In Celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2022 ♥★

A message from

Douglas M. Haynes, Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Willie L. Banks Jr., Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs

Our individual sense of hope for the future lifts our optimism for 2022 and we wish you all a happy new year. This is the core of the Anteater spirit, which has been so important over the past couple years.

There’s no denying that COVID has disrupted how we learn and work not to mention the continued impact on our families and our communities. We want you to know that your courage, resilience and dedication remain indispensable to advancing UCI’s mission as a great public research university, proudly serving the county, country and world.

The upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday serves as a beacon of hope for us all. While the pandemic limits our ability to host our traditional “Day of Service” activities and annual symposium, we encourage you to seek out and engage in activities in the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. Over the course of January and Black History Month in February, the campus plans to honor this towering figure of the modern civil rights movement through a variety of programs and activities hosted by the UCI Center for Black Cultures, Resources and Research, the UCI Cross-Cultural Center, the UCI Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource Center, the UCI Womxn’s Center for Success, and many other student resource centers. The format of these events will depend on the public health considerations at the time. The events afford each of us with an opportunity to build and sustain a campus culture that is grounded in community, thriving and wellness. Details on the events and programs are forthcoming.

Finally, the holiday provides us an opportunity to learn more about the UCI Black Thriving Initiative. Launched in the wake of the racial justice reckoning in 2020, the purpose of this initiative is to make UCI the nation’s foremost destination for Black people to thrive. All students, faculty and staff are welcome to participate in BTI through taking the pledge and enrolling in the suite of courses. For more information, please visit the BTI website.

Sincerely,

Douglas M. Haynes, Ph.D. (Pronouns: he/him/his)
Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Chief Diversity Officer
Director, ADVANCE Program
Professor of History

Willie L. Banks Jr., Ph.D.
Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs

Office of Inclusive Excellence
Student Affairs