UCLA Congo Basin Institute receives W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Engagement Scholarship Award
| June 22, 2021
Dear UCLA Faculty and Staff: It gives me great pleasure to announce that the UCLA Congo Basin Institute (CBI) has received one of four W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Engagement Scholarship Awards , given annually by the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and the Engagement Scholarship Consortium in collaboration with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. This prestigious national award recognizes programs that have an exemplary record of productively engaging with communities through their teaching, research and service activities, putting knowledge and skills to work on today’s most critical problems. This award is particularly significant as it acknowledges UCLA’s commitment to community-engaged scholarship both in the region of Los Angeles and beyond, extending to sustained and reciprocal relationships with global communities and institutions. Founded in 2015 as a partnership between UCLA and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, CBI focuses on finding solutions to some of Central Africa’s most urgent challenges, including food and water security, climate change, human health and the loss of biodiversity. CBI is a campus-wide resource that currently engages 12 academic units across seven divisions and schools at UCLA. In Africa, CBI co-creates programs that bring together community practitioners and researchers from Central Africa, the U.S., Europe and Asia to solve problems, while creating opportunities for African scholars to pursue meaningful research careers in their home countries. Our campus community can take pride in this recognition and UCLA’s positive impact on the world. Sincerely, Roger Wakimoto Vice Chancellor for Research and Creative Activities |
Presenting The Zine: A Bridge Called Solidarity – Un Puente Llamado Solidaridad
September 9, 2021
Saludos UCLA friends, colleagues, and partners,
On behalf of the 2021 UCLA Community Scholars Program, Narrative Team Cohort, it is my great pleasure to introduce the Zine (English and Spanish versions); A Bridge Called Solidarity and Un Puente Llamado Solidaridad. (As the title implies, this zine was inspired by Gloria Anzalua and Cherie Moraga’s classic masterpiece, This Bridge Called My Back.)
After almost a year of collaborating with a wide range of Tijuana and San Diego organizers, artists, activists, organizations, collectives within the migrant justice movement, we have completed our final class project for the Cross-Border Solidarity For TransBorder Migrant Justice course.
The zine is available for viewing, printing and downloading for free at these links. (We recommend reading it digitally, as we did not have time to create a printer friendly version.)
This Bridge Called Solidarity – English Zine Final Version Folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1i-zHyQP43ylMgHDGc2rCKW7MLg7hhO_M?usp=sharing
Un Puente Llamado Solidaridad – Spanish Zine Final Version Folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dgbgOqmO3Mp84ApWH1qlqXF9Yb4wAyqh?usp=sharing
Please share both the English and Spanish versions of the zine widely with all your friends, family, colleagues, partners, accomplices and allies. We hope the zine will serve you and your networks as a beautiful, inspiring but also practical guide. It is meant to uplift the black, indigenous and trans migrant communities in particular, but is relevant for all forcibly displaced peoples living within our transborder communities.
The zine includes several pages of original artwork made by migrants/refugees/asylum seekers, low-cost/free health care and free food resource lists for both San Diego and Tijuana, in addition to a historical timeline of recent immigration events in the US and Mexico border regions.
Although this zine may not be absolutely perfect, given the time constraints, complete lack of funding for printing and other resources, it was produced with so much love, hard work, passion and dedication. With this zine, we have begun to build a world where there are no borders, no nations, no more deportations; a world where migration is not a crime; a world where everyone, no matter their immigration status, has their human dignity ensured.
In the near future, we would like to translate this zine into Haitian Creole. Given the increased numbers of Haitian migrants/refugees coming to the border right now, we believe it is urgent to translate it. If you or someone in your network can support this process, please contact us through our email address.
In closing, our entire Narrative Team cohort would like to recognize and give a special thanks to those of us who worked on the zine within the last three months, especially after the course officially ended, and who personally ensured the zine was finished; Nanzi, Sebastian, Kevin and Devi. We couldn’t have done it without you.
Solidarity Forever!
2021 UCLA Community Scholars Program, Narrative Team Cohort
uclanarrativecollectiveteam@gmail.com
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El 9 de Septiembre, 2021
Saludos amigos, y colegas de la UCLA,
De parte del equipo de Narrativa, del Programa de Sabios Comunitarios de la UCLA 2021, es un gran placer presentar el Zine (versiones en Inglés y Español); A Bridge Called Solidarity – Un Puente Llamado Solidaridad. (Como implica el título, este zine fue inspirado por la obra maestra clásica de Gloria Anzaldua y Cherie Moraga, This Bridge Called My Back – Este Puente Llamado Mi Espalda.)
Después de casi un año de colaborar con un amplio círculo de organizadores, artistas, activistas, organizaciones, y colectivos que forman parte del movimiento de justicia para los migrantes en Tijuana y San Diego, hemos completado nuestro proyecto final para la clase Solidaridad TransFronteriza Para La Justicia Migrante TransFronteriza.
El zine está disponible para ver, imprimir y bajar gratis en estos enlaces: (Recomendamos que lo lean digitalmente, porque no tuvimos tiempo para crear una versión fácil de imprimir.)
This Bridge Called Solidarity – English Zine Final Version Folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1i-zHyQP43ylMgHDGc2rCKW7MLg7hhO_M?usp=sharing
Un Puente Llamado Solidaridad – Spanish Zine Final Version Folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dgbgOqmO3Mp84ApWH1qlqXF9Yb4wAyqh?usp=sharing
Por favor compartan las dos versiones del zine, en Inglés y Español, con todos sus amigos, familia, colegas, parejas, cómplices y aliados. Esperamos que el zine te sirva a ti y a todos tus contactos como una obra hermosa e inspiradora pero también como una guía práctica. Es dirigida para alentar a los migrantes Afrodescendientes, indígenas y trans en particular pero es relevante para toda la gente desplazada forzosamente que vive en nuestras comunidades transfronterizas.
El zine incluye varias páginas de obras de arte originales hechas por migrantes/refugiados/solicitantes de asilo, listas de recursos para salud médica gratis/de bajo costo y de comida gratis en San Diego y Tijuana, además de una línea cronológica marcando recientes eventos de migración en las regiones fronterizas de Estados Unidos y México.
Aunque este zine no es absolutamente perfecto, dado la falta de tiempo, total ausencia de fondos para imprimirlo y otros recursos, fue producido con mucho amor, trabajo duro, pasión y dedicación. Con este zine, hemos comenzado a crear un mundo donde no hay fronteras, naciones, ni deportaciones; un mundo donde la migración no es un crimen; un mundo donde todos, sin importar su estatus migratorio, tienen su dignidad humana garantizada.
En un futuro cercano, queremos traducir el zine al lenguaje Criollo Haitiano. Dado el incrementado número de migrantes/refugiados Haitianos que van llegando a la frontera ahorita, creemos que es urgente poder traducirlo. Si tu o alguien en tu círculo de contactos puede apoyarnos con este proceso, favor de contactarnos por correo electronico.
Para concluir, nuestro equipo de Narrativa quiere reconocer y darle muchas gracias a nuestros compañeros que trabajaron en el zine los últimos tres meses, especialmente desde que se terminó el curso oficialmente, y que personalmente aseguraron que se completara el trabajo; Nanzi, Sebastian, Kevin y Devi. No hubiéramos podido hacer esto sin ustedes.
Solidaridad Para Siempre!
2021 UCLA Community Scholars Program, Narrative Team Cohort
uclanarrativecollectiveteam@gmail.com
2021 Pritzker finalists: David Diaz, Farwiza Farhan, Chook-Chook Hillman
In the wake of the sobering findings of the Sixth Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the community-focused work of three emerging leaders reminds us that local solutions must be part of our response to the global crisis.
UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability is proud to announce the 2021 finalists for the Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award, as chosen by a committee of 12 faculty members.
David Diaz, Farwiza Farhan and Chook-Chook Hillman were selected from a pool of 18 candidates to move on to the final round of judging. Each of them takes a community-focused approach to improve not just the environment, but people’s lives.
To view the whole story, please visit: https://www.ioes.ucla.edu/article/2021-pritzker-finalists-david-diaz-farwiza-farhan-chook-chook-hillman/?mc_cid=07a8c897c8&mc_eid=f6503f755f
5 professors receive 2021 Chancellor’s Award for Community-Engaged Research
Five UCLA faculty members will create dynamic new courses for undergraduates thanks to the third annual Chancellor’s Award for Community-Engaged Research. The awards program, supported by the UCLA Center for Community Engagement and the Chancellor’s Office, provides recipients with individual grants of $10,000 for their projects.
The professors’ classes — in which students will conduct research addressing questions and needs identified in collaboration with community partners — will span a diverse range of subjects, from web accessibility and urban ecology to human rights violations and community wellness.
The 2021 award winners and their courses are:
Michelle Caswell | associate professor of information studies
“Digital Archives, Communities and Memory”
Working closely with community archives, students in Caswell’s course will learn the importance of communities shaping their own narratives about the past to better envision a collective future. (Caswell is also an affiliated member of the Asian American Studies department.) “I hope students gain a deeper appreciation for memory work, particularly the creation and maintenance of digital archives, as a form of activism against ongoing oppressions.”
Lauren Lee McCarthy | associate professor of design media arts
“Design, Disability and the Web”
In this studio-based course, students will engage in collaborative research with the disability community, with a focus on universal design, assistive technology and disability justice. “What I’ve learned from the disability community is the way questions of accessibility can open interesting, creative conversations around what it means to be present, to be accountable and to build online spaces with care.”
Nick Shapiro | assistant professor of human biology and society
“Biomedicine, Mass Incarceration and Accountability”
Students in Shapiro’s class will work alongside human rights organizations, analyzing medical data on the deaths of incarcerated individuals for the purpose of identifying human rights violations. “I hope a takeaway from this class is that the students can both better account for the missteps of science and have a grasp on more equitable methods to engage with, support and advance communities as they identify their most pressing questions.”
David Shorter | professor of world arts and cultures/dance
“Healing, Ritual and Transformation”
As part of Shorter’s course, students will collaborate with healing practitioners and community-based wellness organizations, researching aspects of community wellness and cross-cultural perceptions of health, including structural inequalities in health care and the history of medicinal development. “One of my central aims remains having students be in service to those on the front line of health care outside of allopathic and pharmaceutical approaches. There, students learn about health and healing beyond textbooks and classrooms.”
Pamela Yeh | associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology
“Urban Ecology and Evolution”
Yeh’s class will allow students to explore cities as ecosystems and to study how plants and animals have survived — and in some cases thrived — in urban areas. They will work together with nonprofits in low-income communities of color to create opportunities for long-term avian population monitoring and scientific research. “We live and work in one of the world’s major metropolitan areas, so right in our backyard, we have a fantastic place to do this teaching and research. I hope our students will come to view the community they live in as both a rich resource for advice, help and support in their work, as well as an important obligation and opportunity to give back.”
The faculty members will spend the 2021–22 academic year developing their courses and will begin offering them to undergraduates in 2022–23 or 2023–24.
Although they span many disciplines, the courses are united by a common thread, according to Shalom Staub, director of the UCLA Center for Community Engagement.
“Rooted in impeccable scholarship, each of these courses will empower our students and faculty to take active roles in making the world a better, more just, more inclusive place,” Staub said. “It is deeply inspiring to see UCLA partnering in such creative ways with such a variety of community groups and organizations. Our students will learn tremendously from the expertise residing in these communities and will be able to bring rigorous research to address community-driven questions.”