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In a campus-wide email sent out on Wednesday, April 14, the UC San Diego Office of the Chancellor provided major updates to the commencement ceremonies that are slated to take place on Saturday, June 12 and Sunday, June 13. Graduates will now have the option to attend the ceremonies in-person on RIMAC field, as opposed to having a fully virtual event. UCSD also announced that Black Lives Matter Global Network co-founder and UCSD alumna Alicia Garza will be addressing graduates at the ceremonies.

The statement noted that graduating students will now have the option of attending commencement ceremonies in-person, with no more than two guests. All attendees must be either fully vaccinated or have had a negative COVID-19 test within 24 to 72 hours prior to the ceremony. Participants must also complete a symptom screener upon entry. UCSD said the event will follow health and safety measures as recommended by the Center for Disease Control, as well as state and county guidelines for travel and gatherings.

Commencement ceremonies will be livestreamed for graduates who are unable to participate in-person. Each undergraduate college as well as the Graduate Division, Rady School of Management and the School of Global Policy and Strategy, will have separate ceremonies. All events will reflect the culture of each college and will include an address from Chancellor Pradeep Khosla, Garza, and a student speaker.

Due to the pandemic, UCSD held a virtual commencement ceremony in June 2020. Students who graduated as part of the UCSD class of 2020 are not eligible to participate in the commencement ceremonies this summer. UCSD has promised that there will be opportunities to celebrate 2020 graduates at future alumni events.

In response, a number of UCSD graduates from the class of 2020 expressed their frustrations with the announcement. At the time of publication of this article, over 240 people have signed onto a petition calling for UCSD to plan an in-person commencement ceremony for these former students.

In an email sent out to UCSD class of 2020 alumni on Friday, April 16, UCSD announced its new plan to hold a graduation ceremony for these former students in October 2021.

The graduates of the Class of 2020 deserve in-person recognition of their academic achievements, the statement read. We are committed to celebrating you and your fellow classmates at a dedicated Class of 2020 Graduation Celebration in October. In the fall, we anticipate reaching a critical mass of fully vaccinated individuals throughout the region and across the country. A greatly improved public health climate will allow state and county agencies to permit larger, more traditional gatherings.

UCSD said that further details on the October celebration will be offered in the coming weeks.

Other University of California schools, such as UC Berkeley and UC Riverside, recently announced that they would be having in-person graduation ceremonies. However, no guests will be allowed and ceremonies will be spread out over a few days to minimize exposure.

Commencement speaker Alicia Garza founded the Black Lives Matter hashtag along with co-founders Opal Tometi and Patrisse Cullors after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the murder of Trayvon Martin in July of 2013. The Black Lives Matter movement gained further attention for its role in galvanizing widespread protests in response to the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020.

Garza graduated from UCSD in 2002 with a degree in anthropology and sociology and was recently featured at the Grassroots Activism and Politics event hosted by the UC San Diego Associated Students Office of External Affairs and the UCSD Department of Political Science back in February.

As an influential activist, social innovator and the co-founder of one of the largest civil rights movements in history, Ms. Garza believes Black communities deserve what all communities deserveto be powerful in every aspect of their lives, the statement read. Her remarks will surely inspire the more than 8,000 graduates and their families, along with the 10,000 audience members we expect to join us online.

Graduating students are encouraged to register for commencement by Wednesday, May 19. The UCSD Guardian will provide further updates on class of 2020 commencement plans as it becomes available.

Photo taken by Erik Jepsen for UC San Diego

This article was updated on 4/16 at 12:27PM to reflect new information that UCSD plans to hold a celebration for class of 2020 students in October 2021.

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UCSD to Allow In-Person Commencement Ceremonies, Announces BLM Co-Founder as Speaker - The UCSD Guardian Online

The ongoing trial of a former Minnesota police officer charged in the death of George Floyd last year has the attention of people here in Floyd's birthplace of Fayetteville.

Floyd, 46, a Black man, died May 25, 2020, while in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Prosecutors alleged in opening statements Monday that Officer Derek Chauvin killed Floyd by kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes; more than two minutes of which Floyd was unresponsive as a crowd filming the arrest pleaded with police to check his pulse. Three other officers have also been charged in Floyd's death. Their trials are set for August.

Floyd's sister, Bridgette Floyd, still lives in the area in Raeford.

In May, she told NBCs Today Show that she wanted to see the officers face charges in her brothers death.

They murdered my brother, she said. He was crying for help.

More: George Floyd's sister provides the homeless a Thanksgiving meal in Fayetteville

Bridgette Floyd traveled to Minnesota on March 8 during the first day of trial proceedings.

That officer took a great man, a great father, a great brother, a great uncle..., she said during an emotional news conference last month. He really took a great father. He was so family-oriented. He loved his family. He loved his daughter. Gianna meant the world to him, and we will never get that back.

Darnella Fraizer, who was 17 when she shot the video of Floyd's death, testified during proceedings this week. Frazier is Black.

"When I look at George Floyd, I look at my dad, I look at my brothers, I look at my cousins, my uncles," said Frazier.

Waiting in line outside of the Department of Motor Vehicles at the Eutaw Shopping Center in Fayetteville on Thursday, Eileen Moore said she thinks Chauvin should receive the death penalty for his role in Floyds death.

I think theres enough evidence, and (Chauvin) was arrogant,said Moore, who is white.

Chauvin is charged with second-degree unintentional murder and third-degree murder. He also faces a lesser charge of second-degree manslaughter. The most he faces if convicted of the most serious charge is up to 40 years in prison.

Moore said she thinks its crap that defense lawyers said Chauvin was distracted by the crowd when Floyd became unconscious. She thinks the other officers who did not intervene when Floyd said he couldnt breathe are guilty by association.

Fayetteville residents Sidney and T.J. Thomas, who were waiting in line outside the DMV, said they think the video sparked a revolution.

National demonstrations protesting police brutality against African Americans came in the wake of Floyds death and reached Fayetteville last summer.

People are waking up and realizing the system is not really for us, said T.J. Thomas, who is also Black.

Sidney Thomas said there is no reason, Black people should have to continue to tell their sons or daughters how to act in the presence of police officers.

You shouldn't have to be afraid of the police or be afraid of being questioned or thrown to the ground, she said.

As defense lawyers have questioned whether illegal substances were in Floyds system at the time of his death, Sidney and T.J. Thomas said they dont think it justifies the way Chauvin restrained Floyd or ignored his cries that he couldn't breathe.

As a police officer, it doesnt give you a right to abuse your power and kneel down on someone, said T.J. Thomas, who said he did not think Floyd was a threat to the officers safety.

Sidney Thomas said she thinks Chauvin and those defending his actions should ask themselves one question.

How would if you feel if one of your children was on the ground down like that? she said.

More: Community attends Raeford memorial to show respect to family of George Floyd

More: Thousands mourn George Floyd at Raeford memorial service

More: GEORGE FLOYD PUBLIC VIEWING AND MEMORIAL IN RAEFORD

More: Protesters march for George Floyd in Raeford

In an interview with MSNBC host Joy Reid on Monday, Bridgette Floyd said she thinks Chauvins actions were intentional and the family will get justice.

The world will never forget never forget what that officer did to my brother, because he was not trained to do such a thing as he did, she said.

T.J. Thomas said he is hopeful the justice system changes, so there arent repeat cases of Trayvon Martin an unarmed Black teenager who was shot by Florida neighborhood watch-volunteer George Zimmerman in 2012 or other Black people who have been shot by police or died in police custody.

This is about change: Fayetteville protests of killing of George Floyd

Were here and we aint going nowhere: Despite heavy rain, protesters march in Fayetteville

Though she said the police department has not reached out to her family since her brothers death, Bridgette Floyd told Reid she thinks rules will change when it comes to how officers detain and restrain suspects.

Maybe they dont know how to approach us, but its OK, because were going to get what were striving for, and thats justice, she said.

Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.

Support local journalism with a subscription to The Fayetteville Observer. Click the "subscribe'' link at the top of this article.

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'The world will never forget': Fayetteville reacts to trial of officer involved in George Floyd's death - The Fayetteville Observer

The former Minneapolis police officer is facing three charges related to the death of George Floyd.

ATLANTA Atlanta will be watching along with the rest of the country as a trial unlike any weve seen in awhile gets underway in Minneapolis.

The trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin will place an unusual amount of pressure on the jury.

Chauvin is facing charges of second degree unintentional murder, third degree murder, and second degree manslaughter after the death of George Floyd.

The focal point of the trial will be the 8-minute-and-46-second video tape of Floyd begging for his life while Chauvin placed his knee on Floyds neck.

The video is very important, says UGA Law Professor Ron Carlson. Its graphic evidence.

Legal experts say the Chauvin trial is unique in many aspects.

Its unique because the entire country has seen it (the video) already, says attorney Mark OMara, who defended George Zimmerman in the Travon Martin case. You dont often have the quality and quantity of video evidence like that.

The death of George Floyd sparked protests that grew into a massive movement against police brutality and racial injustice.

This is the most important police trial of this century, says Carlson.

Carlson and OMara agree there is an unusual amount of pressure on jurors under the watchful eye of the nation.

The black community is going to be focused on the result of this trial, says OMara. If justice as defined by those who look at that videotape is not granted in a case like this, its going to be very difficult to get past.

Theres also the $27 million the city of Minneapolis has agreed to pay Floyds family. The announcement came as lawyers were picking jurors for the criminal trial.

They had to go back and remove a couple of jurors, says Carlson. A few said it convinced them that the city felt the officers were guilty.

It could have some impact, you just dont know which way, says OMara. Is it the city said he was guilty, so we will as well? Or the familys already got a whole bunch of money, the scales have been balanced?

OMara says in general, it can be difficult to convict a law enforcement officer.

Deep in our gut, it is difficult to say to an officer, youre out there putting your life on the line, were now going to hold you responsible and potentially put you in prison.

The trial could take anywhere from a month to six weeks or even longer.

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Why is the Derek Chauvin trial different from most murder trials? - 11Alive.com WXIA

Prince Harry has copped a pasting in the British media for his new job as chief impact officer with Silicon Valley startup BetterUp.

His role, and the companys business model, has been called the latest expression of woke capitalism in venerable conservative magazine The Spectator. Other critics have chimed in, deriding the Prince of Woke Capital for surfing a wave of wokery towards an economic abyss.

Ridiculing people and corporations for being woke is, of course, a relatively easy sport for pundits on the right of the political spectrum. Harrys critics have a point that woke capitalism involves vapid political correctness, even if they are missing its more serious ramifications for social and economic inequality.

First, lets recap the meaning of woke and woke capitalism.

The use of the term woke by African Americans has been traced back at least to the 1920s, though Oxford English Dictionary researchers say its meaning as being alert to systemic issues of injustice and discrimination emerged from the American civil rights movement in the 1960s.

It became more widely known with the advent of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2013 (following the acquittal of Florida man George Zimmerman for shooting dead African-American teen Trayvon Martin).

As academics Elaine Richardson and Alice Ragland explain in a 2018 article, BLM activists used the hashtag #staywoke to urge fellow African Americans to remain aware of what is going on around you and in society, more specifically, to remain politically aware or conscious.

It didnt take long for woke to enter mainstream culture. In 2016 the American Dialect Society declared it the slang word of the year. They defined woke as being conscious, aware or enlightened, especially with regards to matters of social justice and racial inequity.

Read more: Woke washing: what happens when marketing communications don't match corporate practice

In entering the mainstream, though, the meaning of woke was soon distorted. Those on the right of politics co-opted it as a term of derision akin to social justice warrior for people (especially white people) who bragged about their self-righteous positions on political issues.

What started as a serious call to political consciousness was manipulated to become a way of dismissing anyone who professed vaguely progressive views.

This wasnt limited to individuals. Corporations too could be chastised for being woke.

In 2018, New York Times columnist Ross Douthat wrote about the trend of corporations and chief executives aligning themselves to progressive social concerns, such as immigration and gay and transgender rights, while they continued to push their own economic self-interest on tax policy and corporate stinginess in paychecks.

The term woke capitalism soon came to express the approach of companies who claim a social licence to operate through their public advocacy on social issues, without affecting the economic status quo.

Read more: Swollen executive pay packets reveal the limits of corporate activism

What has all of this got to do with Prince Harry and BetterUp?

Lets clarify what BetterUp is.

Media reports have described the San Francisco-based company as a startup that provides employee coaching and mental health assistance.

The company itself describes its business as being about changing the world by bringing the power of transformation to each and every person. Announcing the princes appointment, chief executive Alexi Robichaux declared:

Prince Harry will expand on the work hes been doing for years, as he educates and inspires our community and champions the importance of focusing on preventative mental fitness and human potential worldwide.

The title of chief impact officer or chimpo comes from the not-profit sector. Theres no one accepted job decription, but such roles generally involve working to ensure an organisation is actually achieving its stated vision and mission.

How does this apply to BetterUp? Thats unclear.

Remove all the marketing babble and this is a company that exists to make a profit. Its core business appears to be an app selling professional coaching services. Its promise is to make people more positive, engaged, and connected to every part of their lives, both personal and professional.

In reality, the chief impact the prince is likely to have is attracting publicity for the app helping BetterUps bottom line, and Harrys bank balance.

The way in which BetterUp has wrapped its reality in the language of social concern and human progress bears all the worst hallmarks of woke capitalism.

Its business model is all about individual empowerment. This shows no apparent awareness of the need to address systemic social and economic inequities. It would also have us believe we can all make it in that world, if we just get the right mental attitude.

Yet the connection between entrenched economic inequalities and myriad social problems including mental illness are well-documented. As the World Health Organization concludes, mental disorders are shaped by social and economic factors, with inequality being chief among them.

Over the past 30 years, according to the United Nations World Social Report for 2020, income inequality has become worse in most developed countries.

The irony is that Harry epitomises this inequality, and the limitations of meritocracy. He is the very embodiment of unearned wealth and privilege. Would he have gotten this job except for the family he was born into? Unlikely. How much is he being paid to push the idea that anyone can achieve success? BetterUp isnt saying. Nor is he.

So while it easy to agree with criticisms of Prince Harrys new job as an expression of woke capitalism, this cannot simply be dismissed as misplaced political correctness.

Inequality is the problem. Woke capitalism is not the solution.

Excerpt from:
Prince Harrys critics have a point: woke capitalism is no solution - The Conversation AU

I am a pediatrician. It is my job to respond to young peoples needs. I listen and see them as the experts of their own lives. But even within medicine, not everyone does this, and the needs of Black people are systematically ignored. The physical pain that Black people experience is both under-recognized and undertreated, and young people are no exception. In a study of appendicitis management in emergency departments, for instance, Black children were less likely to receive the appropriate pain medication despite reporting the same pain scores as white children.

Emotional pain is even less visible and, therefore, harder to recognize. Adults caring for young people need to trust their expressions of anxiety or feeling unsafe and protect them from harm. But when Black students demand an end to ongoing trauma from police, the adults charged with protecting them often dismiss their voices. Black and brown youth activists have called for police-free schools, citing the disproportionate harm to Black and brown students, including extreme punishment for minor offenses, sexual harassment, and anxiety in the presence of policeall of which is supported by research.

In the 2015-16 school year, Black high school students nationwide made up 31 percent of arrests and referrals to law enforcement but only 15 percent of school enrollment. A 2018 Texas-based study found that increasing the numbers of school resource officers led to a decline in high school graduation and college-enrollment rates for all students. An investigation of the Chicago public schools in 2017 found that school resource officers had little oversight, accountability, or training and put Black students at higher risk of incarceration. As a pediatrician, I aim to see every child thrive by providing the resources they need to succeed within their context. The school-to-prison pipeline has threatened the futures of young Black and brown people for decades, and school resource officers contribute to this crisis.

The killing of George Floyd and the protests that followed brought national attention to the police-free school campaign. A few cities across the country, including Minneapolis; Oakland, Calif.; and Portland, Ore.; ended their district contracts with school resource officers. And the debates continue in districts throughout the country. As I see it, the continuance of school resource officer programs, despite their demonstrated and verbalized harms to Black students, reflects a much larger and problematic issue by extension: as a nation, we have been conditioned to distrust Black young people.

Black children are not given the same grace as white children because adults, including police officers, tend to see them as more mature than they are. According to one study, Black children as young as 5 to 10 years old are no longer viewed as innocent or worthy of protection, but rather as bad.

But they are not bad. Tamir Rice was playing with a toy gun, an age-appropriate activity, when he was killed by police at the age of 12. Trayvon Martin was 17, wearing a hoodie on his walk home, when, unprovoked, George Zimmerman, a volunteer neighborhood-watch coordinator, approached and then killed him. We see this pattern of criminalization also in public schools. In 2020, 17-year-old Caleb Reed shared his experience of being arrested and held for six hours by a school resource officer. His crime? He left his ID card inside the gym when he stepped outside of a school sporting event. I cant watch the news or scroll through social media without seeing videos of police officers slamming students to the ground. These assaults by police officers in school are tracked on an #AssaultAt map by the Alliance for Educational Justices initiative, We Came to Learn. I counted a total of 12 incidents nationally in 2019. I worry that a return to school with resource officers present will once again make Black students disproportionately vulnerable to arrest.

We need to believe Black children. Believe their hurt. Believe in their innocence. Believe that they deserve to learn from their mistakes without a criminal record. And not hold them to a different standard from their white peers.

In Chicago, where I live, Black students have four times as many police interactions in school as white students. The extent of their arrests and feelings of unsafety has been alarming. As both a physician and Black woman, I felt compelled to get involved, to demonstrate with actions and not just words, that Black lives matter.

During the last year, I leveraged the expertise of my fellow physicians to amplify the voices of Chicagos young people. I texted friends who readily joined the cause. As physicians for police-free schools, we showed up wherever there were conversations: social media, protests, City Council meetings, even one-on-one meetings with school board members. We strategized with youth-serving community organizations, organized presentations for our peers, and co-led a webinar for hundreds of health-care providers in Illinois. Chicagos board of education voted against ending the school resource officer program by only one vote. Yet 17 schools voted to remove SROs, decreasing the districts contract expenditure by $18 million. Chicago public schools also introduced new reforms, such as implementation of school resource officer selection criteria, increased training, compliance monitoring, and research.

Although police may represent security for some, they do not signal or provide safety for Black young people. Their presence in schools as school resource officers amplifies those feelings of unsafety through continued discriminatory treatment on school grounds. To make learning environments truly safe for Black students, equip them with the resources that address the root causes of trauma and free them from the harm of overpolicing, we must invest in behavioral-health staffing and restorative-justice training. In 2019, the American Civil Liberties Union released an analysis of 2015-16 federal civil rights data showing that 31 percent of students nationwide attended schools that have school resource officers but no psychologist, nurse, counselor, and/or social worker. Black children, like all children, deserve to be seen, loved, and treated as children.

As we start to see the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, we see more and more districts across the country discuss how to safely reopen their school buildings. But at this moment, lets not forget that COVID-19 isnt the only thing that threatens school safety. If we really want to make schools safe for Black children, we must remove school resource officers from campuses.

Until we do so, our work for school safety is not finished.

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We Ignore the Pain of Black Children (Opinion) - Education Week