The theme for this year’s UCOP Black Staff and Faculty Organization (BSFO) Juneteenth celebrations is “From Soil to Soul — Reclaiming Our Roots.” Mark your calendar and plan to attend the following events, open to the UCOP community!

Juneteenth celebrations

Wendy Williams, the energy and inspiration behind Movin’ n Groovin’ with Auntie Wendy will lead a line dance class at UCOP! (Credit: Wendy Williams)

Movin’ N Groovin’ with Auntie Wendy

June 9, 12 – 1 p.m. (PT)
Oakland, 5th Floor Patio (no pre-registration needed)

Join BSFO for a dance class with Wendy Williams, the energy and inspiration behind Movin’ n Groovin’ with Auntie Wendy! Based in the Bay Area, Auntie Wendy brings fun, community and feel-good vibes to every line dance class. Whether you’re brand new to line dancing or already know a few favorite steps, Auntie Wendy’s beginner-friendly lessons and grown-folks groove sessions are designed to get everyone moving with confidence. Her mission is simple: Make your feet work, build confidence and keep people movin’ n groovin’ one step at a time. Come enjoy an uplifting experience filled with music, laughter, movement and community connection on Tuesday, June 9, from 12 to 1 p.m. on the 5^th floor patio. No experience is necessary: Just bring your enthusiasm and get ready to dance! Everyone is welcome to attend.

Author event: Leta McCollough Seletzky

June 16, 12 – 1 p.m. (PT)
Zoom link for author event (no pre-registration needed)

Leta McCollough Seletzky, author of “The Kneeling Man: My Father’s Life as a Black Spy Who Witnessed the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.” will share insights from her research.

Join BSFO for a special author speaker event featuring Leta McCollough Seletzky, author of “The Kneeling Man: My Father’s Life as a Black Spy Who Witnessed the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.”

In this powerful memoir, Seletzky explores family, history, race and the long search for truth through the story of her father, Marrell “Mac” McCollough. A former Memphis police officer and undercover intelligence agent, McCollough’s life and work placed him at the center of one of the most consequential moments in American history. This event offers UCOP colleagues an opportunity to hear from an author whose work brings together personal narrative and historical inquiry to examine memory, justice and one family’s connection to a defining chapter in American history. Her story was featured in the April 2018 issue of “O, The Oprah Magazine.” Read an excerpt here.

Food Justice and Healing Panel

June 23, 12 – 1 p.m. (PT)
Zoom link for food justice event (no pre-registration needed)

Drs. Charisma Acey, Hanna Garth and Naya Jones will participate in BSFO’s Food Justice & Healing Panel on June 23.

Join BSFO for a Food Justice & Healing Panel featuring three UC-connected scholars whose work explores food, community, health and equity:

• Charisma Acey, Ph.D., Associate Professor of City and Regional Planning, and Arcus Chair in Social Justice and the Built Environment, College of Environmental Design, UC Berkeley
• Hanna Garth, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Princeton University; former recipient of the UC President’s Postdoctoral
  Fellowship Program
• Naya Jones, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Sociology and Core Faculty, Global and Community Health Program, UC Santa Cruz

These interdisciplinary experts will share how their research interests and teaching strategies connect with questions of food justice, community well-being and healing. Don’t miss this timely conversation about equity, belonging and collective care.

For questions, contact bsfo-ucop@ucop.edu.

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