I chose to express both my passion and pain with the community in a reflection on the 1619 project.

The Humanities Center presents a series of video reflections from UCI students on the 1619 Project. First in the series here is Justin Warren, a junior majoring in sociology and minoring in graphic design.

Greetings to faculty, staff, and students. My name is Justin Warren. I am a junior level sociology major and graphic design minor. I'm originally from LA county and in making the switch to Orange County I wanted my voice to be heard.
I realize that many of the spaces I enter do not represent people of my background. In fact, UCI has less than 2% of students that identify as black or of African descent. While we do make up a small majority of the population, we are very active in the goals and expectations we wish to achieve here on campus. There are a lot of issues that need to be addressed regarding diversity on campus, and my skin will not be utilized as an advocate for policies that do not regard the safety and inclusion of my people. After joining the Deconstructing Diversity Initiative offered at UCI, I chose to express both my passion and pain with the community in a reflection on the 1619 project.

View Justin's video.