Hi all,

With our friends at Write for California, we have put together a statement addressing the events in this country, as well as encouraging support for organizations in the East Bay and the greater Cal community.

To the members of our beloved Cal community:

The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, David McAtee, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others from our country’s recent and distant past have outraged us.

Sadly, these recent acts of violence committed onto unarmed black citizens are only the latest in America’s long history of state-sanctioned brutality. These acts are also just one of many discriminatory obstacles that people of color face in this country. This must change. Black lives matter.

Many of us have shown support for this cause as individuals already; yet, we find this joint statement necessary for another reason - simply speaking out is not enough. We owe it to ourselves and each other to do more, and in recent days, have been in deep reflection about the immense privilege we have collectively in writing about Cal athletics, and how that is possible largely due to the labor of black student-athletes.

It is too easy to pretend that sports is an apolitical space, and that the ongoing injustices reach only as far as the sidelines. We refuse to encourage this notion any longer.

After such reflection, we have resolved:

1. We aim to build a greater commitment in covering issues and stories pertaining particularly to the black Cal community, whose contributions to athletic success are immeasurable. We hope that will help raise the profile and voices of black Cal writers, emergent and existing, to create a more inclusive space for our Golden Bears.

2. To work intentionally toward a more just and equitable version of the local community we love so dearly. To that note, we are splitting an equal donation to these community-centered organizations, and strongly encourage you to do the same:

- Marshawn Lynch’s Fam1st Foundation, which focuses on the underserved youth of Oakland by providing sports and other support services.

- Marcel Dancy in partnership with Burckhalter Elementary and the Intuitive Foundation, which will provide food to families in need and impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

- People’s Breakfast Oakland, a grassroots organization which provides a variety of resources for the local community, including feeding the homeless and raising bail for black protesters.

- Bay Area Black Owned Business Relief Fund, which is working to help businesses rebuild from any protest-related damages

This obviously has to go beyond making a statement and donating money to a cause or two. It has to translate into action, whether that's community involvement, peaceful protest, or conducting difficult self-reflection and conversations about racism in our personal lives . We owe it to the young men and women we cover.

Thank you for reading.