Welcome everyone to our very first newsletter for the Ethnic Studies Changemaker project. We just celebrated our fourth anniversary as “Scaffolding Stories/Building Communities” and our third anniversary as a podcast studio. I am still in awe at all we have accomplished over the last four years. My vision of providing ethnic studies students and our broader ethnic studies community the tools to amplify their voices and apply what they have learned to public-facing projects has expanded into so many exciting projects and applications. Yet, with all our success, it is often bittersweet at the end of a school year. The end of the 2023/2024 school year means that we have students who graduate and move to greener pastures. This is true with one of my most beloved cohorts of sound engineers. We are sad to see Angel Garcia Ballesteros, Angelica Garcia, and Daniella Lake leave, but excited about their futures. Without Angel and Angelica, we would not have this project. They helped build the “stu” (Studio) bolt by bolt. They are truly irreplaceable. Daniella received all the acclaim for the Black at Cal walking tour (check out a podcast on the tour here). She will take her passion for journalism to USC as a graduate student in the School of Journalism.
But, with the loss of Angel, Angelica, and Daniella, we also have added an amazing new cohort of sound engineers and changemakers. Natalie Salcido and Jonn Segovia Menchaca are continuing with us in a senior role, helping train and lead our new family members. They are my Generals. We’ve added people with integrity, vision, and passion for social justice and with a willingness to learn, teach, and amplify voices. With that, I introduce some of the exciting projects we have for the 2024/2025 school year. I am confident it will be a monumental year. A year of growth and reflection.
I begin by introducing our newest project, the Looking Beyond Borders: Undocu-Stories from UC Berkeley podcast series. Funded by the Transcending Beyond Berkeley Fellowship, we are fortunate to have three fellows (Abi, Paola, and Janette) working on the podcast series that focuses on the lives of undocumented students and communities in and outside of the UC Berkeley campus. It will have episodes that discuss policy, current political climate, and the deep and rich stories of undocumented communities. Please be sure to follow the podcast on Spotify. They will be producing a podcast every two weeks!
If you have ever wondered what the experiences of students in STEM and tech are, then we have a podcast just for you. We are continuing the Digital Fault Lines podcast for the school year. If you haven’t heard our first five episodes, you can find it on our Spotify podcast site. We have discussions on what it means to be in STEM as a student of color and interviews with heads of DEI at companies in Silicon Valley. Our sound engineers are working on future episodes and inviting special guests.
The studio will also come out soon with our augmented reality contribution to the long legacy of activism on the Berkeley campus. The Alternative Walking Tour AR experience is almost done for students to use Adobe Aero on their phones or tablets and experience an alternative walking tour of activism on campus by students of color. This project is in the spirit of ethnic studies and pays respect to the tireless work of student activists of color on the campus.
Finally, I have mentioned that we have a new cohort of changemakers that will produce these projects. It is our largest group and they come with energy and passion. Please take a look at their profiles, they are truly something special. Andres, Maria, Maneek, Natalie, Jonn, Adrian, Abi, Paola, Janette, Elizabeth, and Krysta, all come with their strengths and will work on expanding the scope of the Ethnic Studies Changemaker project. I want to thank Fabrizio Mejia, the TBB fellowship, the Department of Ethnic Studies, and other units on campus that support us with resources. If you wish to contribute to our project we would greatly appreciate any kind of donation and support.
Thank you again for supporting our project over the years and I hope to keep you all updated on our work through this newsletter.
Con respeto
Dr. Pablo Gonzalez
Director, Ethnic Studies Changemaker Project
