Christine Simmons discovered her passion for social justice as a UCLA student after marching down the streets of Westwood with more than 800 fellow peers to protest the prohibition of affirmative action in California schools.
Instead of attending medical school as originally planned, Simmons graduated in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in physiological science and became the president and chief operations officer of the Los Angeles Sparks, a professional women’s basketball team.
On Tuesday, she described her experiences as an African-American Bruin and community service volunteer to students, faculty and community members in Haines Hall as part of the 2015 UCLA Black Convocation, an annual campus event intended to welcome new and returning black students to the school. The theme this year was “Black Bruins Matter.”
As an undergraduate, Simmons got involved in service groups within the black community at UCLA such as the Black Hypertension Project and the Academic Supports Program, which provides tutoring and peer counseling to black students.
“Those were the types of experiences that forever changed me,” Simmons said. “They made the foundation for my career, which is based on empowerment, adversity and giving back.”
The Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies has hosted the event for more than 10 years, said Darnell Hunt, director of the center.
In 2006, the Los Angeles Times reported that black students made up only 2 percent of that year’s incoming freshmen class at UCLA. The article prompted a national conversation about affirmative action and equal access to higher education, Hunt said.
“This event is an attempt to have a dialogue with the African-American community at UCLA around questions of community and academic success at UCLA,” Hunt said. “(The theme) evokes these national movements like Black Lives Matter and the challenges black youth face.”
He added the number of incoming black freshmen in fall 2015, 238, is the highest the school has had since Proposition 209 passed in 1996. The legislation outlawed affirmative action in California and inspired protests on campus, such as the one Simmons participated in.
Simmons said she hopes Tuesday’s event will help the UCLA community, especially incoming black students, understand that black students can have unique experiences on campus because of their backgrounds. If students take advantage of opportunities in college that allow them to make a social impact, they could bring about pivotal changes as they progress into their careers, she added.
Second-year psychobiology student Taryn Thrasher attended the convocation to explore academic resources and networking opportunities for pre-medical students of color.
“The event shows solidarity among our community … especially with all the oppressive forces in the world (against blacks), including those within this university,” said Thrasher, who heard about the event through the ASU.
Travis Dumas, who learned about the event from an Afrikan Student Union member, said he thinks the event allowed the black community to show camaraderie.
“Oftentimes, African-American students feel isolated and separated from their peers (at college),” said Dumas, a fourth-year political science student. “It’s great to create a safe space on campus.”