de la Rocha: I agree with that--from my everyday activism in
the health field, I am shocked as to how isolated universities
are from communities. There is no interaction, no real connection.
Students and faculties should be more involved with the very
real issues of community development. And I find myself, too,
associating with a lot of '60s radicals today. They may be
the president of some large corporation now, but I knew how
long their hair was back then! I don't think that anyone should
underestimate how big the problems are today in the U.S. In
that sense, the situation today isn't much different from eighteen
years ago.
Frankfort: We worked hard in the early '70s, and I think that
we burned out for a while, wandered, experimented with different
lifestyles, occupations, etc. But, most of us are still involved
with some vocation which promotes social change. However, I
see a whole lot more people seeking socially creative jobs than
there are such jobs. It's tough.
Wilson: It wasn't until two years ago that I finally found a
way to make a living. But, building and supporting "alternative"
institutions--creating your own work, though public-interest
law firms, co-ops, etc.--is even more relevant now than it was
back then, because of the national economic situation. And pick
one field in college, concentrate on it, then find a place to
be active and make a living in that sphere.
Frankfurt: Politically, I'd suggest that once you've left the
university, joining one viable organization, then linking it
to others through coalition-building is the best way to stay
involved. And, more than anything else, always assume the best
in your fellow activists; I think that we fought too much over
details, and didn't give each other enough support. We may not
see that big change in our life times like we thought we would,
but I'm convinced that the work we did back in I.V., and everyone
like us did across the nation, has set the stage for something
big in the future.
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