Addressing Discrimination and Racism

Several clasped hands
Addressing Discrimination and Racism

Guidance and Action

11 Suggested Actions Toward Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination

A Values-Driven Approach

By addressing discrimination and racism, a university protects and advances excellence. Excellence depends on opportunity, safety, respect and the free exchange of ideas. The clearest path to excellence begins when all of us choose to understand the experiences of those who face the greatest barriers. By recognizing and removing those barriers, we strengthen our university community for the benefit of all.

We confront and reject all manifestations of discrimination, including those based on race, ethnicity, gender and gender expression, age, visible and non-visible disability, nationality, sexual orientation, citizenship status, veteran status, religious/non-religious, spiritual, or political beliefs, socio-economic class, status within or outside the university, or any of the other differences among people which have been excuses for misunderstanding, dissension or hatred.

—UC Davis Principles of Community

Read the Principles of Community

 

Dr. Jann Murray-Garcia

11 Suggested Actions

"11 Suggested Actions toward Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination" began as an action plan developed for our healthcare sites; was expanded with the help of six UC Davis constituent groups; became an anchor resource for individuals, workshop facilitators and community organizations; and is now in its 2nd edition. The process of creating also built relationships and ways of responding that continue to matter when national and global events become part of the lived experience of our campus. What happens around the globe can have a profound impact here, and UC Davis has learned to respond by connecting people with support, context, opportunities to learn and one another.
Start Your Journey
Crowd protesting

A record of reflection, learning and action

In 2020, amid the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and racism, the murder of George Floyd and protests across the country brought people throughout UC Davis together in an extraordinary period of reflection, learning and action. Students, faculty, staff, academic departments, administrative units, constituent groups and university leaders contributed resources, organized programs and conversations, and spoke publicly in support of members of our community. The original resource would eventually bloom to encompass more than thirty ally statements and eight leadership statements; gather hundreds of resources for teaching, learning, well-being and action; and collect dozens of courses and events that sought to make sense of the times.
Read the History
Attendees of Principles of Community

We affirm the dignity inherent in all of us

Racism and discrimination can shape individual experiences, institutional practices and the life of a community. At UC Davis, our Principles of Community call on us to acknowledge historical and deep-rooted injustices and biases, confront discrimination, affirm the dignity inherent in all of us, and foster mutual understanding and respect. This page offers practical ways to put those values, in addition to our responsibilities under nondiscrimination law and university policy, into practice through awareness, reflection, learning and action.
University of California Nondiscrimination Policy UC Davis Principles of Community

Deepen Your Understanding

Inclusive excellence is strengthened by learning from research, history and the experiences of others. Across UC Davis, programs and scholars offer opportunities to explore race, racism, discrimination and justice from different perspectives. These resources are a starting point for learning, reflection and conversation.

maisha and tory Winn in podcast studio

The Transformative Justice in Education Center

Based in the School of Education, the center is guided by five pedagogical stances (Winn, 2018, 2019): History Matters, Race Matters, Justice Matters, Language Matters and Futures Matter.

Visit the Center
Michael V. Singh talking with a student

Cultural and Ethnic Studies

The College of Letters and Science is home to programs and faculty exploring race, culture, identity and community across disciplines.

View Upcoming Community Learning Opportunities
Group photo of a smiling crowd in a large conference room with projector screen that says "Braxton Cook."

Race Matters

Human Resources offers Race Matters to support learning and conversations about race, racism and their impacts in the workplace and beyond.

Join the Discussion

Building on the Archive

The anti-racism resources developed beginning in 2020 document an extraordinary period of learning, dialogue and action across UC Davis. As part of our work to update these pages, we are developing a new way to share that history, provide additional context and connect visitors with resources that remain useful today.

The current refresh intends to look both backward and forward: updating anti-racism resources for the people who study and work here today while preserving the record of how this work developed. The original statements have been saved and are being prepared for more formal archival preservation so they can remain available, with appropriate context, to future scholars, historians and members of the UC Davis community. Preserving that record does not mean treating the response of 2020 as the final word. It means making sure the history is not lost — and that future readers can understand how the university and its communities expressed and acted on their values at a particular moment in time.

Check back as we bring these materials back in a new, more accessible and enduring form.

Voices of Solidarity

We're here to help

You don’t have to navigate complex conversations alone. Our office consults with individuals, teams and leaders on language, messaging, community care and values-based responses when issues of racism, discrimination or world events affect our campus community.
 

Connect with our office

“Ongoing racism and the disproportionate loss of lives of people of color across America have left our community seeking answers. At UC Davis, we acknowledge racism and discrimination exist, and we connect with a shared commitment to address it.” —Renetta G. Tull, Vice Chancellor for Inclusive Excellence