Mixing it up at the Hammer:
Diversity Matters Because We Matter

Event Photos

UCLA Alumni Affairs Diversity Programs hosted its first-ever diversity program on Saturday, Aug. 16 at The Hammer Museum’s Ammo Café. More than 100 recent and longtime UCLA graduates attended the event entitled Mixin It Up, where they learned about Diversity Programs, the various alumni groups and Alumni Affairs in general.

Representatives from alumni diversity groups, including American Indian Alumni, Asian-Pacific Alumni, Lambda (LGBTQ) Alumni, Black Alumni, Latino Alumni and Pilipino Alumni, were there to connect with fellow Bruins and one another. In addition campus partners including Student Affairs, the Graduate Division, Academic Affairs, the Institute of American Cultures, Community Programs Office and the LGBT Resource Center – also attended the event.

At the event, guests were presented with nametags that had a space to fill in preferred gender pronouns, many asked questions and were eager to learn. Preferred gender pronouns are pronouns that an individual would like others to use when speaking about that individual. Since the English language is gendered in this regard, transgender and gender-nonconforming people can often feel excluded through the confines of the language. In order to be inclusive of all members of the community, it was important to Diversity Programs to create a safe space in which everyone can indicate their preferred gender pronouns. This was a learning moment for many who were unfamiliar with this concept and happy to learn.

Guests connected with alumni leaders and campus partners and were eager to find out about ongoing alumni group projects and events. New ideas were discussed regarding the identities around which to form new alumni groups, such as senior alumni, women or mixed racial backgrounds.

Along with tweeting, facebooking, instagramming and hashtagging, guests were prompted to fill in the blank on a white board that read “Diversity matters because…”
Statements included:

• “Diversity matters because the world revolves around differences.”
• “Diversity matters because it brings us together.”
• “Diversity matters because research shows that diverse perspectives result in more exceptional outcomes than efforts by homogenous groups.”
• “Diversity matters because we matter.” For the future, alumni expressed interest in more events like these that bring together Bruins from all walks of life.

For more information about Diversity Programs, contact diversity@alumni.ucla.edu.

Go Bruins!