African American Initiative

Founded as a collaboration between the African American Student Development and the Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, Black Lives at Cal was founded in fall 2021 to do research and archive the untold and unearthed stories of Black history here in Berkeley. 

We are living in the moments that matter most to make change for our future generations, and it starts with us.

Amid the ebb and flow of private funding that occurs every year, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an increase in private donations to UC Berkeley to support the campus community.

After the Hispanic Serving Institution, or HSI, initiative was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, UC Berkeley is continuing its efforts to increase diversity.

Despite budget cuts faced by UC Berkeley, the African American Initiative, or AAI, hopes to continue its efforts to increase Black recruitment and retention rates, bolster support systems and cultivate a better campus climate.

UC Berkeley raised a record-breaking $1.039 billion this fiscal year, with donations from more than 61,000 donors.

As national conversations around race continue, Black students and faculty members at UC Berkeley are bringing attention to issues the Black community faces, including isolation, frustration and impostor syndrome.

Despite funding and campus climate challenges, the UC Berkeley African American Initiative expects to double its number of scholarship recipients in 2020.

Tucked in the corner of the Hearst Field Annex building is the Fannie Lou Hamer Black Resource Center, one of the various resources for the Black community at UC Berkeley. As a part of UC Berkeley's African American Student Development, the center serves the academic, social, cultural and political needs of the campus Black community.

The initiative is a “a comprehensive effort to address the underrepresentation of African American students, faculty, and staff,” according to the UC Berkeley Division of Equity & Inclusion’s website.