As the country took Monday to remember the life of Martin Luther
King Jr., students continue to draw upon the broader issues of the
Civil Rights Movement in their activism on campus.
King’s fight to create equal rights for all American
citizens in the 1950s and 1960s is in the past, but students say
they are still struggling with civil rights issues, including those
concerning race and sexual orientation.
Gregory Cendana, Undergraduate Students Association Council
internal vice president, said much of the work and activism that
students are a part of today is directly related to the historic
events of the Civil Rights Movement.
“Martin Luther King himself spoke a lot about segregation
and equality in education; the reality is we’re trying to
fight for that today,” he said.
D’artagnan Scorza, Afrikan Student Union access
coordinator, said ASU works on programs and events focused on
examining the issues related to inequality in education.
“This is a new civil rights struggle. … There is
inequality in access (to education) for people of color and
others,” he said.
Cendana said he believes Monday’s holiday serves as a
reminder of the continuing struggle for equal opportunity for
everyone.
“A lot of students say schools are more segregated now
than they ever have been, even looking at the civil rights
era,” he said. “Looking at access to higher education
and education opportunities, we have to ask ourselves if it’s
really equal.”
Some students have taken part in an effort to increase equality
in higher-education enrollment, Cendana said.
Various student-initiated projects reach out to underprivileged
high schools in the area to “push students to realize their
full potential to pursue higher education,” he said.
ASU has recently modeled their activist approach off
King’s focus on unity among all people, Scorza said.
“(Toward the end of his career) Dr. King moved toward a
unifying message. … He moved toward creating a process by which
all people can achieve equality and access, not just black
people,” he said.
Specifically, Scorza said ASU has worked on creating a more fair
admissions process in the University of California system by
reaching out to other UC student leaders who are interested in
education equality.
He said his group worked with the UC Board of Regents and other
student leaders to “reflect a much more just and fair
(admissions) process,” he said.
Carlos Saucedo, a USAC general representative, said the Civil
Rights Movement is still going on today, though it now involves
some different issues.
“It was really never over,” he said. “There
was a lot of progress made, but we still have a long way to go to
achieve full equal opportunity for all citizens.”
Saucedo is involved with activism on behalf of the lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender community. He said there are many
legislative issues pertaining to the gay community that are
currently dividing the country.
“Now there is a lot of concentration on same-sex
marriage,” he said.
The debate surrounding same-sex marriage involves disagreement
over whether same-sex couples should be allowed to legally
marry.
He said that on campus there is a stigma associated with
same-sex couples.
“There is still this fear in our whole student body in not
wanting to recognize same-sex couples,” he said.
In an effort to get rid of the stigma, the UCLA LGBT Campus
Resource Center and other student groups host events on campus to
recognize the gay population at UCLA.
Saucedo said that in order to overcome social stigmas and
inequality, people need to be aware of the issues at hand.
“Education is the first step. Some people are afraid to
talk about these issues. … That is the first barrier that we need
to overcome,” he said.
Along with student groups on campus, student leaders on the Hill
are involved with Martin Luther King-related events.
The Office of Residential Life is co-sponsoring the 19th annual
Martin Luther King Jr. Oratorical Contest. Themed “I Have a
Dream … What Is The Dream Today,” high school students will
speak with UCLA students in the final event, which is scheduled to
take place on Jan. 25.