To help dismantle systemic racism, white people need to first acknowledge that it exists—and how they personally benefit from it. That was the central argument delivered by Robin DiAngelo to an audience of CSUDH students, faculty, staff, and community members at the University Theatre on February 1. DiAngelo, a bestselling author and academic specializing in whiteness and racism, was invited by the CSUDH Mervyn M. Dymally African American Political and Economic Institute for its Distinguished Speaker Series. Dymally Executive Director Anthony Asadullah Samad kicked off the event by acknowledging that having a white featured speaker on the first day of Black History Month might ... Read More
Social Justice
Daily Breeze: With Karen Bass, Rex Richardson Mayor-Elects, CSUDH Counts 5 LA County Mayors as Alumni
Source: Daily Breeze When Karen Bass and Rex Richardson are sworn in as the mayors of Los Angeles and Long Beach, respectively, Cal State Dominguez Hills, near Carson, will have something particularly special to boast about: Five alumni will serve as mayors in LA County. Bass will soon make history as the first female mayor of America’s second-largest city and Richardson will pave the way as Long Beach’s first Black mayor. They join the ranks of fellow alumni – affectionately known as the ‘Toros’ – Carson Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes, Hawthorne Mayor Alex Vargas and Compton Mayor Emma Sharif. If that wasn’t impressive enough, the state senator and assemblymember for the districts ... Read More
KABC 7: Changing the Stigma of Low Rider Cars and Helping Local Students in the Process
Source: KABC 7 (video) Scholars United is an organization that helps formerly incarcerated students turn their lives around. The group put on a first-of-its kind lowrider car show. The event, which was held at CSU Dominguez Hills, is tying spruced-up cars to students in need of a helping hand. Shiny paint jobs, vintage car models and hydraulics - that's what you'd find at a lowrider car show called, Uniting Cars, Culture and Education. The event had a specific goal. "Bring the negative stigma down with lowriding," said Luke Peck, president of Scholars United. "Back in the '70s and '80s, lowriding was known for gangs and violence, but it was also created at that time to bring ... Read More
CSUDH History Woven into New Book about Los Angeles Street Groups
More than 30 years ago, CSUDH Professor Emeritus of Sociology John C. Quicker and alumnus Akil S. Batani-Khalfani began a sociological and historical deep dive into the origins of street groups in South Los Angeles. Their years of research, which began during their time together at CSUDH, have turned into a new book: Before Crips: Fussin’, Cussin’, and Discussin’ Among South Los Angeles Juvenile Gangs (Temple University Press, July 2022). In 1970, when Quicker began teaching sociology at what was then known as California State College Dominguez Hills, the campus and surrounding community were in the throes of change. It was five years after the 1965 Watts Rebellion, and only two years ... 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
