Culture Riot

It’s over. But it’s not. It’s just beginning. It really is. Over 800 students registered for the 19th annual Students of Color Conference. It was held at UC Santa Cruz this weekend and the planning committee prayed to God that all 800 students wouldn’t come because we didn’t have enough space for them all. But, for the 700 students who did come, the experience was beyond amazing. For the volunteers and “people in purple shirts” the experience was inspiring, frustrating, heartbreaking… it was all these things I can’t find the words for.

Can you imagine a sea of brown faces sitting down with a mixture of hope, fear, excitement and love beating through their hearts and racing through their minds? Their right hands are on the shoulders of the person the the right and their left fists are raised high and proud. We created more than coalitions. We created family. We create kapatid which means “brother and sister” in Tagalog.

For students of color in the UC system, we are faced with the many edged sword of privilege and isolation. Love for our education and love for our family. We have “issues” but we also have lives and we are also human. We are hurting but we are moving and organizing so much that sometimes we can’t stop to heal. “Can’t stop, won’t stop,” as UCSA volunteers kept repeating all weekend.

And I don’t know if we stopped and healed in the spaces that SOCC created. I know we listened to our issues; we talked about our families our campuses, our communities and our disunities. I know we danced to good music, ate good food and met a lot of people who we hope to see someday soon.

There’s so much more out there: so much more to tell and so many stories I didn’t hear or capture on camera. I hope in the weeks to come those stories come out and that people get a chance to hear them.

Peace,
-a.