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| Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at UCLA in 1965 |
For the past several weeks now, we have been reading and writing about, and discussing the potential of art as a powerful and effective tool for protest and resistance. Writers, singers and song writers, fine and street artists use their craft to protest against injustice, redefine stereotypes, create spaces for free self expression, and to defend those who cannot defend themselves.
Many of you have undoubtedly seen the video below. If not, it is a video produced and uploaded by fellow UCLA students compelled by their outrage at the low numbers of male African American students at UCLA. For this blog post, watch the video and think about the various ways in which these students present their cause. Then in 2-3 paragraphs answer the following questions: What are the students protesting and how do they stage their protest? How is spoken word poetry and the internet used as a form of protest? Do you think that their protest was effective or ineffective? Why or why not? Responses must be posted Tuesday, May 27th by 5:00 pm to receive credit.
In this video by several male African American UCLA students, the right to be equally represented in the UCLA community is being presented. They present the low number (660) of African American male students enrolled at UCLA, what that means to them, and how they are affected by it. The way in which the students portray their protest is incredibly powerful and moving. The students address the fact that the majority of the male African American students at UCLA are athletes, suggesting that the only reason African Americans get into UCLA is to enhance the athletic programs.
ReplyDeleteThe use of poetry in this YouTube video is a part of what makes the clip very moving. The use of poetry immediately grabs the viewer’s attention, however, it is not simply that they used poetry; but the words that were used and the manner in which they was conducted. The voice of the male student speaking is omnipresent and commanding of the viewer’s attention. They reference historical events on and off campus, rights that have been limited to them, and the irony in UCLA calling themselves a ‘diverse’ school when there are only 35 male African American students who will graduate from the incoming freshman class.
The Internet is a form of communication that allows for rapid dispersal of information in our culture today, and typically does so very effectively. Overall, I believe that their protest was successful because it was a widespread video that alerted many people throughout the UCLA community of the lack of diversity amongst students. Because UCLA is considered to be a ‘diverse’ school I think that many people are unaware that every ethnicity is not being equally represented in the composition of the school. Due to the rapid dispersal of information through the Internet today, this protest was effective because it quickly caught the attention of students and staff across the UCLA campus. The power of the commanding language used in the video also played a part in the effectiveness of the protest because it presented an issue that so many people are unaware of, but that is so pertinent to many students on the campus.
This video showcases the lack of African American male students at UCLA, despite the publications that state that UCLA is a diverse community. The fact that this video is introduced with statistics and numerical values comes to show that its not just an opinion, that is based o facts, and therefore it is a matter that shouldn't be taken lightly. To me it was astounding the fact that 660 was the number for BOTH undergraduate and graduate students, even more jaw dropping is the fact that only 48 students were admitted into the freshman class this past year. The student's address the fact that enrollment of black male students can be easily represented in the student athletes, that their skill is exploited to gain more championships and to make up part of the diversity pie chart of UCLA. Since this video is somewhat old in current media, I remember when it was being spread all around. I remember posts replying to this video signaling out UCLA, and people were forgetting that this issue doesn't happen only in the confines of the UCLA campus, it happens everywhere; I thought that was absurd.
ReplyDeleteThe effectiveness of poetry or spoken word in this case, is the impact at which it is projected, its simpleness in its stage factor and form of display. The fact that it is just him surrounded by black male students just standing behind me, until after in the last seconds of the song that they act, that they realize that they are the voices that should speak defiantly against the oppression. The video is just a wonderful statement in the form that it is delivered. I completely agree with Emily to the fact that the Internet was a great medium for them to spread their video, it was quick and effective. The video was alarming because UCLA prides itself in being a diverse community, yet we see the numbers stacked up, and only them do we become aware and connect the dots.
Great video !
The students in this video are protesting against the low number of African American student admission into UCLA. They use poetry as a form of rebellion, seeking to promote affirmative action by making convincing claims about the current demographics and low graduation rates of African American males. The way that the students delivered the poetry reading was very artistic and powerful; I was engrossed throughout the entire video. The statistics that were presented in the beginning of the video was a very effective method of drawing the viewer's attention and also provided substantial evidence that an extremely low number of African American males, 35 of the incoming freshman, are expected to graduate. These statistics provide solid evidence for their claims.
ReplyDeleteThe tone of the narrator was also a factor of a video that made it so compelling. The narrator adjusted the loudness of voice at deliberate points in the video in order to emphasize the subject in which he was discussing. Also the cinematography and graphics that accompanied the reading added to the artistic strength of the video. The poetry reading was fluid, utilizing rhymes to create rhythm.
I believe the internet is an effective way of relaying messages to the masses. Just by uploading a video, your message can be spread across several colleges in a manner of seconds. The message of this video was very persuasive and touched upon issues that are controversial. We tend to forget that a lot of the achievements we are able to make in our lives today are heavily based on the circumstances of our upbringing. Historically, African Americans have been marginalized to the corners of American culture and often do not have the same economical and sociopolitical standings as other college students. I thought this video was a great way of addressing this ongoing issues.
The video entitled, “Black Bruins (Spoken Word),” demonstrates a student protest against discrimination against African Americans in the admissions process at UCLA. Using spoken word poetry as their form of protest, the students (who are also of African American descent) represent the versatility and range of protests in making a public statement. Unlike other types of protests or acts of resistance discussed in class (such as the physical protests depicted in Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis), these students utilize art in the form of poetry to express what they feel about this issue of racial prejudice and stereotyping.
ReplyDeleteSpoken word poetry is used within this video to protest the university’s unjust administration. Rather than physically protest/boycott UCLA, these students use this form of art and social media to express concern not only throughout the campus but also to the entire world. The way in which the poem is delivered creates a sense of agency and provokes the audience with a captivating tone. Certain statements within the video are emphasized through repetition or stressed by an increased volume in voice. The statistics of the number of African American students accepted to or attending UCLA also support the spoken word poetry through continued emphasis of the continued prejudice and stereotypes experienced by ethnicities.
The incorporation of spoken word poetry within the protest demonstrates the many ways in which protests can occur. I believe that this protest was especially effective in impacting society by bringing awareness of this issue to the students at UCLA and other universities. The use of the internet in spreading this awareness of prejudice and discrimination boosted its effectiveness. Most importantly, the effort and creativity involved in this type of protest left a lasting impression in myself, reminding me of the continued discrimination occurring in the education system.
The students within the video are protesting against the injustice that they feel the University poses against the African American community. Through the video, Sy along with his fellow peers, outline how they feel the University is treating them unfairly. They reference the UCLA as a business only seeking to win more championships than give African American students an ‘equal playing field.’ The students stage their protest through a form of poetry- spoken word. By utilizing this technique of spoken word, the students are able to incorporate theater and music within their poem, making it much more powerful. The unique thing about spoken word is that it focuses on each word, forcing the artist to pay attention to his tone and diction more closely than a meter poem.
ReplyDeleteBy focusing on his tone and word choice, spoken word in this case is used as a form of protest. Along with media attention from the internet, this piece was carefully put together to help the audience understand the artists point of view. The internet can be universally accessed and is a perfect place for a rebellion/protest to begin. Citizens are able to immediately share files with their peers who share common interests forming the roots of a successful protest. This piece of spoken word is very detail oriented and uses statistics as a way to give support to their cause against the University.
I firmly believe that their protest was effective and definitely piqued an interest within the UCLA community. The video already has over 2 million views, clearly larger than the UCLA population suggesting that the video has been seen by the community as well. The message within the video was direct, and the students accurately showed how they felt the University had been treating them. The University definitely attracts students by referencing how diverse their culture is. After watching the video, I can see some falsehood within these claims of diversity, and how marginalized the African American population is. All in all, this spoken word piece along with the cinematography of the video provided a very compelling argument and clear source of protest.
The students are protesting the numbers that show a lack of representation within UCLA, a number that they protest is far lower than should be. The students stage their protest with a video that powerfully shows numbers and state facts to irrevocably prove their argument. They go on to suggest that black males are actually enrolled in order to enhance the school's athletics, and reveal that the number of NCAA championships held is far greater than the number of black freshman enrolled at the university.
ReplyDeleteSpoken word poetry and internet are able to used as a form of protest because they are both readily accessible and entertaining to a wide crowd of people. The internet is a form of communication that allows others to discuss topics in such easy manner. Spoken word poetry is effective as a form of protest because it appeals to people both with the rhetoric, the mannerisms, and body language held within the video.
I think the protest was ineffective because although the video did present startling facts, it did not present a course of action to follow the video with. In addition, the slam poetry detracted from the seriousness of the issue at hand by essentially commercializing the topic.
Though I thought the video could have been better, it was made a lot better through the fact that the readily accessible Internet made the video rather wide spread and well known. This video is pretty old; I remember when the video first came out and everybody was shocked by the statistics. People at school especially were discussing the low numbers and in that sense the video was effective.
The UCLA students in this video are protesting the low number of African American males who attend UCLA both as undergraduates and graduate students. They chose to stage their protest through the medium of spoken word, and created a compelling video to spread their message across the internet. By creating a video that can easily be shared across the internet, the students gave their message an almost unlimited audience and greatly increased the impact that their video could have not just on those in the UCLA community but in campuses across the nation. The simplicity of the video added to its effectiveness. Since the majority of the video focused on the spoken word speaker, with the only effects added being words to highlight what he was saying, the student's message was kept at the forefront throughout the video.
ReplyDeleteThis being said, I do not think the video was an effective form of protest. While I believe the students bring up an important issue in terms of African American college attendance in general, they are pointing their fingers in the wrong direction. The message that one takes away from the video is, essentially, that UCLA admissions is corrupted by racism. They back this claim up with statistics, noting that 3.3% of undergraduate and graduate male students at UCLA are African American. However, there is no indication of how many African American males actually apply to UCLA and how many of those students were denied entrance. What is the actual acceptance rate of African American students who apply to UCLA? The students pick and choose their statistics to fit their message, and as a result much of their argument loses its credibility. UCLA is the world's most applied to university with an acceptance rate of 18% for all students who applied. By claiming that the lower numbers of African Americans is due to anything but UCLA's high level of academics takes away from the very real problems in America's public education system that are at the root of this issue. These students should not be attacking UCLA but rather the flawed public education system that fails to prepare many students, and not just those of African American descent, to reach such a high level of education. The students use inflammatory and aggressive rhetoric to do nothing but alienate those who might otherwise have been sympathetic to the valid concerns about the public education system that is failing to prepare many children for college. They also make no suggestions on how to increase black enrollment at UCLA. Instead of creating a video that might effect meaningful change, they do nothing but incite anger out of their supporters and defensiveness out of their opponents.
These students are protesting against the admissions for African American males at UCLA through spoken word poetry. They use Sy Stokes as the speaker with other African American male students standing in the background as a sign of solidarity in their protest. The poem basically goes through all the facts about the African American male demographic here on campus. Utilizing verbal visuals on the video, they are able to hit the key facts about how African American males only make up a small percentage of our student body at UCLA. Because of the visuals, I remember the numbers and words that pop up throughout the video how they only make up 3.3% of our students, out of all of the African American males, 65% are athletes, and that only 74% actually graduate. I was surprised that these numbers are so low here at UCLA, where they preach that we are a diverse school. Most of the African American males are recruited into our athletic program, not just for academics which shouldn’t be the criteria for a prestigious higher education institution like UCLA. They also used an acronym, “IGNITE” which stands for Increasing Graduation Not Incarcerations Transforming Education. This caught my eye when I watched the video the first time and made me easily understand their mission. Sy Stokes speaks with such conviction and emotion in his spoken word video, that I was moved by the message even if I was not physically present. I support their protest against the school because of this video, and I believe many others do as well.
ReplyDeleteI think that posting their spoken word protest on the internet was very effective in this way because social media on the internet has proven to be a great medium to spread word about a cause. I have seen this video in the past like many others. It went viral as soon as it was posted up on the internet. It blew up my news feed on facebook, where even my friends from back home saw it and sent it back to me as well. Fast forward to a couple of months later, now it has over two million views already. They spread it through twitter, youtube, tumblr, and other sites. I also saw the video on other sites like USA Today as well as Huffington Post. I did not know the facts before I saw this video, but after watching, I definitely respect and support them.
Emily Dinh
These students initially are protesting low number of black male undergrad and graduate students who graduate from UCLA. They cite that the black male population only represents 3.3% of the total male population in 2012. They present the statistics on hand-written signs, accompanied by a voiceover that discusses the meaning behind the numbers. They also include that 65% of the graduating black male undergraduates are athletes. As the video continues they attack Albert Carnesale for not supporting Affirmative Action, and link the lack of financial aid with a comparison to Judy Olian’s seemingly superfluous expense account.
ReplyDeleteThe spoken word poetry quite powerful and moving, and Sy Stokes makes his case with various claims and an attitude of anger and resentment. According to the Daily Bruin, this was his message to the black students applying to UCLA in the fall of 2013 to warn them about problems that he has experienced at UCLA. In short, this is why Stokes uses the Internet as the means to his protest. Once a video like this is uploaded online, it can be shared and viewed by a wide audience, whether or not it is approved by the UCLA administration. Part of the symbolism that the video uses to great affect is when all the black students remove their UCLA sweatshirts, reemphasizing that they do not feel proud to be bruins. It’s stated at the beginning that John Huggins and Bunchy Carter were assassinated inside Campbell hall in 1969, and this is the location that the students choose as a location for their protest. It’s possible that they wanted to pick a symbolic spot where black men were literally shot down, in order to suggest that they are feeling repressed.
There are a lot of unanswered questions that I had after watching this video, and the way that the arguments were framed lead me to question the effectiveness of this protest. I personally have a lot of issues with the attitude contained in the dialog. I feel like I have to put up a disclaimer first: I know that I’m white. I know that inherently there exists institutionalized privilege for lots of people like me, and I will never truly experience what it means to be a person of color or a person from a disadvantaged background. With that said, UCLA cannot use affirmative action, because it is against the law to consider a person’s race in admissions. I don’t think that this is necessarily a bad thing, especially since UCLA has switched to a more holistic admissions process that can consider factors such as socioeconomic status and whether an applicant is the first in their family to attend college. If society wants to move away from racism, then I think it’s necessary to treat everyone equally based on skin color. Sy Stokes may not have intended it this way, but I feel like when he asks for “a level playing field” that there is some sense of entitlement. Recognizing past injustices should not necessarily mean preferential treatment for someone solely based on skin color. I say skin color because race is a social construct. I assume that Stokes self-identifies as African-American, but honestly, if I met him in person, I doubt that I would recognize him as such without having a conversation. Additionally, by repeating “You tell me I should be proud to be a bruin” draws the question: if you are not proud to go to UCLA, why stay here?
Videos like these are essential to continue the dialog about race and society, but these UCLA students may have increased the effectiveness of their protest by framing their argument slightly differently. UCLA can only admit high school students— they have no control over the circumstances within individual schools statewide. Perhaps Sy Stokes’ protest should be against the lack of public funding and support to K-12 public education rather than this university.
Julia Petersen
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ReplyDeleteIn this video the students are protesting about the low numbers of male African American students accepted to the university.They are clearly upset and want to express their opinions and demand for a change. They are very detailed on the statistics that show and prove their point. I think they were very successful and they way they spread their word was very smart. In another blog post we had talked about how technology, music and videos were a good medium to spread ideas and knowledge. We are all college students and we are always in contact with social media so it is easy to share the video with many other students. Utilizing visual media is more engaging and people are more willingly to spend some minutes on instead of grabbing the daily bruin on the way to class and read it. It doesn't have as big of an impact and it doesn't reach as many people.
ReplyDeleteThis is not the case only of UCLA but also of other UC campus. This is a very smooth form of resistance because they are not directly resisting not to come to UCLA or plan a protests or other violent acts but just share the information they have to let others know of this injustice and hope to gather more people on their side in hopes to be a big movement and make a change.
I feel that a type of racism is also touched in this video. The guys mentioned how most African American males that attend UCLA are athletes, is that all they are good at? sports? It also makes me wonder how come no athlete came out in this video? I think that since they are privileged and are happy how they are playing sports they are not interested in what these other guys have to say. It is not only important to see how many male African American students attend to UCLA but also what percentage actually apply in comparison to other ethnicities. This is not only a video of resistance but a video of acknowledgement and maybe even motivational for other male African Americans encouraging them to apply to institutions like UCLA.
The way the video is set up is very moving. Having signs and the tone of voice of Sy Stokes we can see his anger and disappoint. Everyone looks so serious int he video, they don't speak just hold signs. I feel that shows how upset they are but also show the power that they don't have, the voice that they don't have or feel that they lack here at UCLA.
Sy Stokes is protesting because he feels as if the African American Community is not justly represented at UCLA because enrollment is low. Sy Stokes attempts to use spoken word, which is a form of poetry, to selectively emphasize events and statistics which would imply that blacks are being unfairly treated during the enrollment process into the university.
ReplyDeleteBy posting his Spoken Word Poetry to youtube, Stokes used a valuable facet of social media to get as many people to watch his video as possible. However, after watching the video 2-3 times, I realized that Stokes does not put forth any suggestions as to how black enrollment can be increased. It made me question why he posted this video. I feel as if raising awareness for an issue is pretty pointless if there are no proposed solutions to accompany to supposed problem.
Although I agree that African American enrollment is low at UCLA, I do have some problems with this video. Sy Stokes states that "Judy Olian spent 647,000 dollars" on travel fare and hotel stays. Before I go into why this statement was unfounded, I would like to state that it adds nothing to the purpose of the video. This point is completely out of context and Stokes fails to mention that Olian has a medical condition (spinal condition) that prevents her from flying economy class comfortablely. In addition, Olian did not take extravagant vacations as a viewer might assume, she was meeting wealthy donors and alumni who contributed millions of dollars to UCLA over the course of her travels. Also, I would like to point out that Olian's travel expenses were probably not the reasons tuition was raised 30%. And finally, I question whether or not tuition increases led to a high percentage of black students to drop out as Stokes implies after highlighting Olian's expenditures.
Secondly, I would like to point out his metaphor about painting. Stokes states "Mixing any color with white makes it brighter but we wouldn't dare mix anything with brown or black or else our entire creation would be ruined." I don't see how he can make this into a symbol of oppression or compare this to how humans view others with darker melanin when there is an abundant amount of scientific research showing that humans are naturally attracted to bright and shiny colors. When colors are perceived, electrical impulses are sent to the brain; the more intense/bright the color, the more stimulation the brain receives. I know Stokes was using the pallet as a metaphor, but I don't think it's fair for him to implicitly say our 2nd grade teachers were inherently racist for telling us not to mix our colors with black.
Frankly, I find it insulting that Sy Stokes says the only reason black students are here is to "improve our winning percentage." If he is allowed to say that, then I would like to point out that the two sports in which African Americans are most prevalent are football and basketball. Out of the 111 NCAA titles UCLA has accumulated, only 11 have been won through basketball and football.
All in all, I feel as if Sy Stokes marketed his protest very well. He uses strong language and switches up his tone throughout the video and also uses a low-sounding instrumental in the background to create a well-made video. I believe his video was successful in the sense that he got 2 million people to watch it. However, I believe that the bulk of his video and what he is saying is very biased and out-of-context.
This video protests against the lack of representation of African American students at UCLA. It was made by students who are choosing to speak for themselves, because UCLA frames its campus as diverse and non-discriminating. I thought the structure of the video was brilliant, presenting indisputable statistics as an eye-opener to what we, as fellow students, may be unaware of. These statistics alone are an issue that would concern most people, yet most are not cognizant of them. I have personally always wondered why there seem to be few African American students on campus, taking note that the majority I have seen tend to be athletes. Their presentation shows that this is not something that I have just been imagining, but in fact a cold hard truth.
ReplyDeleteThese students stand in front of Campbell Hall by the Carter-Huggins memorial (which I did not know about prior to seeing this), which symbolizes the age-old struggle against racism. I remember making African American friends here at UCLA and initially thinking that they would overreact to certain things and perceive them as racist. I thought racism was something that people in our generation didn't have to worry about anymore, but only after personally interacting with African-American peers were my eyes opened more to their perspective of the world and the present hardships they have faced.
This video was effective because effectively covered all bases of the problem: the statistical truth, the prominent racism, the lack of representation, the lack of aid, the unfair distribution of resources, and, most importantly, what they want. These students simply ask for a "level playing field." I'm not sure exactly what action this calls for, but given the demographic tendencies of minorities, such as African-Americans, they typically do not have as much of a privileged socioeconomic status as the privileged majority. This problem has been rooted in our history for a long time and we fail to realize that it has not yet been resolved, as can be seen in issues like the one presented in this video.
The speaker in this video is poetic, repeating "now you tell me I should be proud..." before each point he makes. Many of us are proud to be Bruins. We believe it is a sign of our achievement, and is also a symbol of united pride in our University. However, these students are a minority who are largely recognized only for their athletic abilities, serving an instrumental purpose to UCLA rather than being recognized as unique achieving individuals. These students are not proud of their campus because of its manipulative lies that cover up the issues of racism that African-Americans face. Thus, these students cannot be part of that united symbol, the Bruin, because their voices will not be heard otherwise. I'm glad I saw this video, which I believe needed to be posted on the internet. If videos like this were to be censored, it would only upset the masses even further.