Dear Campus Community,
As many of you know, it has been our practice in recent years to send a campus message from leadership to mark the start of commemorative and heritage months as a way to highlight the campus’ commitment to equity and inclusion, to lift our diverse voices, and to recognize the stories and contributions of members of our communities.
In assessing this practice, we have determined that the best investment of our limited resources would be to tell the stories of members of our communities as a way of showcasing their contributions and, we believe, more effectively reflect our commitment to them. We hope this new approach will help to make members of our campus community feel valued and seen and will create a better sense of belonging.
We welcome your ideas for people and programs to feature during the following months and occasions:
February - Black History Month
March - National Women's History Month
May - Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
June - Pride Month, Juneteenth
September/October - National Hispanic-Latino Heritage Month
October - National Disability Employment Awareness Month (This year will feature the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.)
November - National American Indian Heritage Month, Veterans' Day
Some examples of past work include words from Takiyah Franklin, chair of the Black Staff and Faculty Organization; professor Martha Olney’s coming-out story and a feature on Berkeley’s 150W Women’s History Project.
Please submit your suggestions for what we should cover to news@berkeley.edu.
We will highlight these stories on the Berkeley News website, The Berkeleyan, our weekly employee newsletter, and our social media channels.
Sincerely,
Diana Harvey
Associate Vice Chancellor, Communications and Public Affairs
Oscar Dubón
Vice Chancellor, Equity & Inclusion
Eugene Whitlock,
Chief People and Culture Officer
This message was sent to UC Berkeley faculty, staff and students
