Come visit two new exhibits in Special Collections & Archives curated by student workers: Power Through Organization, and Celebration and Self-Representation: Asian American and Pacific Islander Student Life at UC Santa Cruz. 

Celebration and Self-Representation is located in the McHenry Third Floor hallway outside of the Special Collections & Archives reading room and is viewable during all library open hours. 

Power Through Organization is viewable in Special Collections & Archives during reading room open hours. 
 

Power Through Organization: A Student-Curated Exhibition in Special Collections & Archives

Student organizing is a part of the fabric of college campuses, and through awareness campaigns, protests, and embodying shared ideals, these movements resonate with profound solidarity for strongly held beliefs and local and global issues. This exhibit–conceived and organized by current UCSC students–highlights campus organizing efforts in order to preserve and promote the voices of student activists. In order of display, the exhibit focuses on student response to the Persian Gulf War, the Vietnam War, the Cambodian campaign, apartheid in South Africa, the Delano grape strike, women’s rights, the naming of College 7, and affirmative action.

This exhibit also serves as a tribute to student voices that refuse to be silenced by the passage of time. It's a reminder of the power of collective action and the impact it has in shaping our society.

Join us as we honor the legacies of those who dared to challenge the status quo, and whose voices echo through our campus and beyond. This is not just a collection of events; it's a celebration of the resilience and resolve of student activism.
 

Celebration and Self-Representation: Asian American and Pacific Islander Student Life at UC Santa Cruz

At UC Santa Cruz, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students have united to assert their presence and foster a sense of community. Acknowledging that the university and city have not always recognized and welcomed Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, students engage in tactics of self-representation and proudly celebrate their diverse identities.

Through cultural celebrations, collective action, and educational resources, AAPI students actively shape their experiences on campus. This exhibit showcases their efforts through a collection of historical materials, including records from the Asian American/Pacific Islander Resource Center, the UCSC Poster Collection, and various student publications.

Celebration and Self-Representation was curated by student workers in Special Collections and Archives. Our goal is to start conversations about records created by Asian American and Pacific Islander students. We hope that visitors will feel welcome to visit Special Collections, inspired to create their own archives documenting their experiences at UCSC, and make connections between past and present student life.

This exhibition is co-curated by Benyamin Alfaro, Alana Corona, Samantha Elfiqhi, Sophia Gallaga-Rabinowitz, and Prema Reyes with assistance from Meleia Simon-Reynolds, Alix Norton, and Sam Regal. We received feedback from our student advisor, Madeline Bautista Mauer, PASIFIKA programs and outreach intern.