Black History Month, held in February, is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time to recognize the central role of blacks in U.S. history.

Lee Julian Purnell (1896-1983), Berkeley’s earliest known Black EE student February 21, 2022 - Lee Julian Purnell is the first Black student known to have graduated from the EECS department. He was born in Washington, D.C. in 1896, graduated from Berkeley High in 1915, earned a B.A. from Cal in 1919, a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from MIT in 1921, and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Berkeley in… (more)

Reintroducing Joseph Thomas Gier February 22, 2019 - Joseph T. Gier was a pioneer in every sense. He was the first Black tenured faculty member in the UC system, a successful inventor, and a world authority on infrared measurement. Who was Berkeley EECS Prof. Joseph Gier? (more)