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. R egister 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.