Black Lives Matter.

We write to you this week with a heavy heart given this heavy moment. This volume of the Diversity Digest is an expression of our care and concern for those who have helped us safely endure the quarantine as essential workers, and for everyone feeling the effects of loss because of the death of 100,000 individuals in the country from COVID-19. It is a call for peace and justice to bridge the gap in our divided communities so that we may move forward united.

As an alumni community we stand in solidarity with the Black community in the fight against White supremacy, systemic racism and police brutality. UCLA Alumni Diversity Programs & Initiatives has a responsibility to ensure that our alumni community is heard and seen. With that, here are this week's offerings:

WATCH
"Say his name, pray for his family, demand justice." Rest in Power, Beautiful #BlackLivesMatter produced by the Black Lives Matter Global Network, co-founded by UCLA alumna Patrisse Cullors '12. 

LISTEN
Isaac Bryan M.P.P. '18, Public Policy Director for the UCLA Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies talks about what the media is missing in covering recent protests in an interview on KPCC's "All Things Considered" show.

READ
Read statements from UCLA Alumni Association Board President Cheryl Lott '01, J.D. '04, UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, the University of California Office of the President, and American Indian and Indigenous Peoples organizations in Los Angeles shared by the UCLA American Indian Studies Center.

UNDERSTAND
Learn about the dialogue between parents and children about how to interact with the police through "The Talk: An Unwanted but Unavoidable Conversation," with in-depth reporting from former Daily Bruin Editor-in-Chief James Barragán '13.

REFLECT
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar '69 offers us a moment of reflection to help us better understand the protest through an Op-Ed in the Los Angeles Times.

SUPPORT
Alumni are here to support students. See how UCLA Black Alumni Association is supporting the Afrikan Student Union here.

SHARE
Undocumented Alumni Association of UCLA and the Asian American Studies Center in partnership with Fielding School of Public Health are sharing resources to support our marginalized communities during this challenging time.

As always, we thank you for your love and support — our diverse alumni community means the world to us.

In solidarity,