Center for Racial and Economic Justice

Black Hastings Speaks is a project of the UC Hastings Center for Racial and Economic Justice (CREJ). The series is modeled after the StoryCorps podcasts and aims to preserve and present, with dignity, authentic stories of Black experiences within the UC Hastings community.

Oral narrative and rhetoric were long the primary means of preserving history and cultural information among Black people in the United States, as Black written language was illegal for more than 250 years. In response to the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, this series pays homage to the rich oral traditions of African Americans, as we seek to foster healing, build connections, encourage systemic change, and deepen empathy on issues of anti-Blackness.

Each episode, you will hear interviews and discussions between the college’s Black community members. Participants candidly share perspectives on a variety of topics, including identity and their personal experiences.

• Asian Pacific Americans and the Law
• Citizen: Race and Immigration
• Civil Rights Theory and Practicum
• Community Economic Development Seminar
• Community Group Advocacy & Social Change Lawyering Clinic
• Constitutional History: Race and Civil Rights
• Critical Race Theory
• Employment Discrimination
• Individual Representation Clinic
• Immigrants’ Rights Clinic
• Race, Racism, and American Law
• Race, Sexuality, and the Law
• Refugee and Human Rights Clinic
• Refugee Law & Policy
• Social Enterprise & Economic Empowerment Clinic

From Prop 209 to Prop 16: Historical, Legal and Activist Perspectives on Affirmative Action
Californians have endured a statewide ban on race- and gender-based affirmative action policies since the passage of Proposition 209, which is widely recognized for its devastating impact on advancing racial justice in labor and education. In November 2020, Proposition 16 would have restored affirmative action in CA. This panel discusses the legacies of Proposition 209 and the promise Proposition 16 provided.

Racial Health Disparities: Economic Injustice as an Underlying Condition of Covid
COVID-19 has deeply affected communities of color, who are disproportionately essential workers and whose labor conditions and economic status constrain their ability to protect themselves and their families during the pandemic. Compounding these acute challenges are disproportionate rates of underlying health conditions which are connected to unequal social conditions over the lifespan, including poverty and racism. Panelists describe the evidence base linking economic and racial inequality to health inequity, the ways in which COVID compounds those longstanding inequities, and the role of law as both a positive and negative force in addressing them.