common ground uc san diego cross-cultural center volume 13, issue 2 winter 2009
live...reflect...create...
welcome to the
family!
Chase Smith
Campus Community Centers Graduate Community Coordinator
Sherrell Tyler
SDSU Graduate Intern
What will.i.am and I have in common:
It’s a New Day Dr. Edwina Welch CCC Director
As someone new to YouTube, I fell in love with the “It’s a New Day” video by will.i.am. The video is a collage of Election Day images from all over the U.S. and around the world. The beat is up-tempo and lively, with people of all ages, creeds, and backgrounds celebrating this unprecedented moment. I am sure that each of us will remember where we were November 4, 2008 at 8:43p.m. when the election results came in: a defining moment in history. What will be our individual “new day?” Given this moment of possibility, scarcity, opportunity, economic crises, innovation, wars, and opportunities for peace, what is each of us willingly to do? What are we willingly to contribute? As we mark this milestone I am reminded of my favorite election quote: “I am not asking you to believe in my ability to bring about change, I am asking you to believe in yours.” Can each of us make “A New Day?” Yes we can.
What’s
Inside!
live... Creating Solidarity through Reflection and Action (3) I Think in Tangents (3 + 4) Upcoming Programs (5) Intern Projects (6 + 7) Resolve to Make a Difference (8) Parallels for Peace (9) Otro Mundo Si Es Posible (10 + 11)
reflect... PR8P (12) Reflections... (13)
create... Affiliates Search (14) untitled. (14) radio.music.love (15)
Fun stuff about me: I like cheesecake, almond snow bubble, spicy food, and lobsters. I am really passionate about indigenous issues as well as gender and sexuality issues. I graduated in Ethnic Studies and travel around to different universities and to community organizations talking about indigenous peoples and their issues especially from a Katutubo perspective (indigenous, tribal Pilipin@). I also like to make up words and am very into emo, sad, slow songs. A timeline of my involvement at UCSD: 1997: First APSA High School Conference 1998: First KP High School Conference 2002: Involved with Student Initiated Outreach & Recruitment Commission’s 1st Student Summer Summit and APSA 2003: Involved with BSU and MEChA High School Conference 2003-2004: Did Summer Bridge, OASIS, APSA, SIORC, KP, Kamalayan Kollective, Pilipino Students Saving Tagalog (PSST), Pan-Asian Student Association and Warren College Orientation Leader. 2004-2005: OASIS Intern, APSA Board, SIORC Secretary, SAAC Secretary, Kamalayan Kollective, APSA Talent Show, IHouse Asian Heritage Month Celebration, QPOC High School Conference, SIORC Student Summer Summit Resource & Residential Advisor 2005-2006: OASIS, CUDLI Intern, SIORC Administrative Director, Chancellor’s Office 2006-2007: OASIS, CCC Intern, SIORC Co-Administrative Director, PINA Yism Class, SPACES Development Committee 2007-2008: SAAC Community Engagement Coordinator, Kamalayan Kollective, Katutubo Kulture Nyte 2008-present: CCC Office Manager
learn about...
Joseph Ruanto-Ramirez ccc office manager 2
live...
with peace.love.joy always.
Creating Solidarity through Reflection and Action Denise “Chicanota� Manjarrez CCC Diversity Peer Educator Intern
As a society, we underestimate the impact that our decisions have in our local surroundings, but especially the impact it has across borders. Therefore, it is fundamental to our development as students and as conscious individuals that we take time to reflect upon our roles as agents and key figures in this global and capitalistic society. We have control over the things we read, the issues we get involved with and the things and ideas we consume. It is through conscious reflection and conscious decisions that we begin to change ourselves and as a result begin to create change in the world. One of the issues that I have begun to reflect upon is the question of how to annihilate or for the moment diminish the exploitative practices that big corporations are exercising throughout the world. It is not necessary to watch a documentary on the exploitation of third world womyn in sweatshops in China or Indonesia owned by NIKE and Wal-Mart. One can find these sweatshops in our own inner cities. As we unconsciously pass streets that are lined with factories that seem to be operating even throughout the night, let us recognize those inside who are being overworked, underpaid and mistreated. They are mostly migrants and/or undocumented individuals that suffer from the practices of U.S. society that exploit their labor and undervalue their experiences. There is a connection between the NIKE trabajadora in the Philippines and the undocumented worker inside of an L.A. sweatshop. Working long shifts, not having access to water and clean bathrooms, and the lack of safe working facilities is a reality that they both share.
sustain themselves and their families. After the eviction of the farmers, the campaign then targeted Forever 21, which is a company that decided to establish its business there. Not only has the Never Forever 21 campaign fought for the rights of the farmers displaced off their land, but the campaign has also targeted Forever 21 for its practices that pay very low wages and disregard the safety of its workers. The Never Forever 21 is an example of coalitions who struggle for the protection of their communities over the interests of these businesses. As we continue to live in a society that upholds profit and power over the well being and respect for human beings, it becomes easier to not take the time to ask questions and to resist participating within this exploitative system. Let us utilize our agency and our ability to exercise power and influence. As United States consumers and citizens investigate the practices of these big corporations. Pressure them to give their workers livable wages, improve their working conditions, and their ability to form their own independent unions. Therefore, as we get ready to start each day let us reflect and investigate where the clothes that we put on and the shoes we wear come from. Let us hold these companies accountable and stop big corporations from holding the well-being of our societies in their hands. So let us raise awareness, shop consciously, and create new avenues and spaces where we respect worker rights and lives.
I Think in Tangents Mary Kong
CCC Programming Intern
I have been looking for myself. Over the past couple of years I have been trying to define what it is about my identity that makes me who I am. It’s complicated. Life is, identity is. Experiences intertwin with histories that find me more perplexed than trying to find those words at the tip of my tongue.
The South Central Farm campaign, taking place in South Central Los Angeles, work towards improving the daily lives of Los Angeles residents by primarily tackling the issue of sustainability and social justice. Their main action has revolved around the displacement of around 350 families who worked a piece of farmland within South Central to
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I have been attempting to come to terms with what it means to be Chinese-Cambodian (or even if that is the correct way to identify myself ethnically). My parents are ethnically Chinese, but were born in Cambodia, a country that has been impacted by the American-Vietnam War. Trying to weave that ethnic identity with my other identities while coming to terms with how I’ve grown up has brought me tears. These tears come from the silenced acts of not knowing, but at the same time knowing that something is behind the reason my parents never taught me Khmer or the reasons they work odd long hours to support the family without much complaint. Living with these silent acts work in parallel with institutions that move to make certain stories invisible.
western medicine, and post-traumatic stress disorder from their experiences in the American-Vietnam War. Discussions in the violence panel discussed domestic violence, gangs, prostitution, and the legal system. These issues are not only issues that are limited to the Southeast Asian community, but affect us all cross-culturally (which is why it is important for us to work in coalitions!). What I enjoyed most about this conference was not only the ride up, but the balance of information about the issues as well as a call and time for strategic planning on how to address these issues in our community. This conference allowed me to connect with other Southeast Asian community activists and share information on ways to navigate problems and find solutions. During the Open Mic night, which was filled with as much laughs as there were silent nods of relating, I came to re-realize how important it is to be the change and to speak out.
So I am constantly struggling to find where I fit within these stories, and it’s been cathartic, sharing stories and tears with other Southeast Asian students on campus. This first weekend back to campus I found myself traveling with 20 beautiful San Diego students back to the Bay Area to attend the Southeast Asian Intercollegiate Summit, which was held January 9-11 at UC Berkeley. The summit brought together community members, high school, and college students across the nation. The summit was hosted by the UC Berkeley Southeast Asian Student Coalition whose mission statement is “ To united Southeast Asian communities, particularly those bounded by the historical context of the Vietnam War and to address the social injustices, economic inequalities and political under representations that they face.”
We are activist by circumstance, whether it was one experience or a life full of them, we navigate plains of oppression to find the light. These obstacles are struggles that never seem to end, and ones that we often are burnt out over, but the wins (with the jubilation that it brings), although it may be few, are worth the sweat and tears. I remember freshmen year when I was feeling burnt out, overwhelmed with the issues that I faced not only on campus, but in the community and at home. I talked with Edwina and she reminded me that our activism comes in many forms. Whether that is flyering on campus, making calls, educating others and ourselves, creating knowledge, or working in community, these actions are the back-bone of change.
The conference focused on the issues of deportation, education, health, and violence, issues that are not limited to the Southeast Asian community alone, but extend to other communities of color. Policies, such as the United States Memorandum of Understanding with Cambodia in 2003 and Vietnam in 2008, have unfairly deported a generation of people that were mere bystanders of war. They are born into an environment that is opposed to them and a racialized criminalization system that already labels them as criminals. Because of their state of citizenship with the United States, their crimes are often times labeled as aggravated felonies, whereas those with legal citizenship can simply get by with a misdemeanor. In my caucus we discussed issues such as breaking up families, rehabilitation, the prison industrial complex, and citizenship as some of the focuses of deportation.
So to the community activist out there. Thank You! Please remember to love yourself by taking time for yourself. You are the change so stay in there. I wish that you never lose site of the experience that caused you to fight. I hope that you continually live, love, learn, and laugh alongside the fight. In the end, I hope that you find what you are searching for and that you chase dreams that you never thought possible.
Issues of education, health and violence within the Southeast Asian community were addressed in plenary and caucus sessions. Issues included the lack of higher education within the Southeast Asian community, college and high school retention rates, and the lack of learning our history both in K-12 education and in higher education. Many students expressed their frustration with the invisibility of the ‘model minority’ and lack of research in tracking Southeast Asian/ Americans. Health issues that were discussed were the lack of health care coverage, the prevalence of Hepatitis B in Asian communities, teen pregnancy rates, cultural versus
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upcoming ccc programs... Sweet Stories...Sweet Desserts! March 5, 2009, 3:00 - 5:00 @ CCC Comunidad
Come and bring your favorite dessert to the CCC! We will be sharing desserts, recipes and stories potluck-style.
Pandesal & Poetry! March 5, 2009, 5:00 - 7:00 CCC Library
Come and write poetry (limericks, pantoums & haikus) while you eat pandesal!
upcoming community programs... San Diego Museum of Art’s “Black Womanhood” The Cross-Cultural Center, LGBT Resource Center, Women’s Center, and SPACES will be taking a group of students to the “Black Womanhood” exhibit on April 11, 2009. Go to any of the centers to sign up! Free admission and lunch. Through the display of more than one hundred sculptures, prints, postcards, photographs, paintings, textiles, and video installations by artists from Africa, Europe, America, and the Caribbean, Black Womanhood provides an in-depth look at how images of the black female body have been created and used differently in Africa and the West. The exhibition explores themes such as ideals of beauty, fertility and sexuality, maternity and motherhood, and women’s identities and social roles. It presents three separate but intersecting sections and reveals three different perspectives—the traditional African, Western colonial, and contemporary global—that have contributed to current ideas about Black Womanhood.
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intern projects! Reversing the Lens: Representations of Women in Art Friday, March 6, 5-6:30pm Cross-Cultural Center, ArtSpace/Gallery Throughout history, women have been objectified, commodified, and hypersexualized in art works, rendered as objects to be gazed at by typically male viewers. The purpose of this exhibition is to give women artists the opportunity to “reverse the lens,” so to speak, and give them the opportunity to represent themselves. I am looking for art works in all forms of media that embody the theme of female empowerment. The works will be displayed from 3/2-13.
Lorelai Bingamon
Can’t Hold Us Downe Every Thursday from April 23rd to May 14th, 7:30pm Cross-Cultural Center, Comunidad Room Asian Pacific Islander American Heritage Month (APIAHM) is a time to celebrate the diverse histories and cultures which come from the API people. This diversity not only explores difference in religion, food, language, and dress. It also encompasses different personal identities including gender and sexuality. Join us in learning of these hidden stories API community through the exploration every Thursday from April 23rd to May concluding potluck dinner and discussion on
of the Queer of films on 14th with a the last day.
April 23: Love of Siam April 30: Queer Delights: Sweet Buns and Sticky Rice May 7: Saving Face May 14: Love is Queer (Potluck Dinner – RSVP necessary, space is limited) The event will be starting at 7:30pm on each Thursday and be held at the CCC Comunidad Room (Price Center East).
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colectiva chicana presents
Female Athletes of Color at UCSD
¡Habla Mujer, Habla! Every Wednesday of even weeks, 3:30-4:30pm Cross-Cultural Center, Comunidad Small Room
1st and 2nd Week of May Cross-Cultural Center, ArtSpace/Gallery
¡Habla Mujer, Habla! is a space established by mujeres for mujeres to come together and speak, reflect and acknowledge our struggles and experiences as students, activists, womyn of color, partners, AB 540 students, victims of violence and the other pieces of our identities. Through collective discourse we hope to reflect upon and strengthen our interactions between us and our families, us and our university, and us and our different omunidades.
In a male centered world of sports, UCSD Female Atheletes of Color have gone above and beyond academics at the university level and dedicated their lives to a sport. In recognition of the Female Athletes of Color at UCSD there will be displays including short biographies and pictures of these amazing womyn in action.
Spreadin’ Threads Wednesday, April 15, 7-9pm Wednesday, April 29, 7-9pm Cross-Cultural Center, ArtSpace/Gallery Come decorate blank pillows, t-shirts, tote bags, or anything you want with a variety of stencils promoting the Cross-Cultural Center, empowerment, and fun!
coming in april... Women of Color & Sexual Violence:
Womyn of Color Writings
Featuring womyn of color seasoned poets and students, this project will consist of a writing workshop and a Womyn of Color Writings Night of Performed Spoken Word Poetry.
A Dialogue 7
be
“You must the you want to see in the .”
change world
-Gandhi
Resolve to Make a Difference Lea Burgess-Carland Operations & Marketing
The election of Obama made me remember a lot that I had forgotten after 8 years of the Bush administration. I was reminded that there is always hope, that truth will eventually win over deceit, and most importantly, that people do have the power to make real change. It was the grassroots that got him elected, and it will be those same roots that must continue to push upward to create sustainable change. So now it is up to each and every one of us to step up and take action.
Volunteer!
If you are one of the many individuals that wants to do something, but is not sure exactly how or what, here are some things you can do to get started:
AS Volunteer Connection http://volunteer.ucsd.edu
Volunteers give back to their communities and provide essential support for nonprofits. There are all types of volunteer opportunities, from working with animals to helping survivors of domestic violence. If there is an issue that you care about, you can be sure there is an organization working on behalf of that issue that is in need of volunteers. To find volunteer opportunities, check out these websites:
Volunteer San Diego http://www.volunteersandiego.org
Join a campus organization.
There are all kinds of groups on campus that are working to make a difference at UCSD and the world. If you are not involved with a student organization then you are missing out on a great opportunity. To this day, some of my best memories are of campus organizing.
Idealist http://www.idealist.org
Do activism.
Activism comes in many different forms, from digital to art to protests and demonstrations. There is no human right that hasn’t been won through activism. If there is an issue that is important to you, it is your duty to get up, speak up, and make change.
To find a student organization that works on an issue you are passionate about, check out these websites: Registered Student Organizations http://wailua.ucsd.edu/studentorg/StudentOrgList.aspx Cross-Cultural Center Affiliate Organizations http://ccc.ucsd.edu/Affiliates.asp
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Here are some cool websites to help you on your path to making a difference: Activist San Diego: http://www.activistsandiego.org/ Campus Activism: http://www.campusactivism.org Do something: http://dosomething.org
CCC Joy de la Cruz Art & Activism Intern
I call the San Francisco Bay Area my Home. It’s the center of my world, actually. But I know that I am lucky enough to have my family and I sleep and wake in safety provided by barriers of borders. At the same time, I know the cost of those imagined borders and how they are used to violently exclude. Now, the whole world is looking at my home. And I’m staring back and thinking about how similar the printed images on newspapers are; they’re practically mirrored.
What happens when political, racial, and emotional lines are crossed? What creates disaster? What do you do with populations who are waiting in unrest? Are tools for anger also tools for change? The world has been screaming for change, have we been listening? Current events and the like are no longer a matter of local versus global because there are battles to be fought both home and abroad. Please educate yourselves and your community about these events. Try using Bay Area web sites for more information on the Oakland Riots, the death of Oscar Grant and how you can help. Also try to look for international online resources for more information about the attack on the Gaza Strip by Israel. Ethnic Studies Grad Student, José Fusté, started an informative blog about The Gaza War. If you’d like to be updated on this current event, please visit
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- Martin Luther King, Jr.
New Year’s Day was my mother’s birthday. It’s also the same day that 22-yearold Oscar Grant was shot in the back by a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) police officer. Also, bombing still continued in Gaza by Israel that day, showing no signs of ceasefire or letting up for the new year. An open war (creating civilian casualties) that began on Dec. 27th is still taking place. This is a new year, but what is there to celebrate?
http://mrn23.blogspot.com/
“a riot is the language of the unheard.”
Janice Sapigao
unheard
Parallels Calling for Peace
Otro Mundo
Si Es Possible
Lorena Ruiz
CCC Art and Resources Intern Blue Line: Cuatro Caminos …Mas de 400 temas en un solo disco compacto. Formato mp3. todos los estilos, para todo tipo de vida. hay algo para todos. cumbia, bachata, reggaeton… Pink Line: Pino Suarez …Señores y señoras, pasele a comprar sus dulcecitos de garganta. Para la tos, para refrescar su garganta. Hechos con miel de abeja, yerbabuena, gordolobo, y menta. 3 por uno, 2 por cinco. Purple Line: Guelatao …Como te extraño mi amor porque sera, Me falta todo en la vida si no estas, Como te extraño mi amor que debo hacer, Te extraño tanto que voy a enloquecer, Ay amor divino, Pronto tienes que volver, Ay amor divino, Pronto tienes que volver, A mi Three metros, Tres pesos, and countless signifiers of poverty among my colonized peoples later, we were finally there: El Primer Festival Mundial de La Digna Rabia 2008-2009. December 26-29th Lienzo Charro in Ixtapalapa, Mexico DF. The feeling was indescribable: consciousness creeped in through every spoken breath, in every walking mind, in every singing voice. Free of tourists, free of government officials, free of the common greed of capitalism. We were all there with a common goal. To voice the repression of capitalism, imperialism, and neoliberalism and learn from each other through our organizing efforts. Every imaginable method of resistance took form in collectives, organizations, coops radio shows, street theater, visual art, music, and more, each one in a designated booth. I walked around, overwhelmed, inquisitive as I learned about the
different struggles represented in each booth. People fighting police brutality with marches and sit ins. People fighting poverty and lack of resources through the use of energy efficient bicimaquinas, to generate power. People organizing and re-educating themselves by giving a voice to the voiceless through local radio shows. Autonomous schools, even autonomous universities. Occupied homes where people could stay in. Educational workshops on sex, pregnancy prevention, and the use of condoms. Graffiti and mural art as a means of rebellious art. People walked around the isles, which were named after significant dates of the EZLN struggle, such as, “Primero de Enero” which signified the anniversary of the Zapatista uprising in 1994. Human interaction never served a better purpose. Everyone was learning, inquiring, connecting. Every question asked, every bit of information gave surface to those struggles silenced by repressive governments from all over the world. December 31- January 1st Caracol Oventik, Chiapas “You are now entering liberated Zapatista territory in rebellion.” claimed the loud letters in red on a billboard at the top of the mountain. I woke up after two hour drive up from the city below. The freshness of the air pierced my nose: I guess after living in the city all my life, my nose didn’t know how to react. Night was awakening, and the air laughed its cold laugh at me. All of us Digna Rabia participants shivered with cold, and I could see the indigenous women walk around in their long skirts and western sweaters, conquering the cold. After a few minutes of waiting, we were let into the caracol by one of the Zapatistas. As I stood at the top of the caracol, I could see women, children, men, walking up and down. Some selling woven artifacts, sweet coffee, tamales; all for their respective collectives. It was close to midnight. Zapatistas gave speeches on the need to organize and rise up. The
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message was simple: It is time to take back our dignity. January 2-5th CIDECI-UNITIERRA, San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas
people have the legitimate right to the land. She spoke about something I hadn’t conceptualized before: it is not just about human rights, environmental justice, or animal rights, it is about the rights of Mother Earth.
We walked over to the centro of San Cristobal de las Casas. From the mercado, we took a microbus to CIDECI. CIDECI is an autonomous Zapatista school in San Cristobal de las Casas. There, the de-silencing began.
America Millaray Painemal Morales, Secretaria General de la Associacion Nacional de Mujeres Rurales e Indigenas de Chile, spoke on the indigenous struggle against modernity. The state makes the claim that they are moving forward as a state, through technological advances and urban
The speakers sat next to the Zapatistas along a long rectangular table. Each speaker had a story to tell, a struggle to make known. Hugo Blanco, from the Confederacion Campesina de Peru spoke about las dos raices de nuestra cultura: amor a la naturaleza y el colectivismo (2 main roots of our culture: love for nature, and collectivism). The earth, Pachamama (madre tierra, mother earth), does not belong to no one, we belong to the earth. However, today, neoliberalism and capitalism have an attack on those two things. Global warming is the perfect example. Society takes away the dreams of the youth and forces them to think “that’s life, unfair.” Schools are structured for the controlling and destruction of those dreams. In today’s society there is little or no time to dream. Raul Zibechi, author and journalist from Uruguay, spoke about rural and urban social movements in Latin America. Many of these movements come together to fight against capitalist repression in neighborhoods and cities throughout Latin America. He also spoke about people-initiated and people-run schools, parks, community centers, clinics, etc. He also emphasized the importance of the mujer as a strong foundation for the revolution.
development, but the Mapuches resist. The state prides itself in ethnic and cultural diversity, yet the Mapuches are silenced. The women of this organization took it upon themselves to organize and come together to form a space that could meet their needs and give voice to their struggles.
Dolores Sales, member of the Coordinacion Nacional Indigena y Campesina de Guatemala, spoke about the indigenous and farmworkers’ struggles in Guatemala. She made it clear that, man, thinking himself superior to everything destroys without care in order to obtain that power. The land has become a product, sold for the enrichment of a select few. As peoples originating from this land, indigenous
Similar was the message of many others that spoke throughout the rest of the festival. We are dignified people: there is nothing wrong with being a woman, being indigenous, being gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender/queer, punk, differently abled, poor, working class, mestiz@, brown, black…and the list goes on. We are the other, and we embrace our otherness, with dignidad. Luchemos para un mundo donde quepan muchos mundos. Luchemos con Digna Rabia.
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PR Paola Rodelas
reflect...
CCC Diversity Peer Educator
on the life you love.
P
John Cloud of TIME writes a rather interesting article on why gay marriage was defeated in California. Most knew it was going to be close, with polls projecting 49% to 44% in favor of NO on Prop 8, but Prop 8 passed with an unfortunate 53% voting YES. The inevitable question of why is now raised, especially when polls projected that it wasn’t going to pass. Cloud argues that the proposition passed because of the high coverage of an elementary school field trip in San Francisco to see their female teacher get married to her female partner (all the students had parental permission, but obviously this wasn’t mentioned by the proponents of Prop 8) The “arrogance” displayed by San Francisco mayor, Gavin Newsom, in one YES on Prop 8 commercial, and finally (and seemingly most importantly, to Cloud) the high turnout of African Americans at the polls what?incomplete sentence regardless of starting at The “arrogance”….
are lies, damn lies, and statistics), even if one were to give them the benefit of the doubt and believe them to be accurate, there’s something off about simply blaming African American voters for the reason why Prop 8 passed. Here’s some statistics of my own. The 2000 Census reveals that 6.7% of California’s population is African American. That is, California has 2,316,000 African Americans amongst its total population of 34,735,000. Is this really enough to determine the passage of Prop 8? Why is Cloud targeting African Americans? I don’t think any groups should be targeted, but I do find his target choice interesting. Coincidentally enough, didn’t we just elect our first African American president? It seems like the same ol’ crabs in a barrel mentality, pitting minorities against minorities so that they don’t challenge the dominant group.
Cloud claims that Barack Obama inspired more African Americans to vote on this election. According to CNN, African Americans voted against marriage equality by a wide margin, 69% to 31%. Cloud also writes that “black voters are more likely to attend church than whites and less likely to be comfortable with equality for gay people.” Finally, he calls for New York Governor, David Paterson, an African American and a pro-marriage-equality representative, to “bridge the gap between gays and blacks that widened on Nov. 4.”
So why did Prop 8 pass? Perhaps it’s because of some confusion with the wording (sadly, I do know some people who accidentally voted yes). Perhaps it’s because of California’s rather sizable religious population (regardless of race or specific faith; 79% of California’s population identifies with a faith, the vast majority belonging to faiths that condemn gay marriage). Perhaps it’s because of the terrible misinformation about gay marriage that proponents of Prop 8 spread across the state, infiltrating the minds of the ignorant.
This really troubles me. While I’ve never been one to trust statistics (Mark Twain said that the three types of lies
Why don’t we consider these more plausible causes first before bringing race into the matter?
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Reflections... Carmela Capinpin
CCC Diversity Peer Educator
Am I to be cursed forever with becoming somebody else on the way to myself? - Audre Lorde The very second I read these first two lines, I sat in silence. For the first time in a very long time, even for just a brief moment, I allowed myself to be present. I’m a big-time planner. I want to make my own “dream weekly agenda” and am known to create countless lists and color-coded schedules. As a fourth year student, I’ve been overwhelmed with fear and worry about what’s to come. Or what could or might or most likely or not likely happen. I’m anxious about my financial situation post-college, my family’s wellbeing, when I should go to grad school, what I want to study in grad school, what/if opportunities will present themselves, and the crucial decisions that I’ll have to make. Leaving one’s comfort zone and saying goodbye is always very difficult. Moving on from life-changing experiences, relationships, and the most formative years of my life is unnerving. I am determined to operate on love and willingness to grow, instead of living in fear. I’ve made this my motto for the past two years. But there’s also a huge
part of me that thinks that fear, or fear disguised in other forms, can be strong enough to immobilize me. When I’m so lost in the future I try to remind myself that we are fighting, surviving, living, thriving, loving, and seeking right now. I ground myself in the thought that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be and that I will create or discover what I need to sustain myself and others. I’m hopeful that new ways of being will unfold. During my first two years here at UCSD, I learned about and experienced issues, interactions, beauty, people, communities, struggles, and possibilities that make up my very core today. I often wondered when I would embody what I felt most strongly about. “How can I transform into a stronger womon?” “How could I appear to have it all down?” “When will I feel like I’ve ‘found’ myself?” “When will I be living a ‘full’ life? It’s an ongoing battle and I am learning that we are the ‘becoming.’ Getting ready to live and ‘protecting’ myself from the future can consume me, and for the new year…I am actively choosing to trust myself, trust the now and not ‘prepare’ myself for losses, and as the Cross likes to say, trust the process. I have paid dearly in time for love I hoarded unseen summer goes into my words and comes out reason -“Change of Season” Audre Lorde
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create...
untitled. One cloudless night with stars that gleam All goes well… Or so it seems. Laying in bed, my memories trace Your eyes, your smile, Your lovely face. Possessing such beauty to make the sun Deliberately look over mountains Shy a glimpse, and run
beauty and love everywhere.
Nothing is perfect, As hard as we try... Even with an unlimited amount of time That elapses by. Blemish it may be. But, the way paragon is defined… To be the best of the best But in love, there is no line. To me, that is deceiving, Because you’re so divine. And it’s truly a blessing That I’m yours and you’re mine.
Affiliates Search Mary Kong
-Timothy Mok
APSA BSU Cross-Cultural Center CSA CSAP CSC Kabayanihan Kamalayan KP LGBT RC MEChA MSA
NASA NSU OASIS QPOC SAAC SEAC SOC SPACES SPUR TRIO WOMENS CENTER
This quarterly journal serves as a forum for intelligent discourse by showcasing works created by students who wish to broaden their understanding of issues of contemporary and global relevance. We welcome a variety of submissions, including but not limited to: academic papers, freelance articles, book reviews, film reviews, travelogues, performance art, photography, and films.
http://prospectjournal.ucsd.edu
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radio.music.love
My mother’s favorite radio station back in the Bay Has always played songs that have narrated my image of love By being true to oldies And before CDs The old me used to create mental music collections Of song titles and popular chorus lines Accessed only through air waves and spins on the dial tone You see, I’ve sung lyrics to moments I haven’t even lived yet I’ve never shared slow jams with a man who deserved it This image of love that I had was purely innocent Not yet twisted, not yet tainted Just filled with butterflies in stomachs And hearts heavy And palms sweaty From making mixtapes This was before iTunes This was before playlists This is old school Like writing in notebooks with Yikes pencils Love, to me, was as colored as Lisa Frank binders And each piece of childhood paraphernalia that I owned Was a reminder that had me sold On this image of love But I know That radio music don’t make love no more It turns out womyn into constant club goers And I am just about ready to tell Weezy and Lil Jon That I cannot take this anymore We are worth more Let’s bring it back To times of Boyz II Men And when a message was worth the send Let’s bring it back To times when anticipating love making Was as satisfactory as a sweet listen And not just about visits to a candy shop for lollipop lickin’ We have a responsibility to our little sistas To teach them that love is about more than just acquiring drinks or digits Let’s make music Or love, because these days we seem to be doing things with half the effort ‘Cause all we do is get low But I’m half-past preaching so I’m calling out the radio -Janice Lobo Sapigao
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Campus Community Centers Community Builder Card Program
example...
The is designed to reinforce the concept in the mission and philosophy statement of the Campus Community Centers that ending one oppression requires ending all oppressions. We value the interconnections of each of the Centers and encourage our community members to engage in all three. Pick one up at any of the Campus Community Centers.
Over the course of the next two quarters, just attend 3 programs at each Center, plus one bonus program at the center of your choice, turn in your card, and you are a Community Builder – eligible for prizes at our Celebration on June 3rd!
ucsd cross-cultural center business hours: M-Th 9a-9p F 9a-4p 9500 gilman drive 0053 la jolla, ca 92093-0053 return service requested
cccenter@ucsd.edu (858) 534-9689 ccc.ucsd.edu