[Marco]

Sharice Davis is a House of Rep. from Kansas, known for being the first openly queer Native American women in Congress. I included her in this photo segment because protests and activism does generate change, but in our current society, what will truly move mountains is policy. For Sharice to grapple with her positionally and put herself in a vulnerable place for the betterment of her constituent and greater US speaks volumes. I see NoDAPL as a movement and I see Sharice being inaugurated as just as much of a feat. Plus, she is queer and Native American, two identities I do not see often being represented in such high caliber. She is going to make changes and I’m ready to support her.

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[Marco]

This is Constance Wu. In 2018’s Womens March, she brought to light the extremity of the fetishization of Asian women. Rooted in historical context, Asian women have been immensely lusted over due to their race. The Page Act of 1875 specifically demonized Asian women to be sexual objects coming into America to corrupt the male white body. As legality normalizes Asian women to be exotic figures, folks of all backgrounds became allured to the imposed mystic nature of Asian women. Eventually this grew to a disgusting desire that materializes into real violence and microaggressions and hypersexualization that Asian-American have to endure on an almost daily basis. I wanted to bring this into light because API women are disproportionately affected by gendered and sexual desire, that of which white women could never relate to. This is the complexity that the #MeToo movement needs to acknowledge and spotlight.

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[Marco]

Meet the woman that create #BlackLivesMatters that white women and “allies” love to put on their instagram for the clout- Alicia Garza. Not much credit is given to the one that create a conversation out of love and demand for visibility of intersectional black violence within the United States, and subsequently, globally. Garza is a UCSD Alum (she will be speaking Tuesday so slide through!) and is not only known for her BlackLivesMatter work, but work in the Bay Area. As someone who grew up in Oakland, it was gratefully surprising to find that she continued her work in one of the most socio-economically low areas that face quotidian dangers. I found that she worked to help workers gain equal employment rights, accessibility for youth on transit, and even fighting gentrification in San Francisco. Moreover, she is a writer in Oakland! I adore Garza not because she is graceful, but because she is powerful. And it is important to note her humanity as much as her strength.

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[Marco]

I decided to choose this image of the Third World Liberation Front because, again, women are not circulated in the popular protests to establish Ethnic Studies. This image, in particular, centers a woman at the front of the protest. Although I do not know the context nor the name of the woman, I very much enjoy seeing this image when looking up the TWLF. Women are often erased from these histories and even if gender is not mentioned, we associate accomplishments with that of male bodies. This is a counter-narrative burned into the history of Ethnic Studies that women are present and completely badass.

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[Marco]

I decided to choose Chance the Rapper because he is a hip hop artist, rapper, and overall figure of social justice through means of art. What I enjoy most about Chance is his fearless discourse on all things politics, even those that conflict with his own views. Short tweets that comment on police brutality, somewhat defense of Kanye’s MAGA endorsement, and music that specifically speaks about the death of youth in Chicago due to violence (Angels ft. Saba). His unapologetic nature as a black man, one of the most disenfranchised body in the US, reminds me of our discussions in class. Chance understands that his views are controversial and can place him and his family in danger, yet, he still is a vocal advocate for black lives and youth. More so, he uses his platform to actually give back to his community. Chance constantly donates back to Chicago Public Schools and sings in charitable concerts that aid his old community.

He is an artist that I see as a contemporary Civil Rights Activist that is digested by many. Both in message and his vocality against injustices.

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[Marco]

The image is of a former child of Cambodian refugees, PJ. I chose to highlight this image because the theme “Beyond the Civil Rights Movement” should encompass the contemporary issues facing our time. Also, expanding the notion that the Civil Rights Movement should also include the rights of undocumented immigrants and refugees. These two types of people are created because of US involvement and militarism that displaced them either through economic and political policies or our support of coups. Regardless, the product of our actions created folks like PJ.

His story is a complex one- at the age of 14, he killed someone. He served his time and actually got a degree during incarceration, started programs in prison, and was able to fully be rehabilitated into society. Although I do not excuse his actions, I do want to note that the environment he was living in essentially pushed him into a life of crime. We are products of our environment and to lack proper care into these lower income areas, then we create instances where crime is the only way out. PJ has been on the list to be deported and has been denied pardon by the California Supreme Court as Trump has issued massive deportations of these refugees due to expanding criminality and applying the deportation retroactively. For us to discuss Civil Rights, especially of our time in globalization and post-colonialism, we need to be able to discuss refugees who still face domestic and international scrutiny for a problem they were born into.

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[Marco]

When thinking of this week’s theme, I decided to stray away from the normative Civil Rights Movement discourse and center Dolores Huerta, one of the lead advisors and major player in the United Farm Worker’s Movement. Most would idealize Cesar Chavez, but it was Dolores Huerta who gave the ultimate sacrifice of leaving behind her four children to dedicate her life to the movement. In which she advocated for a pesticide-free envrionment in the fields, higher wages, and safer working conditions. It was also Dolores Huerta who served as the Vice President of the National Farm Workers Association with Cesar Chavez. Moreover, even when they Mexican farmworkers joined forces with the Filipino farmworkers, led by Larry Itliong, another forgotten activist in history, Cesar Chavez was hesitant to join. However, it was the brazenness of Dolores Huerta that connected the both. Of course, there are ramifications to this such as both Larry Itliong and Dolores Huerta being erased from history in order to elevate Cesar Chavez, but these two local and national heroes are activists that we should highlight when discussing those who fought for civil rights during this time.

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[Marco]

The image I chose was of Yuri Kochiyama, a Japanese-American activist that is often undermined for the amount of work, labor, and contribution she had in the Civil Rights Movement. The image is of her protesting with black folks because she understands that an injustice to one community is an injustice to all communities. I strategically decided to select her because she is not the typical leader you would first think of in the Civil Rights Movement. She is not a spokesperson and does not have the charismatic leadership model; however, she fuels reproductive labor and is a centerperson- she is the pulse of revitalizing the movement. She feeds people, discusses, and most importantly, listens. When we discuss the Civil Rights Movement, we often focus on the leaders, gendered men, specifically, as the ones who enacted change. But when we place the pedestal on leaders who had great contribution, and even worked side-by-side with Malcom X, then we can understand that communities from different backgrounds can come together and fight for justices. This can be a lesson we learn today.

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