Author: Lizeth Castillo
On Tuesday, November 27 , the Student-Community Alliance, Student Labor Action Coaltion (SLAC) and Oxy Global Action held the final event of the Think Global, Act Local, Social Justice Series in which they discussed how community members are actively working to change their communities and how Oxy students can get involved.
The final event of the four-week Social Justice Series, “Students, Community, and Social Action Panel: Connecting the Gap for Change,” invited both students and community members to discuss the issues that are facing their community, what they believe needs to be done to improve it, and their previous efforts for positive change. The panelists included local artist and art teacher at Tierra de la Culebra in Highland Park Heriberto Luna, Coordinator for the Los Angeles County Children’s Planning Council (CPC) Celestina Castillo, Executive Director of the Community Coalition of South Los Angeles Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Occidental Professor of Math Alan Knoeer, intern at the Los Angeles County Children’s Planning Council Hannah McDowell (senior) and intern at Coalition LA Zack Lundgren (junior).
Luna started the panel by discussing the issues facing his community. He addressed gentrification and its effect on the Highland Park community members and noted that the biggest problem is getting local politicians involved.
When asked how and why Oxy students should get involved in their local community, Luna replied that students who come into the Tierra de la Culebra serve as powerful resources for students and community members. He said Oxy students can inform the community about the benefits of going to college. “Some counselors don’t even encourage [students] to go to college . . . I think it will be a big influence in the community,” Luna said.
Luna also offered his advice to students who are seeking to get involved. “Go there sincerely,” he said. “Have that communication with the community . . . ask questions.”
Harris-Dawson addressed the problems that drugs have on his community and their effect on the crime rate. He explained that the Community Coalition wants to bring relief to these legitimate problems and do it in a way that strengthens communities, instead of tearing them down. “You take crime out of that community and no one goes to jail,” Harris-Dawson said. “Learn the status quo with the purpose of changing it.”
Lundgren and McDowell, the two students on the panel, spoke about their involvement in surrounding communities as interns for grass-roots organizations. “They truly are organizing from the bottom up . . . They identify issues of need through the people,” Lundgren said.
The students also explained how they got involved and what programs on campus facilitated this involvement. Both students expressed appreciation for the programs and the effects it has had on their lives and encouraged other students on campus to seek access to community involvement.
When addressing the problems facing her community and work environment, Castillo spoke about her work with social service agencies. She said that these community agencies think about the way in which they are providing their service and ask if they are being informed of the problems at the grassroots level. She related the necessity of identifying numerous angles in which to solve a problem. “How do they begin to set their own agendas and begin to face the issues?” she asked.
Lastly, Professor Knoeer explored his involvement both in and out of the Occidental community. He explained the origins of his involvement in getting Occidental students interested in community-based learning, and the way in which his Math 201 class can help students get closer to the environment that surrounds the campus. “We can play a role by listening, asking questions, and encouraging,” he said.
The night ended with a breakdown of the general themes that each speaker addressed, some of which included the breaking down of barriers, the need for sincere involvement in community-based learning, and the idea that community development and preservation are not mutually exclusive goals but integrated factors.
Following the presentation, panelists fielded student questions. Jessica Nizar (junior) asked the panelists to describe how to overcome the problems of working within a community that you’re not originally from. McDowell answered that being engaged and asking a lot of questions helped her. “People were really willing to open up to me and would, in turn, ask me questions back,” she said.
Lundgren described how he looked for an internship that was going to take him out of his element. “Organizing is building relationships,” he said.
Finally, Castillo advised that students begin with a clean slate and not make assumptions. “Listen to what people are talking about . . . wait, watch, and listen,” she said.
The Social Justice Series ended with an open mic night in the Cooler.
This article has been archived, for more requests please contact us via the support system.
