Black Lives at Cal (BLAC) is pleased to present "The Upload" as an in-person event for our Black student, staff, faculty, and alumni community to share memories and memorabilia of Black life at Cal, celebrating culture and building connections across generations of Black community members. Individuals can register to attend here, and organizations interested in hosting a table for their memorabilia can register here
This year, The Upload will begin with lunch and panel of distinguished Black community leaders, including Black alumni, staff, faculty, and administrators. The panel is entitled, "Crafting a Collective Legacy", and will focus on campus life from 1970s to the present. Confirmed panelists include the following:
- Gloria Burkhalter (Alumn, Co-Founder of the Black Staff and Faculty Organization, Former Director of the Educational Opportunity Program)
- Daphne Muse (Former Faculty, McNair Research Coordinator, and Elder-in-Residence of the Black Studies Collaboratory)
- Harry Le Grande (Emeritus Vice Chancellor)
- Dr. William "Russ" Ellis (Emeritus Professor and Emeritus Vice Chancellor)
- Cara Stanley (Alumn, Faculty, and Executive Director)
- Marlon McWilson (Alumn and Vice President of the Cal Black Alumni Association)
- Dr. Miller Allen (Alumn and Co-Founder of Black Engineering and Science Alumni Club).
After the panel, we will invite attendees to interact with memorabilia brought by attendees as well as from campus organizations and BLAC's growing collection. Attendees are encouraged to bring memorabilia such as photos, apparel, awards, and publications (e.g., newspapers, newsletters, reports, resources guides) that were made by and/or for the Black community at Berkeley. This memorabilia will help us to depict and discuss the everydayness of studying, working, performing, and socializing as a Black person at Cal.
Ultimately, this event will double as a panel honoring those who have shaped the Black experience at Berkeley and a show-and-tell of our history through memorabilia. If interested, BLAC undergraduate research apprentices may assist attendees with uploading their memorabilia into a shared online collection with sufficient context to ensure these materials are documented and accessible for future generations to cherish.
Black Lives at Cal is a multi-year initiative to research, preserve, and publicize the legacy of Black people at UC Berkeley. BLAC is an initiative of the African American Thriving Initiatives in partnership with the Institute for the Study of Societal Issues. This event is co-sponsored by the Student Learning Center. BLAC is fortunate to have the support of the Department of African American Studies, Black Studies Collaboratory, Cal Black Alumni Association, Division of Equity and Inclusion, Big C Fund, and more!
Follow us on our Instagram account@blac.lives.at.cal to stay in touch!