Dear UCI Students,

Black Lives Matter.

We are reminded once again of the importance of speaking, and more importantly, living these words. The senseless killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, and the incalculably long list of other Black individuals who have had their lives taken from them are the inevitable conclusion of anti-Blackness at the very core of this nation since its inception.

Faced with these tragedies, we must commit ourselves to doing more to address the systems that foster hate and violence against marginalized and vulnerable communities. The Centers that make up Student Life & Leadership (SLL) are bound by a commitment to anti-racist and social justice work. We choose to work at UCI and in SLL because we hold the values of equity and justice close to us.

To our students, the units of Student Life & Leadership stand prepared to continue being change agents and cultivating student leadership while addressing challenges. In doing so, we commit to the following:

• We commit to reimagine and re-examine the mission and goal statements of all of our departments this summer, to ensure we create a truly anti-racist organization, one where we put justice at the forefront of all that we do.

• We will share with you the steps that we have taken to educate and address issues of anti-Blackness, oppression and injustice on an on-going basis.

It is clear that the nation is suffering. In particular, the Black community is impacted by too many occurrences of hate and violence. Anti-Blackness and anti-racism work needs to occur not just in allyship but also in our actions. Please join us in this work.

In Community,

Rameen Talesh, Ed.D.
Assistant Vice Chancellor, Student Life & Leadership
Dean of Students

And all departments representing Student Life & Leadership, specifically:
Campus Organizations & Volunteer Programs
Center for Black Cultures, Resources & Research
Center for Student Leadership
Cross-Cultural Center
Dean of Students
DREAM Center
FRESH Basic Needs Hub
International Center
Latinx Resource Center
Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource Center
Sorority & Fraternity Life
Student Outreach & Retention Center
Veteran Services Center
Womxn's Hub
Academic Integrity & Student Conduct