With the recent police brutality and police inaction surrounding the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, we are again reminded of just how far our nation is from racial equity. This ongoing violence against the African American community draws up memories of the Compton Cookout, which took place at UC San Diego only ten years ago. This event served as a catalyst for our student body to come together and agree that racism should never be welcome on campus.
Unfortunately, UCSD remains an unwelcoming campus for many students from marginalized communities. Racist incidents such as anti-immigrant chalkings and the graffiting of swastikas outside of dorms continue to take place. In terms of representation and inclusion, only 2.6 percent of the student body identify as African American, an abysmal number considering the university’s commitment to diversity.
We stand in solidarity with all demonstrators––especially students––protesting against the racial injustice that has permeated all sectors of daily life.
We stand in solidarity with all marginalized groups who continue to face prejudice and discriminantion.
We stand in solidarity with the journalists who are risking their lives and wellbeing to cover these protests.
We stand in solidarity with the student resources centers both at UCSD and schools across America, who are tirelessly working to ensure a more equitable and safe campus environment for all students.
In solidarity, we encourage you to get involved in the fight for racial justice by any means you can. The Associated Students Office of External Affairs is developing a Minority Caucus, which can be found here. The Black Resource Center at UCSD hosts a number of programs and workshops which serve to educate the student body on issues and fosters community for black students. Organizations like the Minnesota Freedom Fund are accepting donations to post bail for people of color who are unfairly incarcerated.
Black lives matter, and as a student newspaper we will continue upholding this message in every way possible.
Signed,
The UCSD Guardian Editorial Board:
Daisy Scott, Editor in Chief
Ranjani Shankar, Managing Editor
Jacob Sutherland, News Editor
Andrew Ha, News Editor
Geena Younger, Opinion Editor
Lara Sanli, Features Editor
In concurrence,
Jahfreen Alam, Arts and Entertainment Editor
Tori Anderson, Staff Writer
Luke Burbidge, Multimedia Editor
Erin Chun, Arts and Entertainment Assistant Editor
Colleen Conradi, Lifestyle Editor
Max Davis, Staff Writer
Jack Trent Dorfman, Sports Editor
Nelson Espinal, Senior Staff Writer
Saida Hassan, Design Editor
Laura Hatanaka, Senior Staff Writer
Zara Irshad, Assistant Opinion Editor
Maddy León, Senior Staff Writer
Daniel Li, Copy Editor
Annika Olives, Lifestyle Editor
Alex Rickard, Design Editor
Elías Román, Senior Staff Writer
Hannah Rosenberg, Staff Writer
Niloufar Shahbandi, Staff Writer
Anthony Tran, Art Editor
Natalie Tran, Senior Staff Writer
Troy Tuquero, News Editorial Assistant
Nancy Xu, Associate Media Editor
Steven Zhou, Senior Staff Writer
Graphic courtesy of Black Lives Matter.
