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 ... Read More
Social Justice
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
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
University Archivist Named Mellon Cultural Heritage Fellow
Amalia Medina Castañeda, university archivist at the California State University, Dominguez Hills Gerth Archives and Special Collections, has been selected as one of 15 Rare Book School-Mellon Cultural Heritage Fellows for 2022-2024. The Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship for Diversity, Inclusion & Cultural Heritage is a six-year program that aims to advance multicultural collections through innovative and inclusive curatorial practice and leadership. Castañeda, who is passionate about the recruitment and retention of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) in special collections librarianship, had applied to the fellowship because she was drawn to its inclusive ... Read More
