Equity & Inclusion News

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Berkeley Physics Partners with APS for Equity and Inclusion

Members of the physics community have been mobilizing to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion within their individual institutions. Bringing these groups into a larger network to share their experiences and expertise can expedite systemic change for the physics community at large. The APS Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Alliance (APS-IDEA) is creating such a network made up of teams from a wide variety of institutions including UC Berkeley Physics, all committed to creating a social movement to transform the culture of physics. Read more.

Letters from our 2020 Dialogue

In 2020 a group of graduate students engaged the Physics Department administration in a meaningful dialogue concerning the need for engagement, change and awareness. Below are the letters memorializing that dialogue.

Graduate Student Letter to Faculty

Juneteenth Letter from Graduate Students to Faculty and Administration

Staff Letter to Faculty

Administration Response to Students and Community

The Berkeley Blog

Charles D. Brown II speaks on anti-Blackness in physics, and why the physics community needs to include, listen to and hire Black scientists.

The Proposal to "Un-Name" Le Conte Hall

In recent years, it has come to light that the Le Conte name is inextricably associated with slavery and racism and therefore does not reflect the values of the university or our department. Student groups on Berkeley’s campus, most notably the Black Student Union, have long been concerned that prominent university buildings are named after slaveholders, and many physics students are active in supporting constructive change in the department, as are the staff. The voices of physics students and staff rang out loudly and clearly in favor of this renaming, and what they said mattered enormously to the faculty as they took their vote. Our collective resolution recognizes the importance of addressing racism and racial inequities within the scientific community as one part of our effort to build a welcoming and supportive environment for students, faculty, and staff of color. The proposal can be read here.

UPDATE: On November 20, 2020, both Le Conte Hall and Barrows Hall were un-named.

Poster Series Honors Influential Black Physicists

Physics major Ana Lyons has created 12 posters of influential Black physicists in response to the recent plan of action agenda item to "raise the visibility of Black voices both in the Physics Department and in the field as a whole." These posters are available for download from this page