INTRODUCTION

SCORE is an organization dedicated to advocating for the rights and issues of students of color and underrepresented communities at UC Santa Barbara and the broader system of higher education. Through education and direct action SCORE strives to promote diversity, equality, cultural understanding and community empowerment.

Each year SCORE participates in or hosts two major conferences. Facing Race is an annual conference where students come together to discuss the issues happening in their community and try to find solutions. The Student Of Color Conference (SOCC) is the annual UC Student Association (UCSA) event where the membership comes together to engage students of color in statewide campaigns.  SOCC is UCSA’s oldest and largest conference, providing a venue for students of color and allied leaders to strategize around statewide and campus-based actions and build leadership.

STUDENTS OF COLOR CONFERENCE

This year the 22nd Annual Students of Color Conference was held at UCSB. The 3-day conference was attended by about 1,000 students from all 10 UC  campuses. It also included students from CSU San Marcos, the University of Colorado, Smith College, and the University of the Pacific.

The program for the conference included a series of workshops, performances, and presentations centered on the year’s theme of “Transformation Through Love and Art: Actively Reclaiming Power for Our Community.”  As reported in the Daily Nexus SOCC Co-chair David Preciado responding to recent hate incidents in the UCSB community framed the conference by saying “We were all in the phase of being hurt by the hate crimes that were going on. This conference creates a space for us to dialogue and share.”

In addition to ethnic and racial issues, the symposium welcomed the queer community to share concerns about recent acts of prejudice. “The past hate crimes at UCSB, especially the ones last summer, were directed towards queer students of color,” Preciado said. “We had workshops that were directed to students who identify at the intersection of queer and students of color.”

To raise awareness around these incidents this year’s conference ended with a rally on-campus attended by several hundred students. The rally included a march through Isla Vista and was reported by several local news outlets.

The conference itself featured several speakers, including Noor Aljawad, a second-year Middle Eastern studies and sociology major, who shared her experiences as a Muslim in post-9/11 America.

Climbing PoeTree urged the crowd to take action and seek social justice. The poet duo Alixa and Naima has addressed past conferences and traveled worldwide with their message, which is summed up on their website: “Creativity is the antidote to violence and destruction. Art is our most human expression, our voice to communicate our stories, to challenge injustice. . . ”

Other performers included Peggy Lee, a UCSB alumna and author at the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, and La Maricolectiva, a spoken word, stand-up and cabaret group focusing on queer, Latino and immigrant issues. They will also emphasize the theme of healing through art.

Workshops addressed various issues, including changes in UC admissions policies and the ever increasing cost of attending the UCs. There were also sessions devoted to more practical aspects of organizing like “How to Recruit People 101” and “How to Plan a Rally.”

For many participants the Students of Color Conferences provide a space to share experiences and network with people who share their concerns and who have had to deal with hate and discrimination in its various forms. It is a a powerful affirmation and a credit to UCSB students who this year funded about 80% of the cost of the conference.

 SPONSORED SPEAKER TIM WISE

This Spring Quarter SCORE helped sponsor a talk by noted anti-racist activist Tim Wise in Campbell Hall. Wise’s presentation fostered discussion on topics of white privilege, hate crimes on university campuses, and effect of fee increases on access for underrepresented students. Wise has lecture on over 600 campuses and authored five books.