CAA Announcements

In the classroom, I was try-lingual: I “tried” to speak English, Spanish, and Tagalog. I took a two-year course at Berkeley and got accepted into a language immersion program in the Philippines. I was able to explore my identity through organizations like the Pilipino American Alliance, where I learned to be a student organizer and fight for racial and educational equity issues. As an athlete, I competed as a member of the Cal Men’s Volleyball Club and ran the volleyball program at Cal Intramural Sports. 

In May of 2020 17-year-old Darnella Frazier, in the regular course of her day, saw police activity and then saw a man in pain. She stopped, pulled out her cell phone, and began recording. During the trial, Ms. Frazier expressed, “When I think of George Floyd, I see my father, my brothers, my cousin, my uncle. They are all Black. It could have been them.”

Many students graduate from college with limited experience with financial planning. As they start full-time professional positions, new grads are not only making the transition from school to work; they also have to learn quickly about budgeting, saving, student loan payments, and taking advantage of 401(k)/403(b) matching and other retirement benefits.

How do we understand collective experience when we spend so much time sequestered these days? Several UC Berkeley alumni and faculty have shared their expertise and perspectives on racism against AAPI communities. These stories live at the intersection of academics and identity, and we invite you to read and listen to their contributions to the global dialogue.

“It was only in June of 2020 that the US Supreme Court ruled that federal anti-discrimination laws now protect LGBTQ+ leaders from employment discrimination in every state. This is a step in the right direction and a catalyst for us all to continue uplifting the rights and stories of our LGBTQ+ students and alumni,” says Cal Alumni Association (CAA) Chief Program Officer Anh Tran ’06.

The recent rise in anti-Asian violence, including last week’s senseless shootings in Atlanta, Georgia, has caused severe harm to our communities. Yet we are painfully aware that these events are simply the most recent wounds that deep, systemic racism has inflicted on our nation. As leaders and members of UC Berkeley’s alumni community, we condemn the violent acts committed against Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders in Georgia, in our Berkeley and Bay Area communities, and beyond.