Thomas Richardson was a shy and unassuming teenager in South Los Angeles who didn't express his feelings too often, even with his family, until one day when he decided to tell his siblings “I love you.” The show of affection was just one of several ways Richardson started connecting on a more personal level with family and his peers at John C. Fremont High School, as suggested by his mentors from California State University, Dominguez Hills' (CSUDH) Male Success Alliance (MSA) program. “It was strange, but cool, too. My sister would laugh and my brother would call me a name, or say 'I love you, too, but I don't need to tell you that. You know I do.' But I thought, 'Do I?'” said ... Read More
Social Work
Suzette Mitchell Provides Validation for African-Native American Students
When alumna Suzette Mitchell visited her tribe's reservation as a child, the children weren't allowed to play with her. “Some even called me the n-word,” she said. Her grandmother was Goshute–a western branch of the Shoshone nation–and was ostracized after being the first in the tribe to marry an African American, a similar fate her mother shared after being stereotyped as a half-breed. Mitchell's family experienced what many African-Native American individuals who stand on the border between two worlds do; they are often not readily accepted as Native American, and misunderstood as bi-racial persons with dual social identities. “It was very unpopular to marry a Black man back then. ... Read More
Graduate Tiffany Hall Finds an Angel in Uniform
There was a time when Tiffany Hall did all she could to avoid Long Beach Police Officer Jim Foster, even frantically knocking on the door of a stranger's home pleading “Help me, the police are coming. Can I go out your back door?” She got away, that time. Run-ins with Foster were the norm for Hall in the early 2000s when she was on the streets and addicted to crack cocaine and PCP, but the usual outcome placed her in handcuffs cursing and pleading to be released from the back of his cruiser on the way to the police station. Clean for nine years, Hall was greeted by Lieutenant Foster on May 18 not with cuffs, but with a hug. After shaking the hand of California State University, ... Read More
CSUDH Student Ramneek Kaur Honored for Spreading HOPE
For Ramneek Kaur, helping others requires a lot of hard work, and plenty of hope. Kaur, a cellular and molecular biology major at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), is providing hope in her own way, as president of the Homeless Outreach Promoting Empathy (HOPE) student organization. HOPE's outreach involves providing hygiene kits, medical care, and assistance for homeless individuals–up to three times per month–by organizing events in areas where homelessness is prevalent. “My passion for community involvement comes from growing up and realizing the issues surrounding our community, and seeing people struggle for basic needs, like hygiene items,” said Kaur, who ... Read More
CSUDH Founders’ Dinner Honors Mark Ridley-Thomas, Others, Thursday
CARSON - Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas will be among the honorees at California State University, Dominguez Hills 2017 Founders' Dinner, Oct. 26. The dinner awards will occur from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the Porsche Experience Center Los Angeles, located at 19800 S. Main St., in Carson, Calif. Honorees have contributed to building strength and vibrancy within local communities dedicated to civic engagement, and have helped CSUDH provide education, scholarship, and services that are accessible and transformative. Source: Compton Herald ... Read More
