Black Thriving Initiative

UCI Black Thriving Initiative recognizes and responds to anti-Blackness as an existential threat to our mission as public research university. In depriving Black people of their full participation in society and in university life, anti-Blackness compromises UCI’s capacity to educate, discover, create and heal. It therefore demands a whole university response. This response relies on each member of our campus community linking their future to the success of Black students, faculty and staff as well as alumni and communities served by UCI. Read more about the UCI Black Thriving Initiative here.

The UCI School of Physical Sciences is committed to combating racial injustices through long-term commitments as listed in our Diversity and Inclusion section. In addition, various regular events and initiatives are taking place in our school and departments and we have listed these below.

Virtual Events

Physical Sciences Journal Club on Anti-racism and Inclusion 

Black in Physical Sciences - October 6, 2021
The School of Physical Sciences hosts bi-monthly zoom events for the Black community in the departments of chemistry, Earth system science, mathematics, and physics & astronomy. These events offer an opportunity for Black individuals to connect with one another in an informal setting, meet colleagues in their fields, and exchange resources and ideas. Black in Physical Sciences takes place on the first Wednesday of every other month at 5PM. Register for the upcoming event or contact karaaw@uci.edu for questions.

Modules for Confronting Anti-Blackness
The purpose of this course sequence is to examine anti-Black racism in the United States while advancing UCI's commitment to inclusive excellence. This course is free and open to all campus members - undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty and staff employees. Participants will meet online for one hour per week, for a total of five weeks. Each meeting will be organized around a theme that serves as a focal point of moderated discussion. 

Statements and Initiatives

UCI Department of Physics & Astronomy Action Plan in Support of our Black Community

Black Lives Matter. A Commitment to Action from UCI ESS Faculty and Graduate Student Leaders

Physics & Astronomy Discussion and Town Hall 

Particles for Justice - Physics & Astronomy 

Dean Bullock's Message to Undergraduate Students on Anti-Black Racism

Dean Bullock's Message on Death of George Floyd

Becoming Anti-racist in the Physical Sciences- Presented by graduate students from the UCI Department of Chemistry

Anti-Racism Resources

Campus Resources and Incident Reporting

• Black Thriving Initiative
• UCI Office of Inclusive Excellence
• Diverse Educational Community and Doctoral Experience (DECADE) Mentors
• List of Equity Advisors on UCI's Campus
• UCI Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity
• UCI Cross Cultural Center
• UCI Ombudman's Office (confidential reporting)
• UCI CARE (confidential reporting)
• UCI Office of the Campus Social Worker
• UCI Counseling Center
• Reporting UCI Police Misconduct Complaints (anonymous reporting available)
• UC Systemwide Reporting of Acts of Intolerance (anonymous reporting available)

Videos and Recorded Discussions

• Racial Injustice and the Academy - Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, UCI Professor and Chair of the Department of Asian American Studies
• The Fire Next Time: Anti-Black Racism and the Struggle to Live in the United States | June 4, 2020 - UCI Office of Inclusive Excellence
• The 2%: Navigating UCI as a Black Student - Anteater TV
• The Fire This Time: Race at Boiling Point - Hosted by the UC Humanities Research Institute
• The New York Times 1619 Project Podcast Series, Episode 1: The Fight for True Democracy
• The House We Live In (documentary excerpt) 
• The Daily Show with Trevor Noah - Police Brutality 

Reading List

• Being Antiracist - National Museum of African American History & Culture
• Blacklivesmatter - Resource Guide
• Particles for Justice resource list
• The Long Reach of Racism in the U.S. - The Wall Street Journal 
• Why Are There So Few Black Physicists? - Gizmodo

To submit more resources please email physicalsciences@uci.edu.