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 ChiefRanjani Shankar, Managing EditorJacob Sutherland, News EditorAndrew Ha, News EditorGeena Younger, Opinion EditorLara Sanli, Features Editor
In concurrence,Jahfreen Alam, Arts and Entertainment EditorTori Anderson, Staff WriterLuke Burbidge, Multimedia EditorErin Chun, Arts and Entertainment Assistant EditorColleen Conradi, Lifestyle EditorMax Davis, Staff WriterJack Trent Dorfman, Sports EditorNelson Espinal, Senior Staff WriterSaida Hassan, Design Editor Laura Hatanaka, Senior Staff WriterZara Irshad, Assistant Opinion EditorMaddy León, Senior Staff Writer Daniel Li, Copy EditorAnnika Olives, Lifestyle EditorAlex Rickard, Design EditorElías Román, Senior Staff WriterHannah Rosenberg, Staff WriterNiloufar Shahbandi, Staff WriterAnthony Tran, Art EditorNatalie Tran, Senior Staff WriterTroy Tuquero, News Editorial AssistantNancy Xu, Associate Media EditorSteven Zhou, Senior Staff Writer
Graphic courtesy of Black Lives Matter.