On Friday, BLAC hosted its launch party to officially present what Black Lives at Cal is all about! More than 100 people excitedly attended this momentous event in-person with an additional two dozen engaging us via Zoom. The audience included a wonderful range of undergraduates, staff, administrators, alumni, and even family of BLAC team members.
The first half of the launch party was held indoors for an hour long program. In the program, we introduced the team and gave a presentation on the history of BLAC, our current and future projects, and behind-the-scenes of our operations. We also explained our initiative’s purpose: To research, preserve and publicize the legacy of Black people at UC Berkeley.
The program featured a few fun reveals and interactive components! The logo competition consisted of 9 talented individuals to create an official logo for BLAC. Team member Bella revealed our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners for the logo competition. Our 1st place winner Kahalla Bandy-Pasibe designed the logo that best represented BLAC among 17 submissions. Our members Daniella and Skyler revealed the BLAC website and described what each page’s contents hold, and the future of the website as BLAC progresses. During the launch party, we also used the online platform mentimeter to poll the audience about how they make sense of BLAC’s meaning and importance. Some of those answers included “representation”, “history”, “cultural impact”, and “future.”
After the program, participants transitioned to enjoy BBQ and party in the courtyard of the Fannie Lou Hamer Black Resource Center to an amazing music set from alumnus DJ Quamé.
We also celebrated and honored BLAC's only graduating senior for the semester, Elle Henry. Special thanks to Sammy and the BlackBook U team for the amazing photos taken at this event!
