Tuesday, June 2, 1998
Freedom City offers forum for education, dialogue
ACTIVISM: Workshops, speakers hope to raise awareness about
issues
By Barbara Ortutay
Daily Bruin Staff
To show that student activism does not end with protests, the
Affirmative Action Coalition (AAC) plans to erect Freedom City in
Royce Quad today, with workshops, speakers and cultural events.
For three days and two nights, the event will present speakers,
workshops and activities, all geared toward educating students and
encouraging dialogue on issues such as affirmative action,
homophobia and the role of the regents in the life of UCLA
students.
"I don’t think student apathy really exists," said USAC
president Stacy Lee. "People just don’t know enough, and Freedom
City helps this."
The event will kick off this morning with a rally and drums.
Because it is election day, most of today’s events will concentrate
on encouraging students to vote. Two controversial ballot
propositions, Proposition 226 and Proposition 227, will be centers
of attention. The AAC is calling for a "no" vote on both.
Proposition 226 would control political contributions by union
members, employees and foreign contributors. Proposition 227 would
eliminate bilingual education in public schools.
For the next two days, community organizations, professors and
students will hold a variety of workshops at the event. Issues
ranging from homophobia to student activism to the world bank will
be covered.
One workshop, titled "Know your Regents," seeks to educate
students about just who the UC Regents are and what their roles are
in education. The regents’ decisions to implement SP-1 and SP-2,
for example, preceded Proposition 209 in overturning affirmative
action. Lee also said that many people do not know that the
governor is a regent and that "most of (the regents) have nothing
to do with education."
A number of community organizations, including Mothers
Reclaiming our Children and the Bus Riders’ Union, will be involved
in Freedom City, holding workshops and providing speakers.
Dialogue and interaction are central to the event. Students are
encouraged to ask questions and speak out. For this, open
microphones will be provided.
"We are trying to create a space where people can dialogue,"
said Lee. She added that often students do not get the opportunity
to ask questions about these issues in class or at UCLA in
general.
The strategy of Freedom City’s education and dialogue, according
to Lee, complements the agenda of protests and defiance supported
by the AAC. She added that both direct protest and education are
needed to get the message of the AAC across.
Royce quad (and Royce Hall) was the site of a protest for
affirmative action on May 19, when police, called by the
administration, arrested 85 students. However, events like Freedom
City in past years happened without any arrests.
"A lot of the protests are to get attention from administration
and the regents," said Portia Pedra, a member of the African
Student Union (ASU). "Freedom City continues this and it is
centered around education and activism."
Part of Freedom City will also focus on affirmative action,
seeking to inform students of the issues, answering questions and
circulating letters to Chancellor Albert Carnesale.
Members of the AAC feel that Carnesale has not taken appropriate
action against Proposition 209 and that he has been wary to
directly address most of their other demands.
In addition to raising political awareness, Freedom City will
also be fun, according to Lee, with art and cultural events, a
barbecue and an opportunity for its citizens to stay overnight in
tents.
The original concept of Freedom City was coined by members of
the ASU in 1995.
"F.R.E.Ed.O.M." is an acronym for "For Real Empowerment and
Education through Organizing and Mobilization."