Opinion | I don’t live in Orange, but I still care

Brittney Bringuez, senior integrated educational studies major

I first heard about Orange City Council candidate Betty Valencia’s story and campaign in a presentation during a class in Chapman’s integrated educational studies program.

As the only Hispanic person in three of my six classes this semester, I was immediately excited and drawn to the presentation. Chapman loves to boast about its diversity and strategically uses one student from the 1.6 percent black and African-American population or one student from the almost 15 percent Hispanic population in its informational materials and displays, but I don’t often come across Hispanic students, faculty, or speakers, especially ones who identify as female.

Valencia’s story is one of struggle and triumph. As a child, she immigrated into the United States, and after countless struggles, pursued a life in academia and social justice. As a long time Orange resident and doctoral student at Chapman, Valencia, who is also an openly gay, Hispanic woman is running for the Orange City Council.

In her words, “This is not a campaign, it is a movement.” Though the race for city council is a nonpartisan one, she is single-handedly disrupting the historically conservative ideology that exists in Orange, California, but no one seems to care.

Chapman and its students tend to describe ourselves as being diverse, empathetic and citizens of the world. Through research, funding and studying abroad, we try to show to the world that we represent uniqueness and diversity, but we severely neglect the city that we occupy.

Why is it not mandatory that every incoming student register to vote? Why aren’t professors encouraged to discuss the politics that greatly affect Orange in classes? One of our own students is working to serve us, the Chapman community and the Orange community, but we are not actively urging students to vote, nor are we discussing all the ways Chapman is and will be impacted by those elected to the city council.

Is this because we don’t care? Is Chapman an institution that focuses more on its public appearance than fostering a safe, diverse community? Are we showing a subconscious (or maybe conscious) prejudice toward a woman of color, or are we simply giving into the enormous privilege and entitlement that exists at Chapman?

I commute to school from Pasadena, so I won’t be allowed to vote in Orange for Valencia. If you want to be part of history and a movement for justice and equality, you should.

In the words of Cornel West, an American philosopher and political activist, “Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public.”

At Chapman, we need to put our money, both figuratively and literally, where our mouths are. We need to be politically involved, because this election affects us directly. We have been given an opportunity to improve our community. Betty Valencia is on our side. It’s time to be on hers.