"That made me proud to be a Bear."
 
That's what I said to my best friend, Daniel, immediately following my first California Athletics all-staff meeting in February.
 
As we ate lunch in his car, we talked about the wild journey that led us to Cal. We laughed at my genuine disbelief that we now worked in a place where we could get free burritos and dessert in exchange for simply attending a meeting. Now that's what I call a perk.
 
Daniel started working here in early December. I started in late January. We both started our sportswriting careers during our freshman year at UC Santa Barbara in 2012 and this is now the third UC athletics department we've worked side-by-side in.
 
As I approach my third month at Cal, I can say this with confidence: never, ever have we felt like we belong in a place more than we have in our first few months in Berkeley.
 
I wouldn't say I'm the easiest person to impress, but from the moment I got here, there hasn't been a day that I haven't been dazzled and inspired by my new environment. The visual beauty, the academic and athletic excellence, the general atmosphere and vibe – they are obviously all incredible.
 
But, those aren't the things that made me say what I said following my first all-staff meeting.

 
At the start, it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. It was mostly things you might expect from a monthly staff meeting. Then, for 20 minutes or so, the platform was shifted, allowing different Golden Bears to have the floor in the spirit of Black History Month.
 
First, a Cal student sang a song that made me wish I could pull out my phone and record it. I didn't do that, out of respect, but all I could think was that I wish I could show my wife later how beautiful this moment at my new job was. After that, more speakers were given the floor who, as we ventured into what some might consider uncomfortable territory, remained so genuine and honest in sharing their stories and truths that you just had to take it all in and feel a collective empathy.
 
I looked around and felt I was in a room of people who fully understood the importance of a special moment like that. I acknowledged within myself how much and how long people have had to fight to bring equal access to the platforms sports provide, and I felt that none of what I had just witnessed should be taken lightly.
 
To be brutally honest, I was raised with a mentality of, "If it's not your problem, don't worry about it. You can't do anything about it anyway."
 
I've always tried my best to be a good person, but it wasn't until I met my wife – who has a degree in feminist studies – that I was made aware of my own privilege and lack of awareness or care for so many injustices in the world. It's a humbling moment when you think you're pretty smart and realize how little you actually know, but it's also a necessary one.
 
I was a fan of DEIBJ even before I first heard those letters uttered by Dr. Ty-Ron Douglas during my second week at Cal. That's because diversity, equality, inclusion, belonging and justice are exactly what our world needs, but ignorance and lack of empathy are what stand in the way.
 
Truly understanding the meaning of DEIBJ – its real purpose – means having difficult conversations. It means being respectful of perspectives that don't align with what you've always known or been told. It means actually listening to others, rather than already having your mind up before they start speaking. It means having access to the floor so you can help others better understand the experiences that have shaped your life in ways they can't even begin to comprehend.
 
Feeling that I'm in a place where I can feel safe and where I know we make a concerted effort to share our platform with those who need it… to feel like everyone's voice truly does matter… that means more to me than I ever could have imagined back in 2012 when the scope of my cares and worries revolved solely around the world of sports as opposed to the world itself. So, thank you Cal for not just saying you care about the things that matter, but for actually showing it every day.
 
I'll say it again: That makes me proud to be a Bear.
 
Michael Jorgenson is an Assistant Director in Cal Athletic Communications. He previously worked for the athletic departments at UC Santa Barbara and UC Riverside.