BSU Solidarity Letter
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dspearmaBSU Solidarity Letter
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dspearmaAn Open Letter to the Black Student Union, of the
University of California, San Diego
In light of recent events at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and the reprehensible acts of
racism that threaten to dismantle the core principles on which academic community are based, the
Community-Based Block Program’s African Descent (CBB-AD) Alumni Group would like to express our
solidarity with the Black Student Union of UCSD and our support for the principles of community at UCSD.
CBB-AD is committed to community-building, and dialogue about issues and concerns about Africa,
African-centered world view and psychology, what it is to be a person of African descent, bi- and multi-
racial identity, the intersections of ethnicity, class, gender, and other critical issues. As such, we stand
committed to the work of rebuilding community and the restoration justice student such that each individual
is valued, welcomed and able to share his or her unique talents to their fullest potential.
The tragedy of recent events at UCSD – the February 15, 2010 off campus “Compton Cook Out” that
mocked Black History Month, and the subsequent ridicule of the African American students; the use of a
racial slur on a student-run TV show as a result of their reaction to the party; a noose found hanging on the
seventh floor of the Geisel Library on February 25, and; the March 2 discovery of a KKK-style hood atop a
Dr. Seuss statue at the University of California San Diego 1 – constitutes an injury to the African American
students of UCSD and to the community as a whole. Equally tragic is that these events have taken place
amidst a backdrop of an economic and political assault on education at a time when students worldwide
marched forth on March 4 to defend education as a human right for all. It is indeed ironic that in a time in
which solidarity is becoming increasingly critical, the noose found in Geisel Library – historically a symbol
of violence and intimidation toward the African American community – may come to symbolize the choking
off of educational access for the very student who placed it there. CBB-AD fully supports the stated
Principles of Community of UCSD that will “affirm each individual's right to dignity and strive to maintain a
climate of justice marked by mutual respect for each other,” “value each member of the UCSD community
for his or her individual and unique talents,” and further “value the cultural diversity of UCSD because it
enriches our lives and the university. We celebrate this diversity and support respect for all cultures, by both
individuals and the university as a whole. 2
Cultivating a climate of justice as stated in the Principles of Community demands that an affront to an
individual’s right to dignity be addressed first and foremost by hearing the concerns of the injured party, or
parties, to act affirmatively and in good faith to address those concerns, and to move with all deliberate speed
in a restorative manner. The Black Student Union of UCSD worked with diligence and foresight to alert the
campus community of the impending threats to the Principles of Community in its October 2009 publication
and report; and entitled, “Do UC US?” 3 Further, the Black Student Union of UCSD has further crafted a
plan that promises to restore the Principles of Community in a report authored on February 19, 2010, entitled,
1
Schmidt, Steve. KKK‐Style Pillowcase Found at UCSD; Noose Case Sent to City Attorney. San Diego Union Tribune, 2010. Accessed
March 2, 2010. Available from http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/mar/02/kkk‐style‐pillowcase‐found‐uc
2
University of California, San Diego. The UCSD Principles of Community. Accessed March 2, 2010. Available from http://www‐
vcba.ucsd.edu/principles.htm.
3
See The Black Student Union, UCSD. Do Uc Us? Campaign for Yield and Diversity for UC San Diego. 2009. Accessed March 2,
2010. Available from http://vceba.ucsd.edu/pdf/Do%20UC%20us%20Campaign%20Report.pdf.
“UCSD Black Student Union Address! State of Emergency!” 4 in the form of a list of 32 demands.
As an extended member of the academic community of San Diego, CBB-AD is committed to restoring a
safe, respectful academic community that values diversity and enables each student to share his or her unique
talents to their fullest potential. We therefore urge UCSD to move toward speedy implementation of the BSU
list of demands articulated in “UCSD Black Student Union Address! State of Emergency!” We further urge
UCSD to make a priority and commitment to fund this long-term effort toward restorative community
justice. As active members of the community, CBB-AD is willing to do its part in working with interested
parties in the community and State to assist in implementing the demands of the Black Student Union of
UCSD, and we anticipate a speedy response and a timeline for implementation of the BSU list of demands.
In Solidarity,
4
See The Black Student Union, UCSD. UCSD Black Student Union Address! State of Emergency! 2010. Accessed March 2, 2010.
Available from http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/breaking/BSUdemands.pdf.