writes that we are engaged in an “imagination battle”, that the current conditions are the result of someone's imagination, a de-humanizing and domination-oriented view. There are so many other alternatives, if we would be bold, broaden our view, and band together with one another to create new living and life-affirming stories. 

Day 20 – Saturday, Oct. 3 Week Three Reflections 

What are your main takeaways from the Challenge? Where are you now compared to before you started? How do you feel? What new knowledge or insights do you have? What hopes? 

Day 21 – Sunday, Oct. 4 Closing Reflections

Today's prompt builds on yesterday's reflection about how the Challenge has guided you to think and act differently, perhaps more boldly, on this journey of racial equity and justice.

How will you put any of your new commitments into action, starting as soon as Monday, October 5? What kinds of support do you need to do so? Do you have those supports or can you organize them into being, perhaps with help from others? Please share your comments here. You have an option to share anonymously in this survey. We really want to hear your responses!

ucanr.edu/21days

 

Strategic Initiative Brief: Spotlight webinar series, invasive pests, virtual reach

Unify-Communicate-Advocate

SI Spotlight webinar series continuing strong: Building resilient food systems and managing invasive pests

The food systems series being coordinated by the Healthy Families and Communities and Sustainable Food Systems Strategic Initiatives teams continues to explore how to reimagine our food systems. Sign up below and join us for the remaining webinars - on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month through at least November - to continue the discussion. Please let us know if you're interested in providing leadership or participating in a webinar for this series.

Contacts: Deanne Meyer and Lynn Schmitt McQuitty 

Webinar #1 - Food Safety and COVID-19 (video) Slides (PDF) 

Webinar #2 - California Food Systems: Partnerships and Resources (video) Slides (PDF) Resource Kit (PDF)

Webinar #3 - The Ins and Outs of Niche Marketing Meat (video) Slides (PDF) Resource Kit (PDF)

Webinar #4 - Beef Supply Chain and Market Disruptions (uploaded soon)

Sept. 8, 2020 | Webinar #5 - Farm Boxes and Food Hubs: Building Local Food System Resilience During COVID-19 register here

Sept. 22, 2020 | Webinar #6 - Victory Gardens Then and Now register here

Oct. 13, 2020 | Webinar #7 - Increasing Resiliency of Farmers' Market & Equitable Access to Fresh, Local Produce register here

Oct. 27, 2020 | Webinar #8 - Re-imagining Food Systems: Emerging Strategies for Regional Food Systems Resulting from COVID-19 register here

Nov. 10, 2020 | Webinar #9 - date available

Nov. 24, 2020 | Webinar #10 - date available

Visit the Spotlight webinars page for recordings. 

 

Invasive pests can affect almost all aspects of our lives - our gardens, our communities, our food systems, our natural ecosystems. The Endemic and Invasive Pest & Diseases (EIPD) SI is in the process of designing a multipart webinar series on managing invasive pests to help us understand what's the problem along with what we can and should do. Stay tuned to hear more. 

Contact: Jim Farrar 

 

Virtual reach continues to grow

Across the organization, people continue to explore and improve their skills to develop and deliver our educational content. An example of success is the 40% increase (around 300,000 views) in video viewing across UC IPM and UC Master Gardener channels. For the first time, the number of views topped 1 million. In another development, CalFresh Healthy Living, UC compiled some 20+ lessons online for virtual access and use through school curricula. 

See how you can improve your skills - visit the UC ANR Learning & Development Site (UCANR.edu/L&D) to learn more about: 

Apps. Information on some of the emerging tools, including how to access GSuite.

Online courses. Check out the recently developed Checklist: online course minimum standards.

Video. Develop your "How-to" video making skills. 

Virtual Consultations. Get some Virtual consultation tips.  

Webinars. Pick up some pointers from the engaging webinars checklist or explore deeper to develop your webinar skills. 

All these materials have been developed with input from many, many colleagues. 

 

What's in the pipeline

The SIs offer a home for strategic thought, drawing on members of the wider UC ANR community and beyond as we seek to address issues of current and emerging importance. In the discussion pipeline, we have: 

Disaster response - How to contribute and position ourselves for broader impact, recognizing the tremendous progress made by the Fire group. 

Funding models

Engaging AES and Program Teams

Being relevant 

• What might/should the Extension of the future look like? How do we stay relevant - e.g., addressing urban extension needs. What could we look like? What partnerships to pursue? 
• What could post-COVID-19 tertiary education look like? What could be the role of UC ANR (re: community colleges, CSUs, UCs, internships…)?
• Virtual tours

Let us know what skills or tips you found useful and what more you'd like to learn.

For more on the SIs and their activities, contact:

Jim Farrar (EIPD)

David Lewis (Water)

David Lile (SNE)

Deanne Meyer (SFS)

Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty (HFC)

Mark Bell (Strategic Initiatives and Statewide Programs)

 

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