CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH
BLACK SCHOLARS' NEWSLETTER
February 10, 2023
The Black Scholars Newsletter exists to share dynamic, informative and empowering knowledge that uplifts, encourages, and inspires our community.
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Co-Editors Kayla Brooks and Teylor Graves
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Tracy Kelly
Administrator Coordinator of Student Affairs
By Teylor Graves
Tracy Kelly is one of the many strong, proud, and shining voices of Cal State Long Beach’s staff. Her job position is Administrative Coordinator of the Division of Student Affairs office working for Dr. John Hamilton in Student Success and Equity. Tracy interacts with all the programs that fall under Student Success and Equity such as Outreach, OMA, EOP, etc. In addition, she’s also the Event Chair for the Black Alumni Gala Committee. The first event of its kind she stated, “and one of Dr. Hamilton ‘s great ideas.” With a background in non profit community building Tracy gets to work with talent on and off the campus. She enjoys what the Black Alumni Gala represents which is a celebration and uplifting of a community of people who want to support students on their educational journey. She wants to share the stories of the alumni who have gone on to do some incredible things so that students can see the incredible opportunities that await them. According to Tracy Kelly, there are two different types of people that need to meet. There’s people who need help and then there’s people who want to help. Her goal is to put the two together so that they can help one another. It is more than fair to say that Tracy wants to help and uplift the students, staff and faculty and community members that support our Black Scholars with their struggles and praise them for their accomplishments and talents. Speaking of accomplishments, Tracy is beyond proud to work with the student to create the Black Scholars’ Newsletter which is filled with student, staff and alumni highlights and community information. An ongoing celebration of talent.
But before Tracy became a beaming light to us all, her life journey started while she was working her way through college. On her way to work in Century City she would pass the Museum of Tolerance and wondered about it each day. Fortunately she was connected to some of the board members and together, they created the first Black History celebration which was a great success. She went on to create programs for a youth art organization in downtown LA. She worked there for 13 years where she learned that you are only as good as your team. No one does anything alone and if you try, you risk burnout. Missing students, she came to work for Cal State Long Beach, Division of Student Affairs. During her first three years at the Student Affairs office, she watched and learned but kept a low profile until one day she was in a meeting with some students who didn’t have enough money for a speaker they wanted. So, being the innovative and self-starter person that she is, Tracy suggests “why don’t you raise the money?” She did it to show students that it could be done and that it’s not impossible.
Fun fact about Ms. Tracy Kelly is that she likes getting to know people through their stories. There are so many great stories and she thinks that sharing them really inspires students.
Lastly, in celebration of Black History month, a couple of Tracy Kelly’s role models are Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X as they both fought for the same thing, they just had different ways of doing it and she respects that #KingDreamTeam. She is also a big fan of Michelle Obama who she feels is authentic and still a class act and she strives to be the same.
Tracy’s current goal here is to build a community of support that uplifts and celebrates each other. So many people think that their story isn’t important, but everyone has a story that will inspire someone. You just never know who. She even wants to create a documentary of all the inspiring people she’s met through her service. To conclude, Tracy is looking forward to the in-person gala and the positive energy and much needed scholarship funds it will bring to the Black Scholars community. She wants to thank the entire Black Scholars Committee, the donors, participants and volunteers because it really does take a village.
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Diamond Byrd
Executive Vice President of CSULB ASI, Masters Student
This is part three of the Black Scholars Community and Alumni Newsletter Student Highlight interview with CSULB Black Alumni Community journalist, Imani Moses and CSULB Executive Vice President, Diamond Byrd.
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Davian Freeman
CSULB Alum, Assistant Principal at Perry Middle School
Watch this informative interview featuring Tiffany and Curglin Robertson as they chat with Davian Freeman, a CSULB alum down below
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Black Owned Business Highlight |
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Cameron Moore of Beyond Vegan Herbs and Nutrition
by Imani Moses
Do you realize that health really is your wealth?
Cameron started his health journey by wanting to make some lifestyle changes of his own. About 10 years ago, he met Dr. Sebi and was intrigued in the quest of knowledge on how the body can heal itself. Being that he had a background in science, this all made sense to him. Cameron Moore is a chef and owns his own business called Beyond Vegan Eats located in Los Angeles, CA. They offer a variety of delicious truly plant-based meals that omit the use of soy, vegan meat substitutes, and any genetically modified/ hybrid foods. Almost every meal is gluten free and made with intention. He also makes sure the food is accessible and prices are reasonable so folks can afford it.
Cameron started off as an herbalist, created products for himself first, sharing with friends and family and then started getting referrals. He started meal prepping out of his apartment 6 years ago and that grew to about 3,000 meals being prepped per month that were shipped around the country and sold locally in Los Angeles. When he made the shift and stopped consuming meat products, he saw the challenge in knowing what kind of food we should be eating and where do we find them? He wanted to design something that would be ready for folks to make that change. His food line is a healing program, a place where a person can come and have the resources to take care of their health. It is an alkaline approach to a plant-based lifestyle.
Some advice that Cameron offers on the business side are: You have to find what you love, if you find what you love you never have to work, and the universe will always yield to you. Be patient with yourself, be thoughtful, and figure out how to be of service to others. On the personal/ health side he states, “The younger you are, the better it is to start taking care of your health.” You don’t have to be perfect; you just have to be mindful; it starts with our nutrition. When you change what you take in, we change our vibrational state, thought process and we become more capable of love.
Food for thought: “The body is the perfect healing machine; you just need to give it what it needs so it can do what it needs to do”.
The #1 seller is the Quesadilla and the Full Spectrum Nutrition. Some of Cameron’s favorites are the African Spiced Okra Stew, Chickpea Chowder, and the Wild Rice Mushroom Soup. My personal favorites are the African Spiced Okra Stew and the Quesadilla.
You can find more information about Beyond Vegan Alkaline Cafe on beyondveganlifestyle.com Beyond Vegan Lifestyle.
Location: 6208 W. 87th Street Los Angeles, California 90045
Instagram is Beyondveganeats6208 W. 87th Street
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If you're interested in learning more about the vegan lifestyle, learning new plant-based recipes, or trying out Beyond Vegan Eats check out their website! Beyond Vegan Lifestyle
Email: info@bveats.com
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Afro Latinx Festival 2023
- Sunday, February 26, 2023
- 11:00 AM-5:00 PM
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Museum of Latin American Art (map)
Come celebrate the cultural diversity of the Americas and the African influence in Latin America at MOLAA’s Afro-Latinx Festival! Experiencing a mixture of customs from African and Mestizo peoples in the Americas including live performances, cultural exhibitions, local vendors, food, and more!
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The Annual CSULB Black Alumni Scholarship Gala
For more information, please email us at blackscholars@csulb.edu or visit our website below:
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Accepting Educational Responsibility for an Equitable and Inclusive Nation: A lecture by Dr. Shaun R. Harper
To RSVP for Dr. Harper's lecture, please click the link below:
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MEMPHIS JOOKIN'
Direct from Memphis, TN, Memphis Jookin’: The Show features renowned dance artist and choreographer Lil Buck in an ode to Lil Buck’s hometown and to the singular dance style known as Memphis Jookin’. Trace Memphis Jookin's emergence from local street dance to international phenomenon as Lil Buck and ten highly skilled dancers perform to a DJ'ed soundtrack that evokes the energy of the streets and the clubs where Memphis Jookin’ was born. A Q&A follows the performance.
Tickets are at a discounted price of $10.
Register here:
Also, check out this New York Times article about them:
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Class of 2023 Graduate Photoshoots Available
For more information or to book online, please visit Narrative Photography's website:
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CSULB Black History Month Events
February 5th-February 28th
For more information, please visit BeachSync or reach out to Paul Carter at paul.carter@csulb.edu
Happy Black History Month!
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On February 7th, 2023, Clifford Prince King will have a Tuesday talk at the Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum where he will discuss navigating life as a queer Black photographer.
For more information, please visit csulb.edu/museum or contact Kleefeld museum at 562-985-5761
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Long Beach Branch NAACP will host with other community partners, a presentation about Natural Gas Price Increases. This virtual presentation will be held Thursday, February 9, 2023, from 6-7:30 PM. Chris Garner, General Manager of Long Beach Utilities, will be the presenter. Dr. Kevin Johnson, CSULB Professor and a LB Branch NAACP Executive Committee Member will be the moderator. The purpose of this program is to provide information and give the community the opportunity to ask questions. Another goal is to educate on how to conserve energy and the next steps. This event is open to the public. Utilities Services is working diligently to reduce natural gas prices in our community.
contact Long Beach Utilities at 562-570-2300
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Elevating The Voices of Black CSULB Students |
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Ayoola Fadonougbo
Fourth year, Biomedical Engineering Major, BSU president
During my time at CSULB, I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience that comes with being a Black male. This is due to the community I became a part of because of my Black identity. As a Black male, I was comfortable joining the Black Student Union and many other Black organizations on the campus of CSULB, and I doubt that my experience would’ve been as good without that community. Although I may be the only Black student in my classes at times, the community I have more than makes up for it.
I often find myself being the only Black student (or 1 of 2 at most) in my class. As an extrovert, and a person who always makes sure to connect with others in my classes, this doesn’t usually affect me for the most part. The most prevalent effect being “by myself” in my classes is the lack of community with those who can relate to me-which is often largely based on race. To correct this, CSULB should prioritize supporting the Black Student Union’s efforts on recruiting Black students and matriculating them into our institution and the Black Beach Community.
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CSULB Scholars Experience Housing Crisis |
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by Kayla Brooks
One of the greatest challenges students endure at CSULB (California State University-Long Beach) is securing affordable housing. Though most of them experience this, there is a disparity amongst white and Black students in the ability to receive accommodations. Since finding a stable home is difficult for Black student's white counterparts, you can imagine the stress that they undergo trying to find a space to rent while focusing on completing their degree requirements. The systemic and social issue of racism makes it much harder for this to be obtained. According to Sacramento State News' article "CSU study shows students food, housing needs abound" it is reported that students who identified as black/African American and those who are first in their family to attend college experienced the highest rates of food insecurity (65.9 percent) and homelessness (18 percent.) This is higher than other racial groups on campus and contributes to a student's decision to drop out of college in order to survive. We often encounter students from underrepresented communities on our campus lacking basic necessities for living. In order to combat this, we would like to encourage members of our Black scholar's community to offer available rental spaces to our students. Our students represent our campus as some of the most considerate and respectful individuals.
If you are interested in learning more about a Black scholar's story and potentially assisting them with housing, please reach out to us at blackscholars@csulb.edu
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CSULB Students Protest Against Police Brutality
by Kayla Brooks
On February 3rd, 2023, students gathered at the central quad for a protest against police brutality led by The Organization of Historically Oppressed Students. The recent deaths of Tyre Nichols, Keenan Anderson, and Oscar Sanchez prompted this as they were all killed after an interaction with police. Though this is true, students paid tribute to all who have fallen at the hands of police brutality. One of their main goals was to encourage listeners to "understand that our community does not need more BIPOC police officers employed by a white supremacist institution" (CSULB, Black Student Union). They also informed them that BIPOC police officers do not make them feel protected due to many events where members have abused their power. Being that this is a monolithic issue, they urge people to focus on implementing systems that exist to advance and defend BIPOC communities rather than support an oppressive institution in America.
We hope that one day in the future it will be everyone's intention to unify and end the pain and suffering that plagues the US.
"Violence is immoral because it profits from hatred. It destroys the unity and makes the sisterhood/brotherhood between people impossible." -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
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Teylor Graves
Black scholars' newsletter co-editor, senior, creative writing major
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A Color's Disposition
War is violence and power.
It’s Red.
The color of carnage, fire, and bloodshed.
It’s fueled by hatred and intensity.
But what is the color for remedy?
Where’s the antidote for prosperity?
The Blue of peace and unity
What happens when you spill the bloodline of crimson into the deep sapphire history of the sea?
Purple is created where She meets justice and equality
Like giving a babe its first breath
Or planting seeds for the roots to grow
Purple gives us life by the pocketful
She gifts us freedom, perseverance, and the chance to live without fear of Green slithering it’s envious and selfish ways into our faction
We don’t need to wave the white flag to surrender
The Purple songbird will sing because we are no longer conquered
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