Franklin Strier had his editorial, “Don't deny justice to everyday folks; Supreme Court will hear two class action suits that may affect this legal avenue” published in Newsday in January. The emeritus professor of business law states that while class action suits have been an “iconic instrument of socio-economic justice,” they may be an endangered species in the face of two major cases about to be heard by the Supreme Court: Wal-Mart Stores v. Dukes, which is brought by 1.5 million past and present female employees of the retailer who claim gender-based pay and promotion discrimination; and AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion, composed of customers who allege that the company's ads promising ... Read More
Social Justice
Dale Mueller: Professor of Nursing Visits Cuba on Humanitarian Mission
During her visit to Cuba this past October, Dale Mueller was surprised by many cultural aspects that belied popular beliefs about the communist nation. While participating in a humanitarian effort administered through a faith-based NGO and approved by the Cuban government, the associate professor of nursing at California State University, Dominguez Hills was continually impressed by an unanticipated spirit of community. She says that in the cities of Havana, Trinidad de Cuba, and Cienfuegos, friendly interactions between everyone from longtime neighbors to foreign visitors was a common thread. “Everyone was extremely open,” Mueller recalls. “People you would meet sitting at a ... Read More
Don Hata: Historian Publishes Fourth Edition of Work on Japanese American Incarceration
A fourth edition of “Japanese Americans and World War II: Mass Removal, Imprisonment, and Redress” (with Dr. Nadine Ishitani Hata; Wheeling, Ill.; Harlan Davidson, 2010) has recently been published by Dr. Don Hata, emeritus professor of history. The introductory summary of the subject, which evolved from a 33-page essay, was originally written in 1974 by Hata and his late wife, who taught history at California State University, Dominguez Hills before becoming a professor of history and emeritus vice president of Academic Affairs at El Camino College. On Dec. 16, Don Hata visited the Albany Civil Rights Institute in Albany, Ga. for a book signing and presented a talk on the ... Read More
Lou Gossett Jr. to Lead Community Dialogue on Impact of HIV/AIDS in Communities of Color
Extending the message of World AIDS Day 2010 another week, California State University, Dominguez Hills welcomes Academy Award-winning actor Lou Gossett Jr. to campus on Tuesday, December 7, for “Our Community, My Awareness,” a special community dialogue about HIV and AIDS. The talk will take place from 5:15 to 7 p.m. in the ballroom of the Loker Student Union. Gossett will be speaking about the impact of HIV/AIDS on communities of color, highlighting the importance of a united community response through strong leadership and community involvement. The actor who received an Emmy Award for his role in the historic television miniseries “Roots” and an Oscar for “An Officer and a Gentleman” ... Read More
Gayle Elliott: Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies Brings Ethnic Literature to Life
When Gayle Elliott, lecturer of interdisciplinary studies at California State University, Dominguez Hills, shows a film to her students, she doesn't just screen it, she invites one of the film's stars to speak to her class. A Martinez starred in the 1989 “Pow Wow Highway,” the story of the struggles of Native Americans living on a modern-day reservation. The Emmy-winning actor is a regular visitor to Elliott's classes when she shows “Pow Wow Highway,” and addressed students from her “Power of Myth” and Native American and Chicana/o literature classes again last month about his journey as the film's protagonist and as an actor. Elliott says that while an instructor can help students ... Read More