Money does not oil wheels of activism

Tuesday, February 23, 1999

Money does not oil wheels of activism

ORGANIZATION: Everyone, whether wealthy or poor, has power to
affect change

By Cori Shepherd

Many of us have pondered why some students on campus are so
"political," why they have rallies and take over buildings, why
they ask us to sign their petitions for political causes, why they
always want us to come to their meetings. Our general perceptions
of the term "political" includes rallies, building takeovers and
petition gathering, but being political encompasses much more. It
means asking those critical questions about power relations in our
society and everyday lives. It also means taking action to change
those power dynamics to fit what you believe is right.

Many of us still operate under the dominant paradigm that says
money, or economic status, equals and determines how much power we
have. Power is defined as the ability to influence others. Does the
amount of money we earn determine our power? Are all of our actions
only influenced by rich people simply because they have money?

The underlying assumption is that the working class, students
and most of America’s youth have no power because the majority of
them do not have high-paying jobs. Thus, we spend thousands of
dollars for a UCLA diploma to qualify for that high-paying job,
hoping that we will eventually accumulate the power to make
important decisions.

Most students are told that education is their means of
attaining happiness in life. Not because your mental capacity will
be expanded, but because you will get a good job that will help you
pay the bills. And even if you do get a high-paying job, what is
the likelihood that you will use that "power" you have attained to
further movements for social change?

Have we all accepted this as our destiny? I think we all know
that just as money is not the only means to bring about happiness,
money is also not the only means toward gaining power. Haven’t you
ever acted out of personal will, concern or desire? Does money
influence every decision you make?

I would argue that money does not equal power. Don’t get me
wrong, money does have influence over certain situations, but not
all. People who exerted their power in history were not only the
wealthy elite. Many working class people have demonstrated their
power to influence others, even up until today.

How many times have we heard the names Sojourner Truth, Malcolm
X or Martin Luther King, Jr.? None of these individuals came from
upper class families, and none of them were rich. And what about
the thousands of women and men who have fought on the front lines
of the women’s rights, black power and labor movements? None of
these movements were backed with millions of dollars like the
electoral campaigns of people such as Gov. Gray Davis, for
instance. All of these movements were carried by the power of
masses of people who were organized as a united front.

These moments in history have inspired students at UCLA to take
an alternate route to making change, not by relying on politicians
such as Davis and Antonio Villaraigosa. Rather, students are
empowering themselves to transform the conditions of their everyday
lives through direct action campaigns.

We have all witnessed in some form these types of campaigns,
whether it was the campaign against Proposition 209 or the drive
for student fee rollbacks. Whether the campaign won a fee rollback
or lost against Proposition 209, it increased the student body’s
awareness of issues and even empowered students to take action for
whatever they believed in.

Students at UCLA and across the nation have a responsibility to
continue the legacy of student activism and raising the awareness
of others in their community.

There are several student groups on campus that are currently
working on campaigns, from affirmative action to hate crimes to
outreach. If you want to take an active role in the student
movements here on our campus, you can contact the African Student
Union at (310) 825-8051 or the Undergraduate Student Association
president’s office at (310) 825-7068.

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