Community involvement comes in varying forms

By Susan Chang and Deborah Sheen

We were sitting in traffic for an hour and it had come to a
standstill. Frustration was rising to an uncontrollable level. What
was it this time?

Apparently the janitors’ strike had moved into the middle
of Wilshire Boulevard, instead of staying on the sidewalk as it had
for the last two weeks. In the street, people chanted, “No
justice! No peace!”

Then our friend riding in the car with us began to explain the
situation that the janitors had been battling with during the
previous weeks. All they were asking for was to have reasonable pay
for the vital manual labor that they provide.

We soon regretted our initial irritation and even though the
strike threw off our schedules, we were glad we were able to learn
about the problem.

Do you think of situations like this when you hear the word
“activism?” While activism may be stigmatized as only
protests and rallies, it actually exists in many varying degrees of
involvement. It can be as simple as taking the initiative to learn
about an issue on your own or organizing events that educate the
general public. The essence of activism is informing another person
of a current issue and connecting the issue to the person’s
life and mind-set.

There are many different approaches to activism. None are right
or wrong. It is up to the individual to manifest personal ideas
about activism.

There are various ways that everyone can easily be an activist.
Activism is not simply about handing out flyers or protesting. A
simple conversation can be an effective form of activism.

For example, we’ve had discussions with people about the
negative portrayal of Asian Americans in the media. On television,
Asian Americans are categorized into stereotypical roles. The men
are either Kung Fu fighters like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, or
asexual nerds. Meanwhile, Asian American women are either exotic,
sensual Geishas and Lotus Blossoms, such as the character of Kim in
“Miss Saigon,” or they are evil bitches who use their
sexuality to attain evil ends.

By simply talking to people about these negative stereotypes, we
can often open their eyes to a problem they did not realize
existed.

Another form of activism is to express opinions through art. For
example, Tony Osumi, a third grade teacher at Wilton Elementary
School, creates murals in various communities. These murals help
unite the community. This is a form of activism because people of
different backgrounds, ages and ethnicities can come together to
help create murals.

Another form of activism through art is the recent exhibit at
Kerckhoff Art Gallery called “APEyes.” The exhibit
allowed Asian American artists in the UCLA community to express
their experiences and concerns. This is a form of activism because
other people can look at the pieces and learn from them.

Personal education is yet another form of activism. Everyone
needs to make an effort to take advantage of the opportunities that
UCLA’s community offers. Taking an ethnic studies class is a
good way to broaden our perspectives. Such courses teach us to be
critical of the norms in our society and they introduce issues that
affect all of our communities.