Malika Shakoor was a student in Social Theory and Peace and Conflict two semesters ago. She comes by often to share reminiscences and strengths through our Love and Peace Series.

On Sunday, May 27, 2001 Malika Shakoor wrote:

Subject: Graduation Reflection

Greetings. Jeanne. I was so happy to see you, my "revolutionary petunia". . . . It was indeed a day to remember, but it still smacks of structural violence. Nevertheless, I did participate, so . . . . . .

Anyway, friend, mentor, sister, I really thought these two quotes were appropriate:

"Up you mighty race, you can accomplish what you will." - Marcus Garvey

"To struggle and battle and overcome and absolutely defeat every force designed against us is the only way to achieve." - Nanny Burroughs

The first is for all of us, regardless of race, creed or color. The second is symbolic of the battles you've fought and taught us to fight. Have a wonderful summer. . .

By the way will you be around next semester?

Peace and Blessings,
Malika

On Monday, May 28, jeanne responded:

I am so glad I saw you at graduation, Malika. Of course, you participated, as well you should. We all had a wonderful time! It was your graduation, a moment to enjoy, to cherish, to reflect on. To break the silence and end complicity before social injustice takes lots of courage. To break that silence, then to go on to listen in good faith to those enforcing the structural violence, and to respect their humanity as well as our own, is to break new paths to peace. We will not resolve our social problems by drawing hard and fast barriers. Such barriers are always there to distract us from good faith listening.

Che Guevara believed that insurrection was the way. But Che was fighting a different battle. For us, at CSUDH, firmly ensconced within our system, awareness and breaking the codes of silence, are the first steps to peace. We need to give ourselves time to learn to break the silence, to discover patterns of speaking out that make us all aware, without harming those who do not recognize the silence, do not see why that silence must be broken. That is not the way of the revolutionary. It is the way of every citizen in a democracy that demands social justice.

Together, students broke the silence, not always with the best strategic methods, but honestly and fervently. And the administration heard them and responded as best it could manage, given that none of us are much used to citizens expressing themselves vehemently. You began in that process to reclaim agency, and that was good. Celebration and joy at a graduation that incorporated both the dominant discourse patterns and your own expressed needs was messy, but learning is always messy.

How appropriate is your quote from Marcus Garvey! Thynesia Harris will be pleased when she sees that. Tye has been asking lots of questions about Marcus Garvey and W.E.B. DuBois, lately, pondering their similarities as well as their significant differences.

And yes, I'll be teaching four courses in Fall 2001: Theory, Graduate Theory, Sociology of Law, and Transforming Discourse (from the Love and Peace Series - Sociology 395). I'll be in on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Online Monday and Friday. But I'll not be teaching in the Spring of 2002. I shall return in Fall 2002.

love and peace, jeanne

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