Bradley, Chanel. Interview April 14th, 2023.

Michael De Maria: My name is Michael De Maria. I’m a graduate research assistant with Kellogg Library, I'm here today with Chanel Bradley discussing her involvement in the Cross-Cultural Center at CSUSM (California State University San Marcos), as well as the Black Student Union. So to kick things off, Chanel, I just wanted to ask about your background. I want you to talk about the community that you grew up in and kind of describe what that was like.

Chanel Bradley: I grew up in Orange County. I was raised by a single parent, so I moved a lot. And like for example, in high school, I went to two different high schools (laughs). If you don't know about Orange County, it's like predominantly a white

county. And we lived in a predominantly white area, so I was normally like one of few that looked like myself. And so I kind of quickly learned what it was like to be, other, and found myself kind of like congregating with other others, (laughs). And that sort of became my community. Typically, I would spend my time with like Latino and like Black students and like even at my church, like, I went to Saddleback until I was about sixteen. I was in the choir, and my grandmother was the choir director. And Saddleback is like a megachurch in

Orange County. So she was kind of like a local celebrity (laughs). So like people would know, like, about our family or about her. And so there was a lot of, of colorful acquaintances. But I would say the people that I felt kind of most comfortable with how to share like cultural experience.

De Maria: I see. And going forward from there, what led you to attend CSU San Marcos and get involved with the CCC (Cross-Cultural Center)?

Bradley: So I was originally gonna go to a school in Florida. And my dad, he didn't want me to leave the state (laughs), so it was more of a forced choice. And so, I applied to other

colleges and universities in the state. And I think we ended up picking Cal State (San Marcos) because, of the distance, I think at the time he was living in, Rancho Santa Margarita. And so, it was very easy to kind of like go home on like weekends or something like that. But I actually ended up living in the dorms and so I didn't go home too often, but I started going to the Cross-Cultural Center (laughs), as most college students' motivation is free things (laughs). So the Cross-Cultural Center had free food. And so, my friends

and I were always like trying to find the next thing that had free food. So I went to an event, I don't even remember what the event was called. And they had so many like student services, like I could print for free. You know, they had books that I could borrow for classes if I needed to. And, I think for me being multi-ethnic, like I don't really fit into a particular box. And so it was nice to go to a place where like, oh, I can like get like, you know, experiences from all walks of life. So, I think that's kind of what--why I kept coming back.

And then I

served on the committee. What did I do? (whispers) It's, it's, it's like what, almost 20 years (laughs) ago, so I have to kind of like think about it. But, I remember either like going to the Cross-Cultural Center director (laughs). I, I was a very adventurous college student, so I got into some trouble. I ended up (laughs) being convicted of a misdemeanor and my last semester of my freshman year, I couldn't finish my exams because I was waiting for trial. So,

I think what had happened was I ended up volunteering so that I could gain work experience after that incident that I had. And so, I believe Sara Sheikh had suggested that I assist her with the Social Justice Summit. And so I created some of the marketing material for it. And then, I believe, maybe a year or so after that, I ended up participating on the committee again. And I believe that same year,

might have been the same year or maybe, you know, few years after I applied to be a peer educator for the center. So that was kind of like the beginnings of involvement (laughs) with the Cross-Cultural Center.

De Maria: Got it. So, it sounds like the CCC just provided a positive space for you to inhabit and kind of rebuild some elements of your life after that incident. Which I think is super, super cool. Regarding the projects that you worked on, I'd love to hear more about the Social Justice Summit, since you were involved in the very first one (Bradley laughs). So, if you could just take me through your experience with that, and just, you know, what, what it was like, what was discussed, and just giving me an image of what all occurred.

Bradley: So, I think I remember what happened. I ended up, attending the first Social Justice Summit, as a participant. And I, (laughs) yeah, that's what happened. I remember. Okay. (laughs) I feel like as I'm talking, I'm remembering the timeline. So (laughs), pardon me if I'm like having to go back into the, the files of my brain.

De Maria: No, that's, that's good (both Laugh).

Bradley: Yeah, so I, I was a participant. I attended the retreat with my boyfriend at the time. And--I would say I've always been like a fairly consciously aware person like, you know, growing up in a predominantly white area, and like knowing that I was not white,

was something that I knew. But I think as you--or at least as I grew up, you kind of learn how to adapt in those environments. And so, things that are probably like triggering or, you know, maybe the, not the most like PC thing to say, I would kind of say to fit in or whatever I was doing at the time. So when I went to the Social Justice Summit, it was really eye-opening ’cause they were talking about, like, individual identity. They were talking about oppression and marginalization, which again, like I knew, but I didn't know that it existed, in like different intersects.

And--they

also talked about like allyship. So I met a lot of people there that I still talk to today. Yeah, that's, that's how I started. And then I think after that, that's when I was on the committee, the planning committee. And I did the marketing and I pretty much just kept continuing to participate with the Social Justice Summit because it was very impactful for me. I think it helped build my activism, if you will. It gave me...language to talk about my experiences. It gave me like, curriculum to teach other people about how to start their journey or like continue their journey

or, you know, come back from taking a rest (laughs) if you will. It exposed me to like a lot of things that were happening on campus, that were unjust. And I, because I had those experiences I felt empowered enough to not just let them happen, but to like speak about them. I developed like lifelong mentors from that summit. I think, if I'm not mistaken, I probably went to like three or four of them. The first one being a participant and the others I was on the committee. And then the, the last one, I ended up--I was a co-facilitator,

so.

De Maria: Got it. Very, very cool. And I previously interviewed Sara Sheikh, so she was able to also walk me through, a bit of that experience, but that's awesome hearing your perspective. And then regarding some of the projects that you did for the CCC, you've previously been described by your peers as someone who always got incredible results, but thought outside the box and didn't necessarily play by the rules to achieve those results. So I was just curious in your own words if you had an instance of a project or an objective you achieved where you didn't necessarily play by the rules.

Bradley: That's funny. (laughs) I've always been like a really creative person.

So--I... I like to see kind of like, what is the baseline? And I'm like, “okay, what, what more can we do from here?” So, we had an event called Cafe La Paz, and it was essentially a way to talk about, different cultural backgrounds and experiences, in an interactive way. And then I believe we served food (laughs). I think all our events we serve food, that's how you get students (laughs), make sure you get a Costco pizza and, and all the desserts and then you will have students.

But yeah, so we had to work with, or we were tasked to work with the other centers, so the Women's Center (now Gender Equity Center) and the LGBT Pride Center, LGBTQIA, Pride Center (laughs).

And so, I don't remember like the actual identities that we had to talk about, but it was like two or three of them, and we had to find a way to kind of put them together. And, I like to do things where people aren't just like listening to a lecture or watching a movie. I feel like it's, like it works if it's like twenty minutes or something that's short. Like when you get people to move and talk and engage with each other, I feel like that's

more impactful to their learning process. So I honestly don't remember the game or what it's called. Oh, yes, I do (laughs). So, it's a game, called mafia and, it basically simulates this like inner and outer group and then, like people who reinforce the system and then, people who are trying to change the system.

And so, I found a way to talk about experiences in the community or in classrooms and then incorporate this game that I played with other college students. So, I guess that's a way of being creative and thinking outside the box. I

know I definitely broke some rules as far as my attendance goes. (Be)cause my, my, punctuality then was not (laughs) not very good. So I guess that would probably be some ways that I, you know, was a little bit rebellious. But I would say for the most part it was just really my creativity that drove me to, think of things that weren't being done. So like, another example is like when we, I think this might have been--when was this? This might have been like the second or third social justice event that I was on the committee with.

And we were like, thinking of names to title it, or what have you. And

I'm very simple. Like I don't--I'm not really someone that wants like a word vomit of a title, like make it impactful, how can we say this in the fewest words possible? So I like, took--then they had the RED campaign (division of The ONE Campaign to end extreme poverty and preventable disease by 2030). I don't know if you remember that.

De Maria: Um-hm

Bradley:It was a RED campaign for Apple or like, for HIV awareness, or something like that. And so in that campaign, they put brackets over the R and the E. So I found a way to like use the word power and then I put brackets around the word, the words W-E So it looks like, like we are the power that we, that we want to, like we have the power,

we the people have the power essentially. And so I remember making it, and it was like, the most simple one that I had ever done in all of the designs that I had created. And I believe that same year the registration, like was full by like the end of the day or like the next day. So that was really cool to kind of see how something so simple can intrigue people enough to want to join something that they probably wouldn't normally going to.

De Maria: Absolutely. And it's super cool to hear about your art making such a tangible impact as well. Regarding the operation of the CCC again, through my research I've heard several people kind of cite the students as sort of like the lifeblood of the organization. The people who

affected change and essentially help those projects get off the ground. So I was just interested in hearing about what your relationships were like with other student staff as well as your superiors?

Bradley: So my first two years, ’cause I think I was there for three years, it’s been three years, oh my gosh (laughs). My first couple of years. The person, did he, I think he, I think he was the one that referred for me to apply, or it was Sara (Sheikh). I don't exactly remember. But I have a friend who's like, essentially someone who I've been friends with since then, but his name is Gerardo Cabral or he goes by G now. But G, I met him at

that event that I said where I got the free pizza for the first time. I honestly didn't know that it was his event. He tells me later that it was, and I was like, he's like, “Yeah, I remember you coming in.” And (laughs) I don't even remember what I was saying, but I was like, extra, as the word that people would use then.

And so when I started working with him, him and I started to develop a closer relationship outside of work. He, I think at the time, like either my car wasn't working or like I had to walk to campus, and I was living off of campus, so he would pick me up like every day. ’cause I was, I wasn't too far from campus, but it was far enough where, like you didn't want to walk, because as everybody knows, Cal State San Marcos sits on a hill. So (laughs)

if you're walking from off campus, and it's already far enough, like you got (to) trek up, a mountainside to get there. And so--and this was before the (University) Student Union, because there were like ways that you can get up without using stairs that I figured out, but the easiest way is to take stairs.

But yeah, so became like really close to Gerardo and, I, I, I believe because of like the experience that I had with like the incident that I had my freshman year I really connected with Sara. She like has a very therapeutic presence. And as someone who like experienced trauma young and (laughs) very, very colorful past it was

comforting to have a supervisor that didn't really feel like a supervisor. Like she, you know, obviously was my supervisor, but it just felt different. I've never had a supervisor where I connected in that way. So when she left, it, it was a really big hole, like for the whole center because everyone loved her. I mean, they still love her, like I still love her. But like me and G especially were like basically mourning (laughs) her transition.

And I think that experience also brought us closer. I was in his wedding, like he's came to all of my graduations, I've gone to his. So we still talk to this day. And my experience with Floyd (Lai, the next director of the Cross-Cultural Center), because I was so connected with

Sara, was definitely rocky at first. I was so used to like a certain way, that things were, and then when Floyd came, he didn't necessarily disrupt everything and like change everything. We kind of kept most things, if not all. But I definitely was a little bit taken aback by having to deal with like, a, a power shift, if you will. But Floyd has always been super supportive. And at the time I was also involved in InterVarsity, InterVarsity is a Christian student group on campus.

I don't know if they're still there, but I had a mentor there who was telling me, he was like, “You have to be a leader.” Like a 360 leader. Sometimes you have to

lead the people that you are, that are supposed to lead you. Not to say that Floyd didn't lead me, it was just like, because he was a new person, he kind of came to me with like, “Okay, what information do you have? What knowledge do you have? Do you have background information about this event or that?” And so I kind of felt like I was in a way his little guide. And so that was new for me. I'd never been in a position where people are looking at me for answers. So I think it helped me develop my leadership skills as a result.

And also be able to reconcile relationships too. So, some of the other

like staff that I work with, I still touch base with every once in a while, but--like when was it? Was it the 25th anniversary? I don't remember. But there (laughs), there was a, what was it, third year? I don't remember. But I went to an event and I came back to campus after graduating and I ran into Allie Moreno, I think she has a different last name now, but Allie Moreno I also worked with. And she was there at the event, so I got to reconnect with her. Same thing with Diana (Salidvar).

I'm bad with names, so I apologize. Diana, I believe, is her name. I still like connect with her through social media, so I--it's, it's like, a

very unique time in your life when you're like, “I'm an adult,” but also like, you're still learning. You're still learning how to be an adult, you're still learning how to function in the world. You have to take care of yourself. Like, I had to, you know, get a job and I couldn't really rely on my parents to help me out of situations (laughs) if you will. So I had to learn how to be resourceful. And I think the Cross-Cultural Center gave me the resources among other, you know services that I used on campus to survive and thrive there.

De Maria: Yeah, absolutely. One comment on that, I will second Sara Sheikh's, therapeutic nature (both laugh). She's, she's definitely an incredible person. And, yeah, it

definitely sounds like when you were able to kind of inhabit that role as sort of like a guide for the others in the center, it sounds like you kind of reached a point of pride and were able to kind of reflect in your accomplishments and just some of the things that you had done. Which I also think is super cool. Now that I've kind of jogged your memory a little bit from those experiences, I want to know what your favorite memory of the Cross-Cultural Center is.

Bradley: (laughs) It's very simple. Like I--the, the one thing that my dad taught me was that you can change an atmosphere just by stepping into the room. And so I would be very big on atmosphere, or ambiance if you will. My friends and I call it am-Beyonce

(laughs), like, because Beyonce has that, that energy and aura to her too. And so what I would do when I would be working my shift is I would play music that I enjoyed, and then I would ask students like, “What do you wanna listen to?” So I would kind of like be a DJ, like a little bit (laughs). So I enjoyed just creating a welcoming space for them to come in. And I've had students--and in a way I sort of became like a therapist come to me like stressed out about something and they are looking for advice or guidance, or just like helping individuals who are coming in trying to figure out like, “Oh, what's this place?” (laughs) You know? So I think that was probably my favorite part of working at the Cult--Cross-Cultural Center, was just

creating that space for students.

De Maria: Very cool. I definitely understand that impact of ambiance, so it's definitely nice that you were able to be a little selfless in a way and kind of provide that, that atmosphere like you mentioned. And shifting gears here, I know that you had a heavy involvement in the Black Student Union on campus as well. You're cited as being an individual who essentially revived that organization or had a very big hand in reviving it from inactivity. So just starting there, I want to know what that timeline looked like and how you got involved in that project as well.

Bradley: So I was in BSU (Black Student Union) my freshman year, and it was pretty active

then. We had a good amount of members. They--I would say maybe a majority of them were like upperclassmen. And so, I think I also served on the board my second year and that's when the president Charey or Trey stepped down and then Raja stepped up. He had a lot of great ideas and he is a really good leader. I think it's just really hard when you're--like imagine having to be the next head, like performance after like Patti LaBelle (laughs). You're like “How do I top

that (laughs)?” So I think it was some of that that happened with Raja, but he did a really good job at getting a lot of the structural things that organizations need.

Like they need bylaws. They need to define their roles. They need recruitment efforts. They need to have like good soil to be able to grow. After Raja graduated, because he was also upper class, I think he ended up graduating before myself, maybe a couple years before me. So a lot of those upperclassmen that made up a lot of the BSU moved on. And so it was just like the underclassmen that kind of had to step up. I think there were like, if I'm not mistaken, a

couple of attempts where students tried to revive it and then it just became inactive. I don't know how long the inactive period was, but I think during that time I was doing a lot of on-campus like protests. I was doing a lot of things with the Cross-Cultural Center.

I was leading Bible studies. I was, also going to school, working, like I was doing a lot. And I think it was my Women's Studies professor, I think at the end of my like sophomore year and she was like, “What are you gonna do about BSU?” I'm like, “What do you mean (laughs)? Like, it's not my job (laughs).” And I think another Women's Studies professor was like, “You should try to

get that organization going again.” And I was like, “Okay” (laughs). I work with a lot of student organizations when I was a peer educator. So I'm like, okay, I see how they do things. I know all the background information. I know who to talk to at, Student Life and Leadership so that I can try to expedite things if I need to.

I know where to go with ASI (Associated Student Inc.) like being a student worker really exposes you to a lot of like the administrative side of a university. So I got to be able to experience that. So when I stepped into that role, I already had all those resources. And I knew a lot of students, so they knew who I was. And so when I started, I had enough

members to make the organization active, which I believe is three. You need a secretary, a vice (president) and a president. We talked extensively during the summer about like, who's going to take up what role, and what are we gonna do and how are we gonna do things? And kind of, things like that. I originally, I believe was just gonna be a vice president, another student wanted to be president.

And I'm like, I have no ties to any role. My only objective is to make this organization active again. And I think it was the week or two before classes started, both of them dropped out. And I was like, I don't know what I'm gonna do, but I'll figure this out because I'm resourceful. So,

I just started reaching out to every student that I knew. I'm like, you remember when BSU was like, and all this stuff? And just trying to--and even new students, I was like, “You look like a leader!” I was just heavy, heavy with my recruitment until I finally got two people to be in the role of vice president and treasurer. And then I was able to go to Josh at the time who was like overseeing student organizations. (laughs).

I'm like, okay, “I have all the paperwork (laughs), like can we be active now?” And then it was definitely really rocky. It was, it was really rocky, because at the time I was like, I'm just trying to get us back into a place where we

have presence on campus cause we're here, like Black students are here, they're just not collectively coming here. And so I also, at the same time, I'm honestly, I don't know how I did all these things, but at the same time (laughs) while I was in, in InterVarsity, they have like a Black student body as well within that, that organization. And so I was working with Black Student Unions at other campuses. I was like, let me see how you all do this because your group is so big. And then I'm like, okay, well instead of trying to motivate these students who are like, I don't want to go (laughs), I'm gonna work with these students who already have the--already energized about meeting together about, you know, centering Black narrative and who want

to move that forward.

So we attempted to do like events together. So, I feel like a lot of people get F.O.M.O (Fear Of Missing Out), so I'm like, if I make the event cool enough and bring enough people, they're gonna want to come. And so I did a lot of that, and I designed the logo. I fixed the bylaws and I worked a lot with other students because I was like, I think this was like my, ‘cause this was my senior year, I had to do all of this my senior year, graduate, you know, look for a job, all those things. And so I kind of searched for the next presidents. I was like, “Hey, you have the potential. Come with me to this event, I think you would benefit from it.” And

I invested time in their development, like, not to pressure you, but I am leaving (laughs) so, it would be great if someone could step into these roles.

And so I remember my last year and no one really what was stepping up and I was like, I just have to leave it and hope that it works out. So I went to my mentor, Roger, who at the time was the director of the LGBT Center and I was like, “Can you do me a favor?” (laughs) Can you, because he's an agitator, he, he will make sure like something gets done. So I was like, “Can you please make sure that someone steps up? Cause I'm, I'm graduating, like I can't do any more past this.” So yeah, that was,

that was a lot (laughs).

De Maria: Yeah. It definitely sounds like you, kind of once again used out of the box style thinking to try and ensure the future of the organization and the health of the organization, which is definitely, definitely needed (laughs) in situations like that. Regarding the relationship between those organizations and just in general on our campus, what role do you see the Cross-Cultural Center playing as it coexists with these different organizations devoted to identity expression? Like, what kind of role do you think it inhabits and still inhabits?

Bradley: So, I

don't remember the name of it, but my friend G was trying to start like a council for all like, multicultural student organizations to meet--to board leaders to meet together and be able to have a space to discuss issues or concerns or what have you together like a, quasi-United Nations (laughs), if you will. So I think that was the first time I kind of saw the way that the Cross-Cultural (Center) can collaborate, and empower, and equip student organizations to not only self-express, but also to address matters

that are important for them. Or how to just really have representation. Because I think that was really important. Like, for me, coming from a place where there wasn't that growing up, like I remember (laughs), I remember going to the Career Center on campus and there was this--stand and repeat, and it had a Black student on it.

And then I don't remember what the language was underneath it, but it basically implied as what I had interpreted of it, was that like, Black students aren't gonna get employed, something like that. And I was like,

“You have to change that.” (laughs) That's not gonna work. Like, that's not gonna bring Black students in here. You need to show them, themselves in the careers that they want, because they're out there. There are successful people of color. And so--I mean, same thing with like posters around campus. I'm like, “Who made that? There's not enough people that look diverse enough for that to be representing our campus.” So yeah I think it, it, it equips and empowers, not only like the board members on those--because like we had free printing. The Student Life and Leadership Center had a place where you could make a-frames, like you could make the

materials that you need.

Like you didn't have to do everything out of pocket. And especially for marginalized, you know minority groups. Sometimes money is not something that you have to just make materials for. I remember (laughs) the biggest thing for like, I feel like students tend to get behind is like, “Do I get a T-shirt (laughs)?” If you have swag for them, they're like, “Yeah, I'll definitely show up.” So I was like, we need to get T-shirts for Black Student Union. And because I was a student, because I worked, or you know, worked at the Cross-Cultural Center and I knew the resources they had available, I was like, “I know what website to make it on. I can order them. I can have them, have it done. I know where to go to get scholarships for our

group.” So I think, that is what's really like, special about that relationship with, you know, centers who work with student organizations.

De Maria: Yeah, totally. That's super cool. I heard on swag, that is definitely a great way to get, to get people in through the door and get your message heard, funnily enough. My next set of questions and the, the questions that we'll kind of wrap up on are a little bit more abstract. So I just wanted to ask you how your experiences with Cross-Cultural Center, as well as Black Student Union on that note, impacted your professional path and what you currently do?

Bradley: So I'm, I'm sort

of in a career transition space, so I wouldn't necessarily say that those experiences impacted my profession. I would say they impacted me personally and my politics. I think it opened my eyes to a lot of different things, organizations, what people are doing in the community and it motivated me to serve the community in a different way. Right after college, I ended up going on a missions trip in Fresno, and seeing poverty in a different way. And I also worked with Inner City Youth in Escondido as well as here in

Central San Diego. So I think it definitely shaped my passion for development. And I guess in some ways I still sort of do that in my role now. But my job I would say is, more like financially driven decisions versus passions and what sort of shaped me there.

But after--I believe it, after (George) Floyd was murdered? I think it was during the pandemic like, 2020, when that whole bit happened. I mean I was going to protests before

then. Like I went to the Women's March, I went to some other protests as well. I even brought some of my students (laughs). I was like, “This is what a protest is.” And so when that happened in the pandemic, it just, it's hard because it's like wrapped around tragedy, you know, these things that are so unjust that it, (laughs) I was telling my therapist that I have like an--eloquent rage. Like I want (laughs) to do things in a certain way that will affect change in the system that's already existing. Sometimes I do want to be very radical, but also I just don't want like Black people to keep dying, you know?

And so I actually ended up kind of getting my boyfriend at the time into that too. I think he had always been like into it, but the way that he would protest is virtually. And I'm like, come see what it's like grassroots. Because It's a different feeling. And so we went in our cars, and we went up to like La Jolla and came back to central San Diego and then went all the way down to National City as a protest. And there was like hundreds of cars, it was all over the news. We had made posters. It was like a huge thing. And I feel like, that moment kind of reminded me of when I was at the Social Justice Summits and watching someone's

lightbulb turn on almost like, oh wow, like this is what it, what it's like, l being in solidarity with other, with others and wanting the change that we need.

We don't want individuals to be brutalized and murdered by individuals that we thought we could trust to keep us safe, you know? And so I get, I get chills thinking about it. I remember there was one student, he was like, “How can you just get up there and like, speak on the mic and not be afraid?” And I'm like, “I am afraid!” I'm very afraid, but I also don't want this to happen anymore. It's not okay. And so I would rather

be afraid and find the courage to get through it, than be afraid and do nothing.

De Maria: Absolutely. And I'm sorry, it's just super profound (laughs) super profound things that you're talking about. And also just so much value in being able to relate those experiences back together. And also, again, tangibly seeing results from, your own efforts make--be them personal or professional. So very, very cool. Just a few more questions left. What direction do you think the Cross-Cultural Center should grow in?

Bradley: I visit like maybe every, two or three years (both laughs). So I don't know what the last three years have been because I, the la--I think the last time I went to campus was like maybe (20)17 or (20)18. So it's been a while since I've been there. And it's a different, it's a different vibe than how it was when I was there. We were like a smaller center, you know, we didn't have this beautiful (University) Student Union. We had the Commons, and if anyone knows what the Commons are, there were these small little rooms, (laughs) that we just made work, you know? And they would be filled with students. And so I remember seeing the blueprints of this

Student Union. And for me, I'm just like, “This is awesome!” I feel like I was, you know, part of the building blocks of this, and I'm just honestly proud of how things have evolved.

I will say (laughs) the, this is maybe not necessarily like the Cross-Cultural Center, but I've heard that the parking permits there are ridiculous. Like, for passes, like I go, I, I got my master's at University of San Diego, their annual passes are under a hundred dollars. And so to have a parking pass that's $600 or something like that, I was like, that's wild. If I was there, I'd be protesting about it. This is ridiculous. Like, what are you, let me see your (laughs), let me see your expenditure sheets, let me see your multi-year budget plans, because this doesn't make

sense, like it should not be that expensive. I really don't know what the student activism looks like. You know, I know that when I was there that a lot of people kind of saw the Cross-Cultural Center as like a Pan-Asian space, because that's kind of a lot of the students that would come to that space.

And so when I was there, I was like, I want to see everybody (laughs). I want to go and like find where you guys are and let you know, this is here, like MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Xicanx de Aztlan) come over, you know, Black students come over. I'd be like, “Okay, what movie do you want to see? (laughs) I'm about to put it on the TV. You know, like make you feel comfortable. So yeah, I think that's kind of something that was needed then. I don't know what it's like now. I know when I kind of like popped in it's--there was mostly Asian students there,

but you know, I think as long as students are using the space, I think that's what matters most. That's what it's there for. I think it's great that you know, peer educators can, I don't know if they're doing this now, but when I was there, I would go into classrooms and I would teach curriculum to students about identity and allyship.

So I hope that they're still doing stuff like that because there are situations where I--where it impacts the world, it impacts, you know, that, that macrocosm. And in turn we, you know, sometimes professors don't know what to say and some of those students might be having a hard time being present, learning about, I don't know,

whatever subject, like microorganisms, (laughs), you know what I mean? And so how can you as a professor tie in like what's going on in the world to address it, but also like be there for the students in a way that, you know, maybe is not necessarily like a savior complex, but in a way that's supportive. Like “I see you, I see that, you know, this could be something that, you may or may not be noticing in life or affected by, but there's this place where you can go,” or like bringing in those students to those classrooms. And nothing against the hard sciences. We love math, we love science. But you know, sometimes those spaces are very black and white and the Cross-Cultural Center lives in a gray space. And so to be able to show students that and help them with identity development, because like I said,

college is such a unique time. You’re a quasi-adult, but not really. And you have to take on all these responsibilities in addition to graduating. So.

De Maria: Yeah. Absolutely. My next question, and again this is going to kind of reference the current landscape of CSUSM. So don't worry if you can't think of like a super accurate answer or anything. You can also comment about the time, like around the time that you graduated and moved on. But what communities do you feel are underrepresented on campus?

Bradley: Hmm...

I don't really know. I know like when I was a student... so, I know I, I definitely got involved with like undocumented students ’cause that experience was something that I personally didn't have like experience in. But I had a friend, several friends, who were undocumented. And I remember going to Social Justice Summit and having that lightbulb. And we were talking about undocumented students and I was like, “Oh my God.” Like I drove one of my friends who I know is undocumented and I didn't have

like (laughs), this is again, me living rebelliously. I was driving, and my license plate was expired or something like that? And I was like, “Oh my gosh.” If I had gotten pulled over and this police officer wasn't chill, I could have endangered my friend. And so, I think it grew my like empathy for that community.

I remember their group was like, sort of active, sort of not, at the time when I was a student. I think MEChA--

DeMaria: Um-hmm.

Bradley: Is such a big organization like nationally that sometimes the undocumented experience kind of becomes adjacent to that. So one of the friends that I

was referring to, I believe she served in a leadership role for, I don't remember what the name of that undocumented student organization was, but I remember her talking about that and kind of trying to differentiate that group as a result. I also have another friend that I still talk to today. She created an organization called Et Cetera. And her whole goal was to be a catchall for the others. Like you're not really feeling like a certain cultural identity. Like maybe you don't want to be in the math group, like maybe you don't want to be in a fraternity, like come to Et Cetera (laughs). And so I thought that that was really cool that she wanted to create a space for individuals who either like myself live in like a duality, or others who just

maybe don't identify in a particular space.

De Maria: Totally. I have two questions left to just wrap things up. So first one, what is the most important lesson you've taken from your experience with the Cross-Cultural Center?

Bradley: There were so many lessons (both laughs). Definitely difficult to pick one. I think I, I, I learned my power. And at that time I learned a, that I had power and leadership potential, but also that how to use it, in a way

that would affect change. Like I remember when--I hope that this tabloid paper doesn't exist on that campus anymore. Because If it does, I'm driving (laughs) to make sure it's not there. But--they, it was called The Koala. The Koala also existed on I think UCSD (University of California San Diego), but basically it was a tabloid paper, and they would just write, just excuse my language, but like, bullshit about people, about groups, about minority groups. And they're like, “Oh, but it's satire.” And I'm like, “This still doesn't make it okay.” I was such an agitator to them that they put me in one of their editions.

And so I remember noticing that this was not

okay, you know, me stepping into my power and then I protested by myself. I was like, I'm gonna stand next to you. I'm not gonna say anything, but I'm gonna hold this sign up, and I'm gonna stand next to you, so that other people understand that this is not okay and that you shouldn't be passing this out on campus. And like my friends were like coming up to me and they're like, “Oh my gosh, like you are so awesome for doing this." And I connected with other campuses and I'm like, “What are you guys doing about this (laughs) paper?” Because you know, such and such. And then I remember other people kind of in solidarity doing other things to expose the students and who are doing these salacious things, like who the editor was (laughs). They wrote it on the steps, like the steps that are next to the clock.

They wrote the names of all the members in the organization.

This person is in it and this person is in it and they want to hide, but (laughs), they're not gonna hide. We're gonna bring them to light. They actually bit their--put their own shoe in their mouth. But I think the editor attempted to run for ASI president.

De Maria:

Right?

Bradley: And if he had accomplished his goal, that paper would've been basically passed out, like how the Cougar News (student newspaper) gets passed out. But he ended up (laughs) fraud, like basically doing identity theft and faking votes so that he could win. So I was like, “Well, not only did you lose, but you also are gonna

have to be prosecuted for like 500 counts of identity theft.” And that's a federal offense (laughs). So I think it was a mixture of, you know, stepping into my power, but also knowing that I have, like I have a cap, I have a battery, at some point my battery is gonna go down and I need to recharge.

So I think that was another lesson that I learned, was like how to recharge, how to self-preserve. Because I know there were times that I was doing a lot of things. And even just thinking about it, I was like, “That sounds like a lot like (laughs). When did you have you time?” I remember there was a point where I had stopped making such a fuss about that paper,

and there was a student who was doing a class project where they were interviewing people about that paper. And I was like, I wrote in the comments, I was like, “Don't stop agitating, keep going.” So even in my time of preservation, I was still encouraging others to develop their power and what they found to be important for them.

De Maria: Yeah. So comments on that. That's a really crazy intense story. And also just on a personal level, I'm glad that you were there to be the initial agitator essentially. And you know, just, affect that change, like how you said. So that's definitely a demonstration of power (laughs) used responsibly and for a good end.

Bradley: Yeah.

De Maria: Which

is very, very cool. For my final question, I want to relate back to something you said at the very beginning of the interview. You described feeling like an other in your community growing up in Orange County. So, I just would like to know, as someone who has also felt like an other growing up in a community, if someone feels that way, what tips or advice would you give them to start agitating or get involved in social justice?

Bradley: I mean--I feel like my experiences as an other sort of like, I describe it like a butterfly, because I am like--ambiguous

(laughs) physically and mentally. I just kind of butterfly my way through groups and I learn from all those experiences. So being an other doesn't necessarily have to define you into the other box. It can give you capacity to be in every box. I remember my sister for those demographic questions where they're like, “What race are you?” And she was like, “I just check all of them!” (laughs) So in a way you just check all of them. You can go into this group, you can go into that group and people would welcome me, like regardless. So that was like really nice, to experience. But also I think--

I don't know if every school campus has like a Social Justice

Summit type of thing, but I honestly think that something like that definitely informs the way that you develop in your social justice identity or your social justice, activism. But honestly, you could, just join a march, like when they had the Women's March or I think there was another march for all of the like school shootings that were happening that were student led. Just being a part of grassroots organizations can shape that activist part in individuals as well as shaping identity, you know. But I think what I noticed in school (laughs) is when you learn about other cultures, especially in American history, it's

terrible. They don't really put you into this really wonderful light. It's like genocide, slavery, and then President Obama (laughs).

And you're like, okay--but where's all the in between? And so, you know, even just having literature, I would hope you know that the Kellogg Library has a lot of options, but I had friends who gave me literature that helped me to develop that part of myself and to see--people who looked like me that were successful, but also people who were affecting change. Who were women, who were, you know, minority groups, who were young. I think for me,

growing up in a single parent household, you want to, or at least for me, I wanted to see a strong woman and like my grandma, she's definitely a part of my strong personality, but also it's like different when it's not your mom. And so for me, I was like looking for that maternal figure and so I found it a lot in supervisors, or professors, and I was like, that's the kind of woman that I want to be, who doesn't just sit and let things happen but will be willing to stand up for what I believe in.

De Maria: I think that's excellent advice. And again, just, a manifestation of taking pride in your identity rather than allowing that box or

that label to define you or your actions, even if those actions are advantageous to social justice. So I completely get that.

Bradley: Yeah

De Maria: And with that, I know that we're at time. So I just wanted to thank you for taking the time out for this interview, Chanel. We definitely covered a lot, in terms of your personal experience, and I also learned a lot more about the CCC as I continue to interview more people for this project and kind of embark on this journey myself. So overall, just wanted to thank you for opening up and allowing others to be part of that experience and kind of understand what you went through and what you did.

Bradley:

Yeah, definitely. Well, if you want any contacts for other people--who to interview or if you have enough, that's cool too. (Both laugh) If you want some of the OGs, (De Maria laughs) I still talk to them.

De Maria: Absolutely. We'll talk offline, but (both laugh)

Bradley: Yeah.

De Maria: Thank you so much Chanel

Bradley: You’re welcome,

okay.