Race

Racial justice has been a guiding political movement at Berkeley and in the United States and beyond, one newly urgent in the era of #blacklivesmatter.  Here we consider the aesthetic, activist, and intellectual mobilizations around the concept of race, as well as allied movements and conversations in law and political thoery; ethnic studies; colonialism, decolonization, and neocolonialism, and more.

Dancer Nitzan Lederman dancing onstage.

$10 Million Gift From Helen Diller Foundation Marks New Name for Berkeley Institute at 10 Years

Public Affairs, UC Berkeley

The University of California, Berkeley, today (Tuesday, Feb. 9) announced a $10 million endowment gift from the Helen Diller Foundation that will ensure a lasting legacy for its Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies.

Photo of William Russell Ellis on a bench with bushes in the background.

'In the pipeline': William Russell Ellis reflects on 25 years with UC Berkeley

Ruby Sutton

William Russell Ellis’ songwriting career had an unlikely start. After reading an article about a writer cleaning houses to get by, Ellis decided to greet his family’s housekeeper every day by singing her name — a habit that turned into a song, aptly named “Eliza.”

Black History Month Events in Berkeley for the month of February, on green background

City of Berkeley, UC Berkeley, BUSD to host Black History Month events

Maya Akkaraju

The city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley and Berkeley Unified School District, or BUSD, have several virtual events planned to celebrate Black History Month, allowing community members to educate themselves on Black history.

 

A worker at UC Berkeley removing the name "Kroeber Hall" from the exterior of the campus building.

UC Berkeley removes Kroeber Hall name, citing namesake's 'immoral' work with Native Americans

Melissa Gomez

A UC Berkeley campus building will be stripped of its name because of the legacy of its namesake, an anthropologist whose work included the “immoral and unethical” collection of Native American remains, the university announced Tuesday.

 

People sitting together in a homey room at New Westside Peacemaking Center

Blue Walls, Big Windows: A New Generation of Justice-Oriented Spaces

Justin Agrelo

Last June, in the aftermath of the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, Berkeley joined a handful of cities across the country that began defunding its police, slashing $9.2 million or 12 percent from the police budget.

a black and white photo of filmmaker Marlon Riggs standing at the front of a line of Black men.

Berkeley Talks: Late filmmaker Marlon Riggs on making 'Tongues Untied'

Public Affairs, UC Berkeley

Subscribe to Berkeley Talks, a Berkeley News podcast that features lectures and conversations at UC Berkeley.

Darcy James Argue

Fall 2020 Schedule Archive: Arts + Design Mondays @ BAMPFA

Berkeley Arts + Design

Fall 2020 Schedule
Arts + Design Mondays: Together: Reinventing Politics, Reimagining Health

 

Isaac Julien and Leila Weefur Headshots

Fall 2020 Schedule Archive: Arts + Design Thursdays @ BAMPFA

Berkeley Arts + Design

Fall 2020 Schedule
Arts + Design Thursdays: Visual Cultures: Aesthetics of the Digital

 

Faces of local and national African American leaders are shown on a gateway above 7th Street in Oakland, California

Black Landscapes Matter: Q&A with Landscape Designer Walter Hood

Rebecca Greenwald, Metropolis Mag

“Black landscapes matter because they are prophetic. They tell the truth of the struggles and victories of African Americans in North America,” writes UC Berkeley professor Anna Livia Brand in an essay in Black Landscapes Matter (University of Virginia Press).

Dr. Elaine Yau

Berkeley museum names curator for African American quilts

Lou Fancher, East Bay Times

When good fortune arrives, it’s always best to have talent on tap to take care of it. Dr. Elaine Yau’s appointment as BAMPFA’s first associate curator for the Eli Leon Living Trust Collection of African American Quilts proves the point.