University of California, Santa Cruz Department of Athletics and Recreation stands in solidarity with the Black community and our Black student-athletes. We are outraged and deeply saddened by the murders and most recently the attempted murder of countless innocent Black people. These instances of brutality and racial injustice arise from institutional and systemic racism against the Black community and cannot continue to be tolerated.
As an institution of higher education, we commit ourselves to the critical work of racial equity and inclusion. We must stand up against racial injustice and recognize improvements that are imperative to the progress of our athletic and recreational community, our campus, and society at large. We must demonstrate leadership in a way that is more than just statements and take action. We stand and will lead with the UC Santa Cruz community to ensure everyone has a voice in the fight for racial and social justice. “This is not just a moment but a movement for permanent transformational change” - Dino Pollock, Senior Associate Director of Athletics-Compliance.
To the Black community: you and your lives matter beyond a tagline. We are here not only to listen, learn, and support you, we are committed to making changes for our collective future together. We will encourage administrators, coaches, and student athletes to have difficult conversations with each other to enhance awareness, engagement, and dialogue pertaining to racial injustice. We will dedicate time, resources, and require a shift in thinking and behavior as a path to such change. Below are some of our initial actions to support our Black community:
- #AllSlugsVote Campaign - This partnership with CALPIRG and our Student Union Assembly has given the Athletics and Recreation community the opportunity to register new voters for federal, state, and local elections so that our community can have a voice for change through their elected representatives.
- Participating in the NCAA Diversity and Inclusion Social Media Campaign in partnership with the Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee (MOIC) and Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAACs) being held October 27th-29th.
- Engaging with our Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion by participating in 200 hours of crucial conversations, training and policy ideation over the 2020-21 academic year.
We will do better. We will move forward and we will bring about pivotal change. #BLACKLIVESMATTER
