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Crossing Over
BY LUIS ALVAREZ ’ 94
IN THE EARLY 1990S , there was a groundswell for something called a “ cross-cultural center .” Two organizations in particular , MEChA and the African American Student Union ( before it became the Black Student Union ), were actively engaged in that effort . I remember late night meetings , some at my house , with some asking the group , “ OK , we ’ re going to protest tomorrow for the Cross-Cultural Center — who ’ s willing to get arrested ?”
In April 1992 , there were the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles , a response to the acquittal of the four officers who beat King . That mobilized the students pretty remarkably . About 500 students more or less spontaneously met at the Hump in front of the old gymnasium and then started to march across campus . And I remember being in the crowd and not everybody knew where we were going . It was just marching and protesting . People were pissed off and wanted to be heard in one way or another . Then we marched down the hill at Villa La Jolla , past the hospital , and then hung a left . There were 15 or
20 very brave ( or something else ) folks that sprinted onto the onramp , and the rest of us followed . We blocked the I-5 South freeway for several hours .
I tell my students today that even in the moment , it was a really remarkable , extraordinary instruction on how social movements work and didn ’ t work . Some people were there for one reason and some were there for another . There was a small group of students who were negotiating with the school administration . When the police showed up , some students locked arms and said , “ We ’ re not leaving until the verdict ’ s overturned ,” while others were saying , “ We ’ re not leaving until we meet with the chancellor ,” or this , or that , and lots of things in between .
We did end up leaving and there were meetings with the upper administration in the days that followed . What I remember happening was that political mobilization around Rodney King became intertwined with , and energized and intensified , the Cross-Cultural Center efforts . And whether or not that was directly related to what happened out on the freeway or not , I think it was a key factor in the eventual success and victories around the Cross-Cultural Center .
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