Source: Op-Ed by CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham for Inside Higher Ed In his poem "Dreams," the great American poet Langston Hughes reminds us that we should "Hold fast to dreams/For if dreams die/Life is a broken-winged bird/That cannot fly." Beyond providing academic and co-curricular spaces for students to cultivate their intellectual potential, as a psychologist and university president, I also believe our role in higher education is to prevent wings from breaking and mend those that do. Earlier this summer, the California State University system and the CSU Dominguez Hills campus that I lead hosted their first Juneteenth biennial symposium and celebration ... Read More
CSUDH In The News
Press-Telegram: Experts, Scholars Talk Juneteenth, Societal Change During Groundbreaking CSU Symposium
Source: Long Beach Press-Telegram The two-day event — titled “By Any Means Necessary: Synthesizing the Voices of Our Ancestors and Everyday People” — aims to engage and support Black students in their pursuit of college success, prosperity and self-fulfillment, Cal State officials said. CARSON — Discussion focusing on higher education in the Black community, the meaning of celebrating Juneteenth and the importance of amplifying diverse voices on Cal State University campuses are some of the key points being discussed during the Inaugural Juneteenth Symposium, hosted by Cal State Dominguez Hills and livecast throughout the CSU system. The two-day event — titled “By Any Means ... Read More
EdSource: Cal State Juneteenth Symposium Focuses on Racial Progress Beyond Campus Diversity
Source: EdSource In Cal State’s first biennial Juneteenth symposium, the nation’s largest public university confronts the need for societal change that uplifts Black students, faculty and staff. The symposium, which was hosted in person and virtually by CSU Dominguez Hills on Wednesday and Thursday, featured Princeton University professor and author Cornel West, Grammy Award-nominated singer and actress Angie Stone, University of Southern California professor Shaun Harper, UC Irvine professor Michele Goodwin, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber and other academics and student advocates from across the state. The symposium went beyond higher education and covered ... Read More
LAist/KPCC: Cal State University Commemorates Juneteenth With First Biennial Conference
Source: LAist This story also had a radio segment on KPCC. On June 19, 1865 — more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation — enslaved Black Americans in Galveston, Texas, finally received word that they were free. That day, known as Juneteenth, was declared a national holiday last year. To commemorate it, the Cal State University system held a two-day symposium this week, the first of what will now be a biennial event. Dr. Thomas Parham, president of Cal State Dominguez Hills, said: “We are not simply acknowledging Juneteenth by putting on a program that lasts for a couple hours, then everybody goes home. We want people to be ... Read More
Rafu Shimpo: Japan & Black L.A. Initiative: A Conversation with Sen. Bradford
Source: Rafu Shimpo On May 14, California State University Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) and the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles co-sponsored an event featuring California State Sen. Steven Bradford. The event was held on the campus of CSUDH and included remarks by Bradford and a panel discussion moderated by CSUDH President Dr. Thomas A. Parham with Bradford, Africana Studies Department Chair Dr. Donna Nicol, and Consul General Akira Muto. In his opening remarks, Bradford shared his childhood experiences visiting Japan, where his grandparents had been living, and growing up in Gardena, where Japanese Americans were among his earliest friends. He reflected on the shared ... Read More
