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50 Years of What? Josue Castellon contributing writer
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t’s everywhere. UCSD is turning 50. We can’t avoid it! There are signs, emails and websites announcing this great achievement! My question is, what is UCSD’s achievement? Is it truly 50 years of “innovators, inventors, people like you!“ as the flyer announcing the 50th states, or is it 50 years of oppression, marginality, sexism, and racism? I get it. UCSD has achieved the extraordinary; we are hitting our Golden Years. But looking back at the past fifty years, [his]tory has shown, on this campus in particular, students of color have been fighting to be represented and retained. Students of color carry roles as both students and as administrators: we do the work for administration, volunteer numerous hours to help outreach to the San Diego community and continuously fight to be welcomed on this campus. But as this administration is so busy with acknowledging that UCSD is turning fifty, they are, like always, forgetting to acknowledge the people who truly shaped and created this campus. In this academic year, there are so many other extraordinary anniversaries. For example, Third College, known as Marshall College, is turning 40 years old, Movimento Estudiantil Chicana/o de Aztlan de UCSD, 40, the Student Affirmative Action Committee (SAAC), 35, the Ethnic Studies Department, 20, the Cross-Cultural Center, 15, the Women’s Center, 15, and the LGBTRC turned 10 years old, to list a few. But even through all these beautiful achievements, UCSD administration fails to acknowledge the work and commitment of these departments and organizations. Instead, the administration would rather throw a huge event like the one on November 13th called “Expect the Night of the Unexpected.” This event was not only composed
Dryden Hull
of “cultural dances” but also showcased the school’s top priority, the donors. This event was extremely exclusive, at $250 a seat, and the administration’s top priority of the night was to “impress” interested donors to donate to the University. Instead of informing these donors of true UCSD stories or of the issues students are facing, the administration put on their mask and acted as though nothing problematic has ever occurred. In other words, live in a color blind society. In the following week, the administration had an event for students on November 18 called UCSD Founders Day. Numerous alumni came back to honor the past 50 years, but was it truly an event for students? At no point did the program acknowledge the students who create change on this campus nor did it have a huge student turn out. (They did try to reel students in by having Far East Movement perform at the end of the event.) But ask yourself, how much money was spent on this event? Instead of wasting so much money on this event, wouldn’t it make more sense to invest this money on the programs that are needed on this campus like access and retention, or even on the New Resource Centers that should be opening up later on in the year? Aren’t we going through an economic crisis? The UC Regents have consistently raised our fees and Governor Brown just cut $500 million from California’s education fund. Why does this school continuously try to showcase its “great achievement” while it still silences and ignores communities? I would argue that this is its great achievement, the ability to oppress, silence, marginalize, erase and ignore people of color communities. The next time that you see or hear anything about the 50th anniversary, ask yourself: who is being acknowledged? Ignored? Silenced? Question the administration, the people who are creating these events and the people who feel as though nothing is wrong. At UCSD’s Centennial, speak up. If you feel as though something is wrong, address it. We cannot let ourselves be silenced anymore, the University has done a great job at that. ‘Cause there ain’t no power like the power of the students cause the power of the students don’t stop! And we won’t back down ‘til our voices are heard and education is
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volume IV, issue 2, february 2011
The Dilemma and Promise of Community? Edwina Welch contributing writer
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have been in more than a dozen spaces where ideas of community, activism, identity and voice get talked about, tossed around, argued, debated…most often with the underlying subtext being we need ONE definition to move forward. Often I witness people talking more than listening, proving a point more than seeing someone else’s, self-projecting instead of self-reflecting. I am guilty of all three. Reflecting back on this moment in time last year, these same questions came up. Internally, with many communities, and externally, through the real pain and action precipitated by individuals with self-reflection issues, put the promise and the dilemma of a new kind of community front and center. Last year’s fee protests, racist and sexist incidents, acts of intolerance to religious groups and caricatures of Native peoples pulled the curtain away from institutional and structural dynamics that have long been voiced by the very community and individuals, who have felt and been silenced by these very structures over the past 50 years. Communities came together in new and exciting coalitions, meetings and ideas. New ways of thinking and being in institutions called into question old practices and ideas. The dilemma and promise get tricky here because we are all at different levels of our own development of identity and definitions of community. We also all come with different cultural, pedagogical, gendered and age differences. We have different focuses and different strategies for building community and making institutional change. What are we to do when a person needs to spend time learning and
being in a specific community for their own sense of self, and at the same time, another person thinks we all have to come together and have a common group and vision? Thus the dilemma. But is it really? Audre Lorde wrote “that differences have been mis-named and misused in the service of separation and confusion.” Why does it have to be all together or not, why does one strategy have to be paramount, why is it so hard to come together across groups, departments, communities? I have been puzzling this for over the last 9 months. Maybe the reductionist one way/one answer dichotomy is the ultimate “Master’s Tool.” I think student conferences have it right: let’s be explicit about when we come together and when we caucus… and respect that the individual and community needs to do both. It doesn’t show the community is in crisis, it shows we know how to respect where people are and honor that place in them and ourselves. Let’s come together across departments in these same ways. Let’s push beyond our way of seeing community to expand new ways of have both individual and collective goals. I believe this is the only way to re-name our differences in the service of community and individuals. We are at a critical conjuncture where hard dialogues have to occur. Even when well meaning people want change in systems, policies, practices, historical ways of doing things, privilege, current economic times all conspire to a certain inertia… momentum, passion and activism wear down by the very weight of the work to be done individually, collectively, and structurally. This is the ultimate victory of the separation we do to ourselves… How about a radical new way of using our differences, talents, voices, and passions?
These poems were written by SPACES staff during an All Staff Meeting. The prompt was to write a collective poem around the theme of “50 years of ...”
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Multiculturalism: Count Me Out! Gracelynne West contributing writer
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Dear Privilege Denying on Facebook, Actually it is racist and untrue, and here’s why: The term “asians” is problematic. You are using it as a panethnic grouping, which means that you’re clumping together a large population of people who have a wide variety of identities and histories and may in fact have nothing in common. (Except for the fact that you stereotype them all under the same umbrella category.) So when you complain that “asians” are taking over your classes or the UCSD campus, think again, because the only thing you can accurately judge about the people you essentialize and judge as “asian” based on their appearances, is the fact that they all probably go to UCSD and not much more; since you know NOTHING about their identities, experiences, ethnicities, races, or who their favorite Jersey Shore character is. And no, your eugenics-fueled convictions that you can “just tell” when someone is “asian” based on their “slanted eyes,” or hair color, facial features, affinity for Hello Kitty or physical attributes is not only completely wrong but most definitely racist. Yep, it’s RACIST and racist alone. Not “true cuz stereotypes originate from reality” or “true cuz everyone knows it”... just plain old racist and untrue. Your comment expresses your conviction in the widespread (mis) conception that “Asians are bad drivers” and you reference a movie that depicts racialized caricatures of Asian Americans. This is problematic. (I won’t even get started on the racist depictions of “Asians” in the movie you referenced due to it’s severe lack of both cinematic merit and realistic content.) First of all, you seem convinced that this stereotype is true, which is baffling. What do you know about the essentialized racial formations and social constructs that society functions on and their relationship to the quality of an individual’s driving? If you have done some significant studies and research on this, please do share. It seems that you’re just perpetuating a false and offensive stereotype... just like “Blacks are lazy” or “Jews are stingy” or “Latinos are illegal immigrants”. These stereotypes are not only completely false and ludicrous generalizations, but they also utilize fabricated racial categories that provide the social constructs of “race” with power within a hierarchy of “races” and people. Let me guess... you’ve never been called out on your white privilege. Well here you go, I’m calling you out. For you to perpetuate these stereotypes AND these problematic racial panethnic categories, is for you to practice white privilege, because you have the privilege of never experiencing oppression due to these stereotypes and problematic racial groupings, and chose to actively participate in their perpetuation which maintains racial oppressions and hierarchies. I’m not “hating on you cuz you’re white” because anyone of any “race” can embody white privilege. I want to point out the ideological implications of your statements. While perhaps you can’t change the fact that people judge you and panethnically group you as being “white,” you can still be aware of your white privilege and ensure that you do not use it to demean and oppress others, as you’ve done here. Privilege Denying, let’s not forget the seven people who “liked” your comment on Facebook, probably giving you the misconception that your statements were correct, when in fact these people are just as misguided as you and practicing their white privilege as well by endorsing your racist statements. People make a lot of untrue, problematic, racist, sexist, and homophobic comments on Facebook and the Internet...and while I’d love to be able to address all their comments as in detail as I’ve been able to do with yours, it is simply impossible. But according to Facebook, you are in the UCSD community, and I felt I had to address your comments specifically because I go to UCSD too. And Privilege Denying... your racism won’t fly in this community.
Sincerely,
Calling You Out in La Jolla
s I tried to learn more about the speech that Rodney Hood gave during the Founders Day event, I found a brief 50 second clip from UCSD’s “official” YouTube featuring the “entire” day of the event (it’s no surprise it reinforces that most of the activism that day seem to have never happened). I heard Hood speak in narrative form, stating, “What do they mean, grandmother, when they talk about diversity or someone does not look like you and me, isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be?” With how this transitioned to sponsoring an assimilationist, multiculturalist discourse of “this is what the university serves, disciplining bodies especially bodies of color to mold this framework of ‘excellence,’” I can only guess that he was pointing towards difference as a tool to individualize identity, struggle and success. It is interesting how Hood links our generation to continuing this legacy of violence, how the work we constantly have to re-envision in order to make an effort towards changing can never be enough, that the work that we continue to do for those who come after us is making them realize that they are worth so much more, yet discursive violence continues to precede it. When I think of multi-culturalism, I think of the ways it creates an acceptability for political-correctedness and steers away from the ways we can look critically at how identity is intersectional and socially constructed through systems of power. It is a way to recognize diversity through the lens of the hypervisible white privileged heterosexual ablebodied male by rendering underrepresented and underserved communities as part of this whole, and that is just where it ends. “Yes, now
you have representation, isn’t that all you wanted?” It is a way to signify success through what one lacks. Individualism and individual failure become the sole markers of excellence. How many times do we, as students of color, need to re-define the university’s definition of diversity? This continues to pit individuals as “not doing enough” to succeed and continues to misconstrue the ways underrepresented communities are systematically barred from resources and systems of support. It becomes harder to constantly communicate in ways people might understand, that we, as students of color are the ones that are directly affected by these issues and see the needs of our communities, yet we are still the only ones who have to keep doing the work in order for it to continue. A friend told me a few years back, “it’s not you who is struggling about what to say but it is what language does not allow us to say, that doesn’t know you.” Language is something that can be easily misinterpreted and misunderstood. It is a struggle to go deeper in myself, knowing that it will happen either way, especially when I know that I cannot make use of words and it becomes read as “illegible.” I use language to understand the complexities, that words do not always come as easily as multiculturalism sees representation but can also be forced, rushed, revisited and “in the silences.” Like language, multiculturalism seeks to ignore the complexities of identity, where different intersections of my identity inform each other and are constantly changing, how that constructs the ways my body is read and positioned in society. What I would like to say to Rodney Hood is that enough is enough. I can no longer take the words you throw at me or my community to be complicit. Your words are laced in power and I will come back stronger, to dig deeper in myself to resist.
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Irwin Simpelo
Christopher J. McCoy contributing writer
A revolt is taking place in Egypt. The anger and frustration that has been brewing for years at a government perceived to be corrupt and ineffective by the people have finally boiled over, out onto the streets. Social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook are being utilized to organize citizens en masse as well as spread news of happenings in the country, prompting the regime to shut down all internet and cell phone communication—the first time in Internet history. All throughout Egypt, police forces are using force with rubber bullets and live ammunition, water cannons and tear gas, against demonstrators who are walking the streets in record numbers demanding their rights to freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and freedom to vote democratically in fair elections. Revolutions are nothing new to Egyptians; their country was founded from the ashes of one. In 1952, Gamel Abdel Nasser and a team of mid-level members in the military staged a coup that resulted in the beginning of today’s National Republic of Egypt. Nasser took power and rose as a leader in the Arab world, taking part in the Non-Aligned Movement post World War II and fostering a pan-Arab identity across the region. After Nasser died, Anwar Sadat took over and led the country into a more capitalistic minded age, with his infitah policy, which raised prices and opened Egypt to free markets. Sadat was assassinated by Islamist factions because of his Camp David peace agreement with Israel. In 1981, current President Hosni Mubarak took over, and has been ruling ever since in a distant but dictatorial perch over the land. The recent democratic upheaval in Tunisia is believed to have spurred the raucous bursts of passion and protests in Egypt, as well as in Yemen. The Tunisian President was in power for 23 years, holding down a regime that many citizens viewed as repressive and backwards. After botched elections, the president of Tunisia was forced to flee the country, and previously jailed bloggers are now becoming heads of state. The recent turn of events in Tunisia is
viewed as a victory for democracy in the Arab world. Egyptians quickly followed suit to their North African counterparts. Tens of thousands marched to the streets, burning posters of President Hosni Mubarak, who has been in power for 30 years, and now is seeking his sixth six-year term in the country’s most powerful post. Marchers are taking to the streets in record numbers, and tanks are quick to greet them. What may result in Egypt is a regime change or the slamming of the regime’s iron fist upon dissenters. Even if Mubarak is overthrown, as many Egyptians hope and expect, the question remains—who would be the successor to Mubarak? Many expect that his son, Gamal Mubarak, the current head of the ruling National Democratic Party, would take the reigns from his father. His ascension to the Presidency may result in a fallout with military leaders due to his lack of military ties. This could result in a military coup. Another possible successor is Omar Suleiman, the National Director of Intelligence who Mubarak has appointed Vice President, as of Friday, January 28, 2011. If he takes the reigns of power, military might would prevail. President Barack Obama and his administration are walking a diplomatic tight rope with Egypt now. If he dare call Mubarak a dictator or denounce the regime harshly in public, there may be major repercussions should Mubarak hold onto power and still be needed as a strong ally in the region. In light of the current social and political circumstances, President Obama is under pressure to promote social stability and human rights in Egypt. While his speech in Cairo last June and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton’s assertion of the importance of human rights during her recent trip to Egypt were significant, the common sentiment is that more needs to be done. It would be a grave loss to American interests and progress of peace in the Middle East if the situation in Egypt should deteriorate further. By investing in human rights and social stability in Egypt, the US would be investing in the peace and stability of the region because no other country holds such geo-political power there.
EGYPT'S REVOLT
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Going Green At The Expense of
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Workers and Students
ast Fall Quarter, UCSD Housing and Dining administrators announced that they would be using steam machines to clean dormitory and apartment bathrooms throughout the six colleges. They claim that the use of this new equipment is more “environmentally-friendly” for both students and workers alike and a better way to sanitize restrooms in comparison to the chemical cleaning supplies used. This, however, has been done at the expense of the workers, posing tremendous health risks to UCSD service workers. The steam machines, which have now been put on temporary hold until February 28, 2011, have a water capacity of approximately 10.5 gallons. Rather than being filled to capacity however, workers are restricted to one gallon of water, where only half that gallon is used to clean 3 apartments at a time. Though they may be using less water, the claim that these machines are “green” is flawed, for the control of water is at the expense of the quality of cleaning. In order to properly use the steam machines to clean dorms and apartments the steam machines would have to be filled to capacity, not only wasting more water but also causing more injuries to our workers. Abusing workers’ health in the name of environmental friendliness is not sustainable. Before the implementation of the KARCHER DE 4002 steam machines, the Diversey-Glance chemical products that were already being used, were classified as “environmentally preferred” cleaning solutions. The discontinuation of these chemicals has negatively impacted the standard of hygiene within all of the college dorms and apartments here at UCSD. The steam machines not only pose environmental issues, but also health risks to UCSD service workers and students alike. Steam machines function by heating water to anywhere from 230 degrees to 320 degrees, in order to convert water into a vapor. This has resulted in hazardous conditions, as many of the workers have ended up with severe burns. Workers have also suffered from many injuries ranging from back/neck pains to permanent nerve damage after using KARCHER steam machines. Students too are at risk due to the fact that the steam machines fail to remove grease and/or other bodily fluids such urine and feces within the dormitory restroom facilities. A few of the college dormitory/apartment complexes such as the Revelle fleets and Sixth College, do not have elevators, forcing workers to carry the steam machines up three to four flights of stairs at a time. The machines, without the weight of accessories, weigh 22 to 25 lbs. When filled with only a gallon of water, the machines weigh approximately 50 lbs. This is not only strenuous labor but detrimental to the health of our workers who, as a majority, are 50 years of age and older. TWENTY-EIGHT service workers have been reportedly injured by these machines that the UCSD Housing administration refuses to revoke. One worker has medical documentation that states she has permanent nerve damage, and has medical documentation stating that the hauling of steam machines were a leading factor of this irreversible damage. The administration’s solution to the claims of injuries has been to send service workers to EXERCISE TRAINING CLASSES to “strengthen their muscles” to better use the steam machines. We, the students of UC San Diego, must take action against yet another form of inhumane and foul treatment that the UCSD administration has placed upon the service workers. Aside from their inability to send their children to college, gain fair healthcare benefits and the UC Regents’ latest implementation of unfair pension plan, our workers are struggling to stay healthy on our campus. It is our duty as students to stand in solidarity with the workers who contribute so much both to us and this campus. At times when the UC-system faces tremendous budget cuts, the struggles of the workers are ours, just as much as our struggles are theirs. Urge the UC San Diego Housing and Dining Administration to permanently end the use of steam machines on campus for “green” chemicals. Demand that the steam machines not be used and alternative green ways are researched that are beneficial both to the environment and workers.
With love,
The Student Worker Collective Find us on Facebook - Support the workers and sign the petition against the use of these steam machines!
Hardeep Jandu / The Collective Voice
kIaMSha
COMMUNITY CONFERENCE Cross-Cultural Center | January 22, 2011 Kiamsha in Swahili means “that which awakens me”. The theme of the CCC Affiliates program this year was “Stronger Self, Stronger Community”. The conference was focused on building stronger coalitions with other progressive student organizations, as well as emphasizing the need for balance and self-care.
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Asian American and Pacific Islander High School Youths ‘Lead’ Through Cultural Education Linda Chang staff writer
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ne of the greatest flaws in public high schools today is the lack of education in cultural identity. The history textbooks in schools put great emphasis on American history but never enough on the other regions in the world. In addition, the history textbooks that are used in public schools are biased towards America. Ultimately, public schools only cultivate the “American” but never other ethnic identities of students. The community, Asian American and Pacific Islanders youth, are unable to learn about their history due to public high schools’ lack of effort. Wenli Jen, Prevention Program Director for Pacific Clinics - Asian Pacific Family Center, initiated a plan for change in breaking the “Asian Model Minority Myth” this past summer in San Gabriel Valley. Jen, staff and volunteers developed LEAD (Leadership, Education, Advocacy, and Diversity), a program to empow-
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er the Asian American and Pacific Islanders through presenting social issues that affect AAPI community. The presentation covered topics such as the historical and contemporary racism, current issues, building leadership and communication skills, AAPI identity and culture and development in goals to better community. In order to effectively address these sensitive issues to the youths, there were guest speakers, videos, and news articles. News article and images of the racist T-shirts Abercrombie and Finch produced were presented that allowed the youth to understand that racism still exists. The history of the Japanese internment camp, death of Vincent Chin, and Chinese rail road construction were also addressed. In addition, current issues about human trafficking and rights were also discussed. Leadership and communication workshop strengthened were implemented to strengthened youths’ voice. The five week program concluded with the presen-
tation of the workers’ rights organization that aims to educate and provide support to AAPI communities about their rights. Each youth had the opportunity to develop goals and action plans in order to build a better community.
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I believe in lifelong learning and some of the most important things cannot be found in books alone.
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Jen realizes the importance in education. Youths need to be informed about their culture and how they are perceived in the media. Her inspiration is rooted from her belief in “Young people in the United States need to recognize their truest potential and take steps to reach it. I am inspired by my family, particularly my parents, who immigrated to the United States, and had strived to en-
sure that we, as second generation Chinese Americans, have the opportunities to achieve the so-called American Dream. Ultimately, I believe in lifelong learning and some of the most important things cannot be found in books alone.” In addition, Jen provides a safe environment for youths to express their thoughts. Jen believes, “Schools may have something like this, but for us, we want to ensure that students are able to gain some of the cultural competence that they may not be traditionally asked to obtain. We want them to start to discuss issues that might be difficult but necessary. Race, racism, and privilege are not always things that people want to talk about in a school setting, but in an environment where we provide that open forum that is safe for young people, we believe that they can and will speak their minds.” As this is LEAD program’s first year, it is without a doubt that the program will continue to be a success.
Mestre by Elizabeth Nguyen
hen the Portuguese first tasted the rich land of Brazil, they brought African slaves to toil the mountain silver mines and reap the sugar cane fields. When the slaves were not working, the masters chained their hands behind their backs. But still, using only their feet, the slaves would dance. The masters looked upon it with scorn. Chickens fights, they said. Capoeira. The dance was full of danger and spirit. The slaves were everywhere: on the ground, in the air, on their hands, upside down. If someone got kicked in the face, their dazed body would be dragged out of the roda circle, perhaps tended to after the games were done. Faster and faster, their spinning legs would cleave the air. Crouching low, they would glide across the ground and trip their opponents in a surprise attack. It was only until after the dust and blood had settled did the slave masters realize that it wasn’t a dance, but a rebellion. Besouro was a capoeira mestre. The legend says that his skin was hard as the chitin-armor of Brazilian jungle beetles. Bayonets could not pierce his flesh, guns did not shatter his bones. He could vanish in the shades between the sugar cane, or disappear when you shielded your eyes from the sun. He had the Orixa deities to guide him, the patuá to protect him. The twang of the berimbau warned him of the cavalry long before their hunting hounds could ever find the trail of his black flesh. Already, he was flying across the banana trees, stepping off the leaves as smoothly as a dragonfly alights from a lilyfrond. His spirit could possess the bodies of friends, controlling their movements, fighting for them in their moments of peril. They say that his corpo fechado could be cut by only one thing: a knife carved from tucum wood. As Besouro descended upon the white riders, the enchanted blade gleamed and spilled his guts across the white sand. But despite the victorious cries of the cavalry, Besouro’s mission had been fulfilled—his people had been inspired by his fighting spirit. Already, they were chanting his name in the village, their courage soaring. Soon, they too would be free. His name has been passed down in song, dance, and game from generation to generation. Nobody is sure if he’s real or not. Point is, he is a legend of tomorrow. Tomorrow is when great things begin. We call him Amanhá. It means tomorrow. His real name is Juan. He told me that, back in his elementary school days, little kids were mean. He went to Chinatown to get his first booster pack, and he got a holographic Clefable and was so excited! But when he brought it to school, his peers told him it was fake, peeled off the sticker, and stuck it on the wall. He said this as he flipped through his deck,
Pokémon sliding effortlessly between his fingers. Hmmm, Espeon. He peered intently at the card, sucking on a blue bubblegum popsicle, the sweat shining on the sides of his nose. He doesn’t look like a future asshanding, drum-beating, berimbau-wielding, dance-fighter mestre. Right now, he just looks like a nerd, revisiting the childhood that never left. Apparently, that’s what he likes about capoeira people—that when we walk around campus, you’d never know that he could bust out backflips or that I could do queda de rins. He likes that when we wear our white uniforms, we look like a mob. Or when we carry our berimbaus we look like antique weapons dealers… or indigenous natives. Apparently, Juan got that once. He’d been through the eucalyptus grove, tch-tch-ting-dong-dong as he walked, when some white guy shouted, “Hey, are you a Native American?” and started imitating the damn bow and arrow thing, using his arms to shoot some poor imaginary meat creature. Despite the fact that these instruments have a fivefoot wooden bow and steel wire string and make rhythmic twang-twang music, they are obviously not bow and arrows. Clearly, they are fishing poles. No, spears! Juan said it’s because he’s brown. He’s the darkest one in his family. Last weekend, I moistened up my way-dead español and took to his parent’s place in East LA. We ate carne asada at illegal taco stands at night and barbacoa and menudo at illegal stands in the morning. The stands have to hide everything in a matter of minutes. Juan said that one of his aunts used to have a hot dog cart. They were the best five dollars you could ever spend—peppers, onions, radishes, and bacon twisting all around a greasy sausage! Being a mere fourteen-year-old, his job was to stand on the corner and look out for the cops. Too bad they were coming from the other side. Juan’s aunt had a fake name ready—“Maria,” she said. But Juan’s three-year-old sister tugged on her skirt and said, “No! Your name is Angeles!” Between bites of hot, freshly-pressed tortillas and greasy, shredded goat tinged with limón, Juan asked me, Why haven’t police raided LA yet? If they really wanted to clean out the States, they should come to my town. Illegal immigrants on every block. But LA is too big, and the police only raid neighborhoods that are predominantly white. Juan said that, if he wasn’t studying computers, he’d be an immigration lawyer. That’d be how he’d protect people. Meanwhile, the lady at the barbacoa stand was staring at me like I was an exotic creature. Perhaps she’d never seen an Asian person who wasn’t standing behind the counter of a liquor store. see MESTRE on page 11
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Let My People Go Chris “Kareem” McCoy contributing writer I pray Pray For Egypt My home land I pray Pray For MASR I miss her My people They’re censured Father tongues silenced Mothers wail Pied police resort to violence Tear gas en masse Water cannons BLAST Pharaoh Let my people go O Pharaoh Let my people go.
IT’S AN ASIAN THING
something that sucks
Joanna Huang
Maureen Abugan
contributing writer
co-editor-in-chief
I keep hearing
remembering that you are angry that your anger is valid, but that it must be compromised most times for the sake of others receiving your message instead of your anger, for the sake of everyone wanting to act so much like a grown up even though everyone is obviously still a kid for the sake of being taken seriously
It’s an Asian thing to be good in math and science. It’s an Asian thing to be apathetic. It’s an Asian thing to be bad at driving. It’s an Asian thing to be docile and obedient. It’s an Asian thing to have small slanted eyes. It’s an Asian thing to know martial arts. It’s an Asian thing to have an accent. It’s an Asian thing to play the violin or piano.
because it’s not in your head because child you exist because child you are beautiful
But when, We are homogenized by a society who aims to gloss over our struggles and differences. We are silenced because they think we have no voice, nothing to say, and we will never rise up. We are victims of a model minority myth that has resulted in an increasingly dangerous rate of mental illnesses and suicides within our community. But all of this forgotten. We seek to validate ourselves by people who don’t see color. All they see is white. We feel that we have to prove ourselves to the ravenous appetite of hegemony. Our beautiful languages are subject to mockery and censorship and .. Our sacred bodies are displaced by the eyes of those who think we are invisible. Our culture is exotified by foreigners that have colonized and militarized our homelands so we flee to find a better life in a country that does not want us. We are marginalized because we are labeled as ‘oriental’ or ‘perpetual foreigners’. We convince ourselves that our facial features and skin color are not accepted by whiteness so we seek cosmetics, creams, and even plastic surgery to “fix” it. We face preconceived notions and stereotypes that have already been imposed upon us once we enter this world. We are oppressed by our own oppression. It’s NOT an Asian Thing It’s an Asian PROBLEM
Maureen Abugan
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university of california, san diego
LA FRONTERA
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› MESTRE from page 9
Melissa Pérez González contributing writer
Para mi la frontera significa... dolor amor deseo anelo añoranza universal tierra injusticia ansiedad demandar justicia navegar desear respeto prójimo llorar chillar ajeno duele igual ser amad@ igualdad freeway libertad promesa migra criminalizar limitar evitar correr escapar viajar travesar brincar escarbar caminar nadar ahogar asfixiar muertes vida hilo unión salvación perdición desolación absolución lagrimas tears resistencia ausencia loss hope pain hurt sadness madness deaths locura innecesidad love dualidad oportunidad mojad@ perdid@ isolation luchando respirando buscando deseando esperando querid@s esperanza sentir vivir decir nombrar contar recordar esperar olvidar resar confusión alienation discriminación destrucción distincción división contradicción ... línea frontera metaphor divider conqueror border transnaciónal chaos desorden entropy gring@ american@ who? alien! me? illegal! you! terrorista inhuman@ crueldad categorizar terrorizar culpar rater@ frijoler@ wetback! ... HUMAN@!!! dificil entender hambre necesidad pasión identidad definición luchar obligación devoción percepción corazón necesidad ilusión desilusión inspiración obstáculo inalcanzable inolvidable imperdonable replicar capitalismo desintegrar intentar dividir construir . socialismo comunidad amistad familia organizando defiance resistance chican@ rebelión expresión educación derecho universidad nuestro futuro elejir adelante ciudadan@ naturalización mentira! falsedad verdad Im getting mad, sad, pissed off writing this this is like a puzzle that hurts to solve a puzzle whose edges fitting together stings trying to make sense of my experiences without pulling my hair out without hitting, swinging, inside screaming, crying, yelling, accusing, demanding, hurting, insisting, weeping, running keep sanity keep living hurts hurts keep fighting necessary, must too much love necessary, must because it is enough i am enough because i have had enough! ya basta!
Besouro was born long after the first white ship arrived on Brazilian soil, but even then capoeira was still illegal, practiced in the slums or in the shadowed alcoves of the jungle. They say that Exu, the trickster god and oldest of the Orixas, appeared to Besouro in Bahia, the birthplace of capoeira. Exu raised a metal amulet and rumbled, wear my gift and you shall not feel the bite of swords or bullets. When the thundering of hoofs drowned out the beat of the atabaque drum, the other capoeiristas fled for their lives. But Besouro stood fearlessly, Exu’s magical patuá dangling from his neck. When the police saw it was only one man, they laughed. After firing bullet bullets bullets, the captain prodded the body with his gun. Besouro sprang up and—unleashing the fury of his armada doble, twin kicks flying side-by-side—lay all the police on their backs, their faces torn and bloody. The people began whispering that he could transform into a shining beetle and escape when outnumbered. Or that, the other day, he’d forced a soldier to drink himself silly on cachaça, and he’d dumped the drunken fool in his own station! They began to stare back into the eyes of the police. Besouro was wanted dead by every rich white plantation owner in Bahia. Once the police resummoned their courage, they chased Besouro into the jungle. Besouro flew so fast, he followed the roar of a hungry waterfall straight off its cliff. The icy torrent froze the blood in his limbs. He would have drowned if not for Oxum, princess of the fresh waters. She raised him from the depths and breathed on his lips. When our capoeira friends went to the waterfall, Juan was so body-shy that he refused to go in unless I swam with my clothes on too. The pool was a huge punch-bowl crater lined with sunbronzed boulders. A frothing river tumbled down the jagged cliffside; each falling droplet stung like a beetle’s bite. The moment we rolled off the dry rocks, Juan was up to his wide, wide eyes in swirling green water. I just stretched out my arm and let him clutch it for dear life. “Liz, I’ll protect you,” he whispered later, our legs tangled together under the sheets. Apparently, he’d always had a secret fantasy of rescuing his One True Love from guns, monsters, or other perils. He’d have dreams (or nightmares) about setting zombies on fire, or blasting aliens with laser beams, or cracking the necks see MESTRE on page 12
volume IV, issue 2, february 2011
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spaces.ucsd.edu
› MESTRE from page 11
of ghetto gangsters with his bare hands. Maybe he’d be injured or die, but it didn’t matter as long as he could be my hero. A patuá is anything that is sacred. A patuá will keep you safe. If only he’d had someone to say: I’ll protect you, too. Juan loves capoeira, but sometimes he plays to forget. Juan said that when his mom found out his dad had been cheating on her, she went blind. Furious! Juan hardened his quivering gut and told her she should get a divorce. She tried to go driving to find his dad, but Juan blocked the garage door with his body. She took her molé spoon—a giant cooking utensil more suited for paddling canoes—and beat him and bashed him until his legs collapsed. Afterwards, he crawled into bed, his body swollen. When his dad would beat his mom to the floor, Juan lied to his sisters that everything was okay. At night, he’d crawl into a corner and will his chest to not explode from the need to cry. He held it all in… until he woke up one day and couldn’t move half of his body. The local curandera, whose medical services cost hundreds less than the hospital, said that he’d had a stroke in his sleep. Juan needed a wheelchair, couldn’t smile properly because half his face was limp. Each night, his mom coated his paralyzed side—from his toes to the edge of his face—in a chili pepper paste to wake up his nerves. The medicine was white and creamy like toothpaste. A single whiff would burn the inside of his one working nostril. It took a while for it to sink into his pores. A month later, he woke up screaming, his body on fire. Last summer, a thudding, clankering smack in the early morning shook Juan from his sleep. He went downstairs and saw his father, his thick hands squeezing the breath from his mother’s throat. Juan seized his arms, shoved him outside, and locked the door. Nobody talked about it afterwards. When Juan had finished spilling all, he covered his face in the sheets.
CO-EDITORS IN CHIEF Regine Reyes Maureen Abugan
STAFF WRITERS Linda Chang
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Josue Castellon Gracelynne West Melissa Perez Gonzalez Joanna Huang Christopher J. McCoy Edwina Welch Elizabeth Nguyen Calling You Out in La Jolla Student Worker Collective SPACES Staff
PHOTOGRAPHERS Dryden Hull Hardeep Jandu
Artists Melissa Perez Gonzalez Irwin Simpelo
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We want freedom
We want social unity and equality for all people on campus
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We want to promote social awareness and combat social ignorance
To Be Continued
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We want to unite student activists and students with progressive values and common struggles
Check out the 3rd issue of The Collective Voice for the continuation of this piece!
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We want to educate others about ourstories and our true role in present-day society
The Collective Voice is a student-run, studentinitiated publication of UCSD’s SPACES, the Student Promoted Access Center for Education and Service. The mission of the Student Promoted Access Center for Education and Service (SPACES) is to act as an empowering dynamic on campus where UCSD students collaborate to achieve greater educational equity. This encompasses equal access to higher education, undergraduate retention and graduation, and matriculation to graduate and professional schools. SPACES values the power of student-initiated action and organizing by providing an environment for student growth and development and thus is a foundation to create leadership and unity through community engagement. In line with SPACES’ mission of valuing “the power of student-initiated action,” “proving an environment for student growth and development,” and creating “unity through community engagement,” The Collective Voice is UCSD’s progressive newspaper that promotes social unity, justice and awareness across the many communities that exist on the UCSD campus. The Collective Voice will help create a sense of safe
space and community for students who may otherwise feel unwelcome at UCSD’s challenging campus climate thereby contributing to existing retention efforts of campus. This newspaper deeply values students’ voices by providing an outlet for open dialogue and discussion surrounding issues and developments affecting their communities. Additionally, The Collective Voice allows UCSD’s progressive community to outreach, collaborate and communicate to the greater San Diego communities outside of our campus. Most importantly, The Collective Voice, provides marginalized students and under-resourced students the empowering opportunity to protect the representation of their identities and beliefs, and report alternative news that is not otherwise covered by mainstream media. The Collective Voice, in partnership with SPACES, allows for the creation of “an empowering dynamic where UCSD students collaborate to achieve greater educational equity.” It is through this mission that the collective of diverse voices in one newspaper will actively demonstrate an empowering progressive community on the UCSD campus.
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We want educational equity and to empower under resourced communities
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We want to fight the rhetoric propagated by oppressive forces on campus
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We want our beliefs, practices, and ethics to be illustrated in a correct light
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We want peace. The ability to coexist on campus without fear of prejudice or persecution
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We want to be recognized as equal individuals despite and because of our ethnicity, religious affiliation, race, gender, or sexual orientation
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