Campus & community, Campus news

'We reject blatant acts of hatred, hostility and disrespect'

By Public Affairs

UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ and Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion Oscar Dubón sent this message to the campus community this week:

Fostering and sustaining a supportive, respectful and welcoming campus underlies the chancellor’s priority to build community as well as much of the work of the Division of Equity & Inclusion. We are therefore deeply concerned that in recent weeks some members of our campus community and others external to it have been personally targeted through displays of hate, bigotry and ignorance, resulting in a divisive and hostile climate.

We want to express our unwavering support for our targeted campus communities — Black/African- American, Chicanx/Latinx, Native American, LGBTQ, undocumented, Muslim, Jewish — who have been directly and overtly made to feel unwelcomed, devalued and dehumanized. The hate chalking, doxxing, targeted speech via social media, taunting and bullying are unjust, unwarranted and un-welcomed. We reject blatant acts of hatred, hostility and disrespect. These should not and will not define our campus, nor should they be tolerated.

Standing against hate is essential to building a courageous, healthy and inclusive community. True to the university’s values, members of our campus have already undertaken or are planning numerous initiatives and actions that affirm our principles of community. We encourage peaceful discourse and the pursuit of mutual understanding, learning from our ill-intended histories and progressing toward a future that embraces tolerance, respect and the rich diversity of our society.

We thank the students, staff, faculty and other members of the Cal family who have offered feedback and raised concerns as we do our best to guide our campus through these unquestionably challenging times. Your thoughtful comments, questions and opinions are immensely valued and are given much consideration as we continue to evolve in our understanding and actions. We remain attentive listeners in our commitment to serve you with humility and integrity.

If you experience or observe a targeting act as described above, please report it to UCPD by calling (510) 642-6760 , report it at stophate.berkeley.edu , or contact the Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination .

Carol Christ, Chancellor

Oscar Dubón, Jr., Vice Chancellor for Equity & Inclusion