Monday, April 8, 1996
‘Fight the Right’ plans to raise gender, poverty awarenessBy
Patrick Marantal
Daily Bruin Staff
Looking for recruits in a march already expected to draw
thousands, representatives from the National Organization for Women
(NOW) visited UCLA last Wednesday to gain additional support for
their "Fight the Right" march later this month.
During the open forum, the organization’s representatives
addressed issues affecting men, women and people of color as part
of an attempt to establish the widest base of support as
possible.
Because of the range of issues which the "Fight the Right" march
stands for, both members of the national women’s group and campus
supporters believed that the diverse issues will attract many
students.
"I think the primary thing that people overlook in issues of
gender is that it is a multi-faceted issue. Issues of gender are
tied with issues of race because our society has propagated a very
patriarchal structure," said Petty Tsay, co-chair of the Womynist
Collective, UCLA’s feminist student group.
Other students agreed that problems of race and gender are
connected, and that focusing on one alone will not yield a solution
for the entire problem.
"I think that it has to do with making the connection that all
problems in our society are interrelated," said Luan Huynh,
chairwoman of the California Public Interest Research Group
(CALPIRG). "Gender discrimination is not that different from race
discrimination.
"When groups work on issues, they will work on specific issues,"
Huynh added. "When you concentrate on one issue, you’ll lose the
big picture of what it’s all about."
For these reasons, the National Organization for Women is
addressing a wide spectrum of issues. While protesting against
violence toward women and protecting the legality of abortion, the
rally will also emphasize immigrant rights, fairer labor practices
and poverty.
"I don’t think it’s just a women’s issue," Huynh said. "If
you’re a man, you should go. It would be great to show that men
support equality and women’s rights."
One of the main goals of the march is to mobilize people of
color and women.
"Women didn’t turn out (to the 1992 elections), people of color
didn’t turn out, poor didn’t turn out," said Kimberlee Ward, a
representative and Lesbian Director of the National Organization
for Women. "Who did turn out? An organized right core."
While the national organization hopes to mobilize many people
across the nation in the discussion of these issues, the
representatives believed that the march, on a local level, can
benefit UCLA by enhancing campus ties and uniting groups that
otherwise have not participated in activities together.
"Know that it will change the campus," Ward said. "You have the
potential to build stronger alliances on campus."
The march is scheduled for April 14 in San Francisco.
… Representatives believed that the march … can benefit UCLA
by enhancing campus ties and uniting groups.