what it means to RISE ; ALICIA GARZA ’ 02
“ i honor and love my black people , but I know it ’ s not just black people suffering . We ’ re not going to get there unless we all get there .”
emotional labor that can come with so many roles , balance can be hard . “ I try to keep things light , even though I know that things are pretty dark . That ’ s helpful for my own mental health ,” she says . “ I keep a very close circle of people around me that help give me perspective , but also have my back . Things are less scary when you know that you have community . That ’ s really important .”
One of those in her circle is legendary activist and fellow UC San Diego alumna Angela Davis , MA ’ 69 . “ That ’ s my people ,” Garza says . “ She ’ s an inspiration to me and certainly a teacher and friend . She always reminds me to be humble . She doesn ’ t romanticize things that I think people romanticize about her . So even this whole idea and practice about being a revolutionary , you know people want to wear it like a jacket . But she spent time in jail , has been threatened , and has FBI files on her . That is not sexy .”
There are activists from Davis ’ era still in prison and living in exile . Davis has told Garza she doesn ’ t want to see that legacy for her .
“ The best advice she ’ s ever given me ,” says Garza , “ is how it is so important for our movement to be able to operate above ground . The goal is not to be as extreme as you can . The goal is to stay free , and your people free , and be able to do the work that we do . That ’ s important .
— ALICIA GARZA ’ 02
We ’ re in a moment right now where I don ’ t even think we ’ ve seen the worst of the attacks on the work that we do .”
Her college roommate , de Kervor , also is there to lift her up . Though they live on opposite coasts , they still keep in touch . She says the Garza she knows is hilarious , fun to hang out with , and above all , kind . De Kervor was a freshman when her mother passed away , and Garza helped her through the loss . “ I don ’ t know how I would ’ ve made it without her ,” de Kervor says . “ She made sure I ate and stayed in school . She is everything you could ever ask for in a friend .”
Garza puts that kind of heart for people into her organizing . Edwina Welch , DEd ’ 09 , director of the Cross-Cultural Center , has known Garza since she was a student , and isn ’ t surprised Garza extended her advocacy to uplift others . She recalled a talk Garza gave on campus in recent years : “ There was this idea of her saying , ‘ I honor and love my black people , but I know it ’ s not just black people suffering . We ’ re not going to get there unless we all get there .”
These days , with the momentum behind Black Lives Matter , Garza is less involved with the movement , pursuing other social justice issues . In her role with the National Domestic Workers Alliance , Garza and her colleagues work to organize and advocate for laws that include labor protections for domestic workers : nannies , housekeepers and home health care workers , many of whom are immigrant women and women of color . Since these workers have multiple employers , they have more difficulties in organizing for labor rights .
Garza and her colleagues are trying to fix this gap , not only with traditional grassroots organizing , but with technology as well : “ We are launching a platform called Alia for domestic workers ’ employers to pay into , so that they can have access to health insurance , time off and paid leave . Right now , at the federal level , those things just are not provided .”
Garza hasn ’ t slowed her commitment to the Black community , either . Last year she launched the Black Futures Lab , an organization devoted to empowering Black people in the electoral process . One way they ’ re doing this is by a census project . “ We collect data on the experiences that Black folks have and what we want for our future . We also train Black communities on how to translate solutions into policy that can be implemented in cities and states .” So far they ’ ve gathered data from 20,000 Black people nationwide .
As our walk winds down at Oakland City Hall , I ask her if she would ever run for political office . “ I ’ ve considered it ,” she replies . She tells me she ’ s thought about running for mayor . I ask her if she ’ d ever run for president . “ If I had a good crew , I would .” Back at her office , Garza and I part ways with smiles and a heartfelt “ Take care of yourself .” I continue down the busy Oakland street , past the Black art gallery and café packed with a multicultural crowd , where different languages fill the air right along with the car horns . I don ’ t know what the future will look like for Black people , or our nation . The news can be so bleak sometimes . But after talking with Garza , I am reminded there are people fighting for a better tomorrow . Maybe one day we as a nation won ’ t have to ask in anguish , “ How did we ever get here ?” but instead ask with awe , because we finally got it right .
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