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Social Work

Class of 2021: Sallyanne Payton Bestowed CSU Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters

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Class of 2021: Sallyanne Payton bestowed CSU Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.
Class of 2021: Sallyanne Payton bestowed CSU Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.  — Photo courtesy of Stanford Lawyer Magazine

As a force for change on the national stage, and for her wide-ranging contributions to education and Black culture and history, Sallyanne Payton was bestowed a California State University Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by CSUDH during its 2020-21 Commencement on May 26.

Payton’s career is marked by major milestones and prominent appointments. From the early years at Stanford University and in the administrations of two U.S. presidents, to her work as an educator and leader of the preservation of sacred music, Payton has remained a principled advocate for societal change, and those she inspires.

“It’s wonderful to be recognized by the university. It’s always thrilling when someone confers something on you that speaks to their respect for the work you have done,” says Payton. “Dominguez Hills serves South Los Angeles really well, and the campus makes it possible for people in those communities to have the same range of opportunities as those in the northern part of the city.”

A Good Start

Payton was raised in the historic West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles in a Black middleclass family. Her mother was a math teacher at Dorsey High School, and her father was an underwriter.

A church-going family, the Paytons often gathered around the piano in their home with a young Sallyanne at the keys reading sheet music and playing spirituals (also known as “Negro Spirituals”). Originally unaccompanied monophonic (unison) songs, spirituals are best known today in harmonized choral arrangements.

“Spirituals would become your household music, and if you were a girl in a Black family that went to church back in the 1940s and 50s, you were going to learn how to play piano, and sing some hymns and spirituals,” Payton shares. “It’s what you did in church every week, and it is part of our culture.”

In honor of her parents, Payton helped establish the Georgia and Nolan Payton Archive of Sacred Music at CSUDH in the early 2000s, which consists of music, books, periodicals, documents, audio and visual materials, and oral histories.

“I am so proud to be able to celebrate this special accomplishment,” says Hansonia Caldwell, professor emeritus of music at CSUDH and founder of the CSUDH Jubilee Choir and the African Diaspora Sacred Music and Musicians program. “Sallyanne is a visionary, purpose-driven woman of substance and discernment who has valued the legacy of African American music and history throughout her life.  Because of her continuing generosity, the university is now assured to be an inspiring 21st century center for the preservation and performance of African Diaspora sacred music.”

A Swift Ascent

Payton’s parents also instilled in her the tenets of a successful career and fruitful life. She says, “They taught me to work hard all the times, to keep my eye on the ball, and to take on big projects and complete them.”

Payton left home to attend Stanford University at a time when the university enrolled very few Black students, and the legal profession hired few women or people of color. Undeterred, she earned her bachelor’s degree in 1964, and served as editor of the Stanford Law Review.

In 1968, the year Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, Payton made university history, becoming the law school’s first Black graduate, which helped to cut a path for those who followed. She graduated when the country was at war in Vietnam and the fight for civil rights and racial equality was surging across the nation.

Payton spent several successful years in private practice in Washington, D.C., including a stint at Covington, a leading law firm. At the firm, her workload included pro bono projects involving the Southeast area of D.C., which was home to marginalized communities and had experienced decades of urban decay. Payton’s successes in the region drew the attention of political leaders.

“Working to help rebuild the District of Columbia was the most rewarding project of my entire career. There had been disorder in the city after the assassination of Dr. King, and it had gotten out of hand,” Payton says. “Soon after, the Nixon administration got in touch with some people who knew me and asked if I would consider working for the administration. ‘Well sure,’ I said.”

In 1971, Payton was appointed staff assistant to President Richard Nixon in the White House Domestic Council and would soon begin representing the president on the commission on the Organization of the District of Columbia. Her work helped lead to Nixon’s signing of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act in 1973, which transferred certain congressional powers over D.C. to local government at a time when the downtown was still reeling after the rioting following MLK’s death, and continued neglect.

“The problem was figuring out how to get the district back in operation as a major American city and do that in time for the bicentennial in 1976. It was early in my career and I was just a kid, but it was important and difficult work, and very memorable and quite wonderful,” says Payton, who played the leading role in the restoration of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro).

“My favorite project was working on the Metro. When I see those cars, I think ‘That’s my Metro,’” she adds.

Payton’s success in D.C. and with the Metro led to her next appointment as chief counsel for the Urban Mass Transportation Administration in the U.S. Department of Transportation. She held that position until 1976, the year she transitioned to a career in higher education.

Educator

Payton has had a long and celebrated career as an educator. It began as a full-time faculty member in the University of Michigan (UM) Law School, where she was the second woman hired as an associate professor. As a full professor, she taught administrative law and her scholarship focused on health care.

Payton remained active in public service during her time at UM, and well-connected in government. During the Clinton Administration, she was appointed as an adviser for the Clinton Health Care Reform Task Force, which Payton says laid the groundwork for what would become the Affordable Care Act.

Her leadership on the task force led to a senior fellowship with the Administrative Conference of the United States, an independent federal agency designed to make the government function better. Payton was also elected to the non-profit National Academy of Social Insurance, which works to advance solutions to challenges facing the nation by increasing public understanding of how social insurance contributes to economic security.

Maria Avila Receives Fulbright Specialist Award to Teach in Colombia

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CSUDH Associate Professor of Social Work Maria Avila.
CSUDH Associate Professor of Social Work Maria Avila.

(Carson, Ca.) Maria Avila, associate professor of Social Work at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), has received a Fulbright Specialist Program award to teach pedagogical skills at the Universidad Francisco de Paula Santander in Cúcuta, Colombia. Her three-week appointment begins May 31.

Fulbright Specialist award recipients are selected based on their academic and professional achievement, leadership in their field, and their potential to foster long-term cooperation between institutions in the U.S. and abroad.

Avila began teaching at CSUDH in 2014 in the Department of Social Work. Her research focuses on creating change in and outside of higher education through civic engagement and community organizing. She has worked with faculty at various institutions and in many capacities, including workshop facilitation, within faculty learning communities, and on collaborative research-in-action projects.

Avila’s teaching is participatory and student-learning centered, and it includes community-based pedagogy and creative expression. Her work also examines the larger context of the role of higher education in democratic societies, particularly through teaching and research. Avila earned a Ph.D. in Adult and Community Education from Maynooth University, Ireland.

Maria Avila’s publications include “Transformative Civic Engagement through Community Organizing” (2017), and a forthcoming book, “Culture change: Story-telling, organizing, and collaborative leadership” (Cornell Press).

Participants in the Fulbright Specialist Program exchange knowledge and establish partnerships internationally through a variety of educational and training activities. In Colombia, Avila will be sharing her teaching skills and techniques with educators in the university’s electronic engineering program through workshops and individual coaching. Activities will include revising existing syllabi, sharing learner-centered pedagogy, preparing rubrics, and effective learning outcomes.

“During our first zoom meeting, my colleagues from the hosting institution said that they had selected me because of my background of working with faculty, as well as my pedagogical approaches, and the fact that I am bilingual and bicultural,” said Avila, who grew up in Mexico. “What was also interesting is that they found my academic discipline being different from electronic engineering to be an asset because I will be able to offer an outsider, disciplinary perspective.”

Avila’s Colombian colleagues also expressed that many of their faculty members come to the classroom with the knowledge of their academic disciplines, but are often unsure how to teach or interact with students.

“I am looking forward to learning about the culture and learning about their approaches to teaching, and to the opportunity to work in Latin America. It also feels good to know that I will be sharing my scholarship with them, and that I will be bringing what I learn from the experience back to our university,” Avila said.

The Fulbright Program is an international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government that builds lasting connections with people in more than 160 countries. Since 1946, more than 400,000 people have helped find solutions to shared international concerns through the program.

“This is exciting, but it will be a bit of a challenge, too. I have not worked in Latin America in a long time. So, I’m beefing up on my language skills,” said Avila, who started college in Mexico and later worked professionally as a social worker before coming to the U.S.

“I am bilingual, but in the United States I don’t use formal Spanish,” she added. “When I met with my Colombian colleagues, I said ‘I hope you’re going to be patient with me when I’m looking up at the ceiling in the classroom searching for the right word.’ They just laughed.”

During Super Sunday, CSUDH Offers Messages of College’s Transformative Opportunities

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CSU Super SundayTo prevent the pandemic from stifling one of the California State University’s (CSU) most empowering outreach programs, CSU Dominguez Hills President Thomas A. Parham and other leaders recorded videos for churches across the state for the annual CSU Super Sunday. Played during virtual services at predominantly Black churches on Feb. 28, their messages pressed the importance and accessibility of a college education for young students of color.

For more than a decade, the CSU’s top leaders have delivered Super Sunday messages in person during services, reaching more than 100,000 churchgoers annually. The event is produced by the CSU African American Initiative – a partnership between campuses and Black religious leaders with the goal of increasing college-going rates among their parishioners.

Parham’s message was shared via Zoom with the congregation at Grant AME Church in South Los Angeles.

“I come today to bring the simple message: A college degree can bring life-changing, transformative opportunities for you, for your family, and for your community,” he said. “It was brother Malcolm [X] who reminded us that, ‘Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.’”

Parham continued, “His assertion invites us to interrogate further what you are doing today to ready yourself for the college education process of tomorrow. It’s never too early to prepare for college, or too late to return.”

Tony Little, director of CSUDH’s Male Success Alliance, and Khaleah Bradshaw, associate director of external and community relations, also recorded virtual messages for Super Sunday. Little addressed the City of Refuge Church in Gardena, while Bradshaw spoke to the congregation at Glory Christian Fellowship International in Carson.

Little addressed some of the challenges the CSU system and the nation have faced during COVID-19.

“Together we face a global pandemic, economic uncertainty, tragic instances of racial injustice, and deepening division among Americans from coast to coast,” Little said during his video message. “But I want to share some joy with you today. Our 23 CSU campuses have not only endured, but have thrived. We have successfully transitioned to online instruction to protect our students health and safety, and to keep as many students as possible on track to their degrees.”

Bradshaw has been involved in Super Sunday for the past 12 years.

“It warms my heart to see Super Sunday continue to grow, even during these challenging times,” said Bradshaw. “Today, most of us here in the California State University system have dedicated our lives to passing the gift of a quality education on to you, to your children, and your children’s children.”

Toro Food Pantry Continues to Feed Students in Need

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With donations from faculty, staff, and community partners, the Toro Food Pantry at California State University, Dominguez Hills continues to distribute food to students in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. The bags of food are safely dispensed to students in their cars. They include fresh “Farm Box” produce from the Farmers Market, and prepackaged healthy meals from Everytable, which opened a takeout location in the Loker Student Union in fall 2019.

The Toro Food Pantry distributes food on campus to students every other Thursday.

Support the Toro Food Pantry at csudh.edu/onlinegiving. To donate produce, visit venaver.org/product/toro. To learn more, connect with Morgan Kirk at mkirk@csudh.edu.

Toro-Pantry-Distribution-transcript

 

Art Professor Devon Tsuno Leads Community Network in Creating, Distributing Face Shields

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Nurse Rieko Takamatsu hands a colleague a 3D-printed face shield.
Nurse Rieko Takamatsu hands a colleague a 3D-printed face shield printed by her husband, Devon Tsuno.

As the spread of COVID-19 accelerated during the early stages of the pandemic in the U.S., assistant professor of art and design Devon Tsuno became increasingly worried about his wife, Rieko Takamatsu, a nurse treating patients in a Los Angeles hospital that had begun rationing its short supply of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Tsuno wanted to do something to help his wife but wasn’t sure what. In a conversation with Cypress College art professor Ed Giardina on how two artists could have an impact, they decided to create and 3D-print their own medical face shields. They suspected others would be willing to help and began reaching out to friends and colleagues, primarily within the art community.

An art collector friend came forward with the first $1,500 to purchase printers and the necessary materials to get started. Giardina also received a donation from Cypress College’s president, JoAnna Shilling. Soon, the educators began printing the shields from their homes.

Assistant professor of art and design Devon Tsuno holding a face shield with 3D printing equipment in background.
Devon Tsuno examines a face shield he printed from home.

“Once my wife started wearing them and began telling colleagues, the word spread really quickly. We started posting what we were doing online and within hours people were showing up at my house asking for the shields,” said Tsuno. “They go fast. I typically accumulate no more than three days’ worth of printing before I’m giving them all away.”

Since their efforts began in mid-April, Tsuno and Giardina have raised more than $13,000, which has allowed them to increase production to 33 3D printers. Their distribution network now includes 24 volunteers who have collectively printed more than 6,200 face shields. The team includes art engagement fellows and teaching artists from CSUDH’s PRAXIS program, as well as faculty from Loyola Marymount University, and art students from both campuses.

“It is great when people are willing to help people they don’t know, and to see students using their organizational, collaborative, and creative skills to do it.”

The funding has been used to purchase one 3D printer and material for each face shield producer to work from his or her home. “There is basically someone printing within 30 minutes of every area. The idea is to cast a wide net, so it is easier to get shields to people faster,” explained Tsuno. “We are careful to ensure no risk of infection. We tell people that we don’t ship them – our people leave orders on their own porches without making contact – if they are willing to come and pick them up, we are more than willing to give them away.”

The network’s shields have also been delivered to grocery chain employees at Trader Joe’s, Vons, and Whole Foods, and small businesses and city services such as bakeries, dry cleaners, the L.A. Food Bank, and the Huntington Beach Fire Department.

3D printing equipment.
3D printing equipment.

Merging Crises

For the last three weeks, Art and Design student Jose Espinoza has been printing face shields day and night from his living room in Long Beach.

Many of his shields have been delivered to facilities in his city, such as St. Mary’s Hospital and the Long Beach Healthcare Nursing Home. He has also given shields to friends and neighbors, some with existing health conditions and others who are essential workers. Since Espinoza has been working during the pandemic, he has also solicited others to help distribute the face shields.

Espinoza recently supplied shields to those involved in local protests. “It was extremely rewarding giving them to those at the Black Lives Matter protests,” he said. “My original intent was to protect my friends from police pepper-spray. Then I thought about the health risks of meeting in such large crowds, and how helpful the shields would be to keep people safe from possibly contracting COVID-19 in a situation where social distancing would be virtually impossible.”

California and Beyond

Nurses from Kern Medical in Bakersfield thank CSUDH.
Nurses from Kern Medical in Bakersfield thank CSUDH.

Tsuno and Giardina’s network now is called the 3D PPE Artist Network and is distributing to PPE user throughout Orange and Los Angeles counties and as far as California’s Central Valley, Arizona, New York and Mexico.

In the Mixe region of Oaxaca, Mexico, Sandra Maldonado is working with the Tamazulapam Community Hospital, the only hospital in region, where all the doctors and nurses have tested positive for COVID-19.

“They had to close the hospital down, but have reopened it with part-time seasonal workers who still don’t have any PPE,” said Tsuno. Malondado, one of the PRAXIS teaching artists, is from that area and is working with nurses at the hospital. “We have recently printed 200 face shields to send to them, and raised close to $800 to buy hundreds of gloves, masks, and other materials.”

Another group of volunteers produced 200 shields and delivered them via convoy to the Navajo Nation in Arizona. It was organized by the Auntie Sewing Squad artist group and led by artist and comedian Kristina Wong. They then organized a fundraiser that collected $1,700, enough to outfit the Native American communities of the Cheyenne River reservation, and the Navajo Nation with their own 3D printers and the materials needed to print face shields.

Locally Tsuno has begun to work with PRAXIS artist-in-residence Lauren Halsey and has donated a 3D printer, materials, and 350 face shields to Halsey’s Summaeverythang Community Center in South Central Los Angeles. The PPE will be distributed with her weekly boxes of fresh food and COVID-19 supplies for the residents of Watts and South Central.

Tsuno predicts that the network will continue producing and donating face shields well into the summer. “It is great when people are willing to help people they don’t know, and to see students using their organizational, collaborative, and creative skills to do it,” he said. “That is one of the most amazing things about this entire effort.”

Listen to Devon Tsuno and Cypress College art professor Ed Giardina discuss their PPE Artist Network on the Visitings Radio Show
Listen to Devon Tsuno, Ed Giardina, and Kristina Wong discuss mutual aid efforts to meet the needs of people in the midst of the COVID- 19 pandemic on KChung News Radio (June 10 broadcast)
PPE Artist Network featured on KCET