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MCS/MIST Statement on Racial and Social Justice

We, members of the Department of Management of Complex Systems and Graduate Group in Management of Innovation, Sustainability, and Technology, stand against systemic racism and prejudice in all forms and commit to racial and social justice. We mourn the tragic loss of the lives of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, who, among a long list of victims of violence toward Black men and women, have bought into sharp relief the real and persistent danger to Black lives. We recognize this violence is rooted in institutionalized and systemic racism, the legacy of hundreds of years of oppression, which affects all communities of color, such as Hispanic and Indigenous communities, more broadly. As scholars of complex systems, we draw attention to the way numerous powerful social institutions (such as justice, health and education) are intertwined in creating the inequitable environment that all people of color face today. As a department and graduate group with strengths in critical and systems thinking, we are committed to creating positive systemic change that addresses the intricacies of this complex systems problem.

 

We are therefore making the following commitments to address racial equity and social justice within our department and graduate group:

  1. We are committed to racial justice in our everyday lives and within our research, teaching and community engagement. Many of our faculty work on issues of social, economic, environmental, and climate justice. We will complement these strengths by expanding our coverage of issues of racial equity in our curriculum and research, and by continuing to deepen our community engagement supporting the needs of marginalized communities.

  2. We concur with the recent UC Regent’s unanimous support of repealing Proposition 209, the 1996 state initiative that banned affirmative action, which caused a reduction in enrollment of underrepresented groups on UC’s most selective campuses. Aligned with this effort, we support affirmative action in graduate admissions.

  3. We will continue to diversify our faculty, and we will promote leadership that is representative of our community.

  4. We will support students of color and other marginalized students on campus, helping improve conditions for inclusion, equity, justice, and success.

  5. We will hold ourselves accountable for these commitments through measurable action plans and continued discussions among faculty and students.