Soc3 Multi-issue event

Melissa Vidal

March 11, 2016

30

Sociology is in part, the study of human interaction that involves a very wide range of social issues. Today was the Multi-issue day of action that took place in the free speech area in Fresno State University. There were several organizations that were tabling throughout the day. I attended this event for quite a while and there were three different things I participated in throughout my time there. I started off by first taking the time to get information on the different organizations that were offering information and raising awareness, then to listen to the raging grannies and making my own sign, and lastly I participated in the march.

The first social organization group I went to was about a shelter place for animals that were abandoned or dropped off because owners could no longer provide for them. They wanted to spread awareness that this is a big issue and many do not really realize how many dogs are running the streets and end up dying or end up being put down because no one can take care of them. They wanted to spread awareness of this issue by saying, "don't delay, get your pets spayed." They mentioned that they are located in Selma and that it's a good idea to get their dogs spayed/neutered to prevent future animals from being brought into the world with no one to care for them. They mentioned the statistics of how many animals are put down to rest every hour. This was really sad and this organization indeed raised awareness to me because I never really thought about how many poor animals are sadly in a position where their life has to be taken away. Other organizations were the California Faculty Association, Men for Equality of Women, and an organization spreading awareness that slavery still exists in the 21st century.

The California Faculty association group was telling me that some of them are students and since the faculty at Fresno State stands with the students in opposing tuition increase, they will also stand with and support the faculty of fresno state on the issue of a 5% salary increase. They mentioned how the faculty gets a very small yearly salary, and has actually decreased since 2004 and has been steady flat compared to UC school, community college, and public k-12 systems. They also mentioned that the average salary for the professors is forty five thousand. This fact is overwhelming for the faculty because sometimes that salary does not cut it because many teachers have school loans that they're trying to pay off, as well as taking care of their family's monetary needs and of course, paying their bills.  This organization made me look at this social issue in a different perspective. I honestly had no idea why there was a possibility the faculty was going to be striking in April but i understand now. I related to the young female student in this organization because if the faculty supports us, students, I support the faculty as well. I also proudly took one of their pins that says, "I stand with faculty."

The Men for Equality of Women organization had a lot of interesting information as well as the organization raising awareness that human trafficking is still occurring and many young girls are being victimized. I was very surprised to find out that this was happening in Coalinga! Human trafficking was actually happening in a Coalinga "massage" place. This made me realize how human trafficking is occurring right beneath our noses and we are completely unaware of it. I always thought that human trafficking was something that was occurring in non developed countries and areas of substantial poverty such as in Africa and Thailand. I never imagined it occurring right in the state of California, and especially in a city so close to Fresno. This was very alarming to me so I decided to make my sign to raise awareness of this social issue and made my own sign that read, "Free all bodies, end human trafficking!"

While I was making my sign, the raging grannies were singing songs up on the free speech area. They were addressing various social issues and they were not embarrassed at all to speak their minds.

After the grannies had finished singing, many people from this event, including myself, went through with the march to raise awareness of all these social issues and to make sure our voices were heard. We marched from the free speech area to the back parking lots, close to the Peter's education center, on the sidewalk on Shaw avenue, and there were cars honking to show their support in our march. This was exciting and it was great to see how there were many people reading our signs and interested in what we were doing, which was to raise awareness. We proceeded by the kremen building and through the dormitories and back to the free speech area. The march was fun, and seemed to have happened so fast because of how much I enjoyed being a part of it.

This whole event was inspiring and very impactful. This is the first march I have ever been a part of and It felt great to raise awareness of social issues that most of the community doesn't pay much attention to. I was a part of those who didn't have the slightest clue on the different types of issues that were being presented, but after this event, I am aware of these current issues. I gained a lot of knowledge that I otherwise wouldn't have gotten, had I not participated in this event. I would definitely repeat this experience and participate in raising awareness of social issues that are being ignored to pave the road for the community to begin recognizing these issues and come to possible solutions.