Thursday, March 5, 1998
Unity key to solving pressing problems of inequality
PEACE: Prejudice in jobs, on campus the topics of sparsely
attended forum
By Michelle Navarro
Daily Bruin Staff
Annie Yang told some horrible Disneyland stories at a conference
on inequality, but there were fewer than 15 people there to hear
them.
"People won’t come to a thing like this," said Mariana Roytman,
a second-year communication studies student and member of Hillel.
She explained that people are unwilling to hear alternate views to
their own.
"People should be standing outside this door wanting to come in.
They need to be here. People are just not willing to put in the
effort," she said, "and one of the things we should be talking
about is how do we do that."
That is why they were all there, at the Baha’i panel discussion
on equality and diversity – to figure out what needs to be done to
bring unity from diversity, a goal the Baha’i faith strives to
achieve.
The panel began with sharing personal experiences and then moved
on to figuring out what borders and boundaries are created from
inequality. To wrap up the evening, they brainstormed possible
methods of combatting the problem.
Unfortunately, the UCLA students who could aid in accomplishing
this common aim were absent from the Kerckhoff room. But the
apparent apathy of fellow students didn’t stop the intimate group
from sharing ideas and creating what they called the first step to
ending inequality.
The event was sponsored by the Baha’i Club, an organization that
celebrates the Baha’i faith. The founder, Baha’u’llah, emphasized
the importance of unity in God, religion and humanity. The panel
was facilitated by Cynthia Thomas, career counselor supervisor at
the Career Center.
When the panelists each told a past experience, one in
particular struck the small gathering.
Yang, a representative from Peer Educators, talked about her
experience working at Disneyland. The Orange County native said she
was initially placed in Tomorrowland and was happy with her
job.
But when an open transfer period presented an opportunity for
her to switch to Fantasyland, her land of choice because of the
atmosphere and Swiss-like uniform employees wear, she got a wake up
call.
"I showed up for the interview and they said, ‘We’re looking for
someone a little different from you,’" said the second-year
molecular biology student. "Then I asked ‘Well who are you looking
for?’ And then they said, ‘We’re looking for someone who will
contribute to the environment of Fantasyland.’"
According to Yang, that meant someone who looked like "Heidi
from Switzerland." Yang then realized that perhaps one of the
reasons why she was recruited to Tomorrowland to begin with, and
why most of the workers around her were Asian, was because they fit
in with the image of that land – "high technology, all these
Asians."
Yang then made the connection with Adventureland and said that
it’s image was of "football-playing guys and girls with
freckles."
To test her theory of their hiring practices, she did an
experiment. Yang applied under a different name, Heidi Peterson, to
see if that would make a difference to Disney employers.
"I didn’t show up for the interview, but I called and they said,
‘we’re so excited to meet you’ and ‘there are so many openings for
you,’" Yang recounted to the shocked room. Yang did not continue
working at Disneyland.
Yang joked about suing the entertainment giant with $5 in her
pocket, but the students all knew it was no laughing matter. It was
a serious problem that she felt powerless to stop.
"With something that big you don’t even know where to start,"
Yang said.
Another student echoed Yang’s sense of helplessness and talked
about an experiment she did when she moved into Rieber Hall her
first year.
Dana Evans, a representative from the African Student Union,
said she usually makes the effort to initiate a relationship. But
when she moved into Reiber, she decided to not approach other
students on her floor as a test to see how many would come to
her.
Evans found that no one made an effort to make friends with her,
while they knocked on others’ doors and invited them to go out.
She said the experiment taught her that when people haven’t been
exposed to other cultures and only have stereotypes as references,
they don’t "know how to react."
"They just needed me to come up to them and be like ‘I’m cool,
I’m alright,’" Evans said. "As a black person, or as any other
minority, you have to put yourself out there sometimes and say it’s
OK."
Concerning existing boundaries between people, Evans mentioned
the segregation of groups on campus. She admitted that separation
could be explained by the need for students in a huge campus to
find people to relate with. However, she also said it shouldn’t
stop there.
"Once we get into those groups we have to start bridging over
gaps," Evans said. "We could do it on the personal level, like I
can walk across campus and stop at where all the Persians are or at
the steps where all the Asians are and say hi to my friends. The
only way to really to do it is to have sessions like this where we
can put things on the table, and start from there."
Jason Lo, a fourth-year political science student and peer
educator laid out two steps to follow. The first is to "conquer our
own racism and sexism" and the second is to do something, when
witnessing others committing acts that contribute to
inequality.
The group agreed that coming to grips with one’s own fears and
stereotypes, as well as being educated about other cultures, were
important aspects of conquering inequality.
After reaching that conclusion, Thomas then threw in the idea of
using friendship by reading a quote from "The Vision of Race
Unity," a statement produced by the National Spiritual Assembly of
the Baha’is of the United States.
The statement says that "both groups must understand that no
real change will come about without close association, fellowship
and friendship among diverse people."
Several students on the panel responded to the passage by saying
that it takes more than friendship.
"I can associate all day with someone but when we start to talk
about issues, we can be very different." said Cori Shepherd, a
second-year international and developmental studies student and
member of ASU.
She added that education would allow others to understand the
histories and struggles of other peoples.
Nicole Presley, a member of the African Women’s Collective,
added that friendship is just a starting point, but it can’t solve
things alone.
"Inequality will still exist regardless of who your friends are
because your situations are still different," Presley said.
At the end of the discussion, a member of the audience
questioned introducing one’s self in terms of background and not as
a human being. Panelists responded by saying history was relevant
because it shapes a person and helps others understand where that
person is coming from.
One student brought up the point that reaching equality doesn’t
mean everyone must be the same.
"I don’t want to come to a state where I’m not recognized as a
black woman. I’m proud of who I am," Shepherd said. "The ideal
situation is when my community can understand this community and
work together and say it’s OK, that we don’t have to talk the
same."
Perhaps Lo put the conclusion of the evening best when he said,
"Unity means to agree to disagree."