Photo credit: Linda Essig, Dean
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Dear Arts & Letters Community:
Our June Newsletter would normally focus on celebrating our graduating students and feature pictures of commencement. Commencement, as you probably know by now, is postponed due to Covid-19. But we need to break from tradition for another important reason: to acknowledge the now worldwide uprisings against systemic racism in the US and beyond. Being a federally designated “minority-serving institution” (MSI), Cal State LA is perhaps more aware than other institutions may be of the issues that confront Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in everyday life. But that awareness doesn’t mean there isn’t still a lot of work to do. As the Dean of the College of Arts & Letters, I am committed to the work of anti-racism in our public programming, curricula, and hiring practices and to acting on that commitment. Our College has put forth three strategic priorities. Alongside “Pathways to Student Success” and “Community and Culture Connections,” we promote “Voices for Social Justice.” It is in that strategic context that we highlight in the following newsletter the work of our students whose voices for social justice are being amplified on social media, on the streets of Los Angeles, and on campus.
(Please note that some of the images created by our students and alumni may include graphic content.)
On June 6, I attended a peaceful protest organized by the Black Student Union and the Associated Students Inc, the official Cal State LA student government. The gathering convened at King Hall, named in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his work for social justice. After some speeches and a march around campus, the group re-convened for 8:26 minutes of silence in recognition of the murder of George Floyd. The picture above articulates clearly the reason we had convened: “This is a Revolt Against Racism.”
I congratulate all of our Class of 2020 and remind them, as I did in my
graduation video
that you are entering into a changed world, and through your voice, YOU CAN LEAD THAT CHANGE!
Stay well, and SOAR!
Sending Love and Light,
Linda Essig
Dr. Linda Essig, Dean
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Cal State LA students speak against police brutality
via Cal State LA University Times
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“We need this. We’ve needed this for a long time and the people who need it are primarily black and they need the support of non-black people right now,” said Perez. “The reason why there’s so much public anger is because, one, it’s so blatant. But two, it hasn’t stopped.”
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Spotlighting Student Success
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"As a photographer and even more so a black photographer I have felt a major responsibility to document the times. In light of everything happening I have been hit hard with the negative images the media have been using to portray my people." -
Henry Keith
Henry Keith, Advanced Photography student, was spotlighted by the
Lucie Foundation
for his photographs of recent LA protests.
Click here to view the photo
on Instagram
and to congratulate Henry on his amazing work.
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Graduating Student Highlights
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"Never look back and regret a thing. Allow your past to fuel you to drive you toward a fantastic future." -
Sabrina Short
Graduating screenwriting student writes stories advocating for others; her scripts bring humanity to complex, flawed characters.
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“It’s inspiring to be able to see the power of expressing yourself honestly.”-
José Cubias
Master's graduate discovered a new purpose while leading writing workshops for incarcerated students at Calipatria State Prison.
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The goal of this senior project was to address a problem found in the community and use design to help solve that problem. The solution was to create a publication for Black young adults that uses the concept of Black Joy to combat negative mental health in the community. -
Greg E. Lewis
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The Helping Homeless LGBT Youth project is geared towards homeless youth that are LGBT ages 12 to 16 on the streets and couch surfing. I designed a system of deliverables including a scarf, a blanket, and a care package with a resource card for each.
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Kieran Firenze
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"I hope I inspire the city with this one. Long Beach, you will always have my heart. It is an honor to get out in my community and share my art in this way for the first time. With all that is going on it is really special for me to do this. If you see my art around the city, snap a pic and tag
@_soulfull
." -
Michaela Reed
'18
Click on the photos above to learn more about Michaela's work and for her wheatpaste art location.
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The Cal State LA Bio Design team enthusiastically investigated feminine hygiene products in the development of an eco-friendly product. Their research found feminine products have not changed since their invention in 1896. Astrid Canahui, Luisa Rosales, Manny Valdez, and Juan Maciel Velazquez rose to the challenge of envisioning a new biodegradable product that would significantly reduce environmental footprint. The team designed a feminine product using seaweed textiles and recycled seed paper, in combination with phytology, or plant science, to ultimately recycle the byproducts of feminine hygiene into an alternative: plant fertilizing seed starters. Our vision,
Flora Nouveau
, would be produced here in California, and the seeds that are embedded into our packaging would be sourced locally and changed out seasonally.
This student project was guided by Cal State LA Faculty Advisors Carole Frances Lung and Alan Horsager with Guest Advisor, Hannah Kim Varamini, on handmade paper.
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The College of Arts & Letters wants to support your efforts to secure external funding to support your work. In order to do so, we have created a very simple “
Intent to Apply Form
”. Please fill out this simple form by clicking the button below as early in your process as possible so that we can: make sure your proposal gets routed to the right office; assist with grant writing if needed; assist with budget development if needed; and connect you with other faculty who may be working on related projects. For public agency research grants, you do not need to wait for a response from the Dean's Office before moving forward with the proposal to ORSCA; foundation grants, however, do need to be reviewed by the development team. Remember, this is an INTENT to apply, not an application. It is designed to help us help you – not to make an assessment or judgement about the grant itself.
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Cal State LA Cross Cultural Centers
Invites you to heal & learn with them over the next two weeks through these spaces
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Community Healing Space
June 11, 12-1:30 p.m.
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Combating Anti-Blackness: A Teach-In
June 15, 4-5:30 p.m.
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Click the button below to submit your
professional activities, publications,
and
awards
to see them
highlighted
by the College of Arts & Letters.
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