Speak up.

Protest peacefully.

Support the community.

The Columbia Alumni Association’s (CAA) mission is to cultivate an open, inclusive environment for Columbians around the world to engage in. We work diligently to create and nurture diverse communities that engage in creative and thoughtful ways to strengthen the bonds as a University community. Our vision statement is, “Build. Belong. Bond. We are Columbia. We are the CAA.” As we reflect on what we stand for as an organization and as a community, we stand in solidarity with the Black community. We recognize the Black members of our Columbia community and we support and stand with all of you and the Black Lives Matter Movement.

Columbia University initiatives, scholarships, or research

Black Alumni Council scholarship for Columbia College Students

The Black Alumni Council (BAC) works with the Columbia College Fund to raise money for the Black Alumni Council Scholarship Fund (BACSF) to annually provide five or more $10,000 undergraduate scholarships for students enrolled in Columbia College or the School of Engineering and the Applied Sciences.

The Eric H. Holder Jr. Initiative for Civil and Political Rights

The Eric H. Holder Jr. Initiative for Civil and Political Rights will bring together world-class academics, experts, and accomplished practitioners to develop pioneering programs that advance our understanding of civil and political rights in United States and abroad. To embark on that mission, the initiative seeks support to not only catalyze progress in its start-up phase, but also to ensure that it thrives in perpetuity.

Justice in Education Initiative

The Justice-in-Education Initiative is a partnership between the Heyman Center for the Humanities and the Center for Justice.

The Center for Justice is dedicated to reducing our country's dependence on incarceration by promoting alternative approaches to safety and justice in the U.S. It works in partnership with faculty, students and organizations across Columbia, as well as with other universities, government agencies, community organizations, advocates and those directly affected by the criminal justice system, on education, research and policy initiatives.

With more than 2.2 million people behind bars, now is the time to transform the justice system.

Institute for Research in African-American Studies

The Institute for Research in African-American Studies of Columbia University, founded in July 1993 by Dr. Manning Marable, is an academic resource center. The purposes and activities of the Institute for Research in African-American Studies are grounded within the best scholarship of the black intellectual tradition.

Below is a selection of places to start, from US-based causes, to UK-led charities and collectives. 

US-based & International

Black Lives Matter

#BlackLivesMatter was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer. Black Lives Matter Foundation, Inc is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. By combating and countering acts of violence, creating space for Black imagination and innovation, and centering Black joy, we are winning immediate improvements in our lives.

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

The ACLU has been at the center of nearly every major civil liberties battle in the U.S. for over 100 years. This vital work depends on the support of ACLU members in all 50 states and beyond.

Southern Poverty Law Center

The SPLC is dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of our society. Using litigation, education, and other forms of advocacy, the SPLC works toward the day when the ideals of equal justice and equal opportunity will be a reality.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

The NAACP is at the forefront of the movement to build political power and ensure the wellbeing of communities of color. Underscoring the advocacy of their 2,200 local units across the United States, they empower communities to make democracy work for them.

UK-based

Show Racism the Red Card

Using the status of football and footballers to spread awareness of racial disparity, this charity hosts training workshops across the UK to address in a grass-roots way (and to over 50,000 people per year), the need for greater education, tolerance and understanding.

Stand Against Racism & Inequality

SARI provides resources to survivors of hate crime, supporting them through legal proceedings, making complaints against agencies, coping with the trauma of hate crime and more.

Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust

Founded following the murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993 (a racist attack), the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust helps young people from disadvantaged backgrounds between the ages of 13 and 30 to succeed in their chosen career.