A student at UC Berkeley developed a Black history audio tour of campus with a steering committee member to capture and publicize the inspiring stories of Black trailblazers at the university. The tour shares stories of the first Black woman to graduate from UC Berkeley's Law school and prominent Black visitors like Martin Luther King Jr. and W.E.B. Du Bois. By making Black history and people visible across campus through this tour, the student hopes to help combat anti-Blackness and imposter syndrome felt by students of color.

1. A Unique Way to Celebrate Black History by Daniella Lake
At UC Berkeley, I’m a research apprentice for a public history initiative called Black Lives at
Cal that is researching and publicizing the Black history of our campus. I’ve been working with
BLAC since its inception in 2021 and I’ve loved every moment of it.
To capture the Black history of UC Berkeley, steering committee member, Gia White, and I,
have co-developed a Black history audio tour of campus. Through our tour, listeners can hear the
inspiring stories of Black trailblazers like Annie Coker, the first Black woman to graduate from
UC Berkeley's Law school and went on to become the first Black female lawyer in California or
hear about prominent Black people who visited campus and gave speeches, such as Martin
Luther King Jr., James Baldwin, and W.E.B. Du Bois.
With this tour, new and prospective Black students can look around campus and see themselves
in every corner. It will be known that for over a hundred years, Black people on our campus have
found ways, even when there were only a handful of them, to thrive, kickstart their careers, and
make the change they wanted to see in the world. The tour will be available on Youtube and
Spotify @BlackLivesatCal in late April. We hope that our work helps combat anti-Blackness on

2. campus, the imposter syndrome felt by students of color, and overall, inspires everyone who
listens to it.