Events
BCH DEI/AR Council strives to sponsor programming and educational events that advance diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism within UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals, UCSF, and the broader communities.

 

 Heritage Month Celebrations and Calendar

CURRENT EVENTS


Juneteenth 

Also known as Emancipation Day, Black Independence Day or Jubilee Day, Juneteenth marks June 19, 1865, when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived with federal troops in Galveston, Texas, and issued an order informing the last enslaved people in Texas that they were free. This came more than two months after the end of the Civil War and 2½ years after President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves in the Southern states.


LGBTQ+ Pride Month 2024

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning + Pride Month (LGBTQ+ Pride Month) is celebrated annually in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots, and works to achieve equal justice and equal opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ+) Americans. In June of 1969, patrons and supporters of the Stonewall Inn in New York City staged an uprising to resist the police harassment and persecution to which LGBT Americans were commonly subjected. This uprising marks the beginning of a movement to outlaw discriminatory laws and practices against LGBT Americans.

As we look back and move forward, we also want to recognize that the current state of human rights for LGBTQ people in the US. In the last couple of years, state lawmakers have targeted LGBTQ rights and have unleashed a torrent of anti-transgender bills—targeting transgender youth. The ACLU is currently tracking 515 anti-LGBTQ bills in the US. 


San Francisco Pride Parade

Sunday, June 30 | 10 am - 5 pm 

UCSF heads once again to this year's Annual San Francisco LGBTQ Pride Celebration & Parade! UCSF heads once again to this year's annual San Francisco LGBTQ Pride Celebration & Parade! Register by June 19 to march with UCSF. Exact staging time and location will be sent closer to the date.

Free UCSF Pride t-shirts will be distributed at the parade on a first come, first serve basis. All UCSF community members and their families are welcome to join!

A special thanks to this year's planning committee for contributing their time and energy into bringing our UCSF community together to celebrate pride.

Thank you to our collaborators: Alliance Health Project, Benioff Children's Hospital, Campus Life Services, Community & Government Relations, Gladstone Institutes, Global Health Sciences, the LGBT Resource Center, Office of Diversity & Outreach and Ward 86.

Register to march in the parade.


Unity Fest: Celebrating Pride, Freedom and Immigrant Heritage

Monday, June 17, 2024 | 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

UCSF Oakland Outpatient Center, 744 52nd St., Oakland, CA 94609

This June, the BCH Black Caucus invites all staff, healthcare professionals, and supporters to come together to honor the significance of Juneteenth, Pride, and Immigrant Heritage Month. Join us for a fun-filled event with raffle excitement, the prestigious Dr. Vivien T. Thomas scholarship presentation, BIPIC-owned business vendors, delectable food and drinks, and a wonderful performance by a live band. Let's commemorate freedom, pride, diversity, and unity in a spirit of joy and togetherness.

 

Previous Events

2024

Space For You!: How, Where, and Why to Take A Break and Create Time in Your Day for You

Tuesday, June 4, 2024 | 12:10pm to 1pm

Creating space to take a break during the day is important for your mind, body, and wellbeing. Join us as we share resources dedicated to making this happen for UCSF staff whether remote, in-person, or hybrid. We will be sharing lesser known break spots on campus, wellness and ergonomic tips and techniques when taking a break, and how to schedule space for yourself and your team into the work day. 

Join our panelists as they share insights, learning, and resources:

  • Kristin Amlie, Ergonomics and Human Factors Program Manager and Prinicipal Ergonomist, UCSF
  • Brooks Bigart, Writer/Editor and Flagship Events, Office of Diversity & Outreach, UCSF
  • Denny Nguyen, Landscape Supervisor, UCSF
  • Henry OCampo, Program Manager, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, UCSF Benifoff Children's Hospitals
  • Kathleen Yumul, Wellness Program Manager, UCSF

This event is a Staff Resource Days 2024 event! Please check out additional virtual and in-person Staff Resource Days events during the week of June 3 - 18, 2024 by searching for hashtag "SRD24" or visiting the Staff Resource Days website: tiny.ucsf.edu/SRD.

Recording


Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2024

May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, which celebrates all of the Asians, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in the United States who have made the country what it is today. During this month, the country celebrates the achievements and remembers the struggles endured by Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. 


Status of AANHPIs at UCSF 

Friday, May 31 | 12 pm - 1:30 pm (Zoom and in person)

Location: HSW301, Parnassus 

Join us as we present the current status of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians & Pacific Islanders within our UCSF community, including our AANHPI workforce demographics and Patient Experience by race/ethnicity and language. Sponsored by the AANHPI Coalition

recording


What Motivates You as an AANHPI Leader?

Giving flowers to our AANHPI community at UCSF for their unsung dedication, passion, energy and time to improve the climate and belonging for everyone.

Click here for the slide deck


Jewish American Heritage Month 2024

With May being designated as Jewish American Heritage Month, it is an honor to take a moment to pause and celebrate the many Jewish communities, cultures, achievements and creativity represented within all of UCSF. However, May 2024 is unlike any May we have seen before.  What is happening throughout the world today, most notably in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank, must be named and acknowledged.  The conflict and the loss of life throughout the region has given rise to great pain and anguish; to grief, sorrow, fear, anger and so much more.  We feel it in our own UC homes, as students on campuses throughout the state rise up to use their voices; voices that are not always in unison as this is a very complex time in our lives.   

Anti-Semitism, Anti-Zionism, Islamophobia and Anti-Arab sentiments are on the rise, bringing to the fore just how much diversity and differences can yield pain, as much as they can yield joy. All this, has led to much soul searching among many, who grapple with the complexities of what it means to be a Jew, this May. May of 2024.


Arab American Heritage Month 2024

The achievements of Arab Americans are celebrated through the celebration of National Arab American Heritage Month (NAAHM) in April. Arab America and the Arab America Foundation launched the National Arab American Heritage Month initiative in 2017, with just a handful of states recognizing the initiative. During this time, we celebrate Arab Americans throughout the past and present, and recognize their invaluable contributions to our country. It also serves as a time to combat Anti-Arab bigotry and to challenge stereotypes and prejudices.


Arab Talk with Dr. Jess Ghannam

Friday, April 19 | 11:30 am - 1 pm 

Hybrid - BCH Mission Bay, William and Susan Oberndorf Auditorium (A1602A west side; room A) and zoom

Join us in celebration of Arab American Heritage Month with Dr. Jess Ghannam. This presentation is offered both inperson and zoom. Location for inperson is at BCH Mission Bay, MBH A1602 Auditorium. Food and refreshments will be served from 11:30 am - 12 pm. The presentation with Dr. Jess Ghannam will be from 12 pm - 1 pm, which can also be viewed through zoom.

Dr. Ghannam is a human rights activist and professor at UCSF. He lectures, writes, and conducts research on the health effects of war and occupation in Palestine and in the Arab World, where he travels frequently.

Recording


UCSF LGBTQ Committee Meet & Greet

Wednesday, March 20 | 5 pm - 6:30 pm 

LGBTQ Resource Center, MU102, Parnassus

Learn about LGBTQIA+ advocacy at UCSF and how to get involved with the committee. Refreshments will be provided. 

Register


Music Therapy 16 Year Celebration!

Tuesday, March 5th

Please join us in celebrating the 16-year of the music therapy at BCH-Oakland!

  • 8 - 9 AM, Grand Rounds - Music Therapy in Pediatrics: Supporting Agency and Advocacy
  • 12 - 1 PM, Cake Music & Celebration in Bertha Wright Conference Room 

If you have any questions, please contact: Rechelle Porter [email protected]


International Women's Week: Envisioning the Future of Healthcare

Monday, March 4, 2024 | 12 pm - 1 pm 

Can you conceive a world that is radically different from the one in which we currently live in? We can create a reality or future that we have never seen or experienced. This discussion provides a forum for the freedom to reimagine what healthcare could become. We have a panel of women representing different areas of our healthcare system, who will share their ideas about the future.

Moderator: Laura Brotherton, MPH, FACHE, Director, Physician Services

Panelists: 

  • Judie Boehmer, MN, RN, NEA-BC, FABC, Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer
  • Joyclyn Garrette, M.S. Health Administration, FQHC Director
  • Hani Gutierrez, MSN, RN, CPNP, BCH Oakland Manager, Advanced Practice Providers 
  • Carly Evans, Health IT
  • Ashlyn Davis, Mental Health Lead Clinician

REcording


Black History Month 2024

This year we celebrate Black History Month with a theme of African Americans and the Arts.

African American art is infused with African, Caribbean, and the Black American lived experiences. In the fields of visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music, architecture, culinary and other forms of cultural expression, the African American influence has been paramount. African American artists have used art to preserve history and community memory as well as for empowerment. Artistic and cultural movements such as the New Negro, Black Arts, Black Renaissance, hip-hop, and Afrofuturism, have been led by people of African descent and set the standard for popular trends around the world. In 2024, we examine the varied history and life of African American arts and artisans.


Red Bay Coffee Grand Opening

Wednesday, February 21

BCH Oakland Outpatient Center  

Join us as we celebrate the grand opening of Red Bay Coffee in BCH Oakland's Outpatient Center. As a locally owned black business and one of Oprah's Favorite Things of 2023, Red Bay Coffee is a testament to excellence. With this new hospital vendor, customers will also be able to order food and beverages online and on their phone with the InstaEats app. (No more waiting in line!). Stop by to savor a delightful coffee or indulge in a tasty bite while enjoying live entertainment as part of the opening festivities.


Black Joy Parade

Sunday, February 25 | 11:30 am - 2:30 pm  

14th St & Franklin St Oakland, CA 94612

UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals is excited to announce its participation in the 7th annual Oakland Black Joy Parade. We invite everyone to join us and proudly represent BCH during the parade portion of the event. The Black Joy Parade exists to provide the Black community and allies a live experience that celebrates the community’s influence on cultures past, present and future. Join us on Sunday, February 25 (Parade begins at 12:30 p.m.) in Downtown Oakland. 

Register


CLCA Cafecito: How are Latiné People Also African Descendants? And other tales of Black-Brown Unity, Vol. 2

Thursday, February 29 | 12 pm - 1 pm (zoom)

Join the Chicanx Latinx Campus Association for an encore installment of our Cafecito series in honor of Black History Month. We’ll be joined by Roberto Ariel Vargas, MPH, who will lead an introductory conversation on how La Raza is descended from Africans and the impact of the African Diaspora on Latin America. They will share with our community other stories of Black-Brown unity. Our goal is to highlight the connective tissue between these communities and help foster a stronger sense of understanding and responsibility when it comes to anti-Black racism at UCSF, and beyond.
This event is free and virtual.

If you have questions, please reach out to Jae Rouse Iñiguez, MHSA, MA

REGISTER


Fireside Chat with BLOOM: Black Love Opporunity and Outcome Improvement in Medicine

Wednesday, February 14 | 12 pm - 1 pm 

Join us for a Fireside Chat with the founders of BLOOM: Black Love Opportunity and Outcome Improvement in Medicine, a new clinic that matches Black babies with Black healthcare providers to improve outcomes for both moms and kids.

BLOOM is a space where Black babies and families are seen by racially concordant providers who understand and share their lived experiences. These families have access to world-class health care; receive screening for traumatic experiences and mental health wellness; connect with services that address unmet needs; receive financial assistance to establish college savings accounts; and benefit from lactation support and post-natal nutrition, among other services.

This is a groundbreaking effort. There is nothing comparable to this initiative in the United States. With the launch of BLOOM, we are building a model for Black pediatric primary care that can be replicated across the country.

Panelists: 

- Dayna Long, MD                                               - Kayla Karvonen, MD

- Javay, Ross, MD                                               - Justin Williams, MD

Moderated by Saun-Toy Trotter

recording 


The Black Caucus 32nd Annual Black Heritage Gala (Sold Out!)

Saturday, February 10 | 6 pm - 10 pm
Hyatt Regency (Embarcadero)

5 Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, CA 94102

Thank you to everyone who will be joining us for this year's Black Caucus gala at the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco. The sold-out event includes a no-host cocktail hour, community building, and dancing. We will be joined by hospital leadership from BCH and UCSF Health. 

No Host Cocktail Hour | Seated Dinner with Wine | Community Building | Dancing


Lunar New Year 2024 - Year of the Dragon

The Lunar New Year is an international holiday celebrated in many Asian countries, but not all, and the United States even has its own celebrations. 

Unlike western New Year's, the date of Lunar New Year changes depending on the year. But regardless of the date, each culture that celebrates the Lunar New Year has lasting customs, traditions and beliefs. In 2024, Lunar New Year begins on Saturday, February 10 and ends Saturday, February 24.