Video of “From the Frontlines of Justice”

We are delighted to share the complete video of “From the Frontlines of Justice” that was part of the #J18 Call to Action on January 18, 2017 at UCLA’s Ackerman Grand Ballroom.

About #J18 and Beyond

January 18, 2017, was a day to Teach, Organize, Resist. Poised between Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the presidential inauguration, #J18 was an opportunity to affirm the role of critical thinking and academic knowledge in challenging Trumpism. On that day, we taught about the agendas and policies of the new administration, be it the proposed dismantling of economic and environmental regulations, and the threatened rollback of the hard-won rights that form the fragile scaffolding of American democracy. On that day, we organized against the proposed expansion of state violence targeting people of color, undocumented people, queer communities, women, Muslims, and many others. On that day, we resisted the institutionalization of ideologies of separation and subordination, including white supremacy, misogyny, homophobia, Islamophobia, and virulent nationalism.

#J18 was a day of actions, ideas, dreams, dialogues, performances, alliances, plans, marches, and assemblies created by many in a multitude of spaces and places.  Educators, students, and community partners were invited to plan programs and activities on that day.

Let it be known that on #J18 and beyond, universities, colleges, and high schools refused to bear silent witness to the politics of hate and fear; that in these times, these places of teaching and learning not only served as a sanctuary for its students and workers but also stood up to proclaim the power of knowledge on the frontlines of social justice.

#J18 was a call issued by departments, centers, and collectives at UCLA, including The UCLA Luskin Institute on Inequality and Democracy, RAVE or Resistance Against Violence through Education, African-American Studies, Chicana/o Studies, Institute of American Cultures, Justice Work Group, LGBTQ Studies, UCLA Labor Center, and The Undercommons.

Use the power of knowledge to challenge inequality and to build alliances for social justice. We will together build a platform that connects education and protest across the United States and links these to actions of solidarity in other parts of the world.