Photo by Chad Brady.
Victor Narro has been involved with immigrant rights and labor issues for almost 40 years. He is currently a project director for the UCLA Labor Center and core faculty in the UCLA Labor Studies program and UCLA School of Law. Before joining us for the program “When Does Protest Make a Difference?,” Narro chatted with us in the green room about being a student activist, teaching kindness, and which sitcom character he relates to the most.
What is your most used emoji?
The love sign.
What’s a movie that makes you cry?
Terms of Endearment with Jack Nicholson and Shirley MacLaine. You can watch it over and over again and still cry. Anybody can connect to it.
Who’s the first person you call to share good news with?
My wife. She starts graduate school this week at Cal State LA. She’s 57 years old, and she’s retired, and she wants to become a community college professor.
Do you have a fictional character that you relate to?
You know Judd Hirsch who plays Alex Reiger in Taxi? He’s the problem solver for everybody in that taxi company. I’m kind of like that. My work is a lot of problem solving, crisis management. So I feel like I connect with that character.
What’s the first protest that you remember attending?
In the 1980s, I was a student activist, and I was part of the Anti-Apartheid Movement. That’s why I connect so well with students on campus today working for divestment. Back then, we had a divestment campaign against South Africa, against the apartheid government. That was my first protest. I didn’t get arrested at that one; I got arrested at others. It really launched my activism as a student, and then my lifetime activism.
What do you do to decompress?
I practice mindfulness. I practice kindness.
You teach a class on kindness at UCLA. What’s one thing that people don’t think about when we think about kindness?
Kindness is emotional but it can also be intellectual stimulation.
Where’s your favorite place to find community?
I love the park spaces. When I came to this country, I grew up in New York City, across the street from Prospect Park. The park has always been sacred for me. It’s a space where you can connect with nature, where you can connect with others, and you can have events with friends and families. A park brings a lot of people from that community to that space. L.A. doesn’t have enough green space. I’m fortunate in that I work across the street from MacArthur Park.