Student Equity Center

Racial Justice Center

 

3 SMC Students

About

The Racial Justice Center focuses on the success, completion, and retention of our students of color, specifically our Black, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native/Indigenous students, and students of two or more races. The Racial Justice Center will maintain, as part of its mission, the support of academic and cultural activities designed to promote and explore blackness, Latinx identity, equity, justice, and other progressive social change initiatives on campus and within the larger African and Latinx Diasporic communities.  

 

The center endeavors to achieve student retention and success by creating:  

  • A strong relationship between levels of campus comfort and retaining students of color. 

  • Cultural-specific, multicultural and intercultural opportunities for scholarship, research, and faculty enrichment in areas of race, culture, and ethnicity across all disciplines; and 

  • Ways to improve campus race relations by generating a wealth of lectures, dialogues, and exhibits that are useful in educating the campus community. 

Programs and Services

Coming soon! The Racial Justice Center will have a robust programming model that supports interdisciplinary research and education on the physical, social, political, historical, cultural, and economic experiences of the Black, Latinx, Asian American, Pacific Islander, and other communities. 

Events

The Village Speaks: Black Immigrants and the Current MovementJune 11, 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Resources

There are a number of ways to take action in support of racial justice, as well as materials to educate yourself on racial justice and how to be actively anti-racist. If you aren't a person of color, consider it imperative to educate yourself on how to be actively anti-racist. Here are a few materials that will help you gain more knowledge on racial justice issues.

Donate

Along with one-time payments in response to the protests, consider a long-term monthly donation. 

  • George Floyd's Family Fundraiser: This fund will be used to help the Floyd family with funeral/memorial costs and to help the family continue to seek justice for Mr. Floyd. 
  • Ahmaud Arbery's Family Fundraiser: This fund will be used to help the Arbery family with funeral/memorial costs and to help the family continue to seek justice for Ahmaud.
  • The National Bail Fund Network:  Help protesters make bail using this list of bail funds for protesters across the country.  
  • Black Visions Collective: A Black, Trans, & Queer-led organization that is committed to dismantling systems of oppression, as well as shifting the public narrative to support long-term change.
  • Black Lives Matter: Join the movement to fight for freedom, liberation, and justice. 
  • The NAACP Legal Defense Fund:  America's premier legal organization fighting for racial injustice. 
  • The Marsha P. Johnson Institute:  Protects and defends the right of Black Trans people.

Social Media Activism

  • This is an easy way to take action. Be intentional about posting authenticated news articles, petitions, websites, and more that help bring exposure to police brutality and anti-black violence. Here are a few tips.
  • Don't be silent on social media. Speak up. Use your platform to seek justice for George Floyd. If you are uncomfortable writing something yourself then repost someone else's words.
  • When you donate, share the link on your social channels to inspire followers. 
  • Resharing photos or videos of protestors could get them in trouble with the law. Think carefully before reposting any video where law enforcement could I.D. someone.

Local Resources

Human Relations Council of Santa Monica Bay Area: HRC is a partnership of community organizations, institutions, businesses, and individuals that promotes and supports a respectful and socially just community through education, advocacy, and resolution of local conflicts and issues.

More Resources