Submission: UCLA community must show empathy for marginalized groups

I was born and raised in the city of Pittsburgh and attended public schools my entire life. My neighborhood was religiously diverse, my best friend had two moms and I myself am an English as a second language, first-generation American. Coming to UCLA, I thought my environment was diverse enough to prepare me for the next four years, and that my childhood had left me about as open minded as I could be.

One of the first things I learned at UCLA was that I was wrong. What I found was a campus full of people with a much wider diversity of experience and expression than I could have possibly imagined, who have never failed to expand my expectations and vision of the world.

This is why I’m so disappointed by some of the things I’ve heard surrounding the ruling in Ferguson, Mo., on Nov. 24. Regardless of what you think about the facts of the case, the legality of the ruling or the credibility of the witnesses, it ultimately doesn’t matter. What does matter is being able to recognize that what happened in Ferguson is not an isolated incident. It is not even a series of isolated incidents of police brutality and mistreatment of people of color. This is just a more visible and easily identifiable example of the racial issues that permeate our culture both on a national and more local campus level. The student protester who held the sign reading “There is no strong evidence that Officer Wilson committed murder” outside of Royce Hall earlier this week in the wake of the Ferguson decision missed the point entirely.

There is a consistent problem with the way that we as a campus with a very small percentage of people of color talk about racial issues. Earlier in the quarter when Devin Murphy announced his resignation as Undergraduate Students Association Council president, one of my closest friends said, “But isn’t UCLA one of the most LGBT-friendly schools in the country? One of the most tolerant schools in the country?” I explained that this still doesn’t make UCLA perfect or even an easy place to be a minority, to which he replied, “Yeah but it’s better than other places,” as if minority students should feel grateful that they aren’t as uncomfortable as they could be. Just because things are better does not mean they are good, and it is not fair to settle for the lowest possible standard because it is a step up from other universities.

I hear and witness microaggressions and subtly racist statements by students on a daily basis. There are a slew of misconceptions and stereotypes that students bring from their hometown environments, their families and peers, and popular culture that, while maybe not ill-intentioned or hateful, still permeate campus culture.

Because much of this bias is subtle and often mostly internalized, it is harder to identify and thus harder to understand for those who have never experienced consistent and persistent discrimination. I have heard far too many students react with annoyance when people of color express discomfort or dissatisfaction with the way they are treated.

Student protesters held up the line at Bruin Plate for 10 minutes after the Ferguson ruling was released and were greeted with jeers inside. Walking on Bruin Walk earlier this week, I passed more Ferguson protesters and heard students around them express irritation because the protesters were yelling.

The alternative to vocal annoyance toward the protesters has been angry denial. Everyone seems to feel personally attacked, as if they are being solely blamed for racial inequality and their only option is to furiously explain how they aren’t racist.

Here’s the thing: It’s not about you. It’s about the people being affected by the racial discrimination.

Most of the people I spoke with about racial issues were friends of mine: genuinely good and caring people who surprised me with their ignorance and lack of understanding. We as a community need to make an effort to show more respect – and be aware of the assumptions we make about people based on appearance. We need to display empathy when others come to us with their experiences and troubles.

So before you justify your actions or roll your eyes at the next group of activists, think about why people are protesting and what kind of daily treatment causes large numbers of people to become so angry.

I love this school, and I am proud to be a Bruin. But I believe that we can do so much better.

Jaramaz is a second-year music history student.