Anti-Racism | Syllabus

Academic Year 2021-2022 | Anti-Racism Syllabus

Last updated April 25, 2022

During the Summer of 2020, the UC Davis community responded to the death of George Floyd, and the unjust killings of too many other Black people in America with a period of acknowledgment, mourning, reflection, and reckoning. We are in the process of moving from isolated allyship to action.

The DEI office embarked upon a journey with the campus to address racism and elevate awareness of racism and bias, those that are explicit and implicit. We began with a "Resources for Thinking and Acting" website. All are encouraged to spend time on the site and learn more from the resources that are posted there.

In addition to having resources available for individual self-reflection, various departments offered facilitated opportunities for professional development during the summer.

If you have events that we can add, please e-mail further details. 

Winter-Spring 2021 | Anti-Racism Syllabus
Summer-Fall 2020 | Anti-Racism Syllabus

 

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UC Davis Graduate School of Management’s 21-Week Anti-Racism Challenge

The 21-Week Anti-Racism Challenge grounds us individually and collectively to differing modes of learning; individual, collective, and structural change only happen by using this knowledge for positive change.

We invite participants to complete the full curriculum of 21 activities, which includes readings, videos, and recordings, each grounded in a social justice framework that situates structures of power, position, privilege, perception, and process. Learn more.

 
Sep. 20

Distinguished Scholars Webinar: Safiya Umoja Noble | 12:00 PM

UC Council of Chief Diversity Officers Distinguished Scholars Series

Noble will share her work on data discrimination and racial and gender bias in search engine algorithms. What are the implications for socially marginalized and oversurveilled populations? The webinar is part of the UC Council of Chief Diversity Officers’ Distinguished Scholars series. Each event features a notable UC faculty member who has made significant contributions to public policy and the study of racial inequality through their research, teaching and mentorship. Dr. Safiya Umoja Noble is an associate professor in UCLA’s Department of Information Studies. She serves as the co-founder and co-director of the UCLA Center for Critical Internet Inquiry (C2i2). Noble is the author of a best-selling book on racist and sexist algorithmic bias in commercial search engines, Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism, which has been widely reviewed in scholarly and popular publications. Register here.

 
Sep. 23

Staff/Faculty Womxn of Color Support Group | 12:00 PM

This group was brought together in 2019 by Dr. Gill and Cecily to support womxn of color employed at UC Davis. The intention is to offer a safe and encouraging space to support healing, growth and development in the personal and professional lives of womxn of color. Hosts: Dr. Satinder Gill, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Academic and Staff Assistance Program Cecily Nelson-Alford, Director, Women’s Resources and Research Center. Consent for participation is necessary, please contact drgill@ucdavis.edu for more information. The groups meets bi-weekly year round on Thursday
 
Sep. 24

Dred Scott Beyond Black and White | 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Aoki Center for Race and Nation Studies and UC Davis School of Law

The Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision is notorious for its racism and frank endorsement of African American slavery and white supremacy.  Although repudiated by the Civil War and overruled by the Reconstruction Amendments, it remains a landmark in American history.  This symposium explores whether and how Dred Scott remains relevant in modern American jurisprudence, and its implications for a multi-racial nation. Presenters include: Gabriel “Jack” Chin, Professor of Law; Kevin R. Johnson, Dean; Leticia Saucedo, Professor of Law; Greg Downs, Professor of History and Michael Haggerty, PhD Candidate, History; Lea VanderVelde, Professor of Law, Iowa College of Law; Paul Finkelman, Chancellor, Gratz CollegeAmanda Frost, Professor of Law and Government, American University Washington College of Law; Moderator: Raquel Aldana, Professor of Law; Special Guest Commentary: Ediberto Roman, Professor of Law and Director of Immigration and Citizenship Initiatives, Florida International University. Learn more and register.

 
Sep. 23

Beverly Daniel Tatum: Raising Antiracist Kids | 4:30 PM

Davis Parent University

Please join Davis Parent University for a webinar with Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, President Emerita of Spelman College and internationally renowned author of Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together In the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race. Committed to straight talk about race and racism, Dr. Tatum will share unique insights and strategies for raising antiracist kids, including: How to have conversations about race and racism with kids; How to embrace cross-racial dialogue and build community through dialogue; How to be an ally. Learn more and register.

 
Sep. 24

Open House & Arts Healing Event | 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM

Taller Arte del Nuevo Amanecer (TANA) 

Join TANA's Fall Open House & Art Heals Celebration that will include live printing activities, informal facilities tours, family print activities, and information booths featuring local community service organizations including Yolo Food Bank, CommuniCare, Brown Issues, others. We will reflect on the difficulties of the past year while engaging in community art making, which can help us look to the future and alleviate the burden of illness. Come enjoy music, food & refreshments with live silkscreen poster making, wood block printing, family print activities, and a free t-shirt and tote print station. Visit tana.ucdavis.edu for more information.

 
Oct. 5

Distinguished Scholars Webinar: Mehrsa Baradaran | 12:00 PM

UC Council of Chief Diversity Officers Distinguished Scholars Series

Baradaran will share her work on racial wealth gaps and generators of wealth in Black communities. The webinar is part of the UC Council of Chief Diversity Officers’ Distinguished Scholars series. Each event features a notable UC faculty member who has made significant contributions to public policy and the study of racial inequality through their research, teaching and mentorship. Mehrsa Baradaran is a professor of Law at UCI Law. She writes about banking law, financial inclusion and racial inequality, and is the author of How the Other Half Banks and The Color of Money. She has advised U.S. senators and congressmen on policy, testified before the U.S. Congress, and spoken at national and international forums like the U.S. Treasury and the World Bank. Register here.

 
Oct. 14 

Citizenism: Racialized Discrimination by Design | 12:00 PM-1:00 PM

Aoki Center for Race and Nation Studies and UC Davis School of Law

Evelyn Rangel-Medina is the inaugural Visiting Assistant Professor of the Center for Racial and Economic Justice at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law

Evelyn Rangel-Medina is the inaugural Visiting Assistant Professor of the Center for Racial and Economic Justice at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where she teaches Criminal Procedure, Latinx & the Law, and Citizenism: Race & Immigration. Her scholarship is primarily in the areas of race and the law, employment discrimination, criminal procedure, and crimmigration. Her research investigates racial subordination and its various iterations, including identifying the myriad ways documentation status enforcement and national security policies discriminatorily impact citizens of color. Register. Zoom Password: 720833

 
 

D&I Dialogue: Antisemitism in the United States | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 

UC Davis Health Office for Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Antisemitism is one of the longest-lasting and persistent forms of hatred and, despite the general acceptance of Jews in America, remains a real concern today. This talk will cover themes from the history of antisemitism over the last 2000 years, but will focus primarily on the post-World War II period in the United States. We will see how the recent rise in antisemitism has its own unique features, connected to the longer history, and also how it fits into the troubling context in the rise of racial hatreds in our country in recent years. Register.

 
 

The Prisoners Movement and the Promise of the Liberatory Archive and Screening of Attica | 3:10 PM-4:00 PM

Campus Community Book Project

A talk by Tiana Williams, Graduate Student, University of Southern California Cinema and Media Studies, and screening of the documentary Attica. Presented as a part of Professor Jesse Drew’s Introduction to Documentary Studies course. Register.

All participants must follow UC Davis' in-person activity guidance (please refer to the entrance requirements listed under "Campus Vaccination/Testing Requirement for Indoor Events with Food or Drinks").

 
 

DHI Book Chat: Corrie Decker and Elisabeth McMahon, “The Idea of Development in Africa: A History” | 5:10 PM

UC Davis Humanities Institute

The Idea of Development in Africa: A History (Cambridge University Press, 2020), by Corrie Decker (UC Davis) and Elisabeth McMahon (Tulane University), offers a novel approach to historical knowledge through what the authors call the “development episteme.” The book defines the development episteme as the knowledge system emerging from nineteenth-century European imperialism in Africa, which is at the root of contemporary international development policies and practices. It demonstrates how the shift from race to culture in twentieth-century
development thinking failed to uproot the white supremacist foundations of this episteme. The authors urge that decolonizing development means taking seriously African critiques and demands to be decision-makers in global organizations. Register here.

 
Oct. 19

Native American Studies Colloquium, “Douk” | 12:00 PM

Come join filmmaker Michelle Hernandez for a screening of "Douk" followed by a Q&A. "Douk" tells the story of a young Native girl who finds herself, and her younger sister, facing the possibility of being stolen and taken to a boarding school, where they will be assimilated into the western culture. Learn more about the film. Zoom link.

 
 

The Language of Social Justice | 12:00 PM

Campus Community Book Project

A talk by Karma Waltonen, Continuing Lecturer, University Writing Program. Register

 
 

The Intersection of Inclusion, Belonging and our New Normal | 1:30pm

UC Davis Human Resources

Join this Race Matters workshop hosted by UC Davis Human Resources to learn how the move to flexible and remote work has democratized work experiences and increased accessibility - and what we can do to maintain this progress as we move toward our "new normal". We start the session with an exploration of key topics that were covered in the Race Matters program over the past year. Presenters for this session include Christine Lovely, Chief Human Resources Officer; Gayle Guest-Brown, Senior Organizational Development Specialist & Executive Leadership Coach for Organizational Excellence; and Lyndon Huling, Manager of HR Leadership Recruitment & Diversity Services. There will be opportunities for candid discussion, sharing experiences and getting your questions answered. Register here.

 
Oct. 20 

Family Law of the Poor | 12:15 PM – 1:15 PM

UC Davis School of Law Racial Justice Speaker Series 

This talk will examine the dual system of family law in the US. It observes that the US has a set of laws that regulates more affluent families and an entirely distinct set of laws that regulates poor families. Moreover, the family law for the poor is uniquely punitive. This talk offers that the dual system of family law, and the brutal nature of family law for the poor, can be explained in terms of the moral construction of poverty—the idea that poverty is a result of an individual’s shortcomings. This talk proposes that the moral construction of poverty offers a unique framework through which to view and critique the family law for the poor.

Khiara M. Bridges is a professor of law at UC Berkeley School of Law. She has written many articles concerning race, class, reproductive rights, and the intersection of the three. Her scholarship has appeared or will soon appear in the Harvard Law Review, Stanford Law Review, the Columbia Law Review, the California Law Review, the NYU Law Review, and the Virginia Law Review, among others. She is also the author of three books: Reproducing Race: An Ethnography of Pregnancy as a Site of Racialization (2011), The Poverty of Privacy Rights (2017), and Critical Race Theory: A Primer (2019). She is a coeditor of a reproductive justice book series that is published under the imprint of the University of California Press. Learn more and register.

 
Oct. 21 

Civil Rights Legacy of Justice Cruz Reynoso | 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

UC Davis School of Law 

Born into a farmworker family, Cruz Reynoso spent a lifetime fighting the prejudices he first encountered during his childhood in Southern California. He spent five decades working in public service, advocating for workers, immigrants and the indigent before becoming the first Latino member of the state Supreme Court in 1982, and the recipient, in 2000, of the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton. Notable civil rights lawyers who worked alongside Justice Reynoso’s will remember and honor his legacy as a civil rights icon and discuss the continuation of much of the important racial justice work that Cruz Reynoso deeply cared about.   

Program:

Welcome and introduction by UC Davis Law Dean Kevin R. Johnson. Moderated by UC Davis Law Professor Raquel Aldana.

Panelists: José Padilla, California Rural Legal Assistance; Amagda Pérez, California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation; Thomas Saenz, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund

Reception immediately following.

REGISTER for in-person event.

REGISTER for Zoom link.

** In-person event is only open to UC Davis Law students, faculty, staff, and invited guests only from the public. COVID-19 Daily Symptom Survey and face covering will be required to attend. More about events guidelines. If you plan to attend in-person as an outside guest, you will be required to show your vaccination card. Acceptable formats include the original paper card, a photo of the original paper card, or a digital record of vaccination.

 
Oct. 25-26

Reimagining Health Equity in California’s Future - 2021 EHSC Annual Retreat 

October 25, 11:45 AM-7:30 PM and October 26, 12:00 PM-5:30 PM

The UC Davis Environmental Health Sciences Center 

EHSC's Annual Retreat will be a 2-day event in-person, remote, and live-streamed from UC Davis. This year's theme focuses on building environmental justice and health equity in California's future. Featured Speakers: Viola Waghiyi (Keynote), Environmental Health and Justice Program Director and White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council; Dr. Susan Handy, Director at National Center for Sustainable Transportation and a Professor at UC Davis; Dr. Seigi Karasaki, graduate student instructor at UC Berkeley; Dr. Randy Carney, EHS Scholar; Dr. Melanie Gareau, EHS Scholar; youth environmental justice climate activists from Northern California. Learn more and register.

 
Nov. 3

Intimate Privacy: A Civil Right | 12:15 PM – 1:15 PM

UC Davis School of Law Racial Justice Speaker Series

Danielle Citron is the Jefferson Scholars Foundation Schenck Distinguished Professor in Law at UVA, where she writes and teaches about privacy, free expression and civil rights. Her scholarship and advocacy have been recognized nationally and internationally.

In 2019, Citron was named a MacArthur Fellow based on her work on cyberstalking and intimate privacy. In 2018, she received the UMD Champion of Excellence award and in 2015, the United Kingdom’s Prospect Magazine named her one of the Top 50 World Thinkers and The Daily Record named her one of the Top 50 Most Influential Marylanders. Register and learn more.

 
Nov. 4 

Leading Anti-Racist Labs or Research Groups

UC Davis Feminist Research Institute 

Creating an environment that is inclusive of all students requires thought and effort. This workshop provides faculty with guidance on how to create an anti-racist community through awareness, discussion, transparency, advocacy, and new practices. Participants will learn new leadership skills necessary to create equity in student groups. These skills can help graduate students experience increased feelings of belonging, a deeper commitment to their field, and a greater sense of independence. Creating an inclusive culture can also bring new insights and improve research innovations and outcomes.

Presented by Dr. Sarah McCullough, Feminist Research Institute

Recording here 

 
Nov. 10-23

Human Rights Film Festival | Various Times

The UC Davis Humanities Institute and Human Rights Studies Program

The UC Davis Humanities Institute and Human Rights Studies Program inaugurated the UC Davis Human Rights Film Festival in fall 2017, in partnership with Human Rights Watch (HRW). The multi-day online festival showcases a selection of HRW films with Q&A sessions with filmmakers and scholars. Human Rights Watch currently screens its Human Rights Film Festival in over 20 cities around the world, including Amsterdam, London, New York, and Sydney. The selected films bear powerful and moving witness to human rights issues both locally and globally and will inspire our community with the knowledge and commitments that can make a difference.

Buy Full Festival Pass
View the Catalog of Films

 
April 18, 2022

UCLA's Thurgood Marshall Lecture with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison

Consistent with UCLA's commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, the Chancellor's Office proudly presents The Thurgood Marshall Lecture, which honors the memory of Thurgood Marshall, the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court and one of the chief architects of the legal strategy that culminated in Brown v. Board of Education. The 2022 Lecture will be delivered by The Honorable Keith Ellison, the Attorney General for the State of Minnesota, a renowned civil rights leader working for equality and racial justice.

 
April 20

The Free People of Color Lecture Series, "Looking in the Mirror: Exploring the Racial History of the Western Academy"

Racial discrimination in the United States bypassed neither the West nor the academy. While many southern and eastern universities have explored their links to slavery and Jim Crow, western schools have lagged. This conference features distinguished scholars who have entered this terrain, exploring antisemitism at Stanford and the naming of buildings at great public universities after oppressors of Tribal Nations, African Americans and Asians. In addition to their results, these researchers will discuss both their motivations and their methodologies. Time permitting, we hope to discuss investigation of historical racism at UC Davis. Download flyer.