UCLA Bruin Feminists Join Hundreds to Protest UC Fee Hikes

Guest Post by Cindy Le, Executive Board Member of the FMF-affiliate group, the UCLA Bruin Feminists for Equality:

Last week, UCLA experienced a flurry of activity in the form of student protests. The events included two days of marching and chanting, the occupation of Campbell Hall, festivities of Crisis Fest and a tent city welcoming students from UCs all over the state, as well as a takeover of one of Los Angeles’ busiest intersections – Wilshire and Westwood. These events – some planned, and some unplanned – were in the combined effort of getting students informed about the University of California Regents meeting in which a 32% fee increase would be decided on, and how that would affect UC students.

Hundreds of students came together on Wednesday morning to join in the peaceful protest that took place in Covel Commons. Among those students were members of the Bruin Feminists for Equality, an FMF-affiliate group. We joined in with the group by holding protest signs, marching around the Commons, and chanting phrases such as “No Hikes! No Fees! Education should be Free!” Check out the video - Bruin Feminists on CNN!



Many people wonder what the effect of this fee increase will be on the student population. In general, there is expected to be a drop in attendance, because fewer students will be able to financially cope with the fee increases.

As Bruin Feminists, the ideals of our student organization are to fight for equality for all in every aspect. Though the term ‘feminism’ is associated with gender equality between men and women, feminism - and Bruin Feminism especially, is the struggle for equality on all levels – including gender, race, sexual orientation, class, socioeconomic status, and the right to education.

This is the first mid-year increase in fees that students of the University of California have faced, and rightly so, the students are angry. The source of our anger comes from the contradiction of these fee increases to the idea of a public university and education as a means of upward mobility.

The raise of UC fees is coupled with many losses to educational services. At UCLA, we have seen cuts in library hours, writing requirements, English composition tutors, faculty and staff furloughs, as well as rumored plans to decrease degree requirements, cut foreign languages and consolidate ethnic studies.

On a larger scale, these fee increases are privatizing the university. Only those who are financially able to afford college will be able to attend. Though the Regents deemed the fee increase necessary and presented it as the only alternative to the lowered financial support of the state budget to the UC, this 32% fee hike affects not only lower-income students whose families are struggling to make ends meet, but also concerns students who do not qualify for financial aid and students who are considered middle-class – well enough off on paper to afford college without financial aid, but realistically without the means to.

Ethnic minority students are straining to continue on as well. A great number of minority students are first-generation college students. Already facing a unique set of difficulties to succeed in college, the financial burden is sometimes the deciding factor in the continuation of one’s education. The majority of the members in Bruin Feminists for Equality are first-generation and/or minority students.

The participation of Bruin Feminists in the protests was to show our unity as students. Furthermore, our continued participation is in opposition to discrimination for any reason. Students should not be funneled out of the college system due to race, class, gender, sexual orientation, or lack of financial ability. It is important to voice our opposition to the fee increases - education is a right, not a privilege!

West Coast Interns Visit UCLA for Global Affirmative Action Seminar

Last Friday, FMF and Ms. interns traveled to UCLA for the 2009 Global Affirmative Action Praxis Project (GAAPP) Transnational Seminar: Critical Race Theory and the Struggle for Equality in Brazil, India and the United States. The seminar ran June 7 - 16. While we were only there for a day, we were overwhelmed with new information!

The seminar, which focuses on racial and caste inequalities and their social, political, and economic consequences in Brazil, India and the US, is structured around workshops and panel discussions enabling conversations and the exchange of ideas. Bringing together Afro-Brazilians, prominent human rights activists, and critical race theorists, the hope of this semiar is to create new ideas and actions for anti-discrimination and inclusion guidelines.

So why were FMf and Ms. magazine interns afforded this amazing opportunity? Because visionary Kimberle Crenshaw, moderator of the entire seminar, is a strong FMF ally and frequently publishes in Ms.! She invited us to participate in the open 2-day portion of the seminar designed for public participation.

The day began with Professor Crenshaw introducing the concept of intersectionality. The basis of intersectionality is prism of various social factors (race, class, gender, sexual identity, etc.), which must be addressed as one, instead of looking at each factor exclusively.

As an African American woman, Crenshaw has experienced various encounters with intersectionality. During her time at Harvard Law School, Crenshaw and a black male classmate were invited to a finals club party, a prestigious all-male social club. They agreed before they entered the party that they would not "take any mess".

As soon as they knocked on the door, a friend quickly opened the door and closed it behind him. Crenshaw and her friend were ready to stand strong against any opposing forces. The man quickly explained that Crenshaw had to enter through the backdoor because of her gender!

Crenshaw waited to hear her friend speak up on her behalf, instead all she heard was silence. Crenshaw realized that her male counterpart would exclusively defend her when it came to race, but gender was another story....

After the introduction, Manjula Pradeep, Jurema Werneck and Russell Robinson gave examples of intersectionality from the US, Brazil and India. Each provided a fascinating account of how intersectionality is played out within their country.

Manjula Pradeep explained the Indian caste system and its effects on Dalit women. The caste system divides society into four principle castes. The Dalits are not even a part of the system and are the most ostracized group in society. Within the Dalit society, women are often of the lowest rank. They are sexually abused by higher caste members and must perform large amounts of manual labor.

Women are so devalued that they will do anything to not have a daughter. One woman, who already had seven girls, really wanted a son. She went to an astrologer who told her to fast three days a week, while pregnant, in order to gain a son. To no avail, her baby daughter was born without bones, and sadly, died three weeks later. Women are forced to undergo these extreme lifestyles because they live outside of the caste.

Jurema Werneck explains that Brazil is still "a racist society". Afro-Brazilians are still seen as inferior and face lower social conditions. While affirmative action began in 2001, there is still enormous struggle to include non-while Brazilians in the top universities. Afro-Brazilian women face additional barriers in this patriarchal society. PBS provides its easy to read report of race and affirmative action in Brazil.

Within the US, Robinson focused on the stereotypes of commonly ostracized groups reinforced by media images. Robinson explained that media images of black women are divided into two typical categories: sassy sidekicks or overweight, older mammies. Whenever someone turns on the TV they are bombarded with these typical messages. Black female actors often cannot create new images for themselves; rather, they are forced to give in to the stereotypes.

These three themes were carried out through the day, each providing a foundation of how intersectionality affects us. We learned so much and would like to thank the GAAPP, UCLA and Vassar for providing us with this informative event!

UCLA is the only school in the country that has a Critical Race Studies within its Law School. Professor Kimberle Crenshaw is one of the founding members of this incredible program.

-Jessica Little and Anita Lederer, FMF Choices Campus Leadership Program Interns