Tired of witnessing a pattern of racial injustices ensuing throughout the nation and at their university, senior communication studies major Lucile Henderson and senior peace studies major Natalia Ventura established the Chapman Activist Coalition in October 2020. Despite jump-starting an organization only six months ago, the duo has made their voices heard and their impact felt by Chapman students and members of the greater Orange community, garnering over 550 followers on Instagram. 

From the organization’s Voice of OC opinion on former Chapman professor John Eastman, an April 2 AAPI solidarity rally, various transformative justice workshops and Henderson’s determination to implement an ethnic studies minor, the Chapman Activist Coalition has made a mark on Chapman’s campus in no time. Orange residents, meanwhile, have supported their efforts and battled injustices right alongside them.

“It’s been so encouraging to get support from local Orange residents,” Henderson said. “When we wrote our op-ed about Eastman, an Orange resident wrote a response to President Struppa in support of us. They said their family has watched Chapman respond to money over its students and they’ve seen an increase in hate incidents over the last 50 years. Those little things make a difference.”

Ventura and Henderson told The Panther they realized, in first finding the interest to establish the Chapman Activist Coalition, that university students need the support of the surrounding community to make a significant change. Their mission is to form a collective so all local residents, students and faculty around campus can hold those in authority accountable with how they might be tied to systemic oppressions.

“We’re trying to unify the community so that our efforts can be sustainable and we can support each other, so we all don’t burn out so quickly,” Ventura said. “We want to foster our community and create the culture we want to see on our campus within our own organization.” 

In order to prevent Chapman from influencing their actions and decisions, co-founders Henderson and Ventura remain unaffiliated with the university, refusing to be recognized as a student-run organization. 

“If we were a student organization, there would be certain policies that we would have to follow,” Ventura said. “Sometimes we, last minute, want to organize an event or are involved in civil disobedience. It would be more difficult to go through all the steps of the institution to do these things and it would silence a lot of things we’d want to say.” 

Henderson emphasized that their decision to keep the organization separate from Chapman isn’t out of spite at the university, but a necessary step to take to create a more radical shift. 

“In order for radical abolitionism and transformative justice strategies to work, you have to operate outside of the institution you’re critiquing,” Henderson said.

Since Ventura and Henderson will be graduating this spring, they are in the process of searching for a new executive board to take over their positions. The pair is hosting a leadership interest meeting over Zoom May 5 to discuss the recruiting process for interested incoming sophomores, juniors and seniors. Those interested in becoming a Chapman Activist Coalition member can sign up through this link. 

Henderson told The Panther that activism done correctly is impactful and a significant reason why students should join their organization. Ventura’s “Chap-tivism” timeline shows just how impactful that activism at Chapman has been since its inception.

“Activism is rooted in love,” Henderson said. “Anyone who tries to say otherwise simply doesn’t understand the fundamental nature of activism, or the activism isn’t being practiced the way it needs to be.”