FEBRUARY 13, 2013
AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH
SPECIAL EDITION SEE PAGES 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 14
SCCCD CHANCELLOR EMBRACES PURPOSE Bike theft Deborah Blue seeks to inspire
BY TOMAS KASSHUN
tkasshun@therampageonline.com
The town of Decatur lies in the heart of Illinois about two and half hours south of Chicago, forming a triangle with nearby Springfield and Champaign-Urbana. With manufacturing and agriculture as the primary employment, Decatur is known as the soybean capital of the world. In this small town atmosphere, State Center Community College District chancellor Deborah Blue grew up with her grandmother and step grandfather. Blue’s mother, who had her when she was only 17, also lived nearby in Decatur while her father lived in Richmond, Calif. On Feb. 28, when Deborah Blue is inducted to the State Center of Community College District’s Wall of Fame at the African-American museum on Fulton Street, she will join tens of other African-Americans who have distinguished themselves in various ways. Blue will take her place as the first African-American woman to lead one of the largest college districts in California – a long way from her humble beginnings. But
it is more than the position for Deborah Blue. It is, she said, about inspiring others – to pursue their dreams and persevere, regardless of obstacles. Early Influences Blue learned the meaning of hard work early, thanks to her grandfather, who owned a janitorial business and her grandmother, who cleaned houses in the evening. She said Decatur suited her. It was a safe place; she could walk to school and back home safely. But even in the small town environment, Deborah Blue could not escape the reality of life in the 1960s. Blue was only 7 years old when she realized for the first time that she was different; that when people looked at her, they saw her race first. She had gone over to introduce herself to her new neighbors, a white family which moved into a house down the street. Instead of a neighborly visit, Blue was shocked by the way the mother in that household treated her. The woman had not allowed her to enter the house and told her [Blue] she was not allowed to play with
her daughter. “In school we had a lot of diversity. Black children and white children played together for the most part. When it happened in the neighborhood, it was a shock,” said Blue. Blue left Decatur for the first time at the age of 10. She wanted to live with her father and rode in a Greyhound bus with her paternal grandfather all the way to Richmond, Calif. She went on to attend Richmond High School, hoping to start her college education at Contra Costa Community College. But she was terribly homesick and returned to Decatur without graduating from Richmond. Blue returned to Decatur and was named homecoming queen of her high school class. She said no one anticipated the outrage that this caused in her community. “People called the radio stations. They said, ‘who is this black girl that has been named homecoming queen?’” Blue said. “I was hurt. I didn’t understand why that was an issue. I learned that the difference between l SEE CHANCELLOR ON PAGE 5
still a concern BY PABEL LOPEZ
plopez@therampageonline.com
In the first three weeks of the spring semester, six incidents of theft at bike racks were recorded in the crime logs of the State Center Community College District police department. According to the SCCCD police department call log, in the fall semester of 2012 15 bikes were reported stolen at various areas around the FCC campus. Bike theft continues to be a major problem on the FCC campus and surrounding neighborhoods. Students, faculty members and local business owners complain that very little is done to combat the stealing of bicycles at FCC. “It’s not just prevalent here, it’s prevalent everywhere,” said Officer Chris Caldwell of the SCCCD police. “If you talk to somebody from Fresno [police department], they have a lot of problems with bike thefts within the city too.” Many FCC students and staff say they are concerned
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about the high numbers and the frequency of bike theft on this campus. The Associated Student Government has formed a Bike Theft Committee which meets at noon every Wednesday to explore different ways to combat the problem as well as to seek solutions. Bike Theft Committee member Felix Figueroa is a victim of bike theft. “I just had a wire or a cable as a lock and I was very careless with it. It was only a matter of time before my bike was stolen,” Figueroa said. Chris Tobey, a graphic communication major, is also a victim of bike theft. His bike was stolen from the Math and Science building last year. He had only been away from his bike for an hour. Tobey filed a police report but never received a response. He said the police officer handled the situation “very casually, like it’s an everyday happening.” Caldwell says it’s difficult to catch a thief on an open campus like FCC. “[Bike thieves] look like students, and they walk to a bike rack and pull a short-cutter and make it look like they’re taking their lock off, and instead they cut it and ride off,” Caldwell said. “It’s been getting worse, especially in the l SEE THEFT ON PAGE 2
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HISTORY