A thought from our friends at LA Eastside and commentary from Up/Rize

"Do not let anyone, no matter where they are coming from, control what you want to do to express what you want. No one is the gatekeeper to your life. Just because someone has “organized” dozens of marches, demonstrations does not mean that what you feel/ think is of any less value."

This quote is particularly relevant to me (Up/Rize) in light of recent protest events in which "student security" has outcasted dissenting voices and made people feel as though they have less of a mandate for making their own protest decisions because "well, they're the ones who got all these people out here today".

We can recognize the heroic efforts of current protest leaders without giving them dominion over our own freedom of expression. Please, people, THE people, don't let anyone control you. Organize, galvanize, and run your own protest where nobody is allowed to silence anyone else's voice. And please, no matter how much you think you are or aren't "qualified", please call in and tell us about your experiences. I've met too many people who tell me something really fascinating and important about their experiences on March 4th and at other protests, and then when I ask them to share that experience with Radio Free, they say, "No, I'm not qualified to talk about such things."

It's sad to see even other students teach us that our words are not worth hearing, that we don't have anything to say just because we're not recognized by the right authority. Fuck that! You DO have the mandate to speak about your own experiences, and in fact, you're the only one who does. Don't wait for orders, and don't let a few self-appointed "leaders" be the only ones who are heard. Leave us a message about your experiences, your thoughts, your opinions, at 218-666-UCSD, because I promise you they matter. You can also skype with us live on the air (skype ID is radiofreeucsd) during the weekdays when we're on. If you don't want to expose your voice, you can email us at radiofreeucsd@gmail.com to have us read your words on the air or run them through a computer voice.

Now is the time for autonomous student projects like Radio Free UCSD to be a voice for the people, and we can only do that with your help, and yes, I mean YOU!

[This post was edited to clarify that the lovely and talented Alejandra Ocasio did not, in fact, write the quote at the beginning or anything else in this post.]