“I play many roles, from being a mother to a community activist to a professor to a lead singer in a rock band,” says Carrie Hutchinson. “Society tells us that we must be one thing or ‘type’ of person, so it feels like an achievement to ignore that ubiquitous pressure.”
Carrie is the cofounder of the Santa Barbara chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice, or SURJ, which is a national network focused on moving white people to work toward equality for all races. “Folks in Santa Barbara have the perception they’re living in a utopian paradise,” says Carrie, who runs the monthly meetings and weekly correspondence. “Problems are not obvious to privileged people.” A big part of the SURJ philosophy is that major change happens when you talk to people in your own circle of influence.
A tenured professor at SBCC, Carrie is also the chair of the Department of Communication. She leads students on study abroad programs to such destinations as Australia, India, Rwanda, South Africa, and Cuba and writes for both academic and popular culture publications. Pointing to the Nelson Mandela quotation that hangs in her office — “Education is the greatest weapon we can use to change the world” — Carrie tells me, “I really like teaching. I feel I’m arming students.”