At Associated Students, Inc., we acknowledge that our organization is on a continual, never-ending journey toward educating ourselves. We know in the past we have oftentimes remained silent, and we recognize that is no longer an option, nor that it ever should have been. To stay silent in the face of racial injustice is to stay complacent. We are committed to doing more for our ASI full-time and student staff, ASI Student Government leaders, the 21,000 Cal Poly students, and the entire campus and San Luis Obispo communities.
Over the course of the coming days and weeks, ASI staff and student leaders will be:
- Learning. Our first step to becoming better allies is education. When you know more, you do better. As an organization, we can do better. The ASI Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Working Group is compiling lists of resources, trainings, podcasts, articles, books, and more to provide to our ASI staff and Student Government members.
- Listening. Student Government members are prepared to listen, support, and amplify the voices of our Black students, staff, and faculty communities to university administration during this time of unrest.
- Acting. Whether it be sharing resources and fundraising/donation opportunities, standing shoulder to shoulder in peaceful protest, or working with our Black community to make true systemic change at Cal Poly, we are here. We are working, and we will not stop.
How to support the fight against racial injustice:
- Educate and share resources on systemic racism and police brutality.
- Share collectives and organizations accepting donations.
- Continue to center, support, and make room for Black voices.
- Share books, articles, podcasts, or movies within your circle and then create space for a dialogue
- Do the work. Show up. Listen. Learn. Repeat.
Get Educated
The most important thing you can do to be an ally is to first be educated. Visit the following:
- Black Lives Matter
- Justice Coalition
- NAACP
- Anti-Defamation League
- Equal Justice Initiative
- The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Give
If you are able to give, there are a number of organizations that are actively working to combat racial injustice.
- Black Lives Matter
- ACLU
- NAACP
- Color of Change
- Cal Poly’s Black Student Union
- Cal Poly’s National Society of Black Engineers
- Cal Poly Black Academic Excellence Center
Movies to Watch
School may be out for the summer, but there is still learning to be done. Educate yourself by watching the following films:
- 13th
- Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement
- When They See Us
- Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise
Books to Read
Consider furthering your support by purchasing books from a Black-owned bookstore. Find one near you or shop online at Shoppe Black.
- How to Be Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi
- White Fragility by Robin Diangelo
- So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
- Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
- The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
- Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together In The Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race by Beverly Daniel Tatum
- Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon
Podcasts to Listen to
Educate yourself with the following podcasts featuring Black voices, stories, and strategies for racial justice.
- Code Switch
- Pod Save the People with DeRay
- Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast
- Still Processing
- Come Through with Rebecca Carroll
*This post will be updated regularly with new information on ASI’s efforts, resources, and educational opportunities.