I dedicated my Saturday to the Urban Scholars College Access Day, "Co-Sponsored by the Afrikan Student Union's (ASU) SHAPE Program, UCLA Center for Community College Partnerships (CCCP), Dickerson Employee Benefits and First African Methodist Episcopal Church." The purpose of this event was to inform and educate minority students, black and latino/a, about the application process for UCs, financial aid, and transferring from a community college.

I was at the Allen House, across the street from the First AME Church. I sat with a UCLA alumni, Michelle, who was from the last class admitted under Affirmative Action. She also attended UCLA for grad school, after Affirmative Action was deemed unconstitutional. We helped set up the event by placing informational material about financial aid, personal statements, and the colleges within the universities, on the table. The event attracted two vans of high school age-d black and latino/a students from the neighboring area. I felt a bit conspicuous as the only person of "no-color", as I am ethnically Korean. After a half hour or so of delay, they started the event. The main speaker started off by interactively defining "Urban Scholars College Access Day." When questioning the students on what the word "urban" meant, one boy defined it as "low-income, poor," and others defined it as being in a city. This fired up the speaker as he went on to ask the students if they lived in an urban area, and what that made them. How does being in a "low-income, dilapidated" area affect their lives? As individuals? The next word, "scholars," brought about more interesting dialogue. It was described as a person who is intelligent and hard-working. Next, the words "urban" and "scholar" were juxtaposed. How well did they fit? Did the two even belong together? "College." What is the purpose of a higher education in these students' eyes? He prompted them: money? fame? That was partially the case, but it was also to help better oneself and ones community. "Bringing back to the community," as one girl said. "Access." The speaker culminated the discussion on this word by having the students empower themselves by saying the phrase, "If I am going to college, it starts with me."

Later, there was a student panel of UCLA students that I was invited on, but later wasn't? I thought that this panel was not a good representation of the UCLA minority student body as all the students were 3rd year transfers. This means that they had only begun their UCLA career. 6 weeks. They were prompted on some questions and it is here where I felt really uncomfortable. It reminded me of the Affirmative Action: A Diversity of Criticisms panel I attended earlier this week. My notes from that event:
- "the smallest minority is the individual" => collectivization = destroy rights
- "social justice over individual merit?"
- " racism = base on color of skin, no moral context, tells nothing about what the person deserves
= the premises of affirmative action => perpetuate

Now, going back to the UCLA panel...
Some comments noted on how it felt to be "a black man who is not an athlete" and "meeting dumb Asians and dumb Whites. They actually exist." Nostalgia for whirring helicopters and police sirens.
What bothered me was the recurring view of racism as a white vs black issue. The reinforcement of these thoughts and perceptions. The misconception that the UC admissions process is not color-blind.
Affirmative Action hurts everyone. It creates a social myth that diversity is in skin color. That differing beliefs will automatically arise from people of differing races. Nature over nurture. We should instead focus on students of varying socioeconomic backgrounds, as those are more indicative of "diversity." How one's economic status and environment shaped him/her. Hardships, opportunities, family circumstances, etc. Compare this with ethnic background. One must assume that the child was raised culturally Black/Chinese/etc, leading to a shared set of beliefs and ideas. Basing admissions on statistics and stereotypes. I see a child as a "blank slate." Environment over genes.
Now, to see these ideas as ingrained, being acted upon, in reality... We're not moving forward. Static, not dynamic. A plateau. Circles.

We're all members of one race. the human race. See similarities, not differences.