Anti-Racism Resources | Black Lives Matter

This guide is intended to provide general information for anti-racist learning and practice specific to anti-Black racism. It includes information and resources specific to current conversations within the West Valley College community, and the resources listed here are by no means exhaustive. The content here will be regularly updated.

The Black Lives Matter Movement was initiated with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter on social media after the 2013 acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, a young African-American teenager.  Founders  Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi formed the Black Lives Matter Network to protest against incidents of police brutality and all racially motivated violence against black people. Garza described the network as an online platform that existed to provide activists with a shared set of principles and goals.
Black Lives Matter also voices support for movements and causes outside the reach of black police brutality, including LGBTQ activism, feminism, immigration reform and economic justice. (Wikipedia and #BLM site)

Led by the College's Committee on Equity and Inclusion, West Valley College went through a systematic evaluation of racism on our campus. After many meetings and thoughtful dialogue, the College developed our Anti-Racism & Inclusion Action Plan.

The primary goals of the Plan are to:

• Goal A: Unearth, examine, acknowledge, and identify concrete actions to account for the racial history of West Valley College.
• Goal B: Address Anti-Blackness in the campus culture.
• Goal C: Implement sustainable actions to contribute to an anti-racist culture at West Valley College.
• Goal D: Create a welcoming, supportive, and inclusive campus climate.