By Ramsha Iqbal
As a student leader striving to offer a unique perspective, the persisting ideal of invisibility, burdensome for the oppressed and favored by oppressors, has left me feeling diminished and apprehensive, impacting my ability to advocate effectively for my community.
Despite invitations to join organizations like the American Medical Student Association, my participation has been marred by biases, discrimination and harassment from its faculty and peers. Enduring subpar campus conditions, I’ve encountered deliberate silence from Student Housing supervisors – marginalized and ironically branded as “strong” – a term disowned in public by those very individuals. Allies in authority roles express empathy privately but remain silent publicly.
Amongst claims of inclusion, my presence is reduced to a token gesture, overshadowed by self-congratulatory narratives. The rhetoric of representation becomes hollow as I’m left to observe, overlooked and unheard amid the performance of philanthropy at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB).
A pervasive fear exists on this campus regarding advocating for the overlooked. Despite being a Hispanic-Serving Institution, diversity is not synonymous with the university’s ethos. To truly “contribute to the economy, well-being, and quality of life for all,” as the founding vision states, change is needed.
Victoria Gomez of the Otter Cross Cultural Center (OC3), often feels stuck in her position as program coordinator. Despite working closely with students, she navigates carefully, aware of the employment tightrope she treads. The fear of dismissal hovers. She contemplates the challenges of effecting change within a capitalist, business institution. “The revolution cannot happen within these walls,” she muses, expressing frustration at the delicate balance she must strike.
Gomez raises critical questions about humanizing the marginalized and reaching beyond like-minded individuals. As she expands the OC3 library with Palestinian and Middle Eastern voices, she sees a curious change – a shift in student conversations led by empathy and love. The library has become a hub for critical thinking where students can come to their own conclusions.
Coming from native ancestry, Gomez draws parallels and ties between different oppressed communities, emphasizing that liberation is intersectional. She adds, “Just as we made parallels and ties for Esselen and Natives here, it is the same for every oppressed community. Proper voices need to be heard and given space.”
In the face of an institutional culture that shies away from discussing these topics, Sara Salazar Hughes, a tenured associate professor in global studies at CSUMB has been vocal about the importance of context when discussing the ongoing conflict in Palestine. Salazar Hughes worked and lived in the occupied Palestinian West Bank for several periods over ten years, including while doing research for her doctorate degree in geography.
She is determined to challenge the narrative that advocating for Palestinian liberation is inherently antisemitic. She states, “A lot of work over many, many decades has gone into creating an equation in which criticism of Israel is labeled antisemitism. This is ridiculous. Structurally, Israel is a settler state maintaining an illegal occupation and military blockade of the Palestinian Territories.”
Highlighting the consequences faced by those critiquing Israel, Salazar Hughes mentions the global doxxing and job loss experienced by professors and students who support Palestine. She points out the attacks on Palestinian children and college students in the United States, clear instances of hate crimes. She emphasizes the campus’ role in protecting intellectual freedom, creating a safe environment for expressing views on divisive topics, and through teach-ins and podcast episodes, encourages informed conversations and community education to align actions with values that contribute meaningfully to the world.
Through our collective insights, a resounding truth emerges: authentic advocacy withers in the shadow of fear and suppression. The prevailing culture of calculated silence necessitates a united response, fostering an environment where informed dialogue thrives. To promote true advocacy and uphold intellectual freedom, CSUMB must embrace an ethos of unwavering commitment to intersectionality, education, and empathetic conversations, or remain complicit in a culture where silence overshadows justice.
The photo used for this article is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to Chris Hedges and can be found here.