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More than five months into protests against racism and police violence, Dallas activist Tramonica Brown has seen turnout dwindle.

As the founder of the Not My Son nonprofit focused on police accountability and reform, shes not all that surprised that some people have checked out from the movement.

Anytime something big happens, everybody comes out, Brown said. One, people come out to be nosy. Two, people come out because they want to be seen and they want to think that theyre a part of a movement. And the all-time favorite: They want to take a few pictures and say Hey, I did my part for today.

But she said fewer protesters doesnt mean the support for dismantling systemic racism isnt still widespread. Her organization has shifted its attention toward getting people to the polls, hosting voter drives and other events. Brown said she still sees allies of different racial backgrounds doing work that helps the movement.

I dont consider it a decrease, because I see allies doing the right thing: building up Black people to where they should be, not to the placement of where America would like for us to systematically fall, she said.

Pew Research Center surveys show public support for the Black Lives Matter movement surged in June amid worldwide protests after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on George Floyds neck and killed him. That increase included a swell in support among white people, according to Pew. But a few months later support returned to its pre-June level.

In North Texas, Brown said, the movement against racism and police violence is at a different point than a few months ago. Worries about coronavirus and the election mean the protests occupy a smaller place in peoples minds.

As a result, she said, major events such as a Kentucky grand jurys decision to issue no charges in the killing of Breonna Taylor in September, didnt draw as much outrage as they would have a few months earlier.

Still, Brown said protesters' energy remains strong with or without the massive support they appeared to have several months ago.

Those white allies were not allies that we had to begin with, Brown said. They were just there as an extra body. They helped fill up space.

Black Lives Matter is a decentralized movement, founded in 2013 by three Black organizers after George Zimmerman was acquitted of murder in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin in Florida.

According to Pew, 55% of respondents supported Black Lives Matter in a 2017 phone poll conducted nationally. That figure rose to 67% at the height of protests in June. More white people than ever before including 37% of white Republicans said they at least somewhat supported the movement then.

But both of those figures dipped in Pews most recent survey, which was released in September.

Support among whites dropped to 45%, and as low as 16% among white Republicans. Support among Latinos also declined by 11 percentage points, and by six points among Asian-Americans. Support among Black respondents rose to 87% adding one percentage point since June.

Its not just support from white people thats waned, said Dwight D. Watson, associate professor emeritus of history at Texas State University. But he said whiteness in particular allows some to detach from other races' historic moments.

Whiteness gives people the ability to slip in and out of things that other people cant, Watson said.

Watson said individuals' dispositions towards social issues such as racism are heavily influenced by their parents. And since white people dont undergo life on the same terms as Black people, theyre able to check out from movements when they perceive their own privilege to be at risk.

Youre out protesting about police brutality but youve never been a victim of police brutality, Watson said. So, the selfish part of your human nature steps up.

Researchers describe race as just a part of the conversation. Politics also play a role in shaping public opinion, said Juliana Horowitz, associate director of social and demographic trends research at Pew and one of the studys lead researchers.

As with many things that we study, this is very much a partisan story, Horowitz said. We see that frequently, not only in studies of race, but gender and pretty much any social or political issue that we talk about.

Those national trends apply in Texas, said Kenneth Bryant, a professor of political science at the University of Texas at Tyler.

According to a Dallas Morning News-UT Tyler poll released Oct. 25, 72% of Texas Democrats said they had a favorable view of Black Lives Matter, while 83% of Republicans did not.

President Donald Trump has denounced Black Lives Matter, decrying the movement as being violent and destructive, although studies show only a small percentage of protests have resulted in violence or property damage. Democrat Joe Biden has been more supportive, while still distancing himself from some political ideas voiced at some protests, such as defunding the police.

Bryant also found that some respondents reacted negatively to certain slogans but responded more positively to the ideas behind them.

For example, the poll, conducted Oct. 13 through 20, asked whether respondents supported or opposed defunding the police. Only 25% of respondents said they supported the idea at all, and 60% said they at least somewhat opposed it.

But when the survey reframed the idea as cutting some funding from police departments to increase spending on social services in your community, 37% of respondents said they at least somewhat supported the idea, with 49% voiced at least some opposition.

Bryant suspects that a similar phenomenon may be occurring with the phrase Black Lives Matter.

"I gather a lot of white people differentiate between the organization of Black Lives Matter and the idea that Black lives matter,' Bryant said. Some people agree with the notion but disagree with the negative projections that have been put upon the movement.

Across North Texas, protest organizers have seen that shift play out in different ways.

For example, in Plano, thousands of people have taken to the streets to protest in recent months.

Cheryl Jackson, who organized one of those rallies in June, said that she hasnt seen much of a decline in support but that the prolonged effects of the pandemic have been a barrier to change.

COVID-19 stopped all of the movement, said Jackson, the founder of Minnies Food Pantry. I hate that because this is an opportunity for our country to take our conversation about race relations to the next level.

One day before her protest, people staged a demonstration against racism and police violence in the streets of Waxahachie.

Lillian Ayro, a Black business owner and pastor who spoke at that event, called it one of the most remarkable days of her life.

We began to have dialogue; we began to have conversations, she said recently. It was refreshing to hear that conversation going on with my white sisters and white brothers.

Ayro said many of the allies she knows have remained steadfast in their support. She pointed to a Facebook group, of which shes the only Black member, where white women share resources to educate themselves on systemic racism.

Still, she said some people in her community get caught up in leveling unrelated accusations and false equivalencies while ignoring Black Americans' four centuries of accumulated pain.

I think what they forget is that this thing has been going on for so long, Ayro said. People have been silent for so long, and the Black community has been dealing with it for generations and generations.

Brown, the founder of Not My Son, said whites may not see the generational trauma racism has caused.

White people werent hung in front of their mothers and their children, Brown said. (They) dont have to pass by or hear about hanging trees that used to exist.

When protests ramp up again, Brown hopes the people who show up do so because they truly want to see the pain of Black Americans healed.

Fifty years from now, we can be in the same place, Brown said. Thats not good enough. We dont accept that. We want the same respect that you would want had it been you, had it been your ancestors.

CORRECTION, 10:45 a.m. on Nov. 5: This story has been updated to remove a photo of a person who is not a subject of the article.

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Support for the Black Lives Matter movement has decreased significantly since June, local and national polls - The Dallas Morning News

Over the summer my social media feeds, and hopefully yours as well, was full of posts about how to support black writers and creators. In the process I stumbled upon Bullets Into Bells, a free eBook that contains a collection of poems about gun violence. I picked it up on Apple Books in September and have been amazed by the people of colors names Ive never heard. Maybe you have never heard of them either. With that in mind, I am writing this in hopes of memorializing the victims so you will know their names. Even more, as the Internet has echoed for the last 226 days since the murder of Breonna Taylor, I write this in hopes that you will say their names and demand justice.

Tahar Djaout

Tahar Djaout was an Algerian poet and journalist who was gunned down in the summer of 1993 in the streets of Algiers. He died a week after being shot at the age of 39. His killers, a terrorist group, admitted that they killed Djaout because he wrote of progression within minorities.

Djaouts best work to summarize his life is the statement he wrote, If you speak, you die. If you keep quiet, you die. So, speak and die. Djaouts sentiment plays on what most of us have seen throughout the Black Lives Matter movements life can end, but what was said before and after it is forever.

Tamir Rice

Tamir Rice was a 12-year-old boy walking down the sidewalk with a toy gun when he was brutally murdered by the police. An onlooker originally called the police to report someone who was probably a juvenile was wielding a gun, but then stated it probably was not a real one.

Tamirs mother Samaria Rice says that he was an all-American kid, and writes, When I lost Tamir, I lost a piece of myself. No police have been charged on the shooting that occurred November 22, 2014. As a result, neither Tamir nor Samaria Rice have received justice. Its been 2,164 days.

John D. Morant

Antonius Wiriadjaja was 30 years old when he met John D. Morant. Wiriadjaja himself had just been shot in Brooklyn, when Morant, a barber in the area, saw him on the street and applied pressure to keep Wiriadjaja alive. Wiriadjaja writes, I tried to keep in touch, but, a year after my shooting, John went away to see family and friends in the South. I called him up and got no answer.

In June 2014, Morant himself was shot to death in the back in a South Carolina trailer park. He left behind a job he loved at his brothers barbershop in New York.

Eric Garner

Eric Garner had been arrested 30 times when he was caught yet again by police. This time in July 2014 was because he had been accused of illegally selling a single cigarette. When Garner resisted arrest, New York City policeman Daniel Pantaleo held Garners head down until he died as Garner protested, he was failing to breathe.

The video, filmed by an onlooker, was shown to a jury who voted Pantaleo was innocent later that December. There has been no justice for Eric Garner. Its been 2,293 days.

Michael Brown

Michael Brown was shot in Missouri two days before starting college. It was August 9, 2014 when he and his friend allegedly stole a pack of cigarillos from a convenience store. The pair fled the scene when they were caught up to by police officer Darren Wilson. As they were running, Wilson began shooting. Brown was shot six times three times in the arm, once in the eye, once in the skull, once in the neck, and once through his chest. A grand jury voted Wilson was innocent. There has yet to be justice served for Michael Brown. Its been 2,270 days.

Philando Castile

Philando Castile was driving through a traffic stop in Falcon Heights, Minnesota in July 2016. Castile was pulled over by Officer Jeronimo Yanez for a brake light that was out. Castile immediately admitted to Yanez that he had a firearm in the car, but Yanez said that he misread the statement as a threat. Yanez turned to get his license out and was shot.

The entire exchange was livestreamed by Castiles girlfriend on Facebook for ten minutes. Mr. Yanez was fired, but the jury found him not guilty. There has been no justice served for Philando Castile. Its been 1,573 days.

Stephon Clark

On March 18, 2018, a yearlong investigation was launched to understand the shooting of an unarmed black man. Stephon Clark, 22, was shot seven times in Sacramento, California in his grandmothers backyard. Police received word that a man had broken car windows, and while looking for the perpetrator, decided Clark was him.

A year later in March 2019, the investigation concluded that Clark was innocent, not guilty. Even worse, the two police officers that shot him were found not guilty, too. There has still been no justice served for Stephon Clark. Its been 995 days.

Breonna Taylor

Breonna Taylor died in her own home on March 13, 2020 when she was shot eight times by police. She was in bed around 12:30 a.m. with her boyfriend Kenneth Walker when they heard what they thought was burglars. Policemen Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove claim that they knocked on the door several times and announced their presence, but multiple neighbors stated that this was not true.

On September 23, 2020, a grand jury indicted Officer Hankison for wanton endangerment, which basically means he was only guilty for sending a bullet shot through the neighbors wall. There has been no justice, however, for the taking of Breonna Taylor. Its been 235 days.

George Floyd

In a manner that relit the flames of the Black Lives Matter movement, George Floyd was brutally killed after a police officer took a knee on his neck.

On May 25, 2020, Floyd was leaving a convenience store when the cashier believed the 20-dollar bill he used to pay with was counterfeit. The police were contacted, and upon arrival Officer Thomas Lane drew his gun immediately. Floyd was not compliant until he was put in handcuffs, in which case afterwards he did as he was told. He got on the ground, and Officer Derek Chauvin put his knee against Floyds neck. A witness began videoing as Floyd stated he couldnt breathe, and that he was going to die. The eight-minute video has been viewed billions of times. Chauvin was later arrested for second degree murder.

Justin Howell

At an Austin, Texas Black Lives Matter protest in May, Justin Howell was standing next to a protestor that threw a water bottle at a crowd of police officers. An officer fired back with beanbag rounds, one hitting Howell in the head. He suffered a fractured skull and brain damage. Howells brother Joshua has said that his recovery will be a marathon, not a sprint.

Since it is unknown which officer shot, it is rather difficult to know which is responsible. As a result, there is no justice for Justin Howell, who was simply exercising his right to protest. Its been 156 days.

Sean Monterrosa

In a small northern city of San Francisco, an unarmed 22-year-old black man named Sean Monterrosa was shot by a policeman. Monterrosa was protesting outside of a Walgreens when officers responded to a call about looting. Detective Jarrett Tonn assumed Monterrosa was looting, and shot at him through his own truck, not a city-owned police car. Monterrosa went to his knees and raised his hands.

Surveillance footage then suggests Monterrosa was shot. There has been no justice served. The June 2 killing occurred 155 days ago.

Sandra Bland

Sandra Bland had moved from the suburbs of Chicago to Prairie View, Texas to pursue a job opportunity in the summer of 2015. When she was pulled over by Officer Brian Encinia for a routine traffic violation, he asked her to put out her cigarette. Bland replied, Why do I have to put out a cigarette when Im in my own car? Encinia then commanded her to get out of the car, and following her refusal, he opened the car door, grabbed her, and attempted to pull her out. He then threatened to tase her, so she stepped out.

The two then walk around to the other side of the car. While they cannot be seen on the dash cam footage, a bystander filmed Encinia and a female officer standing over Bland. Bland is on the floor stating she cannot hear and that she is epileptic. Encinia replies, Good. Bland is said to have committed suicide in prison three days later, but rumors, as well as an HBO documentary provide context on how Encinia may have killed Bland and made it look like a suicide.

Encinia was later charged for perjury, not for the distress caused to Bland and her family. There has been no justice served for the pain brought to Sandra Bland. Its been 1,939 days.

Trayvon Martin

Trayvon Martin was an African American teen walking home from the convincing store when he was fatally shot by a neighborhood watch volunteer. George Zimmerman shot the 17-year-old on February 26, 2012. Zimmerman had called a non-emergency line of the Sanford police, which advised him not to follow Martin. He did not listen and shot the boy. Martin had been visiting his father, made a trip to buy Skittles and a bottle of juice, and was murdered. Zimmerman was prosecuted for second-degree murder on April 11, 2012.

Freddie Gray

In April of 2015, Baltimore saw the death of Freddie Carlos Gray Jr. Gray was arrested in the Gilmore Homes Housing Authority by three police officers on bike patrol. An hour later, a medic was called due to Gray being unconscious and not breathing. A week later, on April 19, Gray passed away due to a cervical spine injury.

Deputy Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez stated a week later, We have no evidence, physical or video or statements, of any use of force. Protests began on May 1, 2015. Two years later in court, the officers were found not guilty over the mysterious death of Freddie Gray. There has been no justice served for him. Its been 2,026 days.

Akai Gurley

On November 20, 2014, Akan Gurley was walking down the stairwell of his apartment complex with his girlfriend in Brooklyn when he was shot. NYPD officer Peter Liang was a rookie policeman when he was patrolling the area and was startled by Gurley walking down the stairs. Prosecutors stated that Liang was reckless and did little to help the dying victim. Liang was subsequently fired and convicted of second-degree manslaughter and official misconduct.

The names mentioned here are only the tip of the iceberg. There are so many others who havelost their lives to gun violence and police brutality. It is up to us to take care of the next generation by electing officials that will ensure police brutality and gun violenceis closer to ending. Every bit of change starts with us, the American people, and we must show up for each other and stick up for one another.

Sources

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/05/15/minute-minute-account-breonna-taylor-fatal-shooting-louisville-police/5196867002/.

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20140613/bed-stuy/man-who-saved-bed-stuy-gun-victim-shot-death-south-carolina/.

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/federal-officials-decline-prosecution-death-freddie-gray.

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/florida-teen-trayvon-martin-is-shot-and-killed.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52861726.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jul/08/sean-monterrosa-body-camera-video-police-killing.

http://www.cnn.com/2020/06/07/us/austin-texas-police-bean-bag-20-year-old-injured/index.html.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40357355.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-30350648.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-30207808.

http://www.thecut.com/2020/09/breonna-taylor-louisville-shooting-police-what-we-know.html.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47430090.

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Say Their Names - BVU The Tack Online

As the 2020 election heads into its final days, a Facebook post is claiming that President Donald Trump had replaced the American flag with an "anti-Black Lives Matter" flag at a recent Wisconsin rally.

At issue: A Thin Blue Line flag that was prominently featured behind Trump at an Oct. 24, 2020 rally in Waukesha. The flag essentially is a black-and-white version of the American flag, with a single red stripe replaced by a blue one.

That blue stripe is meant to symbolize police officers as the "thin blue line" between order and chaos.

The Facebook post featured a screenshot of a Twitter post by author and Dartmouth College English professor Jeff Sharlet, that included a photo and read: "Tonight in Wisconsin. First the anti-Black Lives Matter flag flew outside his rallies, then beside the American flag. Now it has replaced the American flag. Thats significant."

Alongside the screenshot, the Facebook post read: "Trump flew the anti-Black Lives Matter flag at his rally in Wisconsin. So much for not disrespecting the troops "

The post in question was shared by a group called "The Other 98%" -- a left-leaning nonprofit, according to its bio on Facebook -- the day after the rally. The post has been shared more than 2,500 additional times and reacted to by more than 7,200 people.

This post was flagged as a part of Facebooks efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

So was the flag really flying behind Trump during his Waukesha rally?

And is it an "anti-Black Lives Matter" flag?

Was the flag real?

In a review of photos of the Oct. 24, 2020 Waukesha rally taken by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Thin Blue Line flag is hung prominently behind the risers behind behind the podium where Trump spoke.

The flag was featured very prominently at the rally -- a change from the last several Wisconsin rallies that Trump has held in other cities.

In Janesville on Oct. 17, 2020, the flag was featured on one side of the stage, while a larger American flag was featured on the other side of the stage, photos from the Journal Sentinel showed. In Mosinee on Sept. 17, 2020, Trump spoke in front of Air Force One and no flags were prominently displayed, according to photos by the Journal Sentinel.

So the portion of the post that says that the flag was featured prominently -- and more prominently than at earlier rallies -- is on the money.

But what about the meaning of the flag?

A controversial flag meant to support police officers

The flag has been popularized by the company "Thin Blue Line USA," which also sells clothing emblazoned with the symbol. According to the companys website, the flag is meant to be a sign for "promoting compassion and support for our nations police officers."

The company began marketing the flag in 2014 amid the Blue Lives Matter movement, which itself was launched in response to the Black Lives Matter movement.

The Black Lives Matter movement arose in 2013 after the acquittal of George Zimmerman, who killed teen Trayvon Martin in Florida, according to the movements website. Black Lives Matter has been invoked around the country this year during massive protests that were launched by the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.

In a June 8, 2020, article by The Marshall Project headlined "The Short, Fraught History of the Thin Blue Line American Flag," Andrew Johnson, president of Thin Blue Line USA said: "The flag has no association with racism, hatred, bigotry. Its a flag to show support for law enforcementno politics involved."

According to the article:

Jacob said the flag was not a direct reaction to the first Black Lives Matter protestsan idea suggested by a previous origin story in Harpersbut he allows he may have first seen the thin blue line image after those protests spurred the circulation of pro-police imagery online. "Thats maybe why it came to my eyes," he said.

Whatever the intended meaning of the flag, it has come to carry different connotations to different people

At protests in Charlottesville in 2017, where white supremacist groups and supporters gathered to protest the removal of Confederate statues throughout the country, the blue-line flag was featured alongside Confederate flags, according to an Aug. 18, 2017 report from USA TODAY. (The company disavowed its use in Charlottesville)

A July 31, 2020 NPR report highlighted a fight between a Massachusetts fire department flying the flags in honor of fallen police officers, and community members who felt the flag was an overt display of racism.

A June 9. 2020 Politico report said even police officers have mixed reactions to the symbol, with some departments banning it outright, while others display it on government-owned vehicles.

The Politico report also noted that the flag is controversial because of its likeness to the American flag, and because of the U.S. Flag Code, which states: "The (American) flag should never have placed upon it, nor any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture or drawing of any nature."

When asked why the flag was placed behind the president, Wisconsin Trump Victory -- the states Trump campaign group -- did not respond.

To be sure, it is possible to support police officers and the Black Lives Matter movement.

But Trump himself has been harshly critical of the Black Lives Matter protests this summer, labeling them as violent and claiming they were stoked by anti-government elements.

Our ruling

A Facebook post claims an "anti-Black Lives Matter" flag replaced the American flag behind Trump during a Waukesha campaign rally.

To be sure, the flag itself violates the U.S. Flag Code, and should not be considered a legitimate U.S. flag by those standards.

In terms of the Facebook claim, The image and description -- that the flag has taken on greater prominence at the Trump rallies in Wisconsin -- is on target. And the Thin Blue Line flag has become a prominent part of the pro-police Blue Lives Matter movement -- which arose to counter the Blak Lives Matter movement.

That said, while it is possible to support both, Trump has made clear he opposes the Black Lives Matter protests -- and made that opposition, and a strong law-and-order message, a prominent part of his re-election campaign. So, those attending the rally or seeing the images could easily see the flag as an "anti Black Lives Matter flag."

We rate the claim Mostly True.

See the article here:
Yes, the Thin Blue Line flag has taken a more prominent place during Trump rallies - PolitiFact

Since public health experts recommended the use of face mask in public at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, top clothing brands and independent artisans have released a wide variety of reusable face coverings for daily use. While face masks with cute and funny designs are probably the most popular, more and more people are starting to wear face coverings that send powerful messages. An example of such is this Black Lives Matter face mask, which is especially made for people who condemn police brutality and all forms of racially motivated violence.

Featuring an image of a raised clenched fist and the text Black Lives Matter on the front, this face mask is made of 100 percent cotton and is built with a double-layer construction. Washable and reusable, this handmade face covering has soft cotton ear loops for a comfortable fit. Available for $7.95 on Etsy, this face covering currently comes in black/white style only, though more color combinations are coming soon.

The Black Lives Matter movement began in July 2013 with the use of the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter on social media after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of African-American teen Trayvon Martin in February 2012. The movement returned to national headlines and gained further international attention earlier this year following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. An estimated 15 million to 26 million people participated in the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests across the United States, making it one of the largest movements in the countrys history.

Aside from its mission to eradicate white supremacy, the movement also advocates to defund the police and invest directly into black communities and alternative emergency response initiatives.

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This Black Lives Matter face mask lets you send a powerful message without saying a word - GEEKSPIN

Newswise This is a crucial time for each and every university to consider the role that Black studies plays in its intellectual and institutional formation, according to the conveners of theBlack Studies Project (BSP)at UC San Diego. The current political moment has not only heightened the urgency of grappling with questions of Blackness and anti-Blackness, but has underscored the critical role that Black studies scholars and scholarship must play in this ongoing dialogue. Black studies has never been more relevant.

Highlighting the importance of the Black Studies Project at UC San Diego, a recent commitment by Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla and Executive Vice Chancellor Elizabeth Simmons increases current support for a greater impact on curriculum, research, programming, institutional structure and campus life. The BSP will receive $500,000 a year for five years, allowing the initiative to expand efforts to support, produce and disseminate scholarship and mentoring focused on racial and social justice across our university and beyond. The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion was integral in securing the commitment.

One of UC San Diegos strategic goals is to cultivate a diverse and inclusive university community that encourages respectful open dialogue, and challenges itself to take bold actions, said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. This is one such bold action.This additional financial commitment will amplify the innovative, cross-disciplinary research that the Black Studies Project produces and invite more scholars to advance racial and social justice.

Associate Professors Dayo Gore and Sara Clarke Kaplan founded the Black Studies Project at UC San Diego in fall 2012. A cross-divisional group of more than a dozen faculty members from three divisions and nearly 10 schools/departments, along with a select number of interested graduate students and staff, came together to organize a yearlong series of speakers, symposia and workshops entitled Thinking Race, Gender and Place: A Black Studies Project.

Today, the BSP fosters and supports research, community building and campus programming on African American and Diaspora studies at UC San Diego and throughout the University of California system. The three focus areas of the project include Intersectional Analysis of Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality; Transnational and Diasporic Studies; and Social Justice Movements. The project provides students, faculty and staff with opportunities to examine study and contribute to important topics that have taken center stage nationally and internationally.

The Black Studies Project co-founders Gore (currently an associate professor of African American Studies at Georgetown University) and Kaplan felt Black studies was a vital area of growth for UC San Diego. It has been more than a half-century since African American studies emerged as an institutionalized field within the interdisciplinary humanities, they argue. In that time, it has evolved into a vibrant field with a global scope that provides valuable frameworks for understanding relations of power and difference.

Despite the disproportionately small population of Black-identifying students or faculty members, our university is home to a number of nationally renowned and widely published scholars and teachers of African American and Diasporic literature, history and cultural studies. More than 15 scholars working in Black studies and a number of other faculty engaging the field in their research are affiliated with the project. Their disciplines include anthropology, communication, education studies, engineering, ethnic studies, film, gender and sexuality studies, history, literature, music, public health, and sociologyall reflecting the strong and rigorous interdisciplinary scholarship that has been so foundational to Black studies.

One of the BSPs three areas of research is social justice movements, and the Black Lives Matter movement is arguably the most pressing, active and visible social movement of our time, said Jessica Graham, current director of the Black Studies Project and associate professor of History. Black Lives Matter began in 2013 after Trayvon Martins killer, George Zimmerman, was acquitted of his murder. The BSP has invoked BLM partly to help translate our mission to the campus and public for some time now. (One of the BSPs mantras has been 'Black Lives/Books/Studies Matters.') Our reference to Black Lives Matter well before 2020 exemplifies the ways in which Black Studies scholarship examines major issues, problems, and dilemmas facing our society before others realize their true importance.

Through the Office of the Dean of Social Sciences we have been in contact with one of the Black Lives Matters founders and UC San Diego alumna, Alicia Garza, and her Black Futures Lab to explore ways that we may work together, continued Graham. We also hope to expand our relationships with other campus partners who are now more invested in research questions related to anti-Blackness and racial injustice. For instance, the Halcolu Data Science Institute is one of many campus partners that has reached out to us. Finally, as we always do, the BSP seeks to make our programming relevant to current events. As such, we are in talks to host and co-host virtual events that tackle the issues raised by and relevant to BLM, particularly police violence, the prison industrial complex and abolitionism.

Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Becky Petit added, Our continued commitment to the faculty-run Black Studies Project underscores the impact and significance of this important program at UC San Diego. The program aligns with theUC San Diego Strategic Plan for Inclusive Excellenceby helping to create a pro-Black environment on our campus, through advancing scholarly work, facilitating academic success, and helping to foster a sense of belonging for Black undergraduate and graduate students.

The Black Studies Project organizes a minimum of three public events on campus each year around a common theme. In addition, the initiative provides a variety of faculty and student development opportunities including faculty and graduate student seminars, writing retreats, national research collaboratives, fellowships and travel grants.

James Crawford, a fourth-year doctoral student in Education Studies, said BSPs community-building mission was as an essential component to his sense of belonging at UC San Diego. As one of three Black Ph.D. students in Education Studies, and being among the 2.5% of Black graduates at UC San Diego, I feel the inherent challenges of graduate school are compounded by the lack of Black peers and mentors that can provide personal and academic support. During my second year at UC San Diego, I began participating in the BSP Graduate Student Seminar. The seminar helped me develop meaningful relationships with a cadre of racially/ethnically diverse interdisciplinary graduate students, he said.

During my third year, I became the BSP Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) and in this position, I was able to expand my academic knowledge and networks to connect with prominent Black scholars and researchers through various BSP keynote presentations, brown bag talks, panels, and community events.

With UC San Diegos expanded funding commitment, the largest area of growth for the Black Studies Project will be in its multi-tiered fellowships, grants, research internships and mentorships in African American and Black Diaspora studies at all levelsfrom faculty members to postdoctoral fellows to graduate students to undergraduates. This will create opportunities for senior, emergent and potential scholars to engage with and mentor each other across academic stages and professional rank.

BSPs Social Justice Fellowship will also be able to build reciprocal relationships between UC San Diego and cultural producers, public intellectuals and community-builders by bringing together our faculty and students with non-affiliated social justice innovators. Graham explained that, per the BSP founders, this approach reflects Black studies historical mission: to conduct research in pursuit of access, equity and justice for Black communities; and to serve as a lever of change within academic institutions where Black people, their experiences, and their forms of knowledge production have traditionally been underrepresented.

As scholars and teachers, we believe that current and future public conversations about race, power and society must be rooted in the rigorous interdisciplinary study and dissemination of the histories, social formations, political structures and cultural texts of communities of African descent, said Kaplan, Black Studies Project co-founder and associate professor of Ethnic Studies and Critical Gender Studies at UC San Diego. Ensuring that this knowledge is readily available for policymakers, changemakers and community stakeholders, however, requires supporting and fostering the new scholars and scholarship emerging in the field of Black studies right now. This is the work that Black Studies Project has undertaken for the last eightyears, and that we endeavor to continue through our next stage of institutional growth.

To learn, more visit theUC San Diego Black Studies Project website.

Link:
UC San Diego Commits $2.5M to the Black Studies Project - Newswise