the exhibit: remembering & rearranging the past
Anteater Spirit: Student Activism That (Re)shaped UCI, 1965 to Now
The exhibit curators did a great job of displaying quite a wide variety of student activism, spanning the course of many decades. I was impressed at the number of archival materials they were able to collect regarding student activism, as it comes in many different forms. From posters regarding the TA union strike to Petr the Anteater stickers, many parts of the exhibit caught me off guard.
For me, the most surprising part of the exhibition was the fact that certain items (posters, flyers, stickers) that I would have merely glanced at had I been a UCI student at the time are considered worthy of documentation and display. It is quite an interesting thought to realize that we are living through historical events, even if to us, it's just the humdrum of daily student life.
Early Student OrganizingÂ
Marginalized minorities have always been at the forefront of social movements, and UCI students are no exception. I found it interesting how minority student associations could be the birthplace of social change, as the power of oppressed students coalesces into one united voice. Current campus centers such as the UCI Center for Black Cultures are only possible due to their efforts. It makes me rethink the UCI resources I take for granted.
Expanding Identity, Establishing Centers on Campus
Women also played a large part in organizing student power, and it is often women who have the biggest role in fighting for equality and social justice. I appreciated the nod to feminism and specifically Hispanic women, as UCI boasts one of the most diverse student bodies as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). It's important to realize these groups are more than just victims: their voices have power.
Student-Led Protests and Strikes in the 1990s
Of course, collective bargaining would be nothing without its greatest show of force: protests. The youth are traditionally heavily involved in protests and movements. At UCI, students, staff, and faculty worked together to ensure everyone is being paid fairly. In the face of opposition, they created change--even the now well-established Department of Asian American Studies was a result of their protests.
empowerment: what it is and why it matters
Personally, I believe that the biggest takeaway from the exhibit was that power starts with the belief that one is powerful. As we've seen in Prof. Robertson's lectures thus far, the "proletariat" actually has a great deal of power once they organize, unite for a shared cause, and fight for a better future for themselves and their children. Similarly, youth are often seen as a societal group that holds little to no power, simply waiting until they are "old enough" to assume positions of influence. However, looking back on UCI's history of student activists, it is clear that simply waiting is not enough. Youth are already powerful, and it is crucial that we have the belief that we can create change instilled in our minds. Thus, exhibits like this have an important purpose: empowering the student body.
There are still so many changes that should be made on campus: increasing mental health awareness, fighting for better conditions for TAs and student workers, and working to make the campus more inclusive and equitable for marginalized communities (not just minorities, but also transfer students, commuters, etc). History shows that the student population will be the torchbearers for change, not just at the university level but across all sectors of society. Change does not always look the same, nor does it come from the same sources. All it takes is a well-positioned flyer, poster, face, story, or even a Petr the Anteater sticker to spark a revolution. In reality, the visual medium that's used to organize is not what's important: the people who view them are. Even a quilt can be a portal to freedom because ultimately everything boils down to who it was made for and why. Exhibits can be powerful sources of inspiration, conversation, and change, so long as the people viewing the exhibition walk away feeling powerful.
