When I asked our featured alumna in this issue, Daedra Staten, J.D. ’13, “How would you describe our current moment,” she said, both terrifying and exciting. This resonates with me, as we experience a historic U.S. presidential election and welcome back our students to campus while many of us are still processing the painful events of spring. It feels, in many ways, that we are collectively bracing ourselves. In that bracing, there is a tightening and alertness that can make it difficult to see and experience the fluidity of possibility.
I want to focus on what Daedra named in our conversation as exciting — the work that people are doing to build movements grounded in care for one another, efforts tied intimately to a vision for a better world. Prentiss Hemphill, in their recent book "What It Takes to Heal: How Transforming Ourselves Can Change the World," calls us to nurture these kinds of visions. Hemphill reminds us, when it can be so compelling and distracting to focus on all that is falling apart, to remember, “Underneath our current reality is a future waiting to be conjured.” I find myself often asking, how am I a part of that conjuring?
If you find yourself bracing for what is to come in the next several weeks, we encourage you to find moments to lean in. Lean into a challenging conversation and slow down. Lean into your creativity and pour into something, or someone, that brings you hope.
When I spoke with Daedra, what struck me the most, as a Bruin alum, was her passion for using the tools of education and dialogue to build critical thinkers who can confront and learn from history. She identifies the roots of her consulting firm in the learning she did both within her program at the UCLA School of Law and after, as a staff member applying theoretical frameworks to the everyday questions of the recruitment and retention of graduate students of color. In 2020, as the Black Lives Matter movement surged, alongside the proliferation of hate crimes against Asian Americans and the exponential growth of the COVID-19 pandemic, Daedra clarified her purpose.
Like Daedra, I am inspired by the ways people show up for one another and foster solidarity with one another’s struggles. We are inspired by you — our readers, our alumni, our community that we know is working hard every day to show up and do better. As we move through this season, know that we are standing with you.
Navigating Identity and Difference: A Journey Through Education and Activism with Daedra Staten, J.D. ’13
In our current moment marked by political polarization and a deep sense of division, individuals who are embracing their identities and advocating for change are making significant impacts in their communities. One such individual is Daedra Staten, J.D. ’13, who sat with Denise Pacheco, senior director for UCLA Alumni Diversity Programs & Initiatives, to share her journey into the powerful work of anti-racism education and equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) consulting.
Every fall quarter, the UCLA Latinx Welcome Planning Committee hosts Latinx Welcome for new and continuing Latinx undergraduate and graduate students. We welcome you to RSVP to join in this community celebration on Oct. 15 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Wilson Plaza.
Learn
UCLA Alumni Diversity Programs & Initiatives is launching "Faculty in Focus!" Formerly "Professors in the Pub," this signature program welcomes lifelong learners interested in engaging with faculty who share their scholarship and expertise on a wide range of disciplines. Join us in Downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, Oct. 19, for our first Faculty in Focus program "Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop at the GRAMMY Museum with Dr. Adam Bradley."
Listen
UCLA Alumni Diversity Programs is inviting OiYan Poon, Ph.D. ’10, to speak about her new book, "Asian American Is Not a Color: Conversations on Race, Affirmative Action, and Family." This collaboration with UCLA School of Education and Information Studies, UCLA Asian American Studies Center, Asian Pacific Alumni of UCLA and UCLA Pilipino Alumni Association will be take place on Wednesday, Oct. 30, at 6 p.m. and will be moderated by author Anthony Ocampo ’06, Ph.D. ’11.
Register to attend in person at the James West Alumni Center, or tune in virtually for this engaging conversation.
See
You may have noticed that the UCLA Alumni Association has a new logo. The inclusive "UCLA alum" update aims to honor your unique contributions as individuals to the greater Bruin community. Learn more about the design in our recent post.
Read
Chief program officer for Wellnest Emotional Health and Wellness, Paco Retana ’87, M.S.W. ’90, is your new president of the UCLA Alumni Association. Learn more about Retana and how he aims to lead with gratitude throughout his term.
