What a year. When we published our 2020 magazine last May we were all still adapting to the pandemic: getting the hang of Zoom, adjusting to wearing masks, and wondering whether Fall classes would be online or in person. The racial and economic injustices of the pandemic also were becoming more visible during that time, but the full breadth of their impact was still unfolding, particularly for Native Americans. Covid-19 would prove itself to be more deadly for Native Americans than any other racial/ethnic group in the United States.
George Floyd was still alive as the tragic deaths of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and so many other African Americans were stirring a racial reckoning. The violent attacks on Asians and Pacific Islanders were hiding in plain sight and inching their way into our view via "whispers" in the media. And Mexican and Latinx child immigrants, with and without their families, were increasingly crossing the border in search of opportunity and social justice only for their dreams to be further "caged in" when they arrived.
Since May 2020, America and the world has experienced a litany of unparalleled and tragic disruptions in health and social justice that have given us many occasions to ask: what has prepared us for this moment in time? What is this moment preparing us for? And, as a community of learning and practice, how can we mobilize our skills and our resources to effectuate necessary social change in and around social justice for all?
Our interdependence has never been more apparent. As a researcher who specializes in life course studies, in my lifetime, I have never seen a more global statement than COVID and the racial reckoning about how all of our lives are intertwined and how what we as individuals choose to do can have huge implications for others.
So what will we do to make tomorrow — and the day after tomorrow — better for those around us? The pages of this magazine provide a few examples of how our community is answering this call, including associate professor Adrian Aguilera's ongoing research on digital health as a tool for equity, doctoral student Katie Savin's insights into disability-inclusive policy, and alum Brian McGhee's heartfelt commitment to Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) students.
The struggle for inclusive social justice is ongoing, of course. But in May 2021 the mood feels cautiously hopeful. We are planning for in-person classes in the fall and a return to a (revised) normal. We all look forward to being able to meet again in Haviland Hall, to a hopefully calmer and kinder year ahead, and to our shared work in building a more equitable world.
In solidarity and hope,
Dean Burton