While Ximena Cid was growing up, her family marched alongside Cesar Chavez and farm workers advocating for Chicano civil rights. “My parents raised us in a very social-activist family,” says Cid, whose mother is Chicana and Native-American Yaqui, and her father was born in Mexico. When Cid embarked on an education in the sciences, she was keenly aware of her ethnic difference; there were not many people of color pursuing physics, and there were certainly very few women of color in her classes. She was the first person of Latin-American or Native-American decent to graduate with a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Texas, Arlington. In the decade since, Cid, an assistant professor ... Read More
Remembering Injustices Done to Japanese Americans During WWII
Good afternoon and thank you for being here. We are here today, 75 years after the fact, to remember Presidential Executive Order 9066, issued on February 19, 1942 that led to the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans. I know it is not lost on any of us that whenever people gather for a day of remembrance it is often because something immoral an injustice, occurred in the past. These remarks were given at the re-dedication of the university’s Shinwa-en Japanese Garden as part of a day-long series of activities that included an academic symposium and opening reception of an archives exhibition related the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. Remembering is important. ... Read More
Taking Care of the Golden State: Nurses on the Front Lines Tell Their Stories
I recently cared for a man in his early 60s who had been without insurance and out of his medication for over a month. We were able to help him refill all of his prescriptions, get current on all of his lab work, and find more permanent shelter for him and his wife. In today’s busy health-care world with 15- and 30-minute appointment slots, it was nice to see that, while his visit took well over an hour, he got the care he needed. Sometimes we just have to slow down and realize what matters most for the patient sitting in front of us. – Kendall Galvez Kendall Galvez works in the rural town of Cloverdale with a population of about 9,000 in Northern California. She graduated in 2011 from CSU ... Read More
Living Long and Prospering: Occupational Therapy Program Promotes Carson Seniors’ Health
On a Thursday morning last spring, Paul Penoliar and his CSUDH student assistant, Isabelle Guevera, help 15 older adults do a series of stretching exercises. Stretching will give you a better quality of movement,” the longtime occupational therapist and CSUDH lecturer tells them. “It helps you to become more flexible. Stretching helps joint issues and provides stress relief.” Some of the seniors have back pain, others are recovering from breaking bones and from surgery; Penoliar shows them how they can adapt the exercises to accommodate their abilities. It’s no secret that one of the most pressing health care concerns in the United States is the increasing demand for innovative, ... Read More
A Change is Going to Come. But When?
What happens after a community rises up in protest and demands an end to inequality, brutality, racism and economic injustice? Justin Gammage, CSU Dominguez Hills assistant professor of Africana studies, examines whether or not civil rights movements — both past and present — have effected change. For the last couple of years, an angry chorus of protest has risen in response to a string of police shootings that have resulted in the deaths of unarmed African Americans across the United States. The Black Lives Matter movement, along with other activist groups, have newly elevated an old, persistent issue into the national dialogue. “In the last three years, there have been the largest ... Read More
