Berkeley

Student Commencement Speaker: We Are ‘Capable of Anything’

We are part of a university that led the Free Speech Movement, a university that didn’t back down from a fight for justice, a university that, regardless of what the world said, marched forward for equality and justice. Those students before us did things that the world told them was impossible. That is who we are and what we represent.

Published

2 years ago

December 24, 2021

Oakland Post

“We are part of a university that led the Free Speech Movement, a university that didn’t back down from a fight for justice, a university that, regardless of what the world said, marched forward for equality and justice,” student speaker Sahar Formoli told her fellow graduates. (UC Berkeley video)

By Public Affairs

UC Berkeley graduate Sahar Formoli gave the student address at the 2021 winter commencement. Her prepared marks are below.

Hello and welcome friends, family, staff, faculty, alumni and the illustrious class of 2021. I am incredibly grateful to stand here with the rest of my class after the journey we have been through together — and what a journey it was. When I applied to universities, I thought of how difficult it would be to go to a new place with harder courses. But I looked to my parents, who came to this country with few prospects and little money and now own a business in Sacramento just a few doors down from the governor’s office. With their support, I mustered up the courage to apply to the best public university in the world, UC Berkeley.

When I got my acceptance letter, I didn’t immediately open it. I was ready for rejection. But after a few days, I thought I might as well delete one more email from my inbox — and there it was. Do you remember the virtual confetti falling across the screen — changing the trajectory of our lives? I never read the entire acceptance letter, only the part that said “Welcome.” And that is what I have felt throughout my entire time here — welcomed.

While the campus, faculty and my peers are the most kind and accepting people, that didn’t stop me from feeling like an imposter. I couldn’t accept the fact that I was wanted, that I deserved to be here. Sitting in classes next to those who seemed to know more than I ever did or could — and who were so far ahead of me — made it hard to feel like I belonged here. It wasn’t until I took a genetics course from a professor who was also from Sacramento that something changed. During office hours, she asked me what my goals were, and I said, “to graduate.” She waited for a moment, as if reading my existence, and said, “You know you are capable of anything.” I didn’t want to cry during office hours, but I pondered that for days. I can do… anything. She went on to give me the best advice I had ever received: “The only limitations that exist are the ones you allow to.” At that moment I remembered my parents, and how they did not allow their lack of language, limited understanding of U.S. culture and other perceived limitations to stop them from thriving.

At that moment I became acutely aware that I am here because I belong here. I wasn’t given this opportunity, I earned it — just as we all did.

With my newfound sense of belonging and encouragement from my advisor, I joined a film club of students who are just as obsessed with films as I am. One of my favorite films we watched was Lady Bird, about a girl from Sacramento, written and directed by Greta Gerwig, another girl from Sacramento. I related so much to the characters, emotions, and small references — and to the story about a girl who thought she would never go to the cultured colleges she longed for because of where she came from. She literally lives on the wrong side of the tracks that split Sacramento nearly in two, a symbol of the separation of wealth and privilege — a place where many people find their limitations lie.

But in the film, Lady Bird’s mother never let these tracks hold power over her.

This reminded me of my mother. Like Lady Bird, I had accepted rejection before it came to me, and my mother was my cheerleader who sent me to a school to find role models and mentors. Little did she know that she was the one I looked up to most, a woman who didn’t let limitations stand in her way and who never made me feel that there was something I couldn’t do.

At the end of the film, as Lady Bird is walking away from the screen, she asks her mother, “Did you feel emotional the first time that you drove in Sacramento? All those bends I’ve known my whole life, and stores, and the whole thing.” She saw that those obstacles were in her head and that life’s twists and turns made her who she is. We are an incredibly diverse class of students from every background. Our life experiences made us who we are and have proven time and time again that we can do anything.

Knowing the history of the people before me, both of those close to me and the historical figures that fought to create the school that I am in now against the odds, I went on to be a part of faculty research projects, I pursued a second major, I did multiple internships all because I recognized I — like Lady Bird, like my mother, like the students before me, and my peers that I stand side by side with today — am capable of anything.

Every one of us is capable of anything. We powered through the pandemic and persevered when it felt like the world was going to end. And now we stand beside our friends, family, and the faculty who helped us along the way. Like Lady Bird, coming out of our hometowns to follow our dreams in spite of the bumps in the road. To the class of 2021, you made it here. Now go on and show the world what Berkeley students are made of.

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Bay Area

New Banners Celebrate 150+ Years of Berkeley’s Prominence in Teaching World Languages

Berkeley has “a longstanding commitment to linguistic diversity and the humanistic insights that come from the study of world languages, literatures and cultures,” said Rick Kern, French professor and chair of the French department. “We think that Berkeley can be a model of multilingual global engagement.”

Published

3 weeks ago

November 4, 2023

Oakland Post

Collectively, undergraduates at Berkeley speak more than 220 different first languages. Offering instruction in at least 60 languages, Berkeley is one of the nation's top institutions for the breadth and depth of its world languages program. The program also values revitalizing and preserving endangered languages. Neil Freese/UC Berkeley.

Some 60 languages are taught on campus and revitalizing and preserving endangered languages is a priority

By Gretchen Kell, UC Berkeley News

At least 60 languages — from Mongolian and Old Norse to Polish, Catalan, Ancient Egyptian, Arabic and Biblical Hebrew — are taught at UC Berkeley, one of the nation’s top institutions for the breadth and depth of its world languages program.

A growing emphasis also is being placed at Berkeley on revitalizing and preserving endangered languages, most of them spoken by Indigenous peoples.

To help honor more than 150 years of global languages at Berkeley, 63 colorful banners began flying throughout campus last week — and for the next 18 months — that feature facts about the campus’s language programs, as well as 21 bilingual and multilingual faculty members, students and alumni.

Among the messages on the banners:

Collectively, undergraduates at UC Berkeley speak more than 220 different first languages.
More than 500 language learning classes are taught at Berkeley annually.
More than 6,000 Berkeley students enroll in those classes each year.
In 1872, the first endowed chair in the UC system was created — for the study of East Asian languages at Berkeley.
Students at all UC campuses can take online African language classes at Berkeley, which is well-known for Amharic, Igbo and Swahili instruction.

Across the country, some colleges and universities are eliminating world language courses to save money. West Virginia’s flagship public university, for example, recently ended courses and degree programs in all foreign languages except Spanish and Chinese.

Meanwhile, Berkeley has “a longstanding commitment to linguistic diversity and the humanistic insights that come from the study of world languages, literatures and cultures,” said Rick Kern, French professor and chair of the French department. “We think that Berkeley can be a model of multilingual global engagement.”

Kern is co-chair of the campus’s Task Force on Languages, Language-Based Disciplines and Global Citizenship that was initiated by Sara Guyer, dean of the College of Letters and Sciences’ Division of Arts and Humanities.

The committee met for three semesters and presented its recommendations last summer on how the campus can enhance and support instructional and research strengths in global languages.

Guyer said the study of so many languages on campus “opens up new worlds of knowledge, research and communication.” She added that Berkeley’s steadfast commitment to multilingualism is an effort to help students become global citizens who can “interact meaningfully with people and ideas from different regions of our fast-changing world.”

Activism

Family Seeks Justice for Murdered Daughter on 14th Anniversary of Her Death

Dezzy’s mother, Dru Ann Davis, said, “How could this irreversible horror, caused by idiots, have happened to my, our, Dezzy? “A soul that hurt no one and wanted to do good work with animals and people. If you can provide information on any of these killers, please be brave and contact Oakland Police. You may be the one to bring a sense of peace to the lives of Dezzy’s family.” The Family Support Advocates joins with the grieving family and loved ones of Desiree Dezzy Davis’ in their pursuit of justice.

Published

1 month ago

October 15, 2023

Oakland Post

Desiree ‘Dezzy’ Davis was a girl of many talents: swimmer, athlete, and writer. Photo courtesy of Dru Ann Davis.

By Family Support Advocates
Special to The Post

Desiree Davis was only 17 years old when she was senselessly murdered in North Oakland 14 years ago on September 7, 2009. Desiree, or Dezzy as she preferred, was a beautiful little girl that instantly liked people, adults included.

Dez was artistic, a good swimmer and athlete, an animal lover who wanted to be a veterinarian, a good writer in prose and poetry and she could rap lyrics to a great many songs. She was a naturally happy kid who loved so much of life.

When Dez started school, she was criticized for an eye imperfection, which sometimes made her sad and isolated, but it didn’t stop her from pursuing happiness.

Dez was independent and didn’t mind working for the extra things she wanted for herself. She worked three jobs by the time she was 16, and especially loved working at The Black Repertory Theater in Berkeley. As she began her senior year in high school, just before her murder, she was co-editor of the school’s yearbook, began running track and volunteered at the Berkeley Humane Society. She was gaining in self-confidence and trying new interests.

Dezzy’s mother, Dru Ann Davis, said, “How could this irreversible horror, caused by idiots, have happened to my, our, Dezzy?

“A soul that hurt no one and wanted to do good work with animals and people. If you can provide information on any of these killers, please be brave and contact Oakland Police. You may be the one to bring a sense of peace to the lives of Dezzy’s family.”

The Family Support Advocates joins with the grieving family and loved ones of Desiree Dezzy Davis’ in their pursuit of justice.

Anyone in the community with information about Dezzy’s murder is asked to contact the Homicide Section at (510) 238-3821 or the TIP LINE at (510) 238-7950. CrimeStoppers of Oakland is offering a reward for an arrest in this case. #JusticeforDesiree.

FAMILY SUPPORT ADVOCACY TASK FORCE

The mission of the Family Support Advocacy Task Force, a committee of the Violence Prevention Coalition, is to advocate for local, state and federal policies and legislation to enhance and expand support to families and friends of those who experienced violence; for more compassionate and transparent communication between law enforcement, the district attorney with the family of homicide victims and to push for the elimination of all violence, but particularly gun violence and homicides.

Berkeley

Harriet Tubman Terrace Residents Celebrate Win Against Tenant Abuse

After two years of being misled, stonewalled, and left to live in hazardous conditions, residents at an apartment complex for low-income senior citizens will celebrate the fruits of their strong organizing efforts – the appointment of a paid housing advocate by the City of Berkeley.

Published

2 months ago

October 11, 2023

Oakland Post

Harriet Tubman Terrace renters endured years of abuse when contractors making repairs made gross mistakes, they say. Foundation Housing file photo.

By Paola Laverde and Tony Chapelle

Everyone who lives in Berkeley is invited to join the victorious seniors and community members on Saturday, Sept. 9^th between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. for a celebration and rally at the Harriet Tubman Terrace apartments, 2870 Adeline St., in South Berkeley. The event will include a drum march, press conference, speakers, food, and music performances.

The new advocate is a liaison to monitor living conditions and services between tenants, FPI Management Company (FPI) and the landlord investment group led by Foundation Housing.

Harriet Tubman Terrace is a low-income senior apartment complex that was originally built to house musicians and other artists in their old age. FPI is a privately-owned, third-party property manager for senior facilities that are funded by Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC).

“Our hard work has paid off,” said Dar Oyamasela, president of the tenants’ association at Harriet Tubman Terrace. “We have won Round One, but the struggle continues.”

In 2022, the 91-unit Harriet Tubman Terrace underwent a major remodeling with the contractors making mistakes and violating numerous building codes.

Tenants lived in dangerous conditions as workmen tore out kitchens, bathrooms, and closets in their apartments while exposing residents to deadly asbestos. The poor remodeling included installation of flimsy, sometimes unusable, replacement fixtures. Sliding-glass patio door frames were installed improperly and let in air and rain. The management relocated tenants to dirty, bug-ridden empty units in the building, often not caring that they were not accessible for disabled residents. Several tenants suffered the loss or destruction of personal items and family heirlooms.

The appalling conditions are shown in a YouTube video report, “Harriet Tubman Terrace Residents Face Horrendous Violations in their Homes,” with a link at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWB1FrIZ1rE.

While the residents and community celebrate the appointment of the paid ombudsman, the rally will also acknowledge the importance of empowering low-income senior tenants, many of whom are isolated and afraid to speak up for their housing rights.

“The advocate will approach management for us. That alone is helpful, as most of the residents are fearful of the management but not of the advocate,” said Elaine Bloom, a Harriet Tubman Terrace resident. “An ally will help us to live in safe housing and have quiet enjoyment in this our ‘forever’ home.”

Many members of the neighborhood consider the two-year ordeal for the seniors at Harriet Tubman an affront to all of South Berkeley. The grassroots group Friends of Adeline says the community and Berkeley City Council should be outraged.

The Friends of Adeline calls it elder abuse, abuse by contractors, and ownership. “This is an indication of lack of concern for the people who live in [this] city,” the group says.

For more information, contact Paola Laverde at Plaverde64@gmail.com or Tony Chapelle at TonyChapelle@hotmail.com.