Demonstrators march through the streets of Hollywood, California, on June 2, 2020, to protest the death of George Floyd at the hands of police. – Anti-racism protests have put several US cities under curfew to suppress rioting, following the death of George Floyd. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)
In this important piece featured in the Los Angeles Times, UCLA’s Dr. Marcus Anthony Hunter, Scott Waugh Endowed Chair in the Division of the Social Sciences, professor of sociology, and chair of the department of African American Studies, presents a conversation he recently had with some of the nation’s foremost writers on Los Angeles to discuss how the city’s racial history informs the present moment and the continued fight against racism and injustice.
Dr. Hunter writes:
“Black people’s lives have remained vulnerable and unprotected by the very government that abolished the institution of slavery. As the planter class took its last sips of power and blood, they managed to bequeath us a century and a half of debt and devastation. Racism is their lasting hex on a country that would dare to try and outlive them, an institutionally effective death spell killing black people every day.”
To read the full article, “How Does L.A.’s Racial Past Resonate Now? #Blacklivesmatter’s Originator and 5 Writers Discuss,” click HERE.
https://lasocialscience.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/marcus2_1-300x200-1.jpg200300Assistant Editorhttps://lasocialscience.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/lass_logo-helvetica-281x300-1.jpgAssistant Editor2020-06-16 17:30:332020-06-16 17:30:33L.A. Times Features Professor Hunter and Prominent L.A. Writers Discussing the City’s Racial Past and Present
UCLA’s Luskin Center for History and Policy (LCHP) has continued to be a leading voice in connecting past to present. The center’s “Then & Now” podcast has tackled some of the most challenge topics of the day by connecting them to the past. The latest conversation is with Dr. Robin D.G. Kelley, in which he and Dr. David Myers discuss the current history-making events. LCHP writes:
“Political philosopher Hannah Arendt famously argued – in the case of SS officer Adolf Eichmann – that ordinary people can easily become complicit in evil acts as part of a larger system of injustice and inequality. In this special episode, we discuss the concept of ‘the banality of evil’ with Robin Kelley, prominent scholar and professor of U.S. and African American History. As protests spread across the country over the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many more, Professor Kelley shares with us his perspectives on our shared responsibilities, revolutionary pessimism, and the historian’s role in the pursuit of justice.”
https://lasocialscience.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/EZw1V-vVAAESZ7r.png500500Assistant Editorhttps://lasocialscience.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/lass_logo-helvetica-281x300-1.jpgAssistant Editor2020-06-08 20:02:062020-06-08 20:02:06UCLA Podcast “Then & Now” Connects Past to Present with Professor Robin Kelley
Today, UCLA Dean of Social Sciences Darnell Hunt appeared on The Lead CNN with Jake Tapper to discuss police brutality and the breaking news of the day dealing with the nationwide protests against racism and injustice. Watch the video of the interview HERE.
In addition, Dean Hunt has recently been asked by numerous media outlets to provide his expert insight on the current events. Check out each of the links below.
https://lasocialscience.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/DHunt-CNN-2.png584743Contributorhttps://lasocialscience.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/lass_logo-helvetica-281x300-1.jpgContributor2020-06-05 18:56:222020-06-05 18:56:22Dean Darnell Hunt Interviewed Live on CNN and Other Major News Outlets To Discuss Police Brutality and Protests
hortly before midnight on Saturday, 37 campus leaders, including the presidents of the undergraduate and graduate student associations, joined together to send a message to the UCLA community expressing their collective anger, sadness and solidarity.”
In addition, UCLA Dean of Social Sciences Darnell Hunt has recently been quoted when providing his expert insight on the nationwide protests against racism and injustice by several media outlets. Check out those articles below the statement.
To the Campus Community:
Across the country, people are horrified by the recent killings of three African Americans: Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd. We share that outrage. And these are only a few of the most recent deaths to cause particular anguish amongst those who for too long have endured cruelty after cruelty, indignity after indignity.
What stood out about the killing of George Floyd — more than its senselessness, more than its brutality – was its casualness. What was so chilling was the relaxed demeanor of a police officer — sworn to protect and to serve — his hands calmly in his pockets, kneeling on the neck of a fellow human being, indifferent to his cries of pain and the fear for his life. Equally harrowing was his three fellow officers who stood there and did not recognize the need to intervene in a life or death situation. All these behaviors reflected the utter dehumanization of Black life.
We must never let that indifference to human suffering become our own. We must never deaden our hearts to the pain of others. Our fundamental values demand that we care.
At UCLA, we believe deeply that equity, respect and justice are central to the character of our institution, to the health of our democracy and to the well-being of our world. Still, we recognize that UCLA also can and must do better. As campus leaders, we recommit ourselves to ensuring that our policies and actions value the lives, safety and dignity of every Bruin.
We have begun the process of coordinating virtual reflection spaces for departments and units, where we can come together to try and process what has happened. With assistance from the Office for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and the university’s Equity Advisors, we are also trying to share ways we can honestly and humbly acknowledge the pain and search for solutions. This includes working with student government leaders to understand and address the needs of our students. Our efforts will be updated on the Resources for Racial Trauma web page as we push forward to deeper understanding and genuine change.
We conclude by stating unequivocally that Black lives DO matter. They matter at UCLA. They matter in Minnesota. They matter everywhere.
In solidarity,
Gene D. Block Chancellor
Emily A. Carter Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
Michael Meranze Chair, Academic Senate
Michael J. Beck Administrative Vice Chancellor
Gregg Goldman Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer
Monroe Gorden, Jr. Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Jerry Kang Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Michael S. Levine Vice Chancellor for Academic Personnel
John Mazziotta Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences CEO, UCLA Health
Louise C. Nelson Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs
Mary Osako Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communications
Rhea Turteltaub Vice Chancellor for External Affairs
Roger Wakimoto Vice Chancellor for Research
Yolanda J. Gorman Senior Advisor to the Chancellor and Chief of Staff
Dan Guerrero The Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Director of Athletics
Antonio E. Bernardo Dean, Anderson School of Management
Ronald S. Brookmeyer Dean, Fielding School of Public Health
Eric Bullard Dean, Continuing Education and UCLA Extension
Miguel A. García-Garibay Dean, Division of Physical Sciences
Robin L. Garrell Vice Provost, Graduate Education Dean, Graduate Division
Darnell M. Hunt Dean, Division of Social Sciences
Brian Kite Interim Dean, School of Theater, Film and Television
Paul H. Krebsbach Dean, School of Dentistry
Kelsey Martin Dean, David Geffen School of Medicine
Jennifer L. Mnookin Dean, School of Law
Jayathi Y. Murthy Dean, Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science
Linda Sarna Dean, School of Nursing
Gary M. Segura Dean, Luskin School of Public Affairs
David Schaberg Dean, Division of Humanities
Victoria Sork Dean, Division of Life Sciences
Brett Steele Dean, School of the Arts and Architecture
Eileen Strempel Dean, The Herb Alpert School of Music
Marcelo Suárez-Orozco Dean, Graduate School of Education & Information Studies
Pat Turner Senior Dean, College Dean and Vice Provost, Undergraduate Education
Tony Lee Chief of UCLA Police Department
Naomi Riley President, Undergraduate Students Association
Jean Paul Santos President, Graduate Students Association
Dean Darnell Hunt was interviewed in the following articles/podcasts (click links):
https://lasocialscience.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/large_8YNNp6UMvy8t-yc08e1IFQcuK6O9gfTUKtK1kmrGV8o.jpg4351008Contributorhttps://lasocialscience.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/lass_logo-helvetica-281x300-1.jpgContributor2020-06-01 20:01:292020-06-05 18:47:15UCLA Leadership Releases Statement in Support of Black Lives Matter and Provides Expertise in Protest Coverage
