Authors Tressie McMillan Cottom and Roxane Gay talk black feminism at Hammer event

Tressie McMillan Cottom and Roxane Gay discussed beauty standards, racism and HGTV celebrities all in one conversation.

The authors and cultural critics held a conversation at the Hammer Museum on Wednesday evening. While Cottom tackled black feminist and social justice issues with levity, Gay prompted her with questions about the former’s new collection of personal essays, “Thick.”

“This book is about black feminist theory and the way we understand the world,” Cottom said. “We experienced it thickly and we have to live it thickly.”

Event organizer Janani Subramanian said the Hammer hopes to highlight patterns of violence against black women and celebrate their contributions to fields including politics and medicine. The conversation between Cottom and Gay fits well with this theme as they are notable black feminist writers, she said.

The pair emerged onstage and began a lighthearted conversation about bizarre things they had seen in LA, such as a woman walking by with a cat on her head. But Gay quickly began to ask Cottom questions about “Thick,” starting with the title.

Cottom said she anticipated the connotations people would project on the title and its physical meaning. She explained that it was a play on words, since “thick” can be a physical descriptor of women’s bodies. Yet in this context she also intended it to describe an inclusive way to view the world. She said black women are most inclined to live “thickly,” which mean they have a broad viewpoint of the world which incorporates the experience of many groups. In contrast, Gay said that mainstream social media creates incentives for people to live “thinly,” and according to narrow white perspectives and beauty standards.

“You’ll never completely get it; you’ll never have the emotions that come with an experience,” Cottom said. “But you’ll have a better view of the world.”

Overall, Cottom said the book centers around black feminist theory and the way black women understand the world. Both Gay and Cottom said black women challenge the typical narratives of feminism, which are often centered around the experience of white people and don’t account for aspects of being black women.

Cottom and Gay also discussed the lack of diverse voices in journalism. Cottom said many major publications, such as The New York Times and The Boston Globe, did not have a black woman writing opinion pieces until this past year, and even asked her for writer suggestions when she pointed this out to them.

Additionally, Gay said some publications often have only one black female writer, and assume she will speak for all black women. She said she would like to see enough black women writers to the extent that she can find some she disagrees with.

“I am but one black woman thinker, and we contain multitudes,” Gay said. “Publishing expects that there can only be one.”

Adam Cobb, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student and technical director at a live news startup attended the event. He said he was interested to hear what the two speakers had to say about the obstacles black women face on the way to upward social mobility.

“This event confirmed a lot of what I’d already been concerned was the case in journalism,” Cobb said. “I’ve experienced firsthand the industry’s propensity to cast white journalists – and especially white male ones – in leading roles.”

Before the pair took around 10 questions from the audience, they discussed how celebrities sometimes adopt a black-inspired persona for personal gain. Gay said that artists commodify blackness until they realize it doesn’t work for them. Cottom joked how white artists often eventually give up the appearance and make a country album when it ceases to be profitable.

“Everyone likes ‘black cool’ but no one likes black burden,” Cottom said. “Black is fun up until a point it comes with costs.”

The speakers finished by answering a question asking what can be done on an individual level to dispel institutionalized stereotyping of black women. Both responded that they attempt to complicate the stereotypes by not participating in the script that is expected of them.

For example, Gay said people often assume there is something maternal about her and put her into a “mammy” stereotype, implying she must be an emotionally wise, motherly figure. Gay said an example of this stereotype today would be Oprah Winfrey. She feels that script does not fit her – she jokingly said she sees herself as more of a ‘daddy’ than any maternal archetype. Defeating the stereotype requires the bravery to disappoint people’s expectations, she said.

“You have to actively resist, and it’s a challenge on a personal and political level,” Gay said. “We live in a culture that resists nuance and complexity, but we need to demand complexity.”

Proposed Westwood senior living center receives mixed reactions from community

A Westwood church partnered with a senior housing developer to build a senior living center on Wilshire Boulevard, a proposed project that has been met with mixed reactions regarding its height.

The proposed senior living center will be on Wilshire Boulevard in the current lot adjacent to the Westwood Presbyterian Church. The project is planned to be 11 stories on the north end of the building and 12 stories on the south end because of the unevenness of the land’s elevation.

Plans for the proposed project were filed with the Los Angeles Department of City Planning on June 14 and have been met with support and opposition from the Westwood community.

The Rev. Dr. Lynn Cheyney, Westwood Presbyterian Church pastor, said the church decided to partner with Belmont Village, an assisted living housing developer, because they specialize in developing and operating senior living facilities. Cheyney said she felt the church and Belmont, which has its own senior living community in Westwood, share a common mission to provide care to the elderly.

“We felt it would be a tremendous gift to give families in our community who don’t have places to house their elderly family members,” Cheyney said. “We felt this was the best possible gift we could give the community.”

Patricia Will, Belmont CEO, said she looks forward to building the project in collaboration with the church. Will added the project has received support from a number of neighborhood groups.

“Every place we’ve been so far has voted overwhelmingly to support the project,” Will said. “We feel the community supports (the project).”

Neighborhood groups that have expressed their support include the Westwood Homeowners Association, the Westwood Hills Property Owners Association, the Comstock Hills Homeowners Association and the Westwood Neighborhood Council.

The WWNC voted Sept. 12 to support the project if the developers agreed to conditions such as providing a community-accessible meeting room, like the meeting room at the Belmont Village Senior Living of Westwood, where WWNC general board meetings have been scheduled since September.

The WWNC board voted in support of the project by a vote of 10-1, with three abstentions. The sole dissenting vote was Mark Rogo, who is also a member of Westwood Neighbors for Sensible Growth, a community-based coalition opposed to the proposed project.

Rogo said he thought it was uncharacteristic of the council to support a development project in the area.

“This has been a neighborhood council that has historically been against any growth or development, and here is their one exception to the rule all of a sudden,” Rogo said.

Rogo added he thinks the project could lower the property values of housing in the area such as The Californian, an apartment complex adjacent to the proposed project, because it violates the Wilshire-Westwood Scenic Corridor Specific Plan, the master planning document that outlines zoning regulations.

“Anything above and beyond (the Specific Plan limitations) is to the detriment of the homeowners, and certainly to the residents of The Californian who are going to be stuck with this decision, and they’re going to see their property values decimated,” Rogo said.

Kay Waldman, president of Westwood Neighbors for Sensible Growth, said she is concerned about this project because it violates the Specific Plan. Waldman added she thinks neighboring residents are concerned about the precedent the project may set for future development in the neighborhood.

“If this were to go through as they proposed, I think it would be devastating for our neighborhood because of the precedent it sets,” Waldman said. “Because it would be violating the (Specific Plan).”

The Specific Plan states that proposed buildings within its boundaries should not exceed six stories. The proposed project is planned to have 12.

Will said the Specific Plan does not apply to projects that adhere to the criteria established by LA’s Elder Care Ordinance, which outlines application processes for elder care facilities.

She added she is confident the Belmont project will meet the Elder Care Ordinance criteria. Waldman said although the city can assess whether or not the project meets these criteria, she does not think the ordinance necessarily violates the Specific Plan.

Cheyney said the proposed building will replace the parking lot of the current Westwood Presbyterian Church. She added parts of the church structure will have to be torn down for the project.

According to minutes from the WWNC’s September meeting, the preschool and administrative building of the church will have to be torn down and relocated to make room for the new building.

The Belmont, Westwood Presbyterian Church and the Westwood Neighbors for Sensible Growth will continue to lobby in support of their respective causes. Rogo and Waldman said they would support a project that adhered to the Specific Plan’s six-story limit.

Will and Cheyney said they will continue with the development process and are excited about continuing the project.

“We’re ready to go, we want to get this building built because again, I think the need is just huge,” Cheyney said. “So we’re hopeful that we can get at it sooner rather than later.”

Both groups will give presentations to the Holmby Westwood Property Owners Association in early March and the North Westwood Neighborhood Council in early April or May.

The city ultimately will decide whether or not to approve the proposed project after hearing recommendations from neighborhood councils.

Experimental lab advocates diverse research for political science students

A new lab aims to engage students in political research using experimentation and data analysis.

Efrén Pérez, director of UCLA’s Center for American Politics and Public Policy and a political science professor, established the Race, Ethnicity, Politics and Society Experimental Lab in August 2018 to provide funding and guidance for student research projects, according to the center’s website. Since then, the lab has expanded to recruit more graduate and undergraduate students.

The lab aims to produce more research about racial identity in the United States, provide more accessible data to student researchers and educate students, Pérez said.

The lab guides students through the research process and will provide small grants for student research proposals throughout the year. Students also meet on a weekly basis to propose their research ideas and provide feedback to one another.

Bianca Vicuña, a member of the lab and a first-year graduate student in political science, said the lab has helped her collect data for her research.

“Getting data is difficult (even) for graduate students and now we can easily get data (through the lab),” she said.

Vicuña added the lab’s focus on conducting experimental research regarding ethnic minorities is not common in the field of political science.

“It is rare to see an experiment (in political science), and there are not a lot of researchers focusing on minority groups,” Vicuña said.

Current research projects include exploring how racial identity influences political decisions, how black women vote and why members within racial groups may support political positions that could harm them.

Rodolfo Solis, a member of the lab and a first-year graduate student in political science, said he thinks the lab helps students develop research skills such as running experiments and gathering subject pools under the guidance of more experienced graduate students or professors.

“I can take a (research) idea, and they will help me to mold the idea,” Solis said. “You will get a lot of help and be comfortable at the same time.”

The REPS Lab features a computer lab that gives students access to specialized software for data manipulation and analysis, Vicuña said.

Pérez said he thinks the lab gives students the research experience they need to get into graduate schools.

“When you apply to graduate schools, it is risky for graduate school admissions to accept a student since they don’t know if students are actually capable of researching,” Pérez said. “Having a research experience like this limits some of the uncertainty and makes students way more competitive.”

Solis added he believes the REPS Lab’s focus on race and ethnicity research will help attract students who care about these issues to UCLA.

“(The REPS Lab) is going to help a lot of students,” Solis said. “It will motivate a lot of students to come to UCLA to pursue their ideas.”

Common Book author pledges to donate profits after controversy over border experiences

This year’s Common Book author agreed to donate half of his speaker’s honorarium profits to undocumented students at UCLA after students and faculty criticized him for profiting off the stories of immigrants at the southern border.

Francisco Cantú is the author of “The Line Becomes A River,” this year’s UCLA Common Book. The Common Book program selects a book every year for students to read and discuss. Cantú’s memoir details his experiences as a U.S. Border Patrol agent and his struggle to make a positive impact while working in what he thinks is a flawed system.

Students and faculty have expressed concerns about the author’s involvement in the border patrol since the book was selected.

Charlene Villaseñor Black, a professor of art history and Chicana and Chicano studies, said many members of the UCLA community felt selecting Cantú’s book this year was inappropriate because of controversial incidents that have occurred at the border, such as the separation of children from their families. She said people also felt it was insensitive to select a book written by a border patrol agent.

“We have too many students who have experiences with the border patrol that are very close in their family histories,” Villaseñor Black said. “It was not something that I felt comfortable asking students to read.”

Villaseñor Black said this was the first Common Book that focused on the Latinx experience, but added she did not think it was the most suitable choice.

“Since the presidential elections, the anti-Latino and anti-immigrant rhetoric is at a fever pitch in the United States,” Villaseñor Black said. “I understand the impulse to confront difficult issues and want to talk through them, but I felt like the timing was not good.”

She wrote an open letter to Cantú on Jan. 31 after several students and faculty members approached her with their concerns. She detailed the concerns of the campus in the letter and asked Cantú to consider donating his profits from speaking at UCLA to UCLA’s Undocumented Student Program.

“(Cantú should) consider what it means to profit in part from the stories of those the border patrol has deported, from the families it has separated, from the individuals whose hope for a better life it has crushed,” Villaseñor Black said in the letter.

Cantú agreed to donate half of his $10,000 earnings to the USP, and half to the education of the children of an undocumented man mentioned in his book, according to a letter Cantú sent in response to Villaseñor Black’s letter.

“If such invitations have not yet been extended to members of the (USP) and other interested student organizations, I’d like to personally welcome them to take part in the Common Book event by tabling, disseminating information, sharing the microphone, the stage, or participating whatever way may be appropriate,” Cantú said in the letter.

Cantú added in the letter he encourages students to continue a dialogue on campus about these concerns.

“It is not lost on me that, even in renouncing the structures of violence of which I was a part, the commodification of the stories that stem from that period in my life cannot be untethered from the damaging work I was engaged in,” Cantú said in his letter.

Cantú said in a statement that he routinely donates his speaker fees to organizations that aid in immigrant advocacy at the southern border.

He added this is not the first time he has faced controversy regarding his book and that he always welcomes and tries to learn from criticism.

“What is important to me isn’t that my voice gets heard or that my book gets read, but that a larger platform is extended to those who are most affected by border issues – migrants themselves – so that their experiences can be seen and heard directly from them,” Cantú said.

Paolo Velasco, director of the Bruin Resource Center, which houses the USP, said he had also received concerns from UCLA community members regarding the Common Book. He said his office learned about the donation through Villaseñor Black and Cantú’s letters.

“I really want to be clear that the donation is not something we asked for or had any role in securing,” Velasco said. “We’ll look and see how we can utilize it to best support our students.”

La’Tonya Rease Miles, director of the First Year Experience and coordinator of the Common Book, said she invited the USP and other student organizations to participate in a campuswide discussion about concerns regarding the book, but added these groups did not respond to her invitation.

She said the Common Book selection process began in March 2018. The Common Book Selection Committee, which consists of faculty members, students and UCLA community members, selects the book each year.

Rease Miles said the committee did not anticipate the political tension surrounding the border would intensify this rapidly when they first chose the book.

“This book gave us the best opportunity to have a conversation about, No. 1, immigration, No. 2, career choice and decision-making,” Rease Miles said. “Those are the things that were on our mind when we selected this book.”

She said she encourages students and faculty to join the Common Book committees for the upcoming year.

“If people are interested whether it’s because they are pissed off about the book or excited, they should consider joining and nominating a text or even joining a committee,” Rease Miles said.

ASU calls for UCLA to address issues affecting African-American students

A student organization demonstrated during a basketball game Thursday to push UCLA to better address cases of racial discrimination on campus and increase funding for African-American student groups.

The Afrikan Student Union, which aims to promote African-American students’ interests, assembled inside Pauley Pavilion during the UCLA men’s basketball game to express discontent with how UCLA has addressed issues pertinent to African-American students.

UCLA organized a “Blue Out,” handing out blue T-shirts for people in the crowd to put on. Demonstrators wore all-black instead.

The demonstrators occupied front-row seats at the game, stood up and raised their fists during the national anthem and walked out during halftime.

ASU organized the demonstration because they think UCLA has failed to create a campus environment that protects black students and fosters their academic success, according to an ASU press release.

Isaiah Njoku, a fourth-year sociology and public health student and ASU chair, said ASU thinks UCLA has failed to address their concerns about campus climate and funding for African-American student groups.

“We’re demonstrating for the lack of support of the Afrikan Student Union in its regular daily program and lack of support in general for black students on this campus,” Njoku said.

Njoku said African-American students were made to feel unsafe in several incidents that occurred in the university apartments during fall quarter.

One incident, in which a female African-American student was questioned for her presence in the apartment complex by an employee, prompted an address by Chancellor Gene Block.

He added one of ASU’s demands is for UCLA to create a committee or position responsible for investigating such incidents of student discrimination.

“It’s an environment that is not conducive to black students’ success,” Njoku said.

Julia Robinson, a third-year political science student and chief of staff of the Undergraduate Students Association Council internal vice president, said ASU has been ironing out community policies and actions in university housing with the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, the UCLA Black Alumni Association and the Black Graduate Student Association.

The ASU also demanded a $40 million endowment for a black resource center, according to the press release.

The resource center would centralize African-American organizations under a single entity, and provide adequate funding for those programs with the endowment.

Robinson said she thinks UCLA should be able to contribute funds for the resource center now that it has raised $4.6 billion for its Centennial Campaign.

“Apparently, the fundraising was going to go partly to student organizations, so ASU is going to ask for a large chunk of the surplus to go towards financing a building for the center,” Robinson said.

According to a 2013 University of California survey, African-American students have the lowest four-year graduation rates among other races at UCLA at 57.6 percent. Njoku said the black resource center would aim to address this problem.

ASU demanded that UCLA implement anti-discriminatory policy, mandatory training and repercussions for policy violators. It also demanded the university relocate the Afrikan Diaspora Floor in student housing and change the name of Campbell Hall to Carter-Huggins Hall.

Njoku said he thinks the demands are reasonable and attainable, but acknowledged that achieving ASU’s goals, especially the black resource center, would require lengthy negotiation and cooperation with the university.

“These conversations have been fruitful to an extent, but it’s not enough,” Njoku said. “There have been movements made, but there hasn’t been the entire fruition of the things that we’d like.”

Njoku said he hopes UCLA will meet ASU’s demands and help ASU further its goal of fostering academic success and a sense of belonging for black students.

“Hopefully we heighten the retention rates, graduation rates of black students and improve their comfortability at UCLA,” Njoku said.

UCLA spokesperson Tod Tamberg said the UCLA administration has worked closely with students to address incidents of racial discrimination.

“We recognize the persistence of racism in American life and the impacts of racism on African-American Bruins, and we take sincere and meaningful actions to address concerns when made aware of them,” Tamberg said.

ASU expects UCLA to respond to their demands by March 5, according to the ASU press release.

Baseball swings into action in preparation for series against Sacramento State

The Bruins’ pitching staff will have the chance to further showcase their arms this weekend.

No. 4 UCLA baseball (7-1) will begin a three-game home series against Sacramento State (3-4) on Friday night – the first time the Bruins are facing the Hornets since 2012.

The Bruins swept the Hornets in a three-game home series seven years ago and were led by their pitching staff of then-sophomore right-handers Adam Plutko, Nick Vander-Tuig and Zack Weiss. The trio of future pros gave up a combined four earned runs that weekend, helping UCLA finish the season 22nd in the country in ERA at 3.15.

UCLA’s ERA is currently 1.11 and ranks second in the nation out of teams that have played more than one game.

The bullpen has posted a 1.30 ERA in 27 2/3 innings, while the Bruins’ four starters have a combined 0.99 ERA in 45 1/3. Most notably, the Sunday and Tuesday starters – freshman right-handers Jesse Bergin and Nick Nastrini – have not let up an earned run in 22 1/3 total innings across their four starts combined.

Nastrini got the nod in the Bruins’ most recent game in a road win against CSUN on Tuesday throwing five scoreless innings with five strikeouts. Coach John Savage said the freshman is making strides in his development as a UCLA player.

“He’s still very young, (but) he’s maturing into a Bruin pitcher,” Savage said. “He’s doing a better job of pitching out of problems.”

Despite the first appearance of his career coming in relief, Nastrini’s transition into the starting rotation likely rules him out of relieving this weekend. The right-hander said the pitching staff will focus on making two adjustments as UCLA heads into the series against Sacramento State.

“I think getting ahead in all the counts and having a conviction in all of our pitches (is important),” Nastrini said.

With junior right-hander Ryan Garcia still out with a flexor injury, Savage said he will stick with the same rotation he used against St. John’s and Georgia Tech – right-handers sophomore Zach Pettway, redshirt junior Jack Ralston and Bergin.

On the offensive side, another freshman – center fielder Matt McLain – is already contributing to the Bruins’ production in his short career. McLain has posted a .400 batting average in his four last games to go along with his team-leading nine RBIs.

McLain attributed his immediate impact at the collegiate level to the guidance he’s received from upperclassmen.

“It’s been an awesome transition (from Beckman High School to UCLA) with some of the older guys helping me out through all of it,” McLain said. “It’s been a lot of fun.”

Fellow Orange County native and First-Team Preseason All-American – junior second baseman Chase Strumpf – is one of many veterans that can guide McLain and UCLA as a whole. The No. 3 hitter leads the team in home runs with two and walks with six.

With a win Friday, the Bruins would jump to 8-1 and earn their third-best start since John Savage took over the head coaching position in 2005.

UCLA began the 2015 season 11-1 and was one win away from making the Super Regionals. In 2010, the Bruins went on a 23-game winning streak to start the year but lost in the NCAA championship to South Carolina in Omaha, Nebraska.

Sacramento State currently sits at 3-4, but the Hornets ended the 2018 season with a 35-25 overall record and placed fourth in the Western Athletic Conference with a 17-7 conference record. They finished with a winning road record at 14-12, but have lost their two away contests this season.

The first pitch will be at 6 p.m. on Friday, followed by 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Five men’s tennis doubles duos to compete in San Diego tournament

The Bruins will receive a brief respite from competitive dual-match play and team tournaments.

No. 23 UCLA men’s tennis (5-4) will send five doubles teams to compete in the 130th Annual Pacific Coast Men’s Doubles Championship in San Diego this weekend. UCLA is coming off a 4-2 win over Grand Canyon on Tuesday without a single returning starter from last season in the lineup.

One of the Bruins’ doubles teams, made up of freshman Govind Nanda and assistant coach Rikus De Villiers, earned the No. 1 seed in the bottom half of the 128-team bracket. Sophomore Bryce Pereira and freshman Patrick Zahraj earned the No. 8 seed in the top half, entering with a 4-4 record in dual-match play.

The tournament will provide opportunities for UCLA’s younger and less experienced players to garner competitive match experience. Freshman Max Wild played in his first dual match of the season against Grand Canyon and said the experience was good preparation for the weekend.

“It’s definitely a new feeling,” Wild said. “Playing in the doubles lineup Tuesday was super exciting, and a little nervous at first. I was happy I was able to end up playing well, and hopefully I can bring that into this weekend.”

Freshman Roscoe Bellamy, Wild’s doubles partner for the weekend, said he’s been preparing hard and playing different kinds of competition in practice to be ready heading into this weekend.

“I’ve been training hard, working on things that I can improve on,” Bellamy said. “Playing a lot of competitive matches and sets in practice, trying to get real match play into our preparation.”

While it will be the duo’s first time playing together, the two have known each other since school began.

“(Wild) being my roommate has been amazing and he’s become my best friend here,” Bellamy said. “Since we have good chemistry, I think we will be able to pump each other up well if something isn’t going right on the court or if anything goes wrong, we have each other’s back.”

Wild said he looked forward to being able to work on his skills this weekend.

“I’m going to really be working on my serve this week,” Wild said. “That will be a huge factor in my doubles play this weekend, so hopefully I can play a bigger, more accurate serve and see improvements.”

The Bruins will also have two other doubles teams competing, junior Ben Goldberg alongside redshirt sophomore Connor Rapp, as well as freshmen Eric Hahn and Mathew Tsolakyan.