The Department of Ethnic Studies UC Berkeley

November 15, 2016

Warm Greetings, Department of Ethnic Studies Alumni and Friends!

We are excited to be part of University of California, Berkeley’s campus-wide BIG GIVE fundraising initiative.  Funds can now be directed to departments, programs, and causes that donors wish to support.  The BIG GIVE campaign will take place during the upcoming 24-hour period THIS Wednesday, November 16, 9 PM through Thursday, November 17, 9 PM.

At this time, all departments at the University of California, Berkeley are facing large budget cuts, and we are no exception.  Donations to the Department of Ethnic Studies are now more important than ever.  They will enable us to continue the historically important work that we have done for more than four decades on the Berkeley campus.  

We have trained scholars whose work, along with that of our faculty, has profoundly influenced research and teaching across a wide range of fields.  Ethnic Studies training centers on the significance of race, gender, sexuality, class, and their intersections, and our graduates bring this knowledge to their prize-winning work in education, science, law, politics, community service, business and the arts.  We are proud of our history as a department that came into being through the efforts of students and community members to create a diverse, inclusive curriculum and to serve disenfranchised and marginalized communities. We are a core part of what enables UC Berkeley to change the world.

As alumni and friends, you are a vital part of the work we do as a department.  We need your help to continue our mission.

Here’s how it works: between Wednesday, November 16th, 9 PM through Thursday, November 17th, 9 PM, go directly to the Department’s campus donation website: https://give.berkeley.edu/browse/?u=225.  Enter the amount you would like to donate to our Department. We suggest a minimum of $100 but any amount would be appreciated.  

You can also help us to raise additional funds for us by participating in one or more of the contests listed at the Big Give website, https://biggive.berkeley.edu/leaderboards/, including the “Most Inspirational Comment.”  This contest asks you to “Tell us what effect Berkeley had on you” on UC Berkeley’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/UCBerkeley/?fref=ts.  If you do this between Wednesday, 9 PM and Thursday 11 AM, we’ll receive $1,000. Other time-specific contests within the larger 24-hour Big Give drive will allow us to earn other awards.

We are proud of being leaders in producing critical scholarship that enables our students to understand and change the world.  Today that work is more vital than ever.

Warm thanks to each and every one of you for any donation you can give.  Please know that we are proudest of you, our alumni and our past donors, and all the work that you do to make this a better world.

Wishing you all the best and thanking you in advance for your generosity and support,

The Department of Ethnic Studies Faculty, Staff, and Students