The University of California, Davis Department of Psychology stands in solidarity with our Black community members and the Black Lives Matter movement as we mourn the countless victims of police brutality and racist violence in our country throughout its history, including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery.  We acknowledge and condemn the disproportionate use of excessive force by police against Black communities across the country.

We also recognize that statements are not enough and that change will not occur without actions consistent with those values.  As Dr. Renetta Garrison Tull has urged the UC Davis community, this is a time to “reflect, learn, plan, and act.” In Dr. Kayton C. Carter’s words, we must “challenge the space that we occupy for truth and justice.” We must openly and outwardly voice our commitment to anti-racist practices — to our students, our colleagues, our congress members, our families and our friends. 

Our department commits to the following:

• To stand in solidarity with our communities of color which include students, staff, faculty and other academic members, and community members, and pledge to do all in our power to call out, address, and dismantle the systemic inequities in our society and our own institution that we may knowingly or unknowingly perpetuate.
• To stand with and support those protesting and fighting against racist structures in our society.
• To confront our own biases and learn to think and act in ways that affirm and support our communities of color, and to commit the time and resources necessary to ensuring that this learning occurs.
• To take what we learn and, when confronted by racism or inequity, speak up in our classrooms and lecture halls, in our professional meetings, and in our roles in local, national and international associations.
• To practice compassion for the experiences of our students of color, to support them in their academic goals and to provide them with every opportunity at our disposal. 
• To explicitly and publicly affirm our identity as an anti-racist academic department. 

Together, we will listen, learn, and use our voices to speak with conviction, truth, and courage