Standing near the main eastern entrance of the newly remodeled
Student Activities Center, a group of students gathered to pay
tribute to the lives of a pair of student activists who died more
than three decades ago.
Gary Barnes, a fourth-year African-American studies and
sociology student and a member of the African Student Union, issued
instructions to a group of about 35 students.
“This is a silent march. Please be quiet out of respect
for the event,” he requested. He then led a march of
students, aligned in two rows, to the steps of Campbell Hall.
There, against the backdrop of Campbell Hall and amid the heavy
foot traffic characteristic of campus after classes adjourn,
students, faculty and community members gathered to remember the
tragic murders of UCLA students John Huggins and Bunchy Carter that
took place 35 years ago.
Huggins, 23, and Carter, 26, were slain on Jan. 17, 1969 in the
old cafeteria of Campbell Hall after the adjournment of a meeting
to discuss the qualifications for the director of the Afro-American
Center. Both students were members of the Black Panther Party, a
controversial social protest movement that originated during the
1960s.
Many theories exist concerning the motives of the shootings. At
the time, it was reported that they resulted from a power struggle
between the Black Panthers and a rival group, United Slaves. The
clash was over who would lead black student organizations at the
university and high school levels.
Later, it was reported that members of the FBI and CIA had
infiltrated both groups and exacerbated tensions between the
two.
Flanked by two students holding a black-and-white picture of
both Huggins and Carter on Thursday afternoon, Dr. Scot Brown,
assistant professor of history at UCLA and writer of works
concerning the Black Panthers and other social groups, addressed a
diverse crowd of around 75.
Referring to the community-based activities of Huggins and
Carter, Brown urged students to reflect upon their own lives.
“The struggle is not over. It still continues,”
Brown said.
Brown also criticized present-day government policies, such as
the USA PATRIOT Act, a measure passed under the Bush
administration. The policy was designed to make it easier for law
enforcement agencies to monitor suspected terrorists.
However, Brown claims, it undermines civil liberties and
constitutes present threats to equality, much as severe racism
threatened the livelihoods of blacks and other minorities during
the 1960s and 1970s.
“The spector of government intervention should be a
warning to us,” Brown said.
After a group of students sang a couple of gospel hymns that
moved some in the audience to tears, Mohammed Mubarak, a
51-year-old former Black Panther member and friend of Huggins and
Carter at the time of their death, expressed his appreciation for
the turnout of the remembrance.
“This is the most beautiful sight. You’ve come to
remember people that you’ve never met or talked to, but
you’ve come here to pay tribute as we fight against all types
of oppression,” Mubarak said.
Reminiscing the tragic event that occurred in 1969, Mubarak
showed visible signs of emotion.
“It was a heavy loss. When they cut down Huggins and
Carter, they took away the best leaders we had,” he said.
Some students expressed support for the speakers’ call
toward greater social justice.
Jose Lara, a fourth-year history and Chicano/a studies student
and member of MEChA, said he appreciated the presence of people who
have fought for racial equality.
“(They can) help us organize against the current
struggle,” Lara said, referring to various budget cuts
“that affect the poor and people of color.”