Anti-Racist Resources From Our Librarians

By: Amber Gallant

In an effort to encourage ourselves and others to commit to learning about Anti-Black racism, the Diversity and Inclusion Committee at the UC San Diego Library has put together some anti-racist resources, actions, and recommendations below—additional resources online here.

Anti-racism seeks to explicitly address the individual, interpersonal, and institutional racism permeating our society and demands actively fighting against it. It is about educating oneself about Anti-Black racism, as well as using that knowledge to make different and uncomfortable choices, educate others, and affect structural change in our society.

We hope that our community takes the time to reflect on these resources with us, and that the knowledge gleaned will guide us all in fighting racial injustice together.

White Academia: Do Better.

by Jasmine Roberts

Jasmine Roberts, a professor of strategic communication at The Ohio State University, talks about the trauma of Black faculty, students, and staff within mostly-white academia, and calls on the academy to take on the responsibility of addressing the systemic racism baked into higher education. She highlights the importance of diversifying curriculums; promoting Black people into academic leadership positions; and collaborating with and citing Black scholars as a start to enacting real structural change and seriously addressing the experiences and needs of Black faculty, students, and staff.

Ways to Combat Police Brutality Against Black People Without Attending Protests

by Dayo Gore, 10 News

Dayo Gore, associate professor in Ethnic Studies and Critical Gender Studies at UC San Diego, talks about the need for different actions in creating a movement and enacting real change. “Being sorry is not enough, feeling my pain is not enough… it starts with understanding what the problem is and figuring out where you can best raise your voice.”

Paul Mpagi Sepuya Offers Photographs to Advocacy Organization Donors

by Valentina Di Liscia

Paul Sepuya, associate professor in Visual Arts at UC San Diego, is offering one of his photographic prints to anyone who donates at least $250 to any of the advocacy organizations listed in the article, and provides a receipt of that donation. Sepuya discusses the need to see non-Black collectors, curators, museum directors, and others in the visual arts community go beyond statements about justice and racial equity, and defend Black lives through direct support.

Commitment to Combat Racism Checklist

by Jane Elliott

Use Jane Elliott’s Commitment to Combat Racism checklist to test your own commitment to anti-racist action and see where best you can use your skills and resources to do more.

Tell Us How UC It: A Living Archive: A History of Student Activism

Student activism at UC San Diego has a long, rich tradition. Explore the Library’s online exhibit Tell Us How UC It: A Living Archive to learn about events and incidents from UC San Diego’s history that affected the campus climate for students in such a way that they were compelled to act or react. This exhibit is a grassroots effort created by a group of four Library workers at the UC San Diego Library in hopes to foster and contextualize conversations about representation, structural change, and intersectional understanding.

Photo credit: John Lucia