Monday, September 28, 1998
Now’s the time to make yourself heard
ACTIVISM: Take action; change only happens if you challenge the
system
As we near the end of the 20th century, students face an
environment that has changed drastically in the past couple of
years, making this one of the most challenging periods in recent
times. From the passage of Proposition 227, the anti-bilingual
education initiative, to the rise in the prison industrial-complex,
to the resegregation of higher education under the guise of
Proposition 209, we face what some may consider insurmountable
obstacles.
As students of UCLA, we have a very long and rich history of
student activism which tells us that this should not be a time to
submit to barriers within the university which continually
perpetuate institutionalized racism, sexism and inequality. This is
the time to help challenge and eventually alter these unequal
relations of power. With the creation of our ethnic studies centers
and libraries, women’s resource center, Lesbian, Gay, Bilingual and
Transgender studies, and various student-run community service
programs, change within the walls of this university has always
come from and will continue to come from students no different than
you or me.
History has taught us that no concrete changes have occurred on
this campus without a mass movement involving students, faculty,
labor and community not only questioning but also challenging the
university and society at large.
Now the question of whether we can make a difference on campus
arises. The legacy of student activism on this campus has always
been made up of men and women of all backgrounds and beliefs
brought together by a common will to implement change. There are
various facets of campus life where active participation can make a
world of difference.
From volunteering in the various projects within the Community
Programs Office to getting involved in the many student
organizations on campus, all of us have an opportunity to improve
our society.
With the coming of the millennium, we all must now critically
evaluate what role we want to play in an ever-changing world where
profit and individualism continue to drive the marketplace and
society. Do we want to only benefit ourselves or do we want to be
active participants in making this world better for everyone?
Now, you may think that getting involved on campus makes very
little difference in the scheme of things, but these are the times
during which we develop the values and ideals that will last with
us throughout our lives. Not only are these the times where we will
constantly be challenged, but these are also the times during which
our work and love does indeed make a difference in the lives of
many students.
Our active participation on and off campus helps advance the
struggle to truly make this a just and equitable world. Every step
we take affects the process in one shape or form. Whether it be big
or small, every contribution helps.
While there are indeed many reasons why students choose to
actively participate within organizations and student government,
including the chance to meet new and exciting people, many get
involved because of UCLA’s legacy of student activism and the
desire to help create positive social change.
While the will to make a difference drives many students, the
hunger to critically evaluate and change ourselves also motivates a
great number of people to get involved. Many student advocacy
groups (SAGs) as well as student government (USAC) provide spaces
where women and men can challenge and question their own
assumptions and ideas.
We are all driven by a dominant ideology that is reflected in
many, if not all, of the social structures that surround us. From
our beliefs to our daily interactions and social relationships with
people, we are all influenced by something, internal or external
(i.e. what we learn in class, what we see on TV, what our friends
say, spiritual values).
With this understanding we come to realize that transforming
this campus and society first begins with ourselves.
Change cannot happen around us if it does not begin with us.
More than anything else, the student groups and student government
on campus has allowed me to see my own flaws and places where I can
continue to change.
Having the courage to recognize our mistakes and to pro-actively
try and change them is hard but necessary as we enter a time where
many segments of our society are counting on us to help them in
their struggle to make this world more just and equal.
We must all look deep within ourselves to find the courage to be
vulnerable, the ability to love, the willingness to cry and the
strength to change if we truly want to change the relationships of
power on and off campus.
Only then will we all collectively be able to make those small,
and sometimes big, steps that are absolutely necessary in making
change.
De la Rocha, an American literature and Chicana/o studies
student, is an Undergraduate Student Association Council (USAC)
general representative.
Comments, feedback, problems?
© 1998 ASUCLA Communications Board[Home]