Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging

Creativity is What Comes Next: An L&S Lunch and Learn Conversation

March 27, 2025

On Tuesday, March 18, the College of Letters & Science Administrative Advisory Committee (AAC) hosted a conversation between Professors David Nadler and Shannon Steen on the topic “What is Creativity?” at its second L&S Lunch and Learn convening. Moderated by Aileen Liu, Director of Curricular Engagement Initiatives, this discussion afforded L&S staff the opportunity to thoughtfully engage with the scholarship of the College and connect with their colleagues....

Ever heard of Fred Ross Sr.? New documentary chronicles the legendary organizer’s work

March 27, 2025

If you haven’t heard of Fred Ross before, you’ve likely heard of the legendary activists he helped train, like Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. Drawing on organizing tactics still used today, such as house meetings and voter registration campaigns, Ross helped secure pivotal racial justice victories, like the election of Los Angeles’s first Latino council member in 1949 and the desegregation of schools in California’s Citrus Belt in 1947. Born in 1910, he was a behind-the-scenes force for civil rights and labor organizing throughout much of the 20th century.

His life and work are...

AAC Brings “What is Understanding?” Conversation to L&S Staff

October 22, 2024

Aileen Liu (left), Jennifer Johnson-Hanks (middle), and Hernan Garcia speak in a panel.

On Wednesday, October 9, the College of Letters & Science Administrative Advisory Committee (AAC) hosted its inaugural L&S Brown Bag Lunch and Learn. One of several new initiatives by the recently revamped AAC, the Lunch and Learn provides L&S staff members an opportunity to connect with their colleagues and...

UC Berkeley's Stephen Small and the representation of slavery in contemporary heritage tourism

March 18, 2025
Stephen Small, African American Studies professor, speaks about his book, In the Shadows of the Big House.

In this interview, Stephen Small shares the inspirations behind In the Shadows of the Big House, a compelling and deeply researched work that examines the representation of slavery in contemporary heritage tourism. Drawing from decades of scholarly inquiry and on-the-ground research at plantation sites across the American South, Small investigates the ways in which...

Haskell Wong family recognizes UC Berkeley’s rich history in the disability rights movement with new endowment

March 10, 2025

UC Berkeley has a new endowment for its disability studies program thanks to a family of alums. The Haskell Wong Endowment for Disability Studies will be seeded with $900,000 to expand instruction and research.

The endowment will ultimately provide tens of thousands of dollars for the program every year, inspiring future generations to engage in disability studies and advocacy. In addition, the family pledged $100,000...

Berkeley Voices: From Victorian-era letters to Swiftie bracelets, an evolution of American friendship

February 26, 2025

Have you ever seen letters from the 1800s? Aside from the pristine penmanship and grammar, the way friends expressed their fondness for each other is remarkable.

“Letters sent between friends are often full of the kinds of loving and affectionate language that today we would only associate with romantic or sexual relationships: ‘My darling,’ ‘I love you,’ ‘I can’t wait to be near you,’” said UC Berkeley historian Sarah Gold McBride, who in 2022 created the course, Friendship in America, with Berkeley anthropologist Christine Palmer.

Throughout history, with changes in...

L&S Staff Spotlight: L&S OUA Academic Progress Team

May 21, 2024
Meet the Academic Progress Team (APT) from the L&S Office of Undergraduate Advising:

Monica Garcia, Supervisor

Ziva Armstrong, Senior College Advisor

Luís González, College Advisor

Joanna King, College Advisor

Daunte Marshall, College Advisor

Marisol Silva, College Advisor


New Members (joining summer 2024):

Brittany Kulusich, College Advisor
Kelsey Owyang, College Advisor
Scherane Kinney, College Advisor

The APT, formerly known as the Academic Difficulty Committee, is a team of college advisers...

Demystifying Research: Bringing Lived Experiences to the Forefront

January 6, 2025

UC Berkeley is a powerhouse for generating innovative ideas and solving global issues. This past summer, four fellows in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) L&S program pushed forward this initiative of pioneering visionary change by bringing research back to their communities and addressing questions that spark social change. From working with incarcerated people to immigrant families to Indigenous...

Author and alum Valerie Williams-Sanchez (English B.A. '92) on the power of diverse narratives

January 10, 2025
Valerie Williams-Sanchez, Ph.D., is a UC Berkeley alum who graduated with an English degree in 1992. Today, Valerie is a consultant, researcher, publisher, and creator of the children’s picture book series, Cocoa Kids Collection®.

In this interview, Valerie shares the inspiration for her self-published series, Cocoa Kids Collection, which centers minority and multiracial children as they "tackle big issues with wit, whimsy, and chocolate." Read on to learn how Valerie's experience at UC Berkeley has influenced her work and research, and to...

Ceremony celebrates xučyun ruwway, UC Berkeley’s newest housing for graduate students

January 22, 2025

As a Native American, McKalee Steen said she often has felt “misunderstood or not seen” in college and in search of community among students who often “are ignorant to what your background might be.”

But on Wednesday in Albany, at a celebration of UC Berkeley’s newest graduate student residence, the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma citizen and Berkeley’s Graduate Assembly president expressed pride in the name of the housing complex — xučyun ruwway (HOOCH-yoon ROO-why) — that’s spelled out above the main entrance.

“Even though these are just words on a building, it’s powerful to...