By the late 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement had swept the United States and — as was evidenced by Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1967 address at UC Berkeley’s Sproul Plaza — UC. Yet despite welcoming one of the movement’s great leaders, UC was not immune from some of the racially discriminatory behaviors and policies that pervaded in the U.S. at that time. Like much of the country, UC needed to recognize problematic areas and be accountable for ensuring that all members of its community were treated with fairness and equity moving forward. The Black Caucus was the first group to initiate this change, and its far-reaching efforts were propelled by a dedicated team of UCSF staff.
