COLUMN: Oct. 22: A day of activism

From Alex Gino's, "My Cleverly Titled Column," Fall '98 From Alex Gino's, "My Cleverly Titled Column," Fall '98Tomorrow will be a quite a busy day for activists across the country and in Philadelphia. Nationally, it is both the Young Women's Day of Action and the Day of Protest to stop police brutality. More locally, it is two years from the day of Kathy Change's self-immolation. Coordinators are working to place reproductive and sexual freedom in the context of racial justice, economic justice, an end to punitive immigration and welfare policies, the right to exist as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, accessible health care, freedom from violence, quality education and other goals. Universities and community organizations throughout the United States will participate with rallies, marches, informational tables, forums, workshops, speakers and other various forms of recognition. Meanwhile, the October 22 Coalition, based here in Philadelphia, has been working on the third annual National Day of Protest to stop police brutality and repression. As stated on the coalition's official Web site, "Every year hundreds are shot down in cold blood, beaten to death or suffocated with pepper spray. Tens of thousands more every year suffer police abuse short of death." These people are usually poor and often people of color. And in our racist and classist society, they are often jailed and charged with assault themselves. The October 22 Coalition is speaking out locally against police brutality with a protest at Love Park at 5 p.m. tomorrow. Nationally and internationally, there will be marches, rallies, cultural events, teach-ins and other forms of protest. Many people will also wear black in memory of the victims of police violence. October 22 is also a day to remember on a community level. On this day two years ago, Kathy Change self-immolated by the Peace Sign on College Green. She had been on campus for years, dancing, playing inspirational tapes and promoting the causes in which she believed. Many people remember her only as the woman who spoke in favor of the legalization of marijuana. However, she also called for an end of a money-dominated, capitalistic world in favor of a society in which people cared about and for their neighbors, where war and hatred were just in legends of the past. Change received little attention on campus or in general while she was alive. In a long text she wrote (available at various Web sites), she debated her own suicide and eventually choose to go through with it because of the publicity she would receive. She was right. She did receive national attention. October 22 is a chance to mourn the fact that it took a woman setting herself on fire for a message of peace to even have a chance of being heard. People will come together between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on College Green tomorrow to mourn the loss of a woman with high ideals. We will also mourn the fact that we live in a country where self-immolation is a more effective way of getting attention than peacefully dancing. A more recent death, that of the University of Wyoming's Matthew Shepard -- who was beaten, tortured and killed because he was gay -- sparked a vigil, about 300-strong, on the Green last week. It was wonderful to see so many people show that this sort of hateful violence is intolerable and must end. We must remember, however, that unjust actions occur beyond our peers at higher learning institutions. Tomorrow, people around the country will acknowledge the struggle of people of all ages, classes and ethnicities. Shepard's story is a tragic one, but let us gain from the tragedy. Let us use this as a jumping off point for calling for equality -- not just equality based on sexual orientation, but based on gender, beliefs, socioeconomic status, age and skin color, as well as other differences. If you came to Shepard's vigil, thank you, and continue to work towards helping others. If you did not come, do not feel that it is too late to care. You can begin at any moment, and tomorrow will have many prime moments. For those who do not recognize that anything in our community needs improvement, October 22 provides an opportunity to see that this is not the case. For those who do not know what to do to show that they care, tomorrow will be a wonderful opportunity to begin.