Race & Resistance Studies Scholarship

RRS prepares students to understand the race-related processes underlying many social problems and the multiple forms of struggle aimed at social justice. Our program explores these processes through an interdisciplinary, comparative and relational approach — examining how people of color and indigenous people both face and resist social inequalities. In doing so, we attend to intersectionality (e.g., how race, class, gender, sexuality and/or nationality intersect) as well as the complexities of identity and community formation.

A core part of our mission is to prepare students to use their learning to build on existing service and organizing work among disenfranchised communities of color in the U.S. and abroad. In short, we seek to build a praxis that unites both theory/study and practice/organizing in a life committed to social justice.

One of our former students, Hassani Bell, who passed in 2021, exemplifies much of what we do in RRS. Hassani came to SFSU 2015 after having been a student in San Leandro High’s Social Justice Academy. In his first semester in RRS, he began talking about the big impact he wanted to make as an organizer. In only his second semester, in the midst of looming budget cuts to the College of Ethnic Studies, Hassani joined three other dedicated RRS students and went on a hunger strike, demanding among other things, full funding for the college. Drawing on what he learned in his RRS classes, the following year, Hassani spent the summer working as an organizer in New York City, trying to build interest in union participation among retail workers. He was the personification of everything we care about in RRS: excellent critical thinking skills, a dedication to social change, great integrity, and a generous heart. In honor of Hassani, we are excited to present this scholarship opportunity.

This scholarship will be awarded for the upcoming Academic Year.

• Awarding Department: College of Ethnic Studies
• Scholarship Intent: Scholarship for students getting a BA degree in Race and Resistance Studies. Two separate awards of $500 each will be given.
• Criteria: Good academic standing & demonstrated commitment to community engagement &/or empowerment, social justice, & cross-racial solidarity
• Major: Single: Race & Resistance Studies
• Class Level: Undergrad: Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, & Senior
• Enrollment Status: Continuing SF State student
• Enrollment Requirement: Undergrad: 12 units
• Financial Need as determined by the FAFSA and/or CA Dream App: No
• Citizenship: Any
• Minimum GPA: Undergrad GPA: 2.5
• Contact Person: Gautam Baksi
• Campus Address: EP 107
• Street Address: 1600 Holloway, San Francisco, California 94132-4011
• Phone Number: (415) 338-1052
• Email: gautam@sfsu.edu
• Web page: College of Ethnic Studies
• Amount of Award: $500.00
• Number of Awards: 2