Voicing the other side of history
Exhibit uses posters to chronicle struggle for human rights
By Rodney Tanaka
Daily Bruin Staff
The poster depicts an African American man reading a book. A
stack of books rise behind him, shackled with chains. Men huddle
behind the stack with worried looks on their faces. The caption
reads, "Until the lions have their historians, tales of hunting
will always glorify the hunter."
"Courageous Voices: An International Poster Exhibition on
Racism, Sexism and Human Rights," gives a voice to the lions at
UCLA’s Wight Gallery through March 15. The exhibit addresses
racism, sexism and other human rights issues with 105 posters from
the Center for the Study of Political Graphics.
"The posters are the stories of the lions in the lions’ own
words," says exhibit curator Carol Wells. "They are the other side
of history.
"History is written by the victors, written by people who can
afford to print the books," Wells adds. "The posters tell the side
that doesn’t get told, doesn’t get written. You cannot have a
balanced history without that side. The agendas in the posters are
the agendas that get written out of history because they are not
popular with the people in power."
Posters appeal to activists looking for a way to express their
opinions to a large audience, according to Wells. She says that
activists who create political posters usually fall to the left of
the political spectrum because the right controls the government.
She cites the anti-war movement in Vietnam as an example.
"We had the government with the 6 o’clock news every day giving
their position," says Wells, who is giving a presentation on the
exhibit this evening. "Posters gave the other side, the side that
wasn’t given an official position.
"Posters are an inexpensive way that people at a grassroots
level have of displaying their dissatisfaction with the status
quo," Wells adds. "They can be done anonymously. In a lot of
countries – in Latin America, South Africa, South Korea – to be
against the status quo can mean your life."
The first section of the exhibit deals with international and
domestic human rights, with a focus on the issue of immigration.
One poster depicts a young boy and a man kneeling down to embrace
him. Both people look on the verge of tears. The caption reads, "No
human being is illegal."
Another poster shows an angry man wearing an ornate headdress
and bracelets with the inscription: "Who’s the illegal alien,
pilgrim?"
"But it wasn’t done for Proposition 187, it was done in 1981,"
Wells says. "The posters are showing that these struggles have been
going on for a long time."
The next sections deal with women’s issues and labor struggles.
Posters raise the issues of abortion, domestic violence, sexual
harassment and child labor. Posters utilizing images from the
Rodney King beating and a cross burning confront the volatile topic
of race relations. Sections on anti-Semitism, the plight of Native
Americans and the internment of Japanese citizens during World War
II further the study of racism. The exhibit pays special attention
to the issues of race and gender because they often get
overshadowed by other human rights violations, according to
Wells.
"(Racism and sexism) are constantly around us, they’re
constantly bombarding us and they are human rights violations that
never take the stage like the torture of political prisoners, for
example," Wells says.
A debate that has taken center stage at UCLA, affirmative
action, is addressed in a 1995 poster that calls for "No more ivory
towers! Real Affirmative Action Now!" According to Wells, the
affirmative action issue ties in to the ideas of the exhibit.
"What few steps have been made to combat racism and sexism in
this country are now being swept away and the University of
California Regents are going along with that with open arms," Wells
says. "It’s interesting that the exhibit is at UCLA at the same
time that the students had the incredible demonstration to oppose
the attack on affirmative action. It’s important to get a lot of
people thinking in the same terms, especially if you’re thinking
about change."
The final section highlights great leaders and courageous
citizens who fought for social change and human rights. Martin
Luther King Jr. shakes hands with Malcolm X. Harriet Tubman leads
former slaves on the freedom train. People hold hands as a symbol
of unity and harmony. The posters celebrate "people who haven’t
accepted what was handed to them," Wells says. "It’s very
affirmative (and shows) how things can change when people get
together and people act.
"It lets people know they’re not alone and it lets people know
that their actions make a difference," Wells adds. "Hopefully, it
will push people to get involved, to do something, join an
organization."
The posters also represent documents for future generations to
gain insight and wisdom. The center receives many posters as
donations from collectors who want to contribute to their
cause.
"They realize that the center is the only place that will allow
a broader exposure to these pieces so they donate them to us,"
Wells says. "We’re creating a legacy for future generations."
EXHIBIT: "Courageous Voices: An International Poster Exhibition
on Racism, Sexism and Human Rights," at UCLA’s Wight Gallery
through March 15. Curator Carol Wells will speak in the gallery
today at 4 p.m. Admission is free. For more info call 825-1480.
"No More Ivory Towers" is a computer-generated laser print.
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