Abolition Democracy Initiative
Launched in Fall 2020, the Abolition Democracy Initiative (ADI) centers Berkeley’s Department of African American Studies, an institutional space built in the spirit of Black freedom dreams and Black radical imagination; a space that has long been grappling with how to reimagine not only policing, but how our societal institutions more broadly can ensure the optimal health and well-being of Black communities. The ADI is directed by Professors Nikki Jones, Leigh Raiford, Tianna Paschel, and Ula Taylor and is supported by generous funding from the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor, the Provost, and the Chancellor’s Office at UC Berkeley.
The ADI built around five key objectives:
- Elevate the profile of the Department as a national leader in conversations related to racial justice
- Increase philanthropic support for the Department
- Strengthen the foundation of the department through participation in successful new hiring initiatives
- Generate and amplify important, timely ideas centered in Black humanity
- Create opportunities for joyful and generative engagement among Black faculty, students, and staff at UC Berkeley and the surrounding community
The ADI sponsors the following key Department initiatives:
1) The Critical Conversations Speaker Series brings together academics, activists, and artists for public facing talks that explore the lessons of the Black feminist, Black radical, and Black intellectual traditions and the role of Black Studies in building more just futures. Our 2020-21 series honored the life and legacy of Dr. Barbara Christian, an architect of Black feminist criticism, a founding member of our department, a gifted writer and teacher, and the first Black woman to earn tenure at Berkeley. The 2021-22 speaker series was organized as a celebration of the life and legacy of June Jordan, a gifted and prolific writer, a powerful activist, an innovative teacher, and a longtime member of our Department.
2) The Vèvè Clark Institute for Engaged Scholars of African American Studies prepares a small cadre of undergraduate students majoring in the discipline of African American Studies to meet the rigor and intellectual demands of top research university graduate programs, professional schools, and postgraduate careers. Clark Institute scholars attend monthly seminar meetings and weekly workshops and gain access to a variety of resources to support their academic development, including working closely with African American Studies faculty and graduate students.
