California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) President Willie J. Hagan delivered the keynote address during the City of Carson's annual Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Jan. 16, touching on the context prevalent during the Civil Rights Movement that influenced Dr. King's struggles and triumphs, and how faith, obligation and love helped him overcome his fears. Inspired by the event's theme “Time to Take a Stand,” Hagan called King “unrivaled in his contribution to the advancement of civil rights in this country.” He quoted his Letter from Birmingham Jail to add additional context to the era: “Millions of blacks were 'smothering in the airtight cage of poverty in the midst ... Read More
Social Justice
Symposium Paves Way For First-Of-Its-Kind Japanese American Incarceration Archives Project
A two-day CSU planning grant symposium kicked off an ambitious and first-of-its-kind project to digitize and create a one-stop website for collections relating to the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. The event–hosted by the CSU Dominguez Hills Archives and Special Collections Department in collaboration with archives divisions at CSU Fresno, CSU Northridge, CSU Fullerton, CSU Sacramento and San Jose State–brought together numerous archivists, scholars and technical consultants to share their knowledge of Japanese American history and expectations on how a collaborative digital repository can serve students and scholars alike. Currently, the CSU archival ... Read More
Country’s First Undocumented Immigrant to Practice Law Legally to Give Talk
Sergio Covarrubias Garcia, who became the first undocumented immigrant to receive a license to practice law in California, will speak at a special Inauguration Lecture on Monday, April 28, from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Loker Student Union Ballroom The lecture is part of Inauguration Week activities at CSU Dominguez Hills leading up to the Investiture Ceremony of University President Willie J. Hagan on Friday, May 2. The inauguration theme is “California State University, Dominguez Hills: America Happens Here.” Garcia was born in Michoacán, Mexico, but moved between Mexico and the United States a number of times before settling in California as a teen. Despite the moves, Garcia excelled as a ... Read More
Fourth Annual CSU Dominguez Hills Pow Wow Celebrates Native American Culture
Native American culture will be celebrated on Saturday, April 19 and Sunday, April 20 at the fourth annual California State University, Dominguez Hills Pow Wow: Honoring the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas. A social and sacred gathering, the pow wow is an educational as well as cultural event that brings Native American Nations from across the country together in celebration. The CSU Dominguez Hills Pow Wow will feature exhibitions of the traditional songs and dances performed by men and women in colorful and elaborate tribal regalia as well as social dancing, singing and drumming, and flute music. Many vendors will be in attendance at the event's Native American Marketplace, selling ... Read More
Heidi DeLeon: Looking Forward to a Bright Future
Life has changed dramatically for Heidi DeLeon since she grew up on a Michigan farm in Pinconning, a small town where at 10 p.m. the major traffic signal switches to a blinking red light and the police station closes. In a flash of violence in 1995, a series of events were set into motion that would send DeLeon's life spiraling out of control and eventually lead to her doing a five-year stint in Chowchilla's Valley State Prison for Women in central California years before she would become a Ronald E. McNair Scholar and a Class of 2013 graduate of California State University, Dominguez Hills with a degree in Africana studies. DeLeon was only 14 when her father fatally stabbed her ... Read More