Occupy

 

I came across this poster from 1979 in the UC Jazz Ensemble library. Other than noticing how cheap jazz tickets were at the time, I was shocked that they could feature two big bands and five combos at their semester concerts. As the UC Jazz Ensembles stand now, our showcases are half the size -- there's one big band and three advanced combos (there are more than three combos now, but by that logic there were probably a lot more combos in the 70s too). It's indicative about the decline in the popularity of jazz at Berkeley, and in America at large. I commented on this to the director of the jazz ensembles, Ted Moore, and he responded, "wow, that must have cost a lot of money." He then proceeded to tell me how the UC budget cuts had gotten rid of all of the salaries of all the jazz faculty, and also required him to to go on a part-time salary. Thanks to some timely donations, the program was able to retain its faculty for this year. But the funding is by no means permanent.

And this is exactly what the UC protests are about. The UC Jazz program dates back to the 1960s and has a long-history of allowing non-professional, non-music majors play and perform together. These budget cuts threaten the survival of this institution, which promotes a form of music that embodies all of the best of American ideals -- democracy, freedom, and liberation. And of course it's not just UC jazz that is threatened, but education across the board. Already this year I feel like the course offerings from the history department are fewer than they were in years past.

November 15th was UC Berkeley's "Day of Action." It was one of those picturesque Californian days that makes one's heart sing. The protests struck a perfect tone -- I've never been more proud to be a Berkeley student. The whole vibe on Sproul plaza was a wonderful mix of carnivalesque and serious. There were teach-ins by famous UC faculty like George Lakoff on the meaning of the word Occupy, impromptu performances, and cooperative public art installations.

For a brief moment, as news of a shooting at the Haas Business School leaked out in the early afternoon, it seemed like the thin, fragile line between peaceful protest and the outbreak of violence seemed to have been breached. In spite of the confusion slight panic, the events on Sproul continued.

The day ended with Robert Reich delivering the annual Mario Savio Memorial Lecture in the evening. The mood was electric -- even though Sproul was packed with people, the crowd silenced to a hush to listen to Reich's words. He invoked the memory of Mario Savio. To end his speech, he talked about how he was bullied as a child, but a friend of his named Micky would protect him. Micky was Michael Schwerner, who was murdered by the Ku Klax Klan during the Mississippi Freedom Summer of 1964. Something changed in Reich after learning of the news. He learned that he needed to stand up to bullies, just as Micky had. Reich ended, "The days of apathy are over, folks."