The Corsair - Issue 3 (Fall 2021) by Santa Monica College

OCTOBER 13, 2021 | VOLUME 122 ISSUE 3 | SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

EVERY COPY OF THE CORSAIR IS FREE, EACH COPY AFTER IS 25¢ | SANTA MONICA COLLEGE, STUDENT RUN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1929

CONTENT

FACULTY ADVISORS Ashanti Blaize-Hopkins | Journalism Adviser Gerard Burkhart | Photo Adviser Sharyn Obsatz | Social Media Adviser

CONTACT Editor in Chief | corsair.editorinchief@gmail.com

SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram | corsairnews Twitter | the_corsair Facebook | thecorsairnews YouTube | thecorsaironline

WEBSITE

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Illustration by Ashley Cox

ith the news breaking of a large oil spill in Huntington Beach, CA and the fate of women’s rights still up in the air, autumn remains the same. It comes to us every year, and brings with it a cool breeze of change. As the weather dips below 75 degrees in Los Angeles, the summer blues that I am doomed to every year, vanishes without fail. The focus and mental clarity that the cool weather brings adds to the empowerment that I am trying to embody in my own life, and for The Corsair. Something that a lot of people don’t know about me is that I am an aerialist. When I’m not in the newsroom, I’m typically within the perimeter of a lyra hoop, upside down, and ignoring the world for a moment. Ironically enough — suspending myself upside down, with only my body strength keeping me from hitting the ground, has become one of the most empowering things that I’ve done. Within my hoop, I am in complete control of everything that happens. There is no one else to blame if I fall, and no one to blame if I can’t hold my body weight up. While I am performing aerial arts, I can only blame myself should something go wrong or I quite literally, hit the ground. In a way, it’s not unlike being the Editor of The Corsair. When things go wrong, or if it gets a little wonky, it falls on my shoulders. The problems that arise and the balance that it takes to lead the team is a balancing act that I’m still figuring out. I take a lot of inspiration from one of our Advisors, Ashanti Blaze-Hopkins. As a leader, she projects strength and grace — and as I get to know her and spend more time in the off moments with her, I see first hand that she is a woman empowered. I couldn’t fathom writing this ‘LEditor’ without mentioning her powerful opinion piece that got the attention of Governor Gavin Newsom himself, and propelled him to sign Senate Bill 98. The bill itself protects journalists covering ‘protests and civil unrest’. A previous version of the bill was vetoed by Newsom last year. Yet on October 9, 2021, Newsom signed SB 98, just weeks after the opinion piece was published. Ashanti had only a few hours to write it, and 600 words to say something that could make a change. Even with those limitations, she accomplished exactly what she set out to do. To have the opportunity to learn from her, and watch as these changes are enacted feels like I’m watching a version of history that I’ve always wanted to be a part of. (Gloria Steinem’s bra burning protest, I’m looking at you.) This history unfolding and these changes being enacted by ‘everyday’ people shows that change is a part of our daily life, and it is up to us to not only make said change, but to choose to be on the right side of it. Or not.

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FRONT COVER The Los Angeles County Museum of Art in Los Angeles, California on March 13, 2020. All museums have been closed for much of 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Maxim Elramsisy | The Corsair

Ashley Cox

Editor-In-Chief

OCT. 13, 2021

NEWS

School Districts Fight For Vaccine Mandate Marlene Herrera | Staff Writer

A recent California mandate will require K-12 students to be vaccinated in order to attend in-person learning to minimize the transmission of COVID-19. Five school districts, Culver City, Los Angeles, Oakland, Piedmont, and San Diego, are implementing vaccination requirements. The COVID-19 vaccine will be listed amongst measles, mumps and rubella, all of which are prerequisite immunizations required to attend public school. Prior to this announcement, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) required all K-12 students to wear a mask at all times and take a weekly COVID-19 test, declaring negative test results before attending in-person classes. Similarly, the new mandate will be a condition of in-person attendance as well. A student who is not vaccinated may remain enrolled in a school but may not attend in-person lectures. Daisy Hernadez, an early childhood special education instructor from Leo Politi Elementary said, “Vaccines are what’s necessary to contain the pandemic.” Having worked as a substitute teacher in grades K-5, Daisy said, “I had to constantly tell students to keep their mask on or put it over their nose. Some of my kids are limited in their physical abilities and need that extra support to place the mask band behind their ears. It would be beneficial for students to be vaccinated because there is lots of interaction with many people at schools.” Students age 12 and under are not yet CDPH approved to be vaccinated. Therefore, the California mandate will follow a schedule dictating the deadline children

Marc Federici | The Corsair A counter-protestor waves a sign as they drive by a rally organized by Facebook group LA Mommies on October 8, 2021 in front of Palisades High School in the Paciific Palisades, Calif. COVID-19 vaccination is set to join LAUSD's self-maintained list of required vaccinations for enrollment by November, 2021.

need to be vaccinated by based on their age. According to a newsletter released by Gov. Gavin Newsom, once students in grades K-6 are approved by the FDA, the “CDPH will consider relevant recommendations” from three different health committees. After listening to recommendations, the CDPH will initiate the rulemaking process. Students ages 12 and up meet the age requirement placed by CDPH. Stated in the newsletter from Newsom’s office, students can expect to “show proof of vaccination as soon as July 1st, 2022.” While the new vaccination requirement is “a

regulation, not a legislation, the mandate must be subjected to exemptions.” Noemi Rodriguez has nieces and nephews attending Washington Elementary in Montebello. She said, “the vaccine should be voluntary.” In December of 2020, Noemi’s seven year-old niece and two nephews ages four and six contracted COVID-19 and were treated “under quarantine with herbal teas, medicine for their fevers and Vapor Rub for body aches and headaches.” With her household having experienced COVID-19, Noemi states, “I understand the fear of schools, parents, and teachers towards COVID and the

unknown, but due to the fact that the vaccine is fairly new and data is forming day by day, I consider it a harmful decision” Under the rule making process, the public will be able to voice their opinion and comment on the mandate. The newsletter cites exemptions to the vaccination mandate for students under two categories: “medical reasons and personal beliefs.” This is expected to begin after the FDA approves a vaccine for children.

P H OTO S TO R Y

OCT. 13, 2021

Photos by Jon Putman A squirrel sits on a cliffs edge in Huntington Beach, Calif. on Oct. 11, 2021, while crews clean up oil. Wildlife affected by the disaster include birds, fish, seals and other inhabitants of the protected Talbert Marsh wetland area.

Coastal Wildlife At Risk after OC Oil Spill Gavin Quinton | News Editor

leanup crews wearing white hooded hazmat suits shoveled clumps of oil and tar into garbage bags and casted long floating booms along the California Coast after an oil pipeline burst Oct. 1, leaking up to 144,000 gallons of toxic crude oil into the waters just miles from Huntington Beach, CA. Adam Zagorski, a beach goer and longtime resident of Laguna Niguel in Orange County said,The oil spill had an immediate impact on the community… but I am concerned about the long term impact on estuary habitats in Newport beach and surrounding areas. It’s sad to see this happen every few years.” This spill is the largest of seven active oil spills off of the California coast as of Oct. 11, 2021. Hundreds of volunteers who share Zagorski's concern for local wildlife flocked to the beaches to aid in the cleanup and wildlife rescue effort this past week. The local wildlife relief response is being managed by the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN), a team consisting of 44 organizations including regulatory agencies, academic institutions and wildlife organizations working to rescue and rehabilitate oiled wildlife in California. The OWCN is supported by approximately 1,600 extensively trained volunteers on

The shoreline in Huntington Beach, Calif. closed due to the oil spill that occured off the coast of Orange County, Calif. Surrounding beaches including Newport Beach and Laguna Beach are closed as well.

the ground. These volunteers follow systemic guidelines in the field, starting with reconnaissance and information gathering. Once this information is processed, a wildlife branch director then disperses different response groups based on the given task. The effort is then focused on wildlife contamination prevention, recovery of oiled wildlife, field stabilization, cleaning the wildlife and finally releasing them, according to the OWCN. A representative from the OWCN, Kat Kerlin, said that many local residents inquired about joining the effort

to rescue wildlife, but that only welltrained volunteers are dispatched in the interest of safety. “Working with oil can be dangerous,” said Kerlin. All volunteers are equipped with protective gear like gloves and hazard wear. These cleanup crews collect oiled wildlife and transport them to field stabilization centers for care and cleaning. The organization has responded to 106 oil spills since 1995, and has recovered, cleaned, and released at least 74 marine animals in this recent spill alone. The Unified Response team is re-

sponsible for managing the entirety of the response and oil cleanup. It consists of the Amplify Energy, the oil company responsible for the spill, alongside U.S. Coast Guard, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Orange and San Diego Counties. In a statement, Unified Response advised residents against consuming seafood from fishing in offshore waters due to toxicity in marine populations as a result of the spill. A class action lawsuit seeking damages has been proposed by commercial fishing and seafood companies against Amplify Energy. Amplify Energy responded to an inquiry about public health, saying, “Due to the toxicity of the spill, residents and visitors are advised to avoid contact with ocean water and oiled areas of the beaches until they have been opened... [We] ask that the public refrain from participating in recreational activities on the shoreline such as swimming, surfing, biking, walking, exercising, gathering, etc.” Amplified Energy declined to comment regarding the cause of the oil spill, stating that they cannot discuss ongoing investigations.

OCT. 13, 2021

P H OTO S TO R Y

A Santa Monica College student purchases books and supplies from the campus bookstore on September 2, 2021, in Santa Monica, Calif.

A surfer catches waves in Huntington Beach, Calif. despite the beaches being closed due to an oil spill that occurred in Orange County, Calif. In the background cargo ships can be seen holding at sea as ports in the Los Angeles area are backed up to prevent any oil from entering the populated water ways.

Patriot Environmental Services workers pick up filled bags of oil left on the beach. Patriot Environmental Services known for its environmental waste and national response services works along side other environmental disaster companies to get the mission accomplished.

Cleanup crews from the U.S. Ecology, the leading provider of environmental, emergency, and disaster response, check every square inch of the beach for any washed up oil.

Patriot Environmental Services workers bag oil washed up at Huntington Beach, Calif.

A R TS & E N T E R TA I N M E N T

OCT. 13, 2021

Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra Performs at LACMA Sarah Nachimson | Arts & Entertainment Editor

n the LACMA's Angel City Jazz Festival, a live Oct. 8 concert featuring the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra shared rich culture through music. A musician tapping together two wooden clave sticks, an instrument prominent in Afro-Cuban jazz, conducted the rhythm for the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra's first set. The Oct. 8 evening performance, by the Black ensemble, was in front of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's (LACMA) iconic street lights. The Arkestra was one featured group in a series for the Angel City Jazz Festival located at the LACMA. The beginning of the concert flowed with upbeat, celebratory music. According to performers, who announced details of each song right after they ended, the tunes were composed by African musicians such as Lester Robinson and Jesse Sharp. The third song shifted to a melancholy, somber mood with a trombone solo. Next, the music featured lots of drums. Then, the ensemble paused to share a few poignant words. One musician spoke on how he was there, performing with his best friends and family (including his own father), and viewing his friends as his family. He told the show's audience that the Arkestra's purpose, that day, was to preserve the culture of Black musicians "dead or alive." According to Kamau Daaood, a spoken

word artist and another member of the Pan Afrikan Peoples Ensemble, that idea of cultural preservation is the organization's overall mission. Daaood discussed the group's founding in 1930 on Los Angeles's East Side by jazz musician Horace Tapscott, and how the community has since expanded to many neighborhoods such as Leimert Park. They've also begun mentoring younger musicians as they've always been 'generational.' "It was about teaching, spreading the culture … embedding the culture in the participants, in the family, and the energy around the culture," Daaood said. A saxophone player in the ensemble, Kamasi Washington, also reflected on the organization's origins and how it created bonds in his community through music. "It really kind of instilled the idea that there needs to be more than just notes," he said. Many musicians in the ensemble received life-changing opportunities from the Arkestra's community. "This has nothing to do with other things, other than music, but this uses music to do other things," Washington said. Daaood, too, shared his belief in the power of cultural music. He described how notes can tell a story. "There are things that you cannot verbalize. There are things in the music that you feel that are spiritual to remedy," Daaood said. The concert concluded with a female singer scatting, a vocal style distinct within African jazz. Then, the ensemble performed an original slam poem by Daaood which the writer penned about Tapscott,

Marc Federici | The Corsair Kamasi Washington plays with the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra during the Angel City of Jazz performance at LACMA on October 8, 2021 in Los Angeles, Calif. This is Washington's first time playing with the Arkestra in years.

accompanied by a softer jazz composition. "I do not fit into form, I create form," the poem said. "My ears are radar charting the whispers of my ancestors." For a finale, a drummer in the ensem-

ble played a solo, and the crowd rose for a standing ovation.

A Virtual Midsummer Night's Dream Zipporah Pruitt | Staff Writer Aaliyah Sosa | Staff Writer

uring the COVID-19 pandemic, Santa Monica College's (SMC) Theatre Arts cast and crew prepared for their next project, “A Tale of a Midsummer Night’s Dream”. Performances are showcased in the Theatre Arts Complex, but because of the pandemic, the production will be streamed online. This play is the fourth to be presented in a completely remote performance following “Les Romanesque,” “The Seven Ravens,” and “Radio Ghost Stories”. The comedy, "A Tale of a Midsummer Night's Dream," is adapted by SMC's own Dr. Adrianne "Doc" Harrop, who has been teaching at the college for 42 years. “We spent hours on a 20-minute scene. We’d spend six hours setting it up because we don’t teach film, we teach theatre. We’re not film people,” Harrop said. Stage manager Gwenevere Hodgson and lead actor Auryn Rothwell, both SMC students, explained the challenges that the crew encountered behind the curtain. “Electronically watching a show, you don't get as emotionally involved [as] you do watching a live performance,” Hodgson said.

Harrop shared the casts’ reaction to police requiring that actors wear masks while they performed. “[Our cast] just [goes], 'Wait a minute, you can't act with a mask on.' The main part of the acting instrument is the face," said Harrop. Rothwell reflected on what it was like to perform for a live audience before COVID-19 compared to acting for an iPhone camera, “It's upsetting but at the same time as long as people enjoy it, that's all that matters to me. I would love to hear the reactions live, but so long as they see it, that's all that matters,” Rothwell said. Both Hodgson and Rothwell spoke about how they once underestimated Shakespeare. Later, they realized he wasn't just a man who appeared to write random gibberish in need of a translation, but an authentic poet. “I’m excited for the possibility of people seeing this and potentially seeing what I saw in Shakespeare after far longer than it should have taken for me to see,” Rothwell said. Commenting on how she tried to adapt the show for a modern audience, Professor Harrop said, “I kept a lot of the major stuff and I kept the characters. But I added a narrator, so the narrator just skips through parts of the play and gives the audience what they need to know for parts of the play.” She made many adaptations to

Sarah Nachimson | The Corsair Auryn Rothwell, who stars in the Santa Monica College Theatre Department's fall production of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', poses on the Theatre Art's building balcony on Oct. 12, 2021.

the play, including shortening the run time which was originally three hours long. The production crew aimed to present a diverse cast and lighthearted production. “It reflects the melting pot of Los Angeles,” Harrop said. “It’s frothy, fun and uplifting, which we need because it’s been dark and dreary. So we could use some uplifting com-

edy.” Through the Theatre Arts section on the SMC site, the performance of ‘’A Tale of a Midsummer Night’s Dream’’. Admission is

free.

C U LT U R E

OCT. 13, 2021

Celebrating Hispanic Achievement Rahno Razmkhah | Social Media Editor

anta Monica College’s (SMC) large Hispanic population impacts much of the campus’ culture, curriculum, and student programs. To highlight the journey of some of SMC's very own Latino students, two of the school’s alumni, Alexis Gosselin and Ozmin Noj Yac, shared their journeys with The Corsair. Gosselin, now a Communications student at University of Southern California (USC), graduated from SMC this past June. Gosselin opened up about his involvement with SMC's Adelante program. “I liked to go just for the people and the environment,” he said. When speaking about how SMC supports its Latino students, Gosselin said, “SMC is incredibly supportive. They make it mandatory for you to get counseling appointments. There are even counselors that speak Spanish.” The Adelante program provides academic and counseling services in order to promote scholastic excellence, cultural awareness, and community growth. More information about Adelante and how to get involved is available on SMC's website. Understanding the impact of linguistic and cultural barriers that exist among immigrant communities, Gosselin shared how the program has made him a more well-rounded individual. “Just having a broader perspective into life, understand-

ing that struggles are more structural, understanding that people have different backgrounds - there is so much individuality within each person," he said. One thing that Gosselin as well as a great majority of the Latino community are passionate about is, Latino representation. According to the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), 39% of California residents are Latino.However, that number is not well represented in leadership roles, public policy, or higher education institutions. Noj Yac majors in Public Health at California State University Long Beach (CSULB) where he is pursuing his bachelor’s degree for nursing school. As a first-generation student, or being the very first person in his family to attend college, he struggled with resources in his first year. “I got more help from other nursing students with my classes than counselors," he said. Many first-gen Latino students feel overwhelmed with finding all the resources themselves, navigating their educational journey alone, and having to live up to society’s impossible standards. “It’s very common to be unsure of what you want to do - just remember there is always a purpose for why you are here,” said Noj Yac. Both of these individuals continue to contribute to SMC’s community even after their time on campus, working with mil-

Illustration by Ashley Cox

lions of Latinos nationwide to break away from barriers, stereotypes, and exceed society’s expectations one day at a time. They not only excel in academics, but are also role models that the younger Latino generation can look up to, paving the way

for diversity in the face of adversity for the future of the Latino community.

O P INIO N The Value of Ethnic Studies Katheryne Menendez | Opinion Editor

n Friday, Oct. 8, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 101, which requires California high schools offer ethnic studies courses by 2025 and mandate one semester of ethnic studies for graduation. Authored by Assemblymember Jose Medina, D-Riverside, this bill comes following various protests against teaching critical race theory (CRT), which critically examines the roles race plays in academia and American history. Though CRT and ethnic studies are not the same, they are intrinsically intertwined. Ethnic studies, or the academic study of racial and ethnic groups, shares similarities with CRT. Both provide criticisms of a historically racist view and treatment toward people of color (POC). CRT is often criticized as being “racist,”

“polarizing,” and “vilifying of the white race.” Ethnic studies falls victim to a similar fate, since opponents often mistake it for CRT and give both the same criticisms. According to POLITICO, State Senator Melissa Melendez, R-Riverside said, in regards to both CRT and AB 101, “the last thing we need is state-sanctioned racism being taught in our schools.” These criticisms, however, are incorrect. Ethnic studies does not vilify any race or group. A quick look at the State Board of Education’s “Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum” shows that the material does not paint any group as more favorable than the other. Sample resource include history lessons on topics like redlining and housing discrimination, studies on groups of people from various cultures, and the impact of different legislation and many social movements.

In short, ethnic studies is not one biased opinion, but rather a cluster of logical observations and hypotheses based on objective history and expert analysis. Ethnic studies also provides many benefits to students. A study by researchers at the Stanford Graduate School of Education found that assigning high school students to ethnic studies courses led to “an increase in student attendance by 21 percent, GPA by 1.4 grade points, and credits earned by 23.” This interest amongst students is evoked by the inclusion of marginalized communities. Many minorities, who represent a large fraction of California’s high school population, have historically been deprived of their history in American schools. Alyssa Cruz, who received a bachelors of arts degree in Asian American Studies from California State Universi-

ty Northridge, now interacts with other members of marginalized communities both inside and outside of work as an instructional assistant at Granada Hills Charter High School. “I no longer felt so alienated as [a member of the Asian diaspora], but belonging [to] an international and intergenerational struggle against all forms of oppression,” she said. After working with student groups to embody the values and lessons in ethnic studies courses, Cruz said, “Ethnic studies no longer was something we read about in a book, but something we engaged in and actively shaped.” As Cruz and many others can attest, ethnic studies is critical in building solidarity amongst groups of color. It makes others conscious of people that may look, act, or have different beliefs than they do—something that is imperative in a country actively becoming more diverse.