Collegian Los Angeles
Wednesday, March 24, 2021 Volume 186 Number 2
SCHOLARSHIPS, RESOURCES Page 7
SPORTS BIN Banish Pandemic Pounds Page 8
The Voice of Los Angeles City College Since 1929
LITTLE TOKYO PROTEST
It should not be lost upon anyone that conservatives just spent weeks defending old children’s books that contained racism against Asians... only to have that story disappear once a conservative evangelical man committed a terrible hate crime against Asian American women. Arlen Parsa @arlenparsa
COMMUNITY RAILS AGAINST VIOLENCE
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BY MATTHEW RODRIGUEZ
A gunman’s deadly rampage in Georgia that left six women of Asian descent dead has left many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across the nation outraged and calling for change, fearing an escalation in a rising trend of anti-Asian attacks nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. While no official motive has been made available, the 21-year-old white male suspect has reportedly told authorities that the murders were not racially motivated, claiming that targeting the massage businesses stemmed from a porn and sex addiction. In the following days, a debate began across the nation as to whether or not it was a racially motivated hate crime? Concerns about an escalation of violence making its way into the East Hollywood area were largely focused on protecting the more vulnerable members of the community. East Hollywood resident Sandra Ortega, 54, points to race as the leading factor. “It’s sad, it reminds me of how Muslim Americans were treated during 9/11,” she says. “I was as ashamed of my fellow Americans then as I am now.”
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3 PHOTOS BY LOUIS WHITE
SEE “CRIMES” PAGE 3
INDEX Opinion & Editorial Photo Focus
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News 3-6 Scholarships 7 Sports 8
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1- A Chinese man pridefully raises his fist in solidarity with the large crowd gathered at the “Love Our Communities:Stop Asian Hate rally in the Little Tokyo/Arts district of Downtown Los Angeles, Saturday,March 13, 2021. 2- A Mother holds her three daughters close for a moment in group prayer and meditation led by spiritual leaders on stage for the “Love Our Communities:Stop Asian Hate rally in the Little Tokyo/Arts district of Downtown Los Angeles, Saturday,March 13, 2021. 3- Signs held in cultural diversity and protest at the Japanese American National Museum, Saturday,March 13, 2021, An interracial couple displays love over hate at the “Love Our Communities: Stop Asian Hate” rally held in the Little Tokyo/Arts district of Downtown. 4- Young group of Angelenos stand in resolute harmony expressing their views against hate during the “Love Our Communities: Stop Asian Hate” rally held in the Little Tokyo/Arts district of Downtown Los Angeles at the Japanese American National Museum, Saturday, March 13, 2021.
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OPINION & EDITORIAL
Los Angeles Collegian - Wednesday, March 24, 2021
EDITORIAL
We Must Act to Regulate Artificial Intelligence, Now BY CHARLIE DARE It is time to ask yourself: Is my likeness protected property? If you have spent time on TikTok recently, it is likely that you too have scrutinized Tom Cruise’s sleight-ofhand for signs of life. What you and I saw was not an aging actor parlaying his fame into social media clout, but rather new, sophisticated, and largely unregulated artificial intelligence programming designed to deceive. This is what’s known as a “deepfake,” a type of synthetic media in which a person’s likeness is imitated by powerful machine learning algorithms. Major production houses have been improving this kind of AI for years— it’s the sort of facial scanning that resurrected Audrey Hepburn for chocolate ads way back in 2013. But the process has advanced
tenfold in ensuing years, and the doppelgangers it can produce are now nearly indistinguishable from reality. Enter “deepfake” as your query into any major search engine and you’ll immediately learn the technology’s most popular implementation—celebrity porn videos. Deep faking has also been utilized to influence international media, discredit politicians, and spread disinformation about COVID-19. Presently, the technology requires several hours of audio and video footage to produce an effective facsimile; that’s why celebrities and politicians are preferred targets. However, it’s likely that its rapid advancement will allow seamless identity theft using just your Instagram feed. Despite the formation of a G7backed Global Partnership on AI, the United States government has yet to endorse its policies, and there is no federal law prohibiting the creation or distribution of deepfakes, although several bills have been introduced in Congress.
It has been left largely to social media conglomerates to self-police content and introduce or enforce disinformation countermeasures, and their traffic-driven profit models ensure that no serious action will be taken to dismantle fraudulent accounts. Artificial intelligence has serious potential for damage. Beyond the insidious specter of fake news, we are just beginning to see what a world full of AI looks like—transhumanism, fully automated workplaces, algorithm overlords, and self-driving cars. It appears our government historically prefers to implement regulation after disruptions have begun to wreak havoc on our social systems, but it is imperative that in this case, the United States Congress acts now. A regulatory board must be established for Internet-based media and technology, staffed with former industry members and ethics and policy experts with a singular goal of protecting humanity. The stakes are too high to stand by.
Los Angeles City College Visual & Media Arts Department 855 N. Vermont Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90029 323.953.4000 ext. 2832 losangeles.collegian@gmail.com Co-Editors-in-Chief BEATRICE ALCALA, ANGELA JOHNSON Graphics Layout Editor BEATRICE ALCALA Copy Editor ANGELA JOHNSON Managing Editor DIEGO CHAVEZ Opinions & Editorial Editor ANGELA JOHNSON Broadcast, Social Media Producers BEATRICE ALCALA, JAMES DUFFY V, DIEGO CHAVEZ CADENA Photo Editor BEATRICE ALCALA PHOTO COURTESY OF UNSPLASH
Neglect of Power Grid Led to Blackouts in Texas The sorrow and misery of Texans cannot be comprehended by us Californians as they undergo a power outage crisis from the result of two severe winter storms, leading families to very dangerous living conditions. Texas was somewhere I was considering soon visiting because of the distant family I have residing there waiting to meet my daughter. But the thought of not having electricity or water upon my arrival worries me. Federal agencies sent out a warning 10 years ago that Texas needed to weatherize its power plants and grid. In all the time they had to fix the prob-
lem nothing was done about it. That enrages me. This crisis could easily have been avoided had people did their job. Being the largest energy producing state in the country, individuals expected things to be under control briskly. Instead, nearly half the state faced power disruptions. The Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott is providing very few details about when individuals can go back to living a normal life, as if he doesn’t care. He doesn’t give full and honest responses in his press conferences which leads to me question his real motives. As of February 28, 2021, the power is back, but millions of Texans worry about what it will take to fully retrieve the happy and healthy lifestyle they were previously used to living. So many different emotions have overtaken us all. I am hoping Texans will pull through very soon.
Future to Bring Premium Prices for Water BY ANGIE DELORENZO Recently, a meme surfaced that called attention to the monetization of drinking water in Africa. The photo featured an indigenous woman swiping an ATM card in exchange for the sanitized essential element of life. The caption below read, “Capitalism at Work.” Missing from the slough of embittered and insightful comments is the fact that you, as an American citizen, also owe your access to drinkable water to capitalism. You do not have access to clean water. Well, you do, if you have an address, a bank account and job to pay for each of these things. Your basic needs exist as a for-profit industry in what is called a “regulated monopoly.” A regulated monopoly allows public officials to guarantee companies a monetary return on their infrastructure investments, while they fix prices for consumers. I think I can speak for all of us when I say
Photographers LOUIS WHITE, ALLIN ERIS, JONATHAN MONTES, FRANK MARTINEZ, GERARDO DE LOS SANTOS Illustrators STEPHANIE KO
OPINION
BY RONNISHA GUNN
Collegian
the idea of public officials working on behalf of the people in concert with corporations is especially uncomfortable during this time of COVID-19. Corporate profits soared while unemployment rates have reached record numbers. The divide has never been more apparent. How did the idea of controlling the most prominent ingredient of life in exchange for funds become so normalized? How have we come to accept a literal cost to survive? In December of 2020, amid a global biological crisis, the stock market allowed for a new category: Water Futures. According to the Bloomberg report “Water joined gold, oil and other commodities traded on Wall Street, highlighting worries that the life-sustaining natural resource may become scarce across more of the world.” So, while a large percentage of this country’s population struggles with financial insecurity during a pandemic, corporations have seized the opportunity to extract yet another natural resource for profit. This corporatization is completely endorsed by the United States government. Enjoy the free air while you can. This place is trash.
L.A. Music Scene Missing in Action BY HANNAH COBURN Pausing and rescheduling continue to stifle the colorful and vast music scene of Los Angeles. The closing of venues across the city was among the many loses associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. With the unknown return of live entertainment, we patiently wait for the safe day when we can gather in a dark crowded room, swaying side to side to our favorite performers once again. Los Angeles has always been associated with its exciting night life where you can always catch a show. But because of the social distancing guidelines, venues were forced to close up indefinitely. As a new alternative, online virtual concerts and live streams have become the safe show-going experience. However, there’s an important aspect missing,
which is actually attending the show. Waiting in a line for hours just to get your wristband, and then standing for an even longer period as you wait for Elton John or Megan Thee Stallion to come out on stage, only to continue standing as they preform for an additional four hours while your feet start falling asleep—all of that is the ultimate show experience! Of course, you can’t leave out the overpriced drinks and the potential fights that can break out. But this all becomes worth it when you take in the beauty of live music directly in front of you and make unforgettable memories. Infamous venues like the Hollywood Bowl, the Troubadour, the Fonda, the Echo and Echoplex, the Wiltern, the Smell and my personal favorite El Cid all have pushed back their re-opening dates to the later months of June, August, and October. With the continued postponing we may not be able to attend shows safely until 2022. But with the city transferring from the purple to red tier, hopes remain high. Many smaller venues face the reality of closing permanently, as the
main income for live music venues comes from putting on shows for the community. A Silverlake venue and bar named the Satellite decided in early 2020 to no longer host live shows and become a restaurant. According to the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), “Venues are losing 85-100% of their income due to the social gathering bans in place. We were the first to close and we’ll be the last to open.” NIVA was able to get more than two million emails for congress to pass the Save our Stages Act. The act states, in part, “the Small Business Administration allows grants for eligible live venue operators, producers, promoters, or talent representatives to address the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on certain live venues.” That may be helpful, but it is not a permanent solution. If venues continue to push back reopening and the grants, funding, and donations run out, we’ll be forced to say goodbye to the experience of live music. Don’t let the music fade away. Support the live music scene of Los Angeles!
Designers BEATRICE ALCALA, JAMES DUFFY V Reporters MATTHEW RODRIGUEZ, WHITNEY GIBSON, WILLIAM B. TORRES, HANNAH COBURN, RONNISHA GUNN, JONATHAN MONTES, SERINA HAYNES, JAMES DUFFY V, DELIA ROJAS, JUAN MENDOZA, ANGELA JOHNSON, TUPAC ZAPATA, ALLIN ERIS, KELIYAH WILLIAMS, JUSTIN DE LA CRUZ
Online Editor-in-Chief DIEGO CHAVEZ CADENA Faculty Adviser RHONDA GUESS For all submissions including letters to the editor and publicity releases, send materials to Collegian offices located in Chemistry Building, Room 207, or email: losangeles.collegian@gmail.com. To advertise in the Collegian, direct all insertion orders and questions to: pr.collegian@gmail.com. Issues of our award-winning newspaper and magazine are instantly available to our readers on issuu.com/ collegianwired.
L.A. Music Scene Missing in Action
ILLUSTRATION BY STEPHANIE KO
“You Make Me Gag!” Those who inflict and are complacent to the fetishization, violence and racism against Asian Americans.
Next Issue: April 21, 2021 Editorial Deadline: April 19, 2021
NEWS
Los Angeles Collegian - Wednesday, March 24, 2021
CAMPUS NEWS
SWAP MEET WARS
Answers do not come easy for vendors on the street near Vermont and Melrose Avenues. They jostle for position, interact with police, and try to carve out a living.
PHOTO BY GERARDO DE LOS SANTOS A few Vendors’ stands spill over onto Willowbrook and Vermont behind L.A. City College on March 21, 2021. The number of vendors on the street has increased since the pandemic forced the closure of the parking lot swap meet last year.
BY GERARDO DE LOS SANTOS Students and faculty were not the only ones whose worlds changed when L.A. City College closed its doors last March. Anyone familiar with the area knows about the bustling weekend swap meet in the parking lot on Vermont Avenue across the street from the college. Around 200 vendors were once able to rent a space inside the parking lot and set up their small businesses. The spread of coronavirus forced many stores, restaurants, and other social environments in Los Angeles to close, and this included the swap meet. Mayor Eric Garcetti launched the L.A. Al Fresco initiative to support dine-out opportunities for restaurants last May. The initiative granted approval for vendors to set up on sidewalks and in eligible private parking lots. However, vendors did not necessarily welcome this news, since Garcetti never fully included street vendors in the initiative. After heavy criticism, Garcetti eventually extended the approval to street vendors with a permit. Selling outside the swap meet gates presents its own set of challenges. The lack of office space can lead
to harassment by law enforcement, according to vendors who say police force them off the street and make them leave the area. Vendors informed the Collegian of situations where officers would trash their equipment and/or merchandise if vendors did not move quickly enough. “You have to leave, or they throw your stuff away in the trash,” 51-yearold Javier Sanchez said about his interactions with police. In 2015, a street vendor in the Fashion District of downtown Los Angeles sued the city, alleging their property was destroyed and they were threatened with deportation. In the case of Santiago v. City of Los Angeles, the plaintiff alleged that “officers [would] routinely verbally harass the street vendors and insult them, and, on occasion, threaten them with deportation if the vendors protested the seizure of their property,” according to case documents filed. A settlement was reached just three weeks after officials decriminalized street vending in 2019. Sanchez admits that it is difficult to say whether being outside is entirely a good thing, since it did provide its own security against police harassment. However, there is now added competition within the area with vendors fighting for a sidewalk
space. “There are people here since 4 a.m., Friday mornings,” Sanchez said. “The crisis has been very difficult and in reality, a lot of us do not have papers.” “Seguimos luchando,” Sanchez said. Determined to find ways to survive. For him and his wife, their lives are not the only ones they are luchando for. Meanwhile, competition is fierce on Vermont Avenue. Vendors told the Collegian about threats made by some sellers to call ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) if they refused to give up their space on the sidewalk. Many vendors are immigrants who may not speak fluent English or understand the published regulations from the city. Some vendors find support from a grassroots program. The day-to-day sellers rely on the Community Power Collective (CPC). Sergio Jimenez and “Miguel” represent the collective. Both are determined to ensure that all vendors follow guidelines to sell. They make rounds at the sidewalk swap meet to inform vendors of their rights and options. According to the duo, the need to make threats, arriving early for space, and other internal conflict is because of a lack of structure and no compassion for one another. The objective of the organization is to unite. “Everyone is trying to secure a spot, that’s why they are here so early,” Sergio said. “A lot of vendors become day-to-day sellers because they no longer have the type of agreement they once had with the swap meet.” No one knows this more than Miguel who is a vendor and active representative of CPC. Miguel fought for his right to sell his merchandise by acquiring his permit, and now he focuses on ensuring others do, too. Vendors on Vermont Avenue told the Collegian of situations where some with reserved spots would often rent their space in the LACC Swap Meet parking lots to other vendors before the pandemic, and sellers say it is expensive. “We would pay a lot of money,” said Teresa Hernandez who was been a vendor for more than five years. “Sometimes we wouldn’t sell, but still had to pay the rent cost.” Hernandez claims to have paid $500 per month at the weekend swap meet. The secondhand clothing vendor says she would use her business to pay her bills and support her family. Hernandez would sell anything from pants to shorts, from winter clothing to summer apparel, which she would lay out on her two-table
set up. It was a treasure hunt, looking through the mountains of garments piled on top of each other. When the Collegian asked Hernandez if she would consider returning to the weekend swap meet, she was direct. “No, I do not think I would return,” Hernandez said. The situation is give-and-take since there clearly are financial incentives. But the benefits of selling on the sidewalk since the swap meet has been closed bring mixed reviews. “In reality outside is better,” said Sanchez who has rented at the swap meet for more than two decades. “But there is a limit to what we could have outside.” Sanchez runs his small business alongside his wife. They provide for their family of five and work to put their kids through school with hopes they will one day graduate from college. The couple immigrated from Mexico to find a better life. Much like Hernandez, Sanchez sells a variety of hand-me-down clothes. As a vendor, the initial goal is to have as much merchandise as possible on hand for the public. They also have a disadvantage in comparison to bigger retail businesses that can afford to rent office space. Now, with social distancing regulations, vendors find it more difficult to exhibit as much inventory. Since Jan.1, 2019 street vending has been decriminalized and allowed under SB 946, which former Gov. Jerry Brown signed. However, the process of getting a permit is tedious and requires sifting through multiple applications and websites. The first step to be eligible to rent space would be to acquire a California Department of Tax and Fee Administration Seller’s Permit. After that, the vendor may bid for a space, which starts at around $60 per day and may go up to $80 or more depending on the bidding and whether you are a reserved or non-reserved vendor, according to the LACC swap meet website. The parking lot continues to remain closed forcing many vendors to adapt to the new world to survive. Many vendors have now applied for the permit for not only the survival of their business, but of their families. Permit fees were initially $291 if applicants applied prior to July 1, 2020. Applicants who applied after that date will now pay $541, according to StreetsLA. This is a huge savings from the weekly fee vendors would pay for the LACC Swap Meet. The L.A. City College Foundation oversees the Swap Meet. Calls to the Foundation by the Collegian were not returned.
FROM “CRIMES” PAGE 1
As an Asian born Australian, it fu**ing hurts to see the sh** that happened in Atlanta. I’ve already experienced some shi*** slurs being thrown at me during peak COVID time, but I’m so scared that my family members might be attacked any day. hyobin@squizxy Ortega, a Los Angeles native born and raised in the East Hollywood area, expresses worry for the elderly members of the community. “There are always seniors out getting their steps in, usually in the morning. A lot of them come out to do their shopping later in the day,” she says. “It’s them that immediately come to my mind. They are the most vulnerable.” Jihyun Choi, 36, regularly accompanies her father on his nightly strolls around the neighborhood for fresh air and exercise whenever possible. “You hear about a lot of these reports of elderly Asians getting pushed down in the street and I could not bear to even think about it happening to my dad,” Choi said. Choi is acutely aware of the reported increase in anti-Asian violence as she herself has been discriminated against as early as January of this year when a man yelled at her from a passing car to “go back to my country, even though I’m local to the area. It was only a verbal thing, fine, but I will not take a chance on my dad’s safety.” Kevin Park, 24, says he has not recognized any instances of discrimination that are part and parcel of living in any big city. Describing his upbringing in Koreatown, Park said he “feels safe enough for K-town.” Nothing out of the ordinary has happened at his parents’ shop, he says.
Hate when people allow 16-17 year old white kids on the internet get away with being ignorant with the excuse that they’re too young. sorry, but
POLICE WIRE COMPILED BY JAMES DUFFY V LA County Sheriff ’s Dept. Senior Office Assistant Josef Nikoloff says the LACC campus has been quiet. “We have had one crime occur for the month of February, and no crimes in March,” Nikoloff said. Incident # 921-00037-8714: Campus Sheriffs reported the grand theft of an unsecured generator left in the central plant area of campus. No suspects were found, nor was forced entry detected. Incident # 210207019: Los Angeles Police
Department reported an assault with a deadly weapon at 1:25 p.m. March 17 at Santa Monica Boulevard and Madison Avenue. Incident # 210207127: LAPD reported a burglary at 10 a.m. March 19 on the 900 Block of North Kenmore Avenue. Incident # 210207098: LAPD reported a stolen vehicle at 7 p.m. March 18 on the 4000 Block of Marathon Street. Incident # 210207107: LAPD reported a burglary from vehicle at 12:30 p.m. March 15 at Sanborn Avenue and Hoover Street. Source: LAPD Crime Mapping
POC never ‘too young’ to experience racism, so why can’t those who Second Show: April 22-24, 2021. Title: “SELF DEFENSE” Description: Based on a true story of a female serial killer, Aileen Wuornos. Live on Zoom. Third Show: Jun.4-5, 2021. Title: “BREAKING BREAD” Description: Five short films that will make breaking bread the story. The piece that ties them all together. It starts out as people eating a meal together, and each of the films has that theme.
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haven’t at least try to become educated? euni minecraft @ new art! @eunivrz
Park’s parents own a local Korean convenience store that has been operated by his family since 1982. “I’m lucky but I do worry sometimes about my parents having contact with strangers every day, so I’ve been going out of my way to close the shop,” he said. There’s no doubt that rhetoric from the former leader of the free world about COVID-19 being a “Chinese virus” has stoked existing fires. Spikes in violence and discrimination against Asian Americans come on the heels of American anxieties regarding the rapid economic rise of China, coupled with American hegemony on the decline worldwide, provide a scapegoat for Americans’ frustrations. The topic is not without a great amount of nuance, and city officials are making carefully worded community impact statements that reflect their solidarity with the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. “The community impact statement that will be brought forward in April has the intention of raising awareness about racially-motivated violence pertaining specifically to members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community,” said Lucine Poturyan of the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council for District 4, Little Armenia. “In a similar vein, I can recall that the EHNC has been supportive of limiting police activity in our neighborhood – activity which
These stereotypes toward Asian-Americans are depicted as if they don’t need any type of protection , or deserve protection and that is awful and something needs to happen immediately! Even the racism toward Asians range from word to mouth to even in popular films, and it almost always goes unrecognized. It’s so horrendous. I feel disgusted to say that I’m from the U.S. at this point!” Twitter user @ganjapotato age 20
statistically and historically discriminates against people of color. Also, the EHNC has made statements and passed CIS’s that are reflective and supportive of the multiculturalism of our neighborhood.” For now, East Hollywood residents are going to keep their guard up. “I know this moment will pass. All we can do is take it day by day and find strength in our community of neighbors,” Choi said, as she is pulled along the sidewalk by a teacup Pomeranian getting tangled in her leash. “The Asian community in Los Angeles has always been very tight knit, the closeness always gets us through the tough times.”
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Los Angeles Collegian - Wednesday, March 24, 2021
PHOTO FOCUS
PROTESTORS MARCH TO END ANTI-ASIAN CRIME
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BY SERINA HAYNES ver 300 people rallied against anti-Asian violence in Little Tokyo on March 13 at a place of special historical significance: It is where the government rounded up Japanese Americans during World War II before they were sent to internment camps.
Organizers originally billed the event as “Stop
Asian Hate,” but rebranded it to “Love Our Communities: Build Collective Power,” to address a myriad of topics that cause frustrations within the community. Chinatown Community for Equitable Development (CCED) organized the march that included support from Ktown4BlackLives, Nikkei Progressives, Asian Pacific Islanders Equality LA, Progressive Asian Network for Action and others who made their presence known with placards and signs. A prayer site featured carefully arranged photos, flowers and other mementos to commemorate victims of racist violence across different ethnic groups. Former L.A. County Chief Executive Officer Bill Fujioka spoke to the crowd and urged city officials to do more to stop the violence. “Ignoring it, denying its existence, or refusing to speak up is almost as bad as participating in this disgusting behavior,” Fujioka said during a live stream of the event. Organizers say the goal was to make space to “meet, collaborate, and build with grassroots organizations doing direct work in Los Angeles Asian American communities.” The event broadened the conversation beyond anti-Asian hate crimes into a myriad of collective issues regarding housing, political failure, over-policing, lack of support and health services. Speakers at the march expressed frustration over the failure of the city of Los Angeles to follow through with promises of support, hot meals for seniors and COVID-19 resources. Some accused politicians such as Mayor Eric Garcetti of using Chinatown residents as props in photo-ops. Tiffany “TiDo” Do represents CCED. She made an impassioned speech of solidarity with all Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), addressing the mainstream media’s emphasis on Black-on-Asian hate crimes as being divisive, while starkly contrasting against the lack of mention of racism in violence perpetrated by white people. “The harm against our elders will not be used to advocate for more harm against our black and brown communities,” she said at the rally according to LAist. “We are here to tell the world: don’t you fu**ing dare use our community tragedies to fund the police.”
3 PHOTOS 1, 2, 3 BY FRANK MARTINEZ 1. A Woman stands next to the “Wall of Solidarity,” a board where attendees can leave notes of support and well-wishes for the Asian community. The “Love Our Communities, Stop Asian Hate” march happened in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, March 13, 2021. 2. Attendees wave signs displaying the message “End Racism and White Supremacy and Hate.” The “Love Our Communities, Stop Asian Hate” protest took place in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, on March 13, 2021. 3. A young woman smiles behind her colorful mask and holds a placard that reads “We are our ancestor’s wildest dreams.” She attended the “Love Our Communities, Stop Asian Hate” protest in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, March 13, 2021.
PHOTO FOCUS
Los Angeles Collegian - Wednesday, March 24, 2021
Ignoring it, denying its existence, or refusing to speak up is almost as bad as participating in this disgusting behavior.
-Bill Fujioka Former L.A. County Chief Executive Officer
PHOTOS 4, 5 BY LOUIS WHITE 4- Woman poses with handmade dolls celebrating various ethnicities in front of a large Black Lives Matter banner at the, “Love Our Communities: Stop Asian Hate rally held in the Little Tokyo/Arts district at the Japanese American National Museum, Downtown Los Angeles, Saturday,March 13, 2021
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5- A masked woman displays sign with personal message against racism at the Japanese American National Museum, where the “Love Our Communities: Stop Asian Hate rally was held in the Little Tokyo/Arts district in Downtown Los Angeles, Saturday,March 13, 2021
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NEWS
Los Angeles Collegian - Wednesday, March 24, 2021
‘Unbought and Unbossed’
COLLEGIAN ARCHIVES
A Seat at the Table: Why Campus Earns High Ranking Marks When it comes to higher education rankings, community colleges are usually a non-factor. L.A. City College ranks sixth in the nation using a system powered by artificial intelligence technology. BY ANGELA JOHNSON Conventional wisdom about rankings in higher education suggests the college with the most money employs the best professors, will have the most powerful alumni, will attract the most academically accomplished students, and therefore have the most influence, and rank the highest. That is how most college classifications stack up. But the ranking method used by AcademicInfluence.com (AI) seems to trump all of that. AI broke all the ranking rules when it released its first-ever list of the 50 best American community colleges in the country earlier this month. The InfluenceRanking Engine, a proprietary tech tool that was created for AI, cuts through the layers of data that other rankers use to provide a barebones yet substantive ranking. Consider then how an urban school like City College in East Hollywood ranked sixth and sister school L.A. Valley in Valley Glen came in at No. 26, out of a field of 839 community colleges in the United States. LACC ranked second in California behind College of Marin, one of the wealthiest communities in the state. Marin County California
median household income as of 2019 was more than $110,000, according to the most recent data from the Census ACS, 1-year survey reports. The AI team says their method churns through the data to deliver a more precise measure of the quality of education offered by schools on the list. Two members of the AI core team discussed the main reasons the InfluenceRanking Engine rates differently than U.S. News and World Report, Money, Forbes or The Princeton Review. Dr. Jed Macosko is the president of AI, and a professor of physics at Wake Forest University. “The main difference is that U.S. News and World Report includes a component that is human-driven,” Macosko said. “It’s based on opinions . . . they asked for the opinion of people that they think might be experts in that field which schools they think are the best.” Dave Tomar is the managing editor and an expert on plagiarism and contract cheating in higher education. He says the AI approach to rankings is unique for a couple of reasons. “The best institutions are defined by great professors and successful
alumni,” Tomar said. “And that’s why LACC made our list. According to our machine learning algorithm, City College ranks high among its peers for the influence of its instructors and its alumni.” Tomar says the ranking metric stands alone on the higher education landscape. “(It) is free from bias, immune to manipulation, and equates academic excellence with real world achievements,” he said. The InfluenceRanking Engine drills down and mines the information that is already out there, not create new data by surveying students, parents, professors, alumni about their opinions. It mines data sources, specifically Wikipedia and Crossref, to identify billions of mentions or references to scholars, educators and thought leaders in a particular discipline or subject. “We don’t ask the Wikipedia editors directly ‘Which school do you think is important?’” Macosko said. “You kinda have to use the back door method to find out which ones are the best, and we think our back door method does a good job.” Wikipedia contains an ocean of data where the academic careers of professors are on display, where they
have attended and have taught. It is a free, open-collaborative online encyclopedia that is maintained by an army of volunteer contributors. Crossref.org is a foundational infrastructure that makes research easier to find, cite, link, access and reuse, according to its website. The InfluenceRanking Engine calculates a numerical score for people, institutions and disciplinary programs that are mentioned and documented on Wikipedia and Crossref. Where professors taught and attended school is also figured into the score. “We also use a database of newspaper articles and other forms of publications that people publish and then other people reference,” Dr. Macosko said. “So, we kind of calculate up all those references and figure out who’s providing the most influential stuff.” AcademicInfluence.com was created with funds from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in October 2016. AI is a partner site within the Education Access LLC group, which includes Influence Publishers, Intelligent Education and Success Partners among others. Education Access is located in Shiner, Texas. Go to academicinfluence.com/articles
Film Portrays Shirley Chisholm as Political Pathfinder BY WHITNEY GIBSON
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hirley Chisholm was the first black woman elected to Congress in 1968. Determined to represent the millions of Americans she felt were overlooked, she did what was at that time unthinkable— she ran for the highest office the nation. LACC hosted a virtual viewing of “Chisholm ’72: Unbought and Unbossed” on March 18. The 2005 documentary was directed by Shola Lynch and reflects on Chisholm’s historic 1972 bid for the presidency as both the first black person and first woman ever to run. The film portrays Chisholm--in vintage clips from her candidacy and interviews from later in her life-as a woman facing insurmountable opposition head-on because she believed everyone should be represented. The film is speckled with interviews from many notable figures, like acclaimed writer Octavia Butler and California Congresswoman Barbara Lee. It highlights the steep climb black women endure on their way to Capitol Hill. Following the viewing, there was a discussion lead by moderators and LACC professors Christina Heisser and Anika Jackson. The topics ranged from intersectionality to the erasure of black women from historical retellings. The sentiment that Chisholm’s
story is under-told seemed to resonate in the discussion forum. One anonymous person in the chat asked, “Why have I never heard of her before?” History professor Heisser put it bluntly. “Well, racism,” she said. Heisser went on to expand upon black women’s erasure from the feminist movement, noting a historical trend of black women in America having a great political sway but receiving little credit for it. Jackson, a political science professor, spoke about the electability conundrum wherein people don’t vote for women because they believe women cannot win. She also talked about advocacy groups for women who want to run for office, like Emily’s List. What’s clear after the film and discussion is that while trailblazers like Chisholm have paved the way, women, particularly black women, still must work incredibly hard to succeed in the U.S. political system. Kamala Harris became the first woman and first black person elected to Vice President and those intersections, being both black and a woman, carry history with them. In Vice President Harris’ election there are echoes of Chisholm’s work and what she did for the imagination of the American electorate by daring to imagine herself electable. “Chisholm ’72: Unbought and Unbossed” is available to view on AmazonPrime.
TALK BACK TO THE EDITORS PHOTO BY ALLIN ERIS Food 4 Less at 5420 W. Sunset Blvd., is located 1.3 miles from LACC and will close May 15, 2021. It is one of three locations Kroger will shutter in response to the Los Angeles City Council’s March 3 vote to mandate “hero pay” for workers.
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Collegian Staff Wins Silver Crown Award BY COLLEGIAN STAFF
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The Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) awarded the staff of the L.A. City College Collegian a 2020 Silver Crown Award. The awards recognize overall excellence in a publication. CSPA announced the awards at Columbia University via a Zoom presentation on March 19, 2021. More than 40 Gold and Silver Crowns were presented to member colleges and universities for the 2019/2020 school year. The competition began in 1982, and this is the first year the Collegian has won a Crown Award. Judges meet once a year at Columbia University to review entries in print newspaper, online, magazine and yearbook categories. There are more than 800 member schools eligible for the competition. This is a reward for all the hard work that writers, designers and photographers produce during the year. Collegian staff members have also received 18 individual Gold Circle awards for design, writing and photography since 2014 from CSPA.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Los Angeles Collegian - Wednesday, March 24, 2021
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Foundation Stacks Scholarships for City LACC Foundation posts new scholarship and internship opportunities on its website. Students may access scholarship page with their college account. BY ANGELA JOHNSON AND JAMES DUFFY V
Angel Lopez Scholarship
The LACC Foundation is offering to recognize a deserving student who has been an exemplary teammate, role model, has demonstrated outstanding student accomplishment and is also pursuing a bachelor’s degree.
The Earnest Scholarship
This scholarship is available at https://www.earnest.com. The Earnest company is giving away $250,000 in scholarships. No essays are required; neither are entry fees. Enter for a chance to win one of 50 Earnest Scholarships and an applicant could get $5,000 for books, tuition, and more. Applicants must be enrolled, or soon be enrolled, as a full-time student at an accredited U.S. college or university in fall 2021. There are no minimum GPA, residency, or major requirements.
The submission deadline: June 30, 2021
Tallo’s $1,000 Scholarship
Tallo is a platform that helps over a million students show their scholastic and extracurricular accomplishments. Students listed with Tallo may be discovered by colleges and companies looking for new talent—all while matching them with over $20 billion in scholarships. Applying for the $1,000 scholarship is easy. Just follow the threestep process below: 1. Join Tallo. It’s free. 2. Create your account. 3. Apply https://tallo.com/college-scholarships/
No Essay ‘You Deserve It’ Scholarship
Sign up and get applied to the scholarship automatically! 1. A prize of $2,222 goes to the winner. 2. Application Deadline: 11:59 PM PDT on March 29th 2021 3. *No purchase or payment of any kind is necessary to enter or win the $2,222. No essay is required for the ‘You Deserve It!’ Scholarship.
Apply Me, Inc. ‘Scholarship Sweepstakes’
Apply Me, Inc. is pleased to offer this scholarship sweepstakes (“Scholarship Sweepstakes”) in which you can apply for a chance to win a scholarship to be paid by ScholarshipOwl directly to your qualified high school, college or university
Laptop Application
Students in need are eligible to apply for a laptop provided by the college. The grant is for students enrolled in the 2020-2021 academic year.
Nursing Persistence Grant
The LACC Foundation students studying nursing are encouraged to apply for the Nursing Persistence Grant. The grant is for students enrolled in the 2020-2021 academic year.
ASG Community Service Scholarship
The ASG Community Service Scholarship dedicates a scholarship to ASG members for community service. The scholarship excludes current student senators. This scholarship requires a 500-words profile essay. The essay should describe the types of community service and populations served. Criteria for Applying: 1. Must be a current full-time student at LACC 2. Applicants must submit a current class schedule as proof of enrollment and an unofficial transcript 3. Applicants must complete a minimum of 12 units at LACC. 4. Applicants must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or above 5. Applicants must be a student intent on transferring to a fouryear college university.
Brian Newkirk and Loren Ostrow Theatre Arts Scholarship
The authors say this scholarship is intended for self-identified LGBTQ LACC Theatre Academy students who can demonstrate financial need. The award will be granted based on academic promise, financial need and talent in a theatre academy discipline. More scholarships are listed on the LACC Foundation website at http://www.laccfoundation.org/. New scholarships, grants, internships and other opportunities are updated. To accessibility City students may use their student login information.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JAMES DUFFY V
(ISC)² Undergraduate Cybersecurity Scholarship
$5,000 March 8, 2022 The (ISC)² Undergraduate Scholarship offers students scholarships from $1,000 to $5,000 per recipient. Must be pursuing, or plan to pursue, a degree with a focus on cybersecurity or information assurance. You may be a senior in high school or an undergraduate student who is currently a junior, freshman, sophomore or senior who will be pursuing an undergraduate degree in the fall. A minimum 3.3. GPA is required. Recipients are notified in June. For more information Contact The Scholarship Committee by mail at 311 Park Place Blvd., Suite 610, Clearwater, FL 33759, or via the website: scholarships@ isc2.org. The phone number is 727-493-3587.
Allegra Ford Thomas Scholarship
$5,000 April 5, 2021 The Allegra Ford Thomas Scholarship is a $5,000 scholarship awarded over two years ($2,500 each year) to a graduating high school senior who will enroll in a two-year community college, a vocational or technical training program, or a specialized program for students with LD and/or ADHD in the fall. Students must have a documented learning disability (LD) and/ or ADHD. For more information go to the scholarship information page at afscholarships@ncld.org.
BMI Future Jazz Master Scholarship
$5,000 January 22, 2022 The BMI Future Jazz Master Scholarship is an annual competition open to rising jazz stars enrolled at colleges and universities nationwide. The award pays tribute to the artistic excellence of jazz pioneers while providing crucial support for emerging performers. In order to be eligible for the competition, all applicants must be current full-time or part-time students of a U.S. college or university, and be 17-24. Students who have been accepted to a U.S. college or university for future enrollment are not eligible. For more information or to apply, contact the scholarship committee by mail at 7 World Trade Center, 250 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10007-0030. The committee can also be reached through the website or by email: https://bmifoundation.org/programs; scholarships@bmifoundation.org.
One Earth Film Festival Young Filmmakers Contest
$1,000 January 5, 2022 One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest is open to students from third grade through college. Each film submission is based on one or several of the following topics: water, waste, food, transportation, energy, open space and ecosystems. All entries must be between three and eight minutes in length. For more information or to apply, contact the scholarship committee by mail at 166 N. Humphrey Ave., #1N, Oak Park, IL 60302; lisa@greencommunityconnections.org; https://www.oneearthfilmfest.org/contest-details
FOOD RESOURCES WEST ADAMS
1736 Family Crisis Center 2116 W. Arlington Ave. Suite 200 Los Angeles CA 90018 (323) 737-3900 5213 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90019 (323) 904-3832 Requirements Household must meet the Federal Poverty Level Have been denied unemployment insurance benefit -or- ineligible for
public benefits (i.e. CalFresh, CalWORKS, General Relief, etc.) And/or applied for unemployment insurance benefit, CalFresh, CalWORKS, General Relief or CalFresh, and have not received their first check. Hours of Operation M-8 a.m.- 6 p.m. T - 8 a.m.- 8 p.m. W -8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Th -8 a.m. - 8 p.m. F - 8 a.m. -4:30 p.m. Serving Zip Codes 90004 | 90007 | 90008 | 90016 | 90018 | 90019 | 90035 | 90036 | 90047 | 90048 | and surrounding neighborhoods
Food Assistance/Assistencia Alimentaria Pandemic EBT Card/Tarjeta EBT para pandemia: https://www.cdss. ca.gov/home/pandemic-ebt Sign up for reduced price produce boxes/Regístrese para cajas de productos a precio reducido: https://airtable.com/shrleQyPrPxXOHKFu Need free diapers & formula? Check availability and make an appointment with the Koreatown Youth+Community Center! ¿Necesita pañales y fórmula gratis? ¡Contacte el centro comunitario y juvenil de Koreatown para consultar disponibilidad y hacer una cita! Contact/Contacto: Ima Figueroa: (213) 365-7400 [ext. 5126]/ e-mail/ correo electrónico: ifigueroa@kyccla.org Reality LA Center/Fountain Avenue Baptist Church/Iglesia Bautista Fountain Avenue 4903 Fountain Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90029 Free breakfast [10 AM] and supper [4 PM] Monday – Friday Desayuno gratis [10am] y cena [4pm] de lunes a viernes SELAH Meals & Shower Programs/Programas de comidas y duchas SELAH: https://www.selahnhc.org/ Tuesday Showers/Ducha Tuesday Showers/Duchas los martes [9-10:30 AM] @ Echo Park United Methodist Church [parking lot off Reservoir St]/Iglesia Metodista Unida de Echo Park [estacionamiento junto a la calle Reservoir St]: 1226 N Alvarado St, Los Angeles, CA 90026 Saturday Supper Program/Programa de Cena del sábado [1-4 PM] @ Silverlake Presbyterian Church/Iglesia Presbiteriana Silverlake 2930 Hyperion Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027 The Hope Center – Reality LA Church https://realityla.com/about/thehope-center/ Hot Meals 2-3 times a day Comidas calientes 2 a 3 veces al día (323) 883-1812 – Info@RealityLA.com Immigrants Charitable Foundation/Fundación benéfica para inmigrantes: https://immigrantscf.org/ Food Distribution every Friday – Santa Monica Blvd / Normandie Distribución de alimentos todos los viernes – En la Santa Monica Blvd y Normandie Social Services, Counseling, Immigration Assistance Servicios sociales, Asesoramiento, Asistencia de inmigración (213) 325-5056 – Support@ImmigrantsCF.Org
Free Tax Preparation for Qualifying Taxpayers VITA/TCE The IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs offer free tax help to people who generally make $57,000 or less, persons with disabilities, and limited English-speaking taxpayers who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns. Due to COVID-19, a number of VITA/TCE sites are closed for an undetermined period of time. Those that are open may have adapted their operations to accommodate limited in-person contact or remote services and may have limited hours. Find a VITA/TCE site online or call 800-906-9887.
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SPORTS
Los Angeles Collegian - Wednesday, March 24, 2021
SPORTS BIN
Banish Pandemic Pounds
PHOTO COURTESY OF UNSPLASH
Throw Yourself into Martial Arts BY JUSTIN DE LA CRUZ
The pandemic caught us all by surprise. We never thought everyone would be closed indoors, afraid to shake hands, or afraid to see someone without a mask. Humans are not meant to stay indoors. Instead, we should be communicating with one another, exploring, and participating in physical activities. I currently work at a martial arts gym, and when the stay-athome order was issued, all gyms had to close.
The first three weeks of the order were difficult. Pre-pandemic, I was always moving, and I tried to keep myself in good health. But staying at home, I lacked the motivation to get up or the energy to go for a run. It was so bad that I started to eat constantly, and I gained weight. Martial arts schools adapted to the situation. My school started teaching via Zoom. It was a new way to teach and run a business. I think other people will feel the same about not having the energy to do work, to go out for a run, or spend time with family. Our home is a place for us to relax. It the place we go to recharge. When we see
BY TUPAC ZAPATA
Head Coach Brings International, Pro Experience to City New Soccer Coach Has a Head for Numbers and Wins.
In the summer of 2008, Javier Aguiniga Campos was a UCLA graduate when he was invited to travel to Mexico City and try out for Cruz Azul, one of Mexico’s most important professional teams. Cruz Azul calls the southern part of Mexico City home, and the team has been the “Primera Division” champion eight times. It was a special time for the UCLA grad. A once in a lifetime opportunity to become a professional footballer was unusual for a 23-year-old. That’s considered a bit old to start a professional soccer career. “It was a unique and beautiful experience to be in Mexico for four months trying to achieve any young man’s dream, but the competition was incredibly good and unfortunately I did not make the roster,” said Aguiniga Campos. Aguiniga graduated from UCLA in 2007. He also earned an M.A. degree in mathematics and one in physical education. He was ready for life’s curve balls, and soccer would bring another opportunity a year later. This time, it was a position as a head coach at Rio Hondo High School where he also worked as a substitute teacher. During his two years at Rio Hondo High, his team won back-to-back conference titles in 2009 and 2010. At the same time, he attended Rio Hondo Community College where he played college soccer. The wins caught the attention of ELAC’s head soccer coach who brought Aguiniga Campos on as an assistant coach. He remained there until 2013 and then returned to Rio Hondo College as assistant coach until 2019. In early 2020, LACC Athletics Director Robert McKinley and Kinesiology Department chair Aykanush Gevanyan, decided to name Javier Aguiniga Campos as the new head coach of the LACC men’s soccer team. They had interviewed several other candidates for the position, but Aguiniga Campos’s decade as assistant coach at two other colleges convinced them that he was the right man for the job. “My experience allowed me to be considered as the most qualified candidate for the job as head coach,” he said. Landing the job as the head coach at LACC is an opportunity that Aguiniga Campos has been patiently waiting for, as he feels that he has paid his dues and learned the ropes. The native of Ziquítaro, Michoacan, was a standout athlete at Mountain View High School in El Monte where he played soccer, football and ran track & field. “I have waited a long time for this opportunity, and I’m looking forward for what’s to come,” said coach Aguiniga Campos. His assistant coach will be Felipe Bernal, who won a national title with Cerritos College in 2018. Coach Javier Aguiniga Campos is bilingual and will be vaccinated by April. He says he will have an idea of how the team will look by late June and will have his final roster by Aug. 1.
our homes, we immediately think about sleep, rest or relaxation. When we see our workspace, we automatically focus on work and think about deadlines. Staying in our home and mixing work is difficult. Home is the comfort zone. I recommend Moorimgoong Martial Arts academy to anyone who wants to have a good workout. It builds self-discipline, respect and focus. You can learn Moorimgoong Martial Arts at home with virtual instruction or practice with in-person classes. Many regular gyms are still closed, and not everyone can afford to buy expensive equipment. Most
people in L.A. lack space for a home gym, but martial arts do not require a lot of space, and there are opportunities for in-person instruction. The study of martial arts helps improve coordination, flexibility, confidence and public speaking skills. It will help the student develop better social skills, better full-body workouts and self-defense skills. Everyone wants to maintain their health, but it is difficult now. Find a martial arts school to join during the pandemic. Practice online or take an in-person class. When this is all over, the health benefits will be clear.
