The week of Peace, Hope and Justice is a time when Pepperdine remembers an era of our nation’s history and our school’s history when minorities were not given equal treatment.
By the line up of events, most notably Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech in Washington D.C. on Aug. 28, 1963, the university has put thought and effort into the week. However, 40 years ago the spirit of equality was not necessarily the spirit of the campus.
While Pepperdine’s current philanthropic efforts may not mirror its philanthropic roots, Pepperdine’s history is part of black tension, contradiction, the struggle for equality, for better and worse.
For better, Pepperdine’s original South Central Los Angeles campus served the surrounding community of primarily black residents for more than 30 years.
For worse, Pepperdine once refused black students the right to live on campus, according to Dr. Calvin bowers, an alumnus and former Pepperdine professor
For better, as Dr. Bowers explains, Pepperdine was, at that time, the only Church of Christ school that admitted black students.
For worse, another racial incident was remembered last semester as an alumnus recounted the story of the black youth who was shot and killed by a Pepperdine security guard solely because of the color of his skin.
Even in the university’s distant past, there was an idea of black equality.
In fact, when Pepperdine was at its original location in Compton, one of its chief concerns was working with the community. Pepperdine experienced racial tension in 1965 when the six-day Watts riots occurred near the campus.
These were the first racially fueled riots of the 1960s in the United States, which resulted in 34 deaths and an estimated $50 million to $100 million in property damage.
In 1972, Pepperdine moved to Malibu, away from the poverty and violence of South Central Los Angeles. However, the university is still active in its volunteer service, working with area homeless shelters, organizations and schools.
The early members of the university had a different outreach group to help in South Central. The decision to move the campus to Malibu has removed the university members from the underprivileged individuals, changing the nature of the mission almost completely.
Unmistakably, Pepperdine’s current volunteer efforts are necessary and can provide a broader worldview and life-changing experiences for Pepperdine students and the people they help. There are opportunities to work with inner-city children and families, but ongoing projects like those at Pepperdine’s original campus are nearly extinct.
As needs in the city and the country change, so should the people and organizations we choose to help. However, in ending support of the location Pepperdine served for three decades, the identity the university held for so long has almost vanished.
Peace, Hope and Justice week allows us to focus on one of the fundamental reasons why our campus was founded where it was. This is a major part of our university heritage that often goes unremembered.
So instead of being excited to have a day off from classes or an unusually high number of Convo programs, look upon this week as an opportunity to learn more about the ideals on which Pepperdine College was founded.
Listen to the words of the speakers with an open mind, an allow yourself to remember why this week is so important to the Pepperdine community.
And, if you feel compelled, stop by the PVC and look for opportunities to return to one of the original acts of service Pepperdine sponsored many years ago.
1-20-2005