Celebrating Black History Month 2022

Please join the Graduate Division and the UCSF community in celebrating Black History Month this February! Find opportunities to participate and to learn more below.

(The banner image above is taken from a virtual background produced by the Multicultural Resource Center.)

Participate

All month long
Black History Month Virtual Backgrounds
Hosted by the LGBT and Multicultural Resource Centers, co-sponsored by the UCSF Library.

February 9, 10 – 11:30 a.m.
Closing the Gaps: Building Trust in Clinical Trials for Our Communities
Conversations on Cancer: Black History Month Program

February 15, 5:30 - 6:15 p.m.
Grounding Yoga with Shirley Johnson
Celebrate Black History Month while you center your rest and restore the mind, heart, and body.
Co-sponsored by the Graduate Division's Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion team and the Multicultural Resource Center

February 16 (Mt. Zion) and 17 (MB and Parnassus), 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Black History Month Special Menus
Shorenstein Family Cafe (Mission Bay), Moffitt Cafe (Parnassus), and Mount Zion Cafe

February 18, 5:30 - 7 p.m.
Black History Month UCSF Interprofessional Social
The purpose of this virtual event is to create a safe, welcoming space for Black members of our UCSF community to meet one another for the first time and to learn about other Black-serving student groups on campus. There will be games, door prizes, and gift cards for food from Black-owned restaurants. RSVP in advance. Co-sponsored by BE-STEM, the UCSF Student National Medical Assocation, and the GPSA.

February 24 to 26
Take-A-Pledge - Black Men in White Coats Film
Join the MRC, Graduate Medical Education, and the School of Medicine to raise awareness around the disparities and systemic barriers confronting Black men on their journey to becoming physicians.

Learn

The Story Behind Black History Month
Learn a little bit of the history behind Black History Month in this item from National Public Radio, including the role of historian Carter G. Woodson in establishing this annual observance.

The JEDI Team Black History Month Picks
Each month, the Graduate Division's Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Team shares content recommendations to create dialogue with those interested in following along. See what's inspiring and engaging them for Black History Month. 

Black History at UCSF: The Black Caucus
The UCSF Black Caucus is the oldest culturally-based affinity group in the UC system. On the occasion of their 50th anniversary in 2018, they produced videos on the History of the UCSF Black Caucus Part 1 and Part 2. These short films are well worth checking out: they illuminate the organization's founding and development through oral history and abundant archival footage and images.

Fugitive Pedagogy: Carter G. Woodson and the Art of Black Teaching - an interview with author Jarvis Givens
"In Fugitive Pedagogy: Carter G. Woodson and the Art of Black Teaching, scholar Jarvis R. Givens examines ways in which African Americans pursued education from enslavement through Jim Crow segregation. Focusing on the contributions of Black educators and their clandestine approaches, what Givens terms 'fugitive pedagogy,' he pivots to a textbook written by Carter G. Woodson – and reviews of the textbook – to center Black educators' contributions to Black education and its significance. Woodson, the creator of Negro History Week, now known as Black History Month, is one of many educators Givens surveys as part of community teaching, as education in Black communities during this period included teachers, students, and entire communities."
– Antoine S. Johnson, PhD Candidate, History of Health Science, Rosenberg-Hill Fellow, 2021-2022

Black Futures: Exploring Afrofuturism
► The Sound of Afrofuturism: A Spotify Playlist
► Afrofuturism and Black Joy
Afrofuturism contends that despite the omnipresence of anti-Black racism today, Black people are not only in the future, but are also contributors to the entire social order of the future. As a movement traversing the arts, philosophy, history, and science, Afrofuturism challenges one to imagine a new world from Black people's perspectives. This playlist and article are snippets offering a peek into the world of Afrofuturism.

Get Involved

The Black Caucus at UCSF
The Black Caucus was founded in 1968 from the direct action of UCSF staff who advocated for change. The Black Caucus is a forum open to all Black-identified individuals and allies on this campus. Here they may openly express themselves regarding matters of race as they affect life on the campus and in the community. The Black Caucus serves as an instrument for the formation of a Black consensus on those racial matters that affect every person on this campus. This consensus will then be presented to the Administration for appropriate action. Visit the Black Caucus website.

BE-STEM (Black Excellence in STEM)
The overall goal of BE-STEM is to increase Black representation in STEM and to support and mentor the next generation of Black scientists. BE-STEM works to support Black graduate students and postdoctoral fellows at UCSF by creating a safe and welcoming community, representing the needs of the community, advocating for their rights and interests, promoting and facilitating recruitment and retention, and supporting professional development. Visit the BE-STEM website.