All Events
Race Matters Series
Farm Worker Futurism: Speculative Technologies of Resistance
MCC Lounge
Farm workers, usually viewed by their corporate counterparts as backwards and primitive, have actually been in the forefront of visionary thinking about the future. Dr. Curtis Marez looks at how the appropriation of photography, film, video, and other technologies expressed a “farm worker futurism,” a set of farm worker social formations that faced off against corporate capitalism and government policies. He shows how working-class people of color have often been early adopters and imaginative users of new media. In doing so, he presents an analysis of speculative fiction’s engagements with the farm worker movement in ways that illuminate both. Dr. Marez is Associate Professor and Chair of Ethnic Studies at UC San Diego.
Cup of Culture
Straight Outta Compton
MCC Theater
“…an electrifying piece of hip-hop history that speaks urgently to right now.” – The Rolling Stone
In 1987, the streets of South Los Angeles were some of the most dangerous in the U.S. When five young men translated their experiences growing up into brutally honest music that rebelled against abusive authority, they gave an explosive voice to a silenced generation. Straight Outta Compton follows the rise and fall of N.W.A. as they used the most dangerous weapon around, their music, to expose the world to the truth about life in the hood and ignite a cultural revolution. (147 min, English, 2015)
Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsbWEF1Sju0
An Evening of Afro-Latin Funk: Jungle Fire
MCC Theater
The Jungle Fire sound digs deep into Afro-Latin Funk (or TropiFunk) with an approach that is authentic and highly explosive. Jungle Fire pulls its influences from music of legends such as Irakere, Ray Barretto, James Brown, Fela Kuti, and Manu Dibango while creating a melting pot of Afro-Caribbean and West African rhythms with a heavy break beat funk aesthetic. The result is musical cocktail ready and able to ignite any dance floor!
Listen to Jungle Fire music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_w3wqMYLpE
Tickets: $5 UCSB Students and Children Under 12 / $15 general. Purchase tickets at A.S. Ticket Office or online here.
Race Matters Series
Is Culture a Fashion Statement? What is Cultural Appropriation?
MCC Lounge & Theater
Can something as simple as your outfit perpetuate legacies of oppression? Amongst heightened pushback surrounding racist and identity-erasing costumes or fashion statements often seen in themed parties, music videos and the run-way, it’s difficult to know where the boundaries are. This faculty- led panel will examine and explore the nuances surrounding cultural appropriation, appreciation and assimilation through an anti-racist and historical lens. The academic panel will be followed by a fashion show displaying culturally honored representations of self through outfits.
