The Making of A Movement
Funmilola Fagbamila, our 2017 Activist-in-Residence, discusses the inception of the Black Lives Matter movement, the importance of recalling and writing this history, and the transformation of social justice activism under […]
Video of “Judith Butler: This is What Resistance Looks Like”
We are delighted to share the complete video of “Judith Butler: This is What Resistance Looks Like” that took place on February 15, 2017 at Luskin School of Public Affairs, UCLA.
Guest lecture featuring:
JUDITH BUTLER
Maxine Elliot Professor in the Department of Comparative Literature and the Program of Critical Theory at the University of California, Berkeley
About RAVE:
RAVE (Resistance Against Violence Through Education) is a faculty group dedicated to mobilizing the power of knowledge and critical analysis to challenge the normalization of the politics, language, and actions of Donald Trump’s presidency. We pledge to take responsibility for, support, and defend vigorously all vulnerable members of our communities who were deliberately targeted in the lead up to the election of Donald Trump, and who are now victims of hate in its wake—members of the community who are undocumented, victims of sexual assault, people of color, LGBTQ people, Muslims and other religious minorities, immigrants, the disabled, and women. We will not silently bear witness but will fight back by producing knowledge, constructing alliances, and building system-wide coalitions across the University of California.
Video Highlights “From the Frontlines of Justice”
We are pleased to share a highlight video from our event “From the Frontlines of Justice” that took place on January 18, 2017 at UCLA’s Ackerman Grand Ballroom.
On the evening of #J18, we gathered at UCLA to celebrate ongoing struggles for social justice and to affirm their urgent relevance in the face of this current national and global moment. Let it be known that, as a place of teaching and learning, we did not bear silent witness to the politics of hate and fear, that we stood up to proclaim the power of knowledge on the frontlines of justice.
To inspire and guide us, we had the following speakers and artists:
Patrisse Cullors,
Co-Founder of #BLACKLIVESMATTER, Founder & Board Member of Dignity and Power Now, UCLA Alumna
Jeff Chang,
Author of We Gon’ Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation and Executive Director, the Institute for Diversity in the Arts, Stanford University
Erika L. Sánchez,
Author of poetry collection Lessons on Expulsion and the novel I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
Peter Sellars,
Distinguished professor in World Arts and Cultures/Dance, UCLA; opera, theater and festival director
Ilse Escobar,
Migrant, muxer, and activist born in Mexico and organizer in Los Angeles
Bryonn Bain,
Artist/activist, prison abolitionist professor developing UCLA’s prison education program, creator of Lyrics From Lockdown
Maya Jupiter,
Hip-hop artist, songwriter, co-founder of Artivist Entertainment
January 18, 2017, was a day to Teach, Organize, Resist. Transform classrooms and commons into spaces of education that protest policies of violence, disenfranchisement, segregation, and isolationism. Use the power of knowledge to challenge inequality and to build alliances for social justice. #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
#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.
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.
3 Truths About Trumpism
Truth is out of fashion. Truth is past its expiration date. The Oxford Dictionaries declared post-truth to be the 2016 Word of the Year. Here’s their official definition: an adjective […]
Urban Color-Lines
We present a short video, which captures the Institute’s mission and…
Videos of “Black, Brown, and Banished”
We are delighted to share the complete videos of “Black, Brown, and Banished: Ending Urban Displacement in 21st Century Democracies” that was part of the Institute’s inauguration on Thursday, February 4, 2016 at the Japanese American National Museum, Los Angeles.
Luskin Lecture: David Simon on “The Audacity of Despair”
We are delighted to share the complete Luskin Lecture: David Simon on “The Audacity of Despair” that was part of the Institute’s inauguration on Friday, February 5, 2016 at UCLA’s James Bridges Theater.
