00:00:14.000 - 00:00:26.420

I am Ruth Santos and I am interviewing Renata Sumrall for the Inclusive History and Images Project, a project which seeks to recover the histories of the diverse members of the family.

00:00:26.600 - 00:00:39.080

We are on the campus in the Creative Spaces studios, and today is March 7th, 2023. Do you give me permission to interview you for the Inclusive History and Images project?

00:00:39.080 - 00:00:46.490

And do you allow the recording to be used in accordance with the stated goals of the project? I do. I feel like we're married now.

00:00:48.410 - 00:00:58.370

What is your name now and what was your name when you were at Alamo? My name now is Renata Wannamaker, and when I was a student here, it was Renata Smith.

00:00:59.780 - 00:01:07.630

When and where were you born? I was born in Hollywood, California. Where is your hometown or the area in which you grew up?

00:01:07.660 - 00:01:15.010

I grew up in the city of Carson, just down the 110 Freeway. And where do you currently live? I live in Studio City.

00:01:15.780 - 00:01:26.820

And what is your current or former occupation? I currently serve as the president and CEO of the LA 84 Foundation, and that's a legacy of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games.

00:01:28.140 - 00:01:34.860

Um. How do you identify yourself? As Renata. You mean ethnically?

00:01:35.400 - 00:01:49.650

Well, just in any like, whatever that question means to you. I'd say I identify myself as Renata, but if I was to dig deeper, you know, Renata, as a woman

00:01:49.650 - 00:02:04.350

of color, as a leader, as a, um, humanitarian. Um, how did you learn about the inclusive History and Images project? My dear friend Lisa, for many.

00:02:06.240 - 00:02:14.320

And what made you want to take part in this project? Because she asked. Very she asked number one.

00:02:14.680 - 00:02:26.330

But number two, LMU is. Just special to my heart. The amount of time I spend here as a student. The amount of time I've spent as.

00:02:27.780 - 00:02:37.410

Board of Regents Board of the Alumni Association, co-founder of the African-American. African American Alumni Association. It just holds a special place in my heart.

00:02:37.680 - 00:02:46.800

Because it was a transformative experience for me being the first of my family to graduate college. And figuring out how to navigate a pathway to get here.

00:02:47.220 - 00:02:53.460

So any time. Most times the university calls and asked me to do something. I try to find a way to to contribute.

00:02:54.120 - 00:03:06.360

That's great. What year did you attend LSU? I attended from 9019 90 to 1993, but my graduation year is 1994.

00:03:06.390 - 00:03:18.810

I came in as a transfer student, so I had a year of year plus of general education courses in credits that I took from another another school when I was in the military.

00:03:19.770 - 00:03:26.440

Um. What was your major in minors? So my major and my degree, if I recall correctly, is political science.

00:03:26.450 - 00:03:41.060

I had no minor, but my degree was more like an urban studies degree. So one of the reasons I chose LMU is because of the flexibility and majoring in political science, but putting

00:03:41.060 - 00:03:52.250

together, you know, a set of classes that really were of interest to me as opposed to the rote. These are the classes you take in political science, but my degree is political science.

00:03:52.520 - 00:03:58.070

Okay. And how did you decide on those majors on that, Major? It's a great question.

00:03:59.160 - 00:04:15.560

Um, it seemed. Interestingly enough, interesting enough to me from the courses that I would take in the area of study and urban studies is really what I say I get an education

00:04:15.560 - 00:04:27.290

in because I was interested in the rise in the decline of cities, spent a significant amount of time in Europe. After high school, Germany traveled to Italy, traveled to other

00:04:27.290 - 00:04:37.760

places of the world. And I was just always fascinated with how cities like Rome, as an example, would have ruins. And then the new city was built on top of

00:04:37.760 - 00:04:47.120

it. You know, it was the social issues, the economic issues, the geopolitical issues that caused societies to decline. And then how did they rebuild out of the ashes?

00:04:47.120 - 00:04:55.460

And so I thought that was a fascinating area of study. And so, again, political science was the the major, but it was really urban studies was the classes that I

00:04:55.460 - 00:05:03.980

put together. So a little bit of sociology, a little bit of anthropology, a little statistics, a little history of civilizations, comparative studies.

00:05:04.280 - 00:05:14.870

So it was I'm a restless soul. And so I always like to be challenged. I always like to learn new things. And so I just thought that was a fascinating area

00:05:14.870 - 00:05:25.310

of study and it would give me a broad, broad base of experience to figure out what I wanted to do after college. And why did you decide to come to LMU?

00:05:27.690 - 00:05:36.210

I wanted to come home. I spent after high school. I spent three years in West Germany. It was West Germany at the time.

00:05:37.840 - 00:05:57.310

And I missed Los Angeles, so I thought about USC. It was very expensive, comparatively speaking. And I recall taking a tour or reading about the freshman classes and the freshman classes or sophomore classes, as

00:05:57.310 - 00:06:05.920

it might have been back then, were like auditorium full of students. And I wanted more of a personal experience with my professors.

00:06:05.920 - 00:06:17.380

And so when I looked at a freshman class, a sophomore class at LMU, they were I think the one I looked at was 15 people. And I just thought that was more suited to my

00:06:17.380 - 00:06:27.400

learning style and my learning ability of really wanting to engage with the professor and engage with the students in a more deeper, meaningful way as opposed to being a number when Roll Call was taken.

00:06:27.400 - 00:06:39.970

And so I only applied to Loyola marymount University, and fortunately the university agreed that I was a good student and they accepted me. Alimi, whose mission is committed to the encouragement of learning

00:06:39.970 - 00:06:51.670

the education of the whole person and to the service of faith and the promotion of justice. How important were these principles to you before coming to LMU, and did you sense the importance of these principles

00:06:51.670 - 00:07:07.720

during your time at LMU? I wasn't aware or I didn't embody the principles in the way in which LMU describes them or as you described them, reading them to me.

00:07:08.260 - 00:07:21.640

But I come from a family. That service is very important. I was raised Catholic. My mother attended church every Sunday, most often on Wednesdays.

00:07:22.150 - 00:07:35.770

And you know, our shared humanity, being of service to others was always important to the family and a core value giving back. And so it didn't seem unfamiliar to me coming to

00:07:35.770 - 00:07:49.420

Loyola marymount and being in an environment where that there was the values that the university put out on the forefront. And so it just seemed natural for me to blend

00:07:49.420 - 00:08:01.340

in, to accept, fulfill, you know, lead with those as core values. It just felt like home. What was Elam you like when you were here in

00:08:01.340 - 00:08:16.820

terms of academic, social life, relationship to faculty, your sense of representation, racial diversity, gender diversity and things like that? That's a big question. The university experience, I was a transfer student and I

00:08:16.820 - 00:08:31.310

didn't live on campus, so I commuted into campus. And then I also had to work to make up the difference between what the GI Bill and the Army paid for and the cost of tuition.

00:08:31.310 - 00:08:42.420

And then living on campus just sort of put me far out of the ability to pay for college. So my experience here in terms of social life was very different.

00:08:43.850 - 00:08:53.550

You know, I do I'm going to start with the parties, right? There was always there was always activity that I remember. And maybe I'll start with the.

00:08:56.010 - 00:09:03.450

The they would do like the little fairs. So when you you'd have on the on the the walk that came in we didn't have University hall when I was here.

00:09:03.450 - 00:09:15.930

So you came in off of 78th Street and you'd have a student life or clubs or sororities or fraternities. You know, there's always some activity that I can remember is just it was alive and there was just this

00:09:15.930 - 00:09:25.410

lively environment. I don't remember any sadness. Whenever I came here, it was always just sort of, you know, upbeat.

00:09:25.410 - 00:09:35.220

Maybe finals was was a sad part when you had to show up for finals and weren't sure how that was going to work out. They were live concerts on Fridays that I can remember.

00:09:35.340 - 00:09:44.220

I remember Tuesday was Burrito Day. So they did these like really, really good bean burritos in the lair. And we'd sit on the little the little know where

00:09:44.610 - 00:09:55.020

the lion is and, you know, so it was just as an overall experience as I was reading the questions and just thinking back to my days here. And it was always fun.

00:09:56.550 - 00:10:11.370

It was joyful, It felt good to be here. The classes were small and really engaging. I can remember Doctor Bill Fitzgerald rest his soul and his political science 101 class, I think it was maybe

00:10:11.370 - 00:10:25.320

1215 and we did our we'd always change the chairs and we'd sit in a circle. And so there was more of a debate style engaging, learning, experiential learning that just, you know, just helped me

00:10:25.320 - 00:10:35.940

understand that this was the right choice for me because it just really brought out my, did I say depth of intellect with the way in which I thought the way in which I wanted to contribute?

00:10:35.940 - 00:10:47.970

There wasn't a particular sort of rigor or structure. I'd say the only rigor and structure, probably religion, my religion classes. But you know, Bob Genovese Presidents classes took an art

00:10:47.970 - 00:11:01.990

history class once. I was a Kent Scholar with Dr. Cheryl Grills. It was always like. Like college and education should be this free forming change

00:11:01.990 - 00:11:19.600

of ideas, debate, know and arguments. But not in a not in a, you know, aggressive or adversarial ways. It was very much like many Catholic school environments.

00:11:19.600 - 00:11:38.770

So the preppy, you know, rowers, lacrosse players, more white than people of color. But as a person of color, I didn't feel not included within the campus.

00:11:41.800 - 00:11:44.410

You know, it was just. It. Maybe that's why I always feel good when I come back.

00:11:44.410 - 00:12:00.940

It just it was a really memorable, fun, enjoyable, intellectually curious, sort of unstructured way and way, way in which to experience college. Um, what was it like being a woman of color

00:12:00.940 - 00:12:13.700

in the 90s that you. It was fine. It was fine being a woman of color. You know, as I said, it's more white students than

00:12:13.700 - 00:12:25.250

students of color. But I was older. I was three years older coming to my first college experience because I had spent three years in the military

00:12:25.670 - 00:12:37.040

and I had spent two years in Europe. So I said Western Germany. I traveled extensively. And so with those experiences, I think I brought a

00:12:37.040 - 00:12:52.760

much broader perspective of being a person of color in the military, serving alongside diversity of of of people from the United States. I think basic training is an example or even when

00:12:52.760 - 00:13:07.520

I was permanent duty station in Germany, you had people from all walks of life and it was the first time I had to experience what it meant to be not first a woman of color, but first an American.

00:13:08.210 - 00:13:21.860

So my my ethnic identity in a European context was really what I had to understand and address. And in some cases, you know, debates in Europe defend America's position on a geopolitical or global stage.

00:13:22.250 - 00:13:34.250

Then secondarily, I was a woman of color. And then third, I was a woman, you know, stationed in an all male MP unit. And so it was those set of experiences coming to

00:13:34.250 - 00:13:50.630

Loyola marymount University that I wasn't bound by limitations based on my race. I had learned how to engage with and form common bonds with people from all walks of life.

00:13:50.720 - 00:14:03.680

And I find with that set of experiences and that sort of philosophy or belief or value system that it wasn't difficult for me to make friends and get along with everybody.

00:14:03.680 - 00:14:13.850

And I had a multiracial group of friends here. I had white friends. I had African friends. I had, you know, black American friends.

00:14:13.850 - 00:14:25.520

I had males, females. So Latino friends. I mean, it was really more about finding the common bond with people who like the same things that I

00:14:25.520 - 00:14:37.010

like thought the way that I thought in the context of sort of the value system. And so for I didn't have as a woman of color, I didn't feel as if I was a woman

00:14:37.010 - 00:14:45.620

of color here at LMU. Does that make sense? Yeah. What classes or educational program inspired you at LSU?

00:14:47.690 - 00:14:53.270

Mm. Um, what classes? A number of classes. I don't know if that they necessarily inspired me, but

00:14:53.270 - 00:15:03.650

they're classes that were memorable for me. I mentioned a couple of them. Bill Fitzgerald, Poli Sci 101. That's where I met my one of my best friends

00:15:03.650 - 00:15:11.090

in life. John Rutledge We used to debate often he'd take, you know, he'd take position a I take position. B, If I took position B, he'd take position A

00:15:11.120 - 00:15:24.710

just to, you know, engage in deep debate. Bob Jarvis's president's class was just fascinating to me in the way in which he taught about the history of presidents and their contributions to the world at that moment

00:15:24.710 - 00:15:35.180

I thought was fascinating. Dr. Cheryl Grills. She's a teacher. She taught philosophy, psychology, psychiatry and philosophy, I think.

00:15:35.180 - 00:15:49.250

And she was also the Kent Scholars program director and I was a Kent Scholar when I was here. And so being able to engage from her and learn about the African diaspora, you know, our history and origins,

00:15:49.250 - 00:16:02.120

you know, being African and American, the community and the engagement events that we had around that were, you know, inspiring to me. There was sort of those moments of anchoring to this

00:16:02.120 - 00:16:11.510

university and to a group of people that I just found interesting and inspiring. You know, actually, now that I think about it, one that was very memorable to me because I did think

00:16:11.510 - 00:16:22.490

with the political science degree, maybe I'd go into politics, which I did for a minute, and Dr. Fernando Guerra, a memorable classes. I took his Sacramento seminar and as one of the

00:16:23.210 - 00:16:32.210

parts of the curriculum is we actually took a trip to Sacramento. So we were in the capital and really got to experience what we were learning in class in terms of

00:16:32.210 - 00:16:37.520

how our state government worked. So that was a memorable class. Not now that I think about it, and he's still here.

00:16:37.520 - 00:16:49.820

And now a colleague of mine, which is shows you how long I've been out of school. What organizations were you a part of during your time at Alamo and how did these organizations help to shape

00:16:49.820 - 00:17:00.450

your experience at Alamo? I wasn't part of any organizations. I hung out. At the Office of Black Student Services.

00:17:01.980 - 00:17:09.820

I was trying to think of the guy who. Um. Ran that program. I think his name was John African, if I recall

00:17:09.820 - 00:17:18.460

correctly. And as a transfer student it was in working. I didn't have time to really be engaged fully in a club.

00:17:18.460 - 00:17:27.130

And so when I was here on campus and if I'd spend the whole day here, depending on what my class schedule was or had to go back and forth to work, I didn't have an apartment here.

00:17:27.130 - 00:17:35.500

So I always have to find a place to sort of hang out. And as I recall, it had a sofa and a couch and it was always full of people just kind

00:17:35.500 - 00:17:46.690

of hanging out and, you know, catching up on on homework or, you know, chit chatting or just it was like a hangout hangout room. So probably obsess is the one thing that I would

00:17:46.690 - 00:17:56.890

say if I was part of a club. It was, it was that. Were you involved in any community activism during your time at LMU and can you describe that activism?

00:17:57.800 - 00:18:13.160

No community activism. I think there was a I was trying to remember this, but the way in which the university responded was so positive student wide that it just didn't seem to

00:18:13.160 - 00:18:21.020

need, you know, activism in the way that I think some people might think about activism. But two incidents happened. I don't know.

00:18:21.030 - 00:18:32.690

And there were around the same time. One was somebody, the statue of Junipero, somebody had thrown red paint on the statue. It was sort of the precursor between the precursor to

00:18:32.810 - 00:18:40.730

Indigenous Peoples Day. So it was a whole conquistador and indigenous people. So that was like an incident. But the university and at least the friend groups that

00:18:40.730 - 00:18:51.890

we came, we kind of denounced it and move past that and we're able to talk about it in dialog, probably in the Lair and other places. And then there was an incident where somebody had written

00:18:51.890 - 00:19:07.280

the N-word on someone's dorm. And as I recall, you know, Barbara Avery, Laney, Laney Beauvais and this gentleman who ran OBS, you know, it was sort of this coming together as a community to

00:19:07.280 - 00:19:16.520

denounce it and kind of move past it. But, you know, it was a we didn't call it that back then. You know, we're now today, as you say, you don't

00:19:16.520 - 00:19:26.060

want a safe space to talk. And it was just natural that we would come together as a as a university campus, as I recall, to really talk about that not being the core value of

00:19:26.060 - 00:19:37.670

the of the of the university and that we all stand in solidarity and united. Those are so I wouldn't necessarily say there was activism on my part for a certain thing that I can

00:19:37.670 - 00:19:52.310

recall, but those are two incidents where there was some reaction from the university, the student body, But the student body, as I recall, really came together in solidarity around to denounce that those two areas of one more of

00:19:52.310 - 00:19:54.380

a support and the other one more of an area of hate.