CSUDH students Terrie Kennon, Catherine Gray and Jenesis Sears spend time at the campus Black Resource Center.
(Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
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LAist )
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Some of my favorite college memories included being connected with my campus’ Black cultural center, Black Student Union and our chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists. I also found solidarity and learning opportunities by attending the Latino cultural center events as well. These places were all safe spaces for me and other Black and Brown students to talk about how we felt in an institution that was originally designed for privileged white males to succeed in society. Outside of those centers, being in predominantly white classes and dorms could sometimes be isolating, even traumatic.
CSUDH students of color want more from administrators
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But my college experience was a decade ago … and in the Midwest. Even now, experiencing implicit and overt discrimination has proven to be one of the barriers that prevents students from completing postsecondary programs.
In my colleague Adolfo Guzman-Lopez’s latest story, current students at Cal State Dominguez Hills — the most ethnically diverse Cal State University school — are facing similar hardships when it comes to finding a safe space outside of these cultural centers and racial/ethnic-focused classes to talk about race. And after several incidents, like the slow opening of the Asian American student center, racist slurs on the cover of the student newspaper and the Aramark Corp. contract that students say is a part of the “prison industrial complex,” students are asking university administrators to step up as an institutional, governing body when it comes to race. Students told Adolfo they want administrators to be more purposeful when they listen to their concerns.
Read Adolfo’s story to learn more about what students want from their administrators, and what the leaders have done to connect with students.
As always, stay happy and healthy, folks. There’s more news below — just keep reading.
After the 2022 local election and two significant L.A. City Council scandals that opened two councilmember seats, there have been a lot of changes in City Hall. Check out my colleague Caitlin Hernández’s guide on who’s who and what’s in store this year.
Some of California’s CalFresh program eligibility rules are ending. This could impact college students who were qualified due to temporary rules during COVID. EdSource’s Betty Márquez Rosales wrote a guide that explains the changes to CalFresh starting on June 10.
Today, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors will vote on whether or not to expand the guaranteed income program. The board is considering adding 200 more former foster youth to receive unconditional government payments.
Long Beach’s unhoused people who shelter in RVs will soon have a sanitation and water filling site. My colleague Jessica Ogilvie has more on why Long Beach officials wanted to implement this site.
The Writers Guild of America contract expires soon, and WGA negotiators said they aren’t seeing much progress bargaining for a new one. Now, they’re asking screenwriters to vote for strike authorization.
For the first time in more than 50 years, four astronauts will travel to the surface of the moon. One of those astronauts aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft is from L.A. His name is Victor Glover, and he is the pilot for the Artemis II mission.
We’ve experienced record-breaking snowy and rainy weather — so much so that the California’s Department of Water Resources found that the statewide snowpack levels have more than doubled the average for April.
President Joe Biden is faced with difficult decisions when it comes to dealing with migration at the border. NPR’s Franco Ordonez has more on his options.
*At LAist we will always bring you the news freely, but occasionally we do include links to other publications that may be behind a paywall. Thank you for understanding!
Wait ... One More Thing
How I Got Started: Gina Young
Gina Young is a theater director, musician, songwriter and DJ who lives in L.A.
The How To LA podcast team is back with another edition of How I Got Started. In the latest podcast episode, host Brian De Los Santos spoke with Gina Young, a queer artist who wears a lot of creative hats in L.A. They are a theater director, musician, songwriter and DJ.
Gina Young and their DJ partner, Sorrell
(Courtesy
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Gina Young)
Their mission is to create a safe, artistic space for queer, marginalized folks in L.A., specifically women and non-binary people. They’ve written several plays and musicals about the lesbian and queer experience.
Gina and students at Feminist Acting Class
(Courtesy
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Gina Young )
Their career in L.A. started 11 years ago.
“I had kind of a false start,” Young said. “Like when I first moved here, I was working in TV and I thought that I was just gonna keep going and keep going, keep going. And then it didn't work out that way. And I ended up sort of figuring things out and working part-time in theater box offices again, which is what I had done when I was younger.”
What’s their pro-tip for living in L.A.?
“I think my pro tip about L.A. is definitely that you have to find where you fit,” Young said. “I think that when I first moved to L.A. everyone who knew me was like, ‘You're gonna hate it there.’ I just felt like, ‘No, you all don't know what you're talking about.’ L.A. is a huge city, and that's the biggest thing that I tell people is that L.A. is huge. You can find anything you're looking for here.”
Listen to the rest of Young’s story and check out their performance series called Sorority. If you’re a queer woman or non-binary person, dance the night away at their monthly queer dance party Divorce.
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