UCLA Radio flea market brings community together to raise funds for fire relief

This post was updated Feb. 2 at 9:12 p.m.

Gem-toned textiles, creamy matcha lattes and live music brought students and the Westwood community together for the UCLA Radio Los Angeles fire relief flea market Jan. 25.

The market – which included stands from FEM Newsmagazine, Girlxfriend Tattoos, Koski Studios, Westwood Food Cooperative and Unravel – pledged its profits to fire relief fundraising ventures, including the California Community Foundation Wildfire Recovery Fund.

Jeslyn Wang, UCLA Radio’s general manager, said the idea for the market blossomed after seeing members of her community personally impacted by the fires.

“As a club, it’s our job to see what we can do to help our community,” said Wang, a fourth-year cognitive science and music industry student. “We figured it out super quickly. We did it through word of mouth – we have a bunch of student organization vendors.”

The flea market’s success and impact was a collective effort, she said, adding that it raised around $2,000.

“It’s run by the students, for the students,” Wang said.

Cali Perez Chavez, the editor-in-chief of FEM, said hearing about the fires was “earth-shattering” and helped her gain perspective on the impact of natural disasters. The gravity of the situation motivated her to bring FEM into the event, she said.

“It is very important for us to be active in the LA community,” said Perez Chavez, a fourth-year psychology student. “It’s a way to show respect and honor LA.”

FEM’s booth sold their merchandise, such as stickers and prints, on a $1-$5 sliding scale. One FEM member sold used clothing, with proceeds going toward fire relief.

Ella Gibson, one of UCLA Radio’s music managers, performed live music at the event. In addition to raising money for the fires, she said the flea market also provided a space for the student community to gather and for student vendors and musicians to promote themselves.

“I think it’s important for Radio to use our platform to be able to have events like these,” said Gibson, a second-year music industry student. “I love having fun and easy events to hang out with people and meet people.”

Gibson, who is from Orange County, said she is no stranger to fires and evacuations, knowing the difficulties of evacuating and how important events such as this one can be in the face of tragedies.

Jasmine Yung, a fourth-year statistics and data science student, ran a booth for sustainable fashion club Unravel. All of the proceeds collected from the flea market went to fire relief, she said.

The club’s booth at the market operated on a pay-what-you-want system and collected clothing donations, Yung added. The event gave Unravel a chance to showcase the activism aspect of the club, she said.

“It’s [the flea market] a really great way to collect donations and stuff and to help out,” Yung said. “It’s always good to meet other vendors because we will end up doing a lot of partnerships throughout the year.”

Some stands also sought to educate visitors on the far-reaching impacts of the fires.

The Westwood Food Co-op’s stand sold baked goods and provided information about its organization. Abby Porter, a fourth-year political science student, said the recent fires impacted the co-op’s usual agricultural suppliers from the Pacific Palisades Farmers Market. The loss of food supply demonstrated the importance of improving California’s food system, something the co-op already campaigns on, she said.

“The fires impact every level of our food system – it’s the soil, the air that affects the crops, the workers that have to pick the food,” said Porter, a former Daily Bruin contributor. “We’re striving to get people to see food as a vehicle for change.”

Raela Jayasekara, a second-year civil engineering student from the Altadena area who attended the market, said she was grateful to have an event that was both fun and relevant to people across LA.

“It’s cool that events at UCLA are being conscious of what’s going on outside the UCLA bubble,” she said. “It’s really easy, especially if kids are from out of state, to just be here and ignore what’s happening in our neighborhood.”

Arya Valentino Saei, a third-year English student, said he attended the flea market because he wanted to show support for student artists and donate to fire relief. He values the work UCLA Radio does to support student artists and the way they collaborate with other campus organizations, he said.

Saei donated to fire relief by contributing to a GoFundMe displayed at the flea market’s entrance and by shopping at the market, he said. He added that he appreciated that UCLA Radio brought the community together.

“I feel like community is the most important thing to do in response to tragic situations, such as the fire we just had,” Saei said. “I really appreciate what UCLA Radio is doing.”