Interview with Rubina
It has been two months since we held our annual PULSE showcase and this Friday, we will release the last episode of our PULSE podcast. As we celebrate PULSE’s 20th anniversary this year, it felt fitting to get in touch with the original creators of this zine to learn more about PULSE and why it was started. Rubina Mahal (she/her) attended UVic and is one of the reasons PULSE exists today.
How did you first get involved with SOCC?
SOCC had an informational table during Spirit Week and I starting talking with one of the co-founders and was told about this anti-racist space for activism. I started coming to meetings and volunteering. I grew up in Victoria, and had been hoping to meet politically aware students. SOCC offered a space to grow and learn.
How did you and your colleagues get the idea for PULSE, and why this name? What is it symbolic for and who was your intended audience?
It all started in a 4th year post-colonial literature class. This was a mixed group-both BIPOC and white students. Our professor gave us the option of producing a journal as opposed to writing final papers. After the initial issue, I took it to SOCC as a way to keep the publication going. Although the first publication was done for a class project, I thought it was fitting to carry forward as a publication by SOCC. Our first SOCC-edition was published in honour of the International Day for the Elimination of Racism. For this edition, we changed the mission. We wanted PULSE to be by, for, and with those who identify as BIPOC. We wanted to offer space for those voices. PULSE represents the beat, where we are coming from, and where we began. We came up with PULSE because there weren’t enough spaces to express ourselves as students of colour. We were like a think tank and an action tank.
Why is it important for the BIPOC community to carve out these spaces for ourselves?
Because no one else will. There is power in taking back space, in saying how you feel in that moment, and deciding what you will consume. At the time as a young woman of colour, as a South Asian, I was always looking for writers who sound like me, who look like me. The Martlet refused to publish non-traditional journalism. UVic felt woke but with so many flaws. We had to fight and eventually, we brought in voices of colour into traditionally white spaces. Historically, SOCC was the least funded of student advocacy groups. We had to find a way to fund PULSE ourselves. Through incredible volunteers and artists willing to contribute for free, we were able to get the publication out.
What challenges did you face as you created the zine?
At first, we were worried about deciding which stories to publish. However, we had very few submissions so we had to personally ask people to submit. We also had to fund ourselves and the Martlet luckily allowed us to use their space to create the zine. There was also pushback. Some of the readers were offended by our writing. I personally lost friends, upset professors, and ruffled feathers. People were surprised to hear all these perspectives and they felt attacked. We got support from students as well. This zine was exciting and daring. We used PULSE as one venue for encouraging change. Alongside PULSE, we organized spoken-word events, hosted conferences and special speaker series. We also tried to collaborate with other student groups.
Due to the pandemic, we had to switch to a digital zine instead of having a printed edition. Do you think it is important to keep the zine traditional or move with the times?
Move with the times! Keep the zine going in whatever way fits with your current mission. I am so honored this is still going strong and that SOCC is still around. This little zine and small collective of like-minded students of colour was formative for me. I hope it is for others as well. This is where we decided to do what we wanted. Now, it’s your time. Keep doing what you do! My only request is to keep it with an anti-racist lens.