On March 13, 2024, UC Berkeley celebrated the 156th year since the university's founding.
Gov. Henry Haight signed an act that chartered The University of California began on March 23, 1868. Since then, UC has grown to encompass 10 campuses, five medical centers, and three national research labs, with community programs, health services, and other outreach efforts that touch every corner of the state.
While Charter Day is a celebration of UC’s founding, it is also a day to recognize the once-hidden truths behind it. Land sold through the Morrill Act was expropriated from Native Nations - intricately tying the act to California’s unique history of Native dispossession and genocide. UC continues to benefit from this wealth accumulation today.
Without acknowledging past and ongoing injustices, we cannot fully live up to our mission.