MANDY WHITING (l-r) Curt Young, Janelle
Tillotson and Robert Battles add their
voices to their community.
By Roopa Raman
Daily Bruin Contributor
With the black community at UCLA constituting less than 5
percent of the student population, such students recognize their
cultural identities are unique and hope their experiences will
enlighten others.
Fourth-year African American studies student Robert Battles
decided to immerse himself in the black community while at UCLA,
saying that people can only find themselves when they see their
roles in the larger community and build a comfort zone in the
process.
Though Battles has had to endure challenges as a black student,
he said he’s never been discouraged from continuing the
struggle. His goal is to bring people together while continuing to
recognize that his presence is a political statement at UCLA.
“African American culture touches the heart,”
Battles said. “It thrives off of the idea that no one is
going to make it alone. As a people, African Americans come out of
a culture of oppression, out of a culture of struggle, and
we’re going to be around.”
Being able to receive an education by attending a college like
UCLA is a positive step for blacks, Battles said.
“This university has made a name for itself based on the
legacy of African American students on campus,” he said.
“You can’t ignore our presence on campus. We’re
not going to stand by and watch that happen.”
For others, it is difficult to attend a school where the number
of blacks is so small.
As an underrepresented student at UCLA, Curt Young “feels
like a stranger in a strange land.”
“When we (blacks) see each other, it’s like an
event,” said the fourth-year European history student.
“If there are two African Americans in my classes,
that’s a big deal.”
When fourth-year Spanish student Janelle Tillotson was deciding
which college to attend, she almost chose a predominately black
institution because she was frustrated with being one of the few
black students in her classes.
But when she visited UCLA, she remembered black students
reaching out and urging her to join the ethnic population.
“(This) encourages me to do well because I know that I am
here for a reason,” she said. “I’m a voice here,
and I speak for the community.”
Tillotson became involved with the African Student Union, as
well as the Academic Supports Program and the Academic Advancement
Program, support services available to underrepresented
students.
“It’s necessary to connect with other black
people,” she said. “It’s important that we share
our experiences.”
In addition to supporting each other, some also want to help
other underrepresented students on campus.
Young, familiar with the feeling of being discriminated against,
took the initiative to prevent other groups from falling into the
same circumstances. After Sept. 11, he joined UCLA Muslim and Arab
students to support other ethnic groups that are oppressed and
divided in society.
“It’s my duty to support people who are being
demonized,” he said. “I know how isolated people are.
We have to recognize that all people are fundamentally
connected.”
Young remembers periods in his life when he became distinctly
aware of his racial identity. When Young attended a Catholic
elementary school in Chicago, he never referred to the nuns as
“white,” but just as “nuns.” Then one day,
one of the nuns became irritated ““ merely because of his race
““ when a little girl gave him a Valentine’s Day
card.
“When I realized I was different, I was very
ashamed,” he said. “I lived in a world where people of
my color were despised.”
Young experienced similar forms of prejudice while working in
New York. Standing outside an office building with two other black
men, someone asked them, “What is this, a
conspiracy?”
Young relishes in the traditions and morals of his ethnic
community.
“(What) I find unique in black American culture is a
natural concern for others, or the extent a black person will go
out of his or her way to help another person,” he said.
Young also savors the spirituality in the music and movement of
African Americans, including jazz, Afro-Cuban mixes and the blues.
Battles considers the rise of hip-hop in the United States a
representation of blacks’ ability to gather in
solidarity.
Young said he detects traces of “Africanness” in
hip-hop: “It’s a movement that suggests closeness to
the spirit of the earth, which is a very African sensibility for
me.”