Source: Op-Ed by CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham for L.A. Sentinel/L.A. Watts Times Avoiding the scandalous incongruence between what the emancipation proclamation preached and what was actualized. Juneteenth celebrations were in full force this week in communities throughout the country. Interestingly, January 2023 marked the 160th anniversary since the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Lincoln, which people believed freed slaves throughout the nation.”¯”¯And yet, for all of its celebratory flare, the presidential order only partially achieved what it was lauded for. The moral and symbolic power of the executive order and public policy, as profound as it ... Read More
African American
Education is the Key for Black Resource Center Interim Director
For Trimaine Davis, the new interim director of the CSUDH Black Resource Center (BRC), education was his way out of a generational cycle of addiction and depression. Now, he dedicates himself to helping others find the same opportunities. “I really take this seriously and do what I can to make sure that the doors that were opened for me remain open for those who are falling behind,” he says. Davis has traveled a long, hard road to get to his current position at CSUDH. Born to a drug-addicted mother and absentee father, he was placed into foster care at birth. When he was five years old, Davis' paternal grandmother became his legal guardian, and he grew up with her in the hardscrabble East ... Read More
Biology Student Named Aquarium of the Pacific African American Scholar
Fourth-year biology student Kimberly Randolph is the first CSUDH student to be named an African American Scholar of the Aquarium of the Pacific, an honor which includes a $10,000 scholarship and educational opportunities with the Aquarium. Randolph, originally from Modesto, Calif., is among ten exceptional California university students chosen for the 2023 award. Though she didn't grow up on the coast, as a child Randolph became interested in marine biology thanks to the BBC Planet Earth series and the gift of a pet hermit crab. “I started doing my own research on how to recreate hermit crabs' natural environments, and how it helps them thrive” she says. “It made me think that people ... Read More
Rafu Shimpo: Muto Details Japan, African American Collaboration
Source: Rafu Shimpo BEVERLY HILLS – Consul General of Japan Akira Muto announced on June 30 an unprecedented, four-pillar collaboration between Japan and African American communities, pledging “a deeper kinship and mutual understanding.” “We are just so excited by this collaboration,” reacted Michael A. Lawson, Los Angeles Urban League president and CEO and former ambassador in the Obama Administration. Impetus for the consul general's plan, outlined during the L.A. Urban League's 100th anniversary celebration, stems from a series of discussions involving African American and religious leaders that began after his arrival in the fall of 2019. Less than a year later, the ... Read More
Inaugural Juneteenth Symposium Calls for Systemic Change
California State University (CSU) held its first Juneteenth Symposium June 15 and 16, celebrating Black history and achievement while demanding justice and equity within higher education and beyond. The event, hosted by CSUDH, was titled “By Any Means Necessary: Synthesizing the Voices of Our Ancestors and Everyday People.” Recent San Diego State graduate and CSU Board of Trustees Emerita Maryana Khames led the push to create the symposium after listening to students demand action in the wake of George Floyd's murder. Students called on the CSU to take the lead in combating anti-Black racism and champion diversity, equity, and inclusion across the CSU's 23 campuses, and throughout ... Read More
