pieces of peace
by twany tsangA look back at Peace not Prejudice Week— “Shattering the Stereotypes”
Looking back, Peace not Prejudice Week was certainly an edifying experience. While the events were not explicitly didactic, the poetry slam, discussion panel, and communal mural project gave ample opportunities for students to participate in constructing a shared understanding of what peace is. Peace not Prejudice Week is a new tradition at Cal and was established last fall by the Coalition for Peace not Prejudice. The main purpose of the week is "to foster the ideals of peace, diversity, and unity within the student body […and] aim to achieve unity through diversity, realizing that despite having different cultures or religions, a common thread binds us all together—that of humanity." This year’s theme, “Shattering the Stereotypes” guided the discourse on peace and cumulated to the peace rally on November 20th. Although the rally on Sproul signified the closing of Peace not Prejudice Week, the panel of speakers suggested that it was the beginning of further discussion. Obviously, the ideas surrounding peace cannot fully be transmitted within a week. In the spirit of continuing this discussion, I spent considerable time reflecting all that has happened over the past few weeks. I have come to realize that peace is not a subject to be taken lightly. In fact, in the process of shattering the stereotypes, one must be careful not to step on those shards. After several attempts of writing this article, I have learned that peace is a powerful force that is capable of driving people towards and against each other. In addition, by focusing on a common humanity, Peace not Prejudice Week attempted to disband the stereotypes surrounding peace.
The concept of peace resembles those psychological inkblots tests because it exists as multiple interpretations. Some idealists vision it to be characterized by individuals, holding hands in a circle singing Kumbaya. Others may connect peace with the hippie movement in the 70’s. Peace not Prejudice week suggested that peace emerges from looking beyond the superficial labels ascribed to individuals. Because there are so many different conceptions of what it actually is, peace has ironically become a debatable subject. The idea that peace could lead to disparate action is reflected in how people react to peaceful protests, like the hanging of a Palestinian flag or the sit-ins during the Civil Rights Movement. While it is easy to claim that the opposite of peace is violence, those actions show that peace and violence are concepts that complement each other. Both are entities that do not exist on their own and require collective effort to gain momentum. However, the resounding difference is that peace connects others through common humanity, while violence connects individuals who experience common adversity through intolerance. While that black smudge of an inkblot can seem like a dog, a cup, or a flower, it’s just ink. Similarly, peace can come in all shapes and sizes, but at the end of the day, it exists just as it is. Peace arises as a collective recognition that different views of it exist and that it’s okay. Peace not Prejudice Week reminded participants of that by providing activities to allow us to see peace from different perspectives. For example, the poetry slam gave students the opportunity to express themselves in a supportive environment. The communal art project also joined individuals in a collective effort to create.
The artistic outlets provided by the events in Peace not Prejudice Week emphasized the profound human ability to create both positively and negatively. Just as we have been able to create skyscrapers and microchips, we have also been able to create stereotypes. These stereotypes misconstrue individual actions into over-generalized behaviors that are assigned to a category of people. While stereotypes are dehumanizing, it is just as belittling to view oneself as a victimized member of a minority group. However, disbanding stereotypes is not about being blind to labels such as “white”, “hetereosexual” or “female” because those also make up a large part of who we are. Instead, it is about appreciating the multiplicity of being human and disregarding the negative implications ascribed to identities. Peace creates a space for people to converge and coexist in recognition of their differences. As sophomore Sadaf Sareshwala stated, Peace not Prejudice Week is a "great way to recognize the immense unity that this campus has.” Similarly, Jenalyn Sotto, the external affairs coordinator of the Asian Pacific American Coalition explains that, “Peace not Prejudice Week has an ideological standpoint that we all need to take into consideration. Taking in the fundamental ideas of the movement leads to a better society."
As demonstrated, the discussion of peace can become a bit preachy. Yes we know peace is good. So what? Why have a week be dedicated to it? Why have this article go on and on about it? In a large sense, peace is like voting. It seems like only a small percentage of our population is constantly active about spreading it; it draws its impact on collective effort; it involves some free-riderism; and theoretically doesn’t seem like a very difficult thing to do. However, like voting, I think people often overlook the significance of the individual and his or her ability to make a difference. This applies in two ways. I feel that some members of minority groups simply succumb to demonstrations of intolerance, violence, and hatred, and come to the misleading idea that peace is something that is unattainable. This develops into cynicism, which sometimes characterizes the mentality of refugees or child-soldiers. On the other end, some individuals may not realize that they can make a difference. ASUC Senator and organizer of Peace not Prejudice Week, Saira Hussein urged students to “live the change you want to see” stressing the importance of personal integrity to the propagation of peace. The clearest example is me. Coming into Peace not Prejudice Week, I was pretty much open to simply learning what others had to say about peace. But coming out of it, I realized that I was generating ideas of peace from others. While it is their prerogative to disagree with my ideas of peace, it still creates the same snowballing effect. Peace is not limited, but as of now, its size is pretty small. This can be demonstrated by the series of "disturbing and unacceptable incidents this semester […including] hate graffiti, racially derogatory remarks directed at specific students, and potentially criminal acts of retribution" as stated in a campus-wide email from the Chancellor. Peace not Prejudice Week provides a formal means to gather a mass of diverse individuals together to reaccelerate the discussion of peace and its implications not only for us as a campus community but also for the larger society.