好色先生

As our campus embarks on a yearlong commemoration of the Watts Rebellion of August 1965, it is clear that we must take a position that views the loss of life, arrests, and damages as unfortunate while simultaneously recognizing the humanity and dignity of the residents of Watts and the Greater Los Angeles area. The official language of former CIA Director John McCone鈥檚 report to Governor Edmund G. Brown, titled 鈥淰iolence in the City鈥擜n End or a Beginning?鈥� used 鈥渞iot鈥� to describe the events of August 11-17. It is common for 鈥渞iot,鈥� 鈥渕elee,鈥� or 鈥渄isturbances of the peace鈥� to be the language of city, state, and federal agencies. Such labeling communicates that the activities were unmotivated, apolitical temper tantrums. The use of 鈥渞iot鈥� and other such terms supports the McCone Commission Report鈥檚 implications that the 鈥渞iots鈥� were the 鈥渞ioters鈥欌�� fault. It assumes that peace, order, and harmony existed before the events and 鈥渦nruly鈥� people 鈥渄isturbed the peace.鈥� 好色先生, Dominguez Hills has selected to term the events differently.

Many grassroots organizations in the late 鈥�60s began using 鈥渞evolt鈥� to describe the August 鈥�65 events. Presently, 鈥渦prising鈥� and, more commonly, 鈥渞ebellion鈥� replace the earlier labels. The new language recognizes, respects, and reveres those who refused to accept their marginalized, silenced, and invisible condition. When the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his cohorts visited Los Angeles days after, he recalled:聽

鈥淭here was joy among the rioters of Watts, not shame. They were completely oblivious to the destruction of property in their wake. They were destroying a physical and emotional jail; they had asserted themselves against a system which was quietly crushing them into oblivion and now they were 鈥榮omebody.鈥� As one young man put it, 鈥榃e know that a riot is not the answer, but we鈥檝e been down here suffering for a long time and nobody cared. Now at least they know we鈥檙e here. A riot may not be the way, but it is a 飞补测.鈥欌赌�

In our commemoration of the Watts Rebellion of 1965, it is important that we explore the conditions giving rise to the rebellion such as high unemployment, poor housing, lack of quality education, and policing, to name a few. CSUDH recognizes, however, that an overemphasis on the discriminatory, exploitative, and prejudicial conditions Black residents of Watts and the Greater Los Angeles area experienced unintentionally reproduces a narrative of victimization. Of equal importance and inclusion in our commemoration are praise for the agency and creativity of affected communities during and after the rebellion. We recognize and commend grassroots organizations, community churches, and the arts communities as they recreated, reimagined, and reconstructed Los Angeles. Included in the rebuilding are the creation of at least three important institutions: Martin Luther King Hospital, Southwest Community College, and CSUDH.

In our commemoration, we take note of the oppressive conditions giving rise to the Watts Rebellion, as well as the agency and resistance of the largely Black communities. In addition, we do not victimize the residents of our commemoration with misguided and misleading language such as 鈥渞iot;鈥� rather we pay tribute to those with courage to 鈥渟peak truth to power.鈥� Our commemoration also acknowledges the continuities of conditions as well as shifting demographics in Los Angeles over the past 50 years. CSUDH commemorates the Watts Rebellion of 1965, taking stock of where our communities have been, and where we still must go. We commemorate to envision!聽 聽聽

Local History as Pedagogy: Watts Rebellion
Mr. M. Keith Claybrook, Jr., full-time lecturer, Department of Africana Studies
Ms. Brenda Riddick, director, Mervyn Dymally African American Political and Economic Institute
Dr. Keisha Paxton, professor of psychology
Dr. Jennifer Sumner, assistant professor of public administration