Dear Graduate Student Community,
I am grieving the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Nina Pop, Sandra Bland, and too many others. I have been sickened by how brutally police across this country have responded to those protesting state-sanctioned violence against the Black community.
Many of you have reached out to me to express your deep concerns about the state of policing on our campus. I want you to know that I hear you and have been working to elevate your concerns and make clear the need for substantive change now.
What I do not want to do in this moment is simply describe, as so many have, why we need to dismantle white supremacy in all its forms; we all know that is what is needed. What I want to do is reaffirm my commitment to fighting anti-blackness in my own sphere and beyond through concrete action.
To that end, I promise to write to you again when my staff and I can promise real improvements and change for our Black graduate student community and all minoritized graduate students at Berkeley. I don’t claim to have all the answers. I commit to being your partner and advocate in this work and to being open to hearing your ideas (opens in a new tab), suggestions, and frustrations about the state of our campus, our nation, and the world.
Here is the promise I make to you: By the end of July, my staff and I will announce a set of concrete efforts we are advancing to change the status quo and move us toward becoming the anti-racist, truly inclusive institution we need to be.
We need to demonstrate to you — through our actions — that we are doing everything we can to actively fight against racism and hate in all their forms.
Please share your thoughts in this Google form (opens in a new tab). If you would like to reach out to me directly, please email me at graddean@berkeley.edu (opens in a new tab).
With humility and in solidarity,
Lisa García Bedolla
Vice Provost for Graduate Studies and Dean of the Graduate Division