Daily Forty-Niner, Sept. 8, 2020

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Vol. LXXII, Issue 3

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Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Scholars Strike in

Solidarity Pages 4 & 5

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | EIC@DAILY49ER.COM ON THE COVER Illustartion by Alina Schwieder Professors across the country prepare to participate in a two-day academic strike Sept. 8 and 9 focused on injustice in America related to policing and violence against communities of color.

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Student Health Services will continue to provide in-person care through the fall semester and plans to introduce rapid COVID-19 testing in the upcoming weeks.

Campus clinic to continue care Operating under newly imposed regulations, the health center looks to offer rapid COVID-19 testing in the near future.

Special Projects Editor Peter Villafane Photo Editor Andrea Ramos Video Editor Pablo Unzueta Social Media Editor Jocelyn Torralba Podcast Editor Cameron Johnston Multimedia Assistant Luke Pajari Design Assistant Anna Karkalik News Assistants Chance Sinerius Nicholas James Arts and Life Assistant Celeste Huecias Opinions Assistant Jireh Deng Sports Assistants Cain Hernandez Ignacio Cervantes Special Projects Assistant Giselle Alexandra Ormeno Photo Assistant Richard Grant Video Assistant Lauren Berny

By Julia Terbeche News Editor

A

lthough much of campus remains closed this semester, Long Beach State’s Student Health Services will continue to provide students with all routine medical services for the foreseeable future.

These services include physicals, wellness examinations, screenings for sexually transmitted infections, reproductive health visits and sports medicine evaluations, according to Kimberly Fodran, medical director at Student Health Services.

The health center is offering “telehealth evaluations” for all students Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and in-person visits from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

“We welcome all CSU students and can readily evaluate both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19-related medical concerns,” Fodran said. “Students will receive an initial telehealth evaluation followed by an in-person evaluation, if necessary.”

In accordance with public health guidelines, SHS has implemented new regulations and cleaning procedures, including daily disinfection of the clinic. The clinic also has separate visit times for well and sick students, as well as designated rooms with special air filters for individuals with “concerning symptoms,” Fodran said.

All patients are required to complete a COVID-19 screening and temperature check prior to a face-toface appointment.

At this time, the student health center is providing patients with PCR, or polymerase chain reaction, COVID-19 testing, which is a molecular test that detects the virus’ genetic material.

In addition to the PCR test, Fodran said SHS is looking to provide a rapid diagnostic test, or an antigen test, within the coming weeks that detects

specific proteins on the surface of the virus.

The current tests take up to a week for results to be finalized, while antigen results should only take up to an hour. Although antigen tests offer quicker results, they have a higher margin of error compared to molecular tests.

Testing will most likely be conducted outdoors or in a student’s vehicle, Fodran said. If an outbreak occurs on campus, she said, the school will take direction from the city’s health department.

“Throughout the pandemic, our campus has been working closely with our local public health officials [and] have established processes in place to address positive COVID cases affecting our campus community,” Fodran said.

In the event that any on-campus resident has symptoms of the virus, that individual will be instructed to remain in their dorm room and contact the health center.

If deemed necessary, health officials will coordinate with Housing and Residential Life to transition the student to an isolation space with a private bathroom in Hillside College and will regularly monitor the student, deliver meals and provide any desired resources.

Fodran encourages any individuals who are feeling ill to contact Student Health Services as soon as possible and to get a flu shot to help health officials differentiate whether a student has the flu or coronavirus.

She said she expects “a challenging flu season” as the campus is “fighting both COVID and influenza at the same time,” and that there are plans for the flu vaccine to be readily available for the campus community.

“In combination with practices such as handwashing, physical distancing and wearing face coverings, getting a flu shot can help prevent illness and reserve health care resources during the pandemic,” Fodran said. “In reuniting at the Beach, reporting illness and receiving testing will help minimize the spread of COVID-19 on our campus.”

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The bookstore has implemented a path for students to follow to move as quickly through the store as possible and maintain social distancing regulations.

Bookstore turns a new page

By Nicholas James & Julia Terbeche News Desk

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ith new regulations in place, Long Beach State’s 49er Shops Bookstore will stay open for in-person and virtual shopping for the fall semester.

Rosa Hernandez, 49er Shops director of human resources, said the bookstore employees have been working since the start of the coronavirus pandemic to continue providing essential services to the campus community.

“The university bookstore plays a crucial role in providing course materials and supplies to our students,” she said. “We continue to process online orders and have communicated to the student population through our website and social media handles.”

Although the campus transitioned to virtual instruction in March due to coronavirus-related concerns, the bookstore remained open during the remainder of the spring semester as students were still able to return their textbooks and order supplies virtually.

Compared to previous semesters, there are several new regulations in place to make sure operations comply with health and safety guidelines, but the bookstore’s doors remain open for walk-in business Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5

p.m. Saturday hours have been eliminated for the foreseeable future.

During the summer session, aisles were closed-off for students, and employees were required to retrieve all textbooks for customers in accordance with coronavirus-related protocol.

“They are trying their best but it can be hard when there [are] no previous measures to refer back to as a policy guide in this situation,” said Sierra Allen, a bookstore warehouse associate.

Allen, a third-year accounting major, said the bookstore has implemented new sanitation practices and cleaning procedures.

Each morning, almost all items in the bookstore are sanitized before workers or customers enter the store.

“I feel mixed [about the changes], they are doing as much as they can realistically do without having to fire people and to keep up with their order volume,” Allen said. “But, overall, perhaps they could be doing more.”

New regulations this fall include limited capacity within the bookstore, enforcement of physical distancing and face mask requirements. Employees are required to complete health screenings before arriving on campus.

As a warehouse employee, Allen processes orders as well as packs books and other merchandise for shipping orders. 49er Shops officials made a “germ safety booklet,” she said, but the employees weren’t properly briefed on new procedures.

“We kinda had to figure it out,” she said.

Allen said that over the summer employees were working over 40 hours per week plus overtime, but now that the fall semester is in session they’re capped at 29 hours in accordance with university policy.

In an attempt to limit in-person interactions, the ID card services office has transitioned online. All new CSULB students were asked to submit a photo online through an online portal as part of Student Orientation and Registration and were given a pick-up date in August to retrieve their card for the fall.

Students not coming to campus can still order textbooks online through their myCSULB student portals, according to Hernandez.

After logging into their Single Sign-On, students can navigate to the myCSULB chiclet and locate the “My Textbooks” option on the top left corner of the screen.

From here, students are able to view their required textbooks corresponding to their class schedules.

The bookstore is set to remain open for in-store shopping for the foreseeable future, yet students seem apprehensive about whether they will make use of this on-campus resource.

“I doubt I will [come to campus for the bookstore] since the bookstore is pretty far from where I am living and I have no other reason to be near campus,” said Bryan Robinson, fourth-year business major.

For any students not wanting to come to campus, 49er Shops reopened the Beach on

Second Street location in early July, which will remain open Thursday through Sunday.

As the rest of the fall semester remains up in the air, the bookstore is keeping its frequently asked questions page as up-todate as possible should anything change in the near future.

“I think as long as it is safe, the in-person option is a good thing to have available for students who prefer that way of getting their textbooks,” Robinson said.

4 NEWS

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By Julia Terbeche News Editor

n response to the rapidly evolving “scholar strike” set for Sept. 8 and 9, the administration at Long Beach State has shown explicit support of faculty participation in the nationwide movement to promote anti-racism on campus and across the country.

According to the school’s website, the scholar strike is being described as “Speaking Out: Supporting Anti-Racism at CSULB and Beyond.” The university’s official plan for the two-day event has Tuesday’s theme set as “What is Race? What is Anti-Blackness? How do they operate?” and Wednesday’s theme as “Dismantling Racism.”

Started by Anthea Butler, associate professor of religious studies and Africana studies at the University of Pennsylvania, and co-facilitated by Kevin Gannon, professor of history at Grand View University in Iowa, the strike is set to occur for the 48 hours following Labor Day in an effort to accommodate participating professors who work two-day teaching schedules.

During Tuesday and Wednesday classes next week, professors and administrators are encouraged to stray from traditional duties and course material to instead use the allotted time to “foster discussions and promote” teachings focused on injustice in America related to policing and violence against communities of color, according to the school’s official statement.

“Faculty members at CSULB are encouraged to consider pausing classes on September 8 and 9 to provide the opportunity for students and faculty members to participate in educational opportunities focused on anti-racism,” the statement read. “A number of your colleagues have been working hard to develop programming for these days, and to compile and curate readings, films, videos and podcasts that address anti-racism.”

Participants will be able to engage in the movement by offering alternative programming options for students, including 10-minute YouTube video lessons discussing racism, and making use of resources provided by the strike’s organizers.

CSULB’s website now includes a page with information pertaining to the strike as well as recommended media focused on topics of race, racism and racial inequity, featuring Justice Delayed, a short film created by CSULB students, along with several other films, videos, podcasts and readings. “#ScholarStrike at its core is about standing up against the rac-

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2020 | DAILY49ER.CO

ism and racial injustice that is happening right now in America, especially but not limited to African Americans, educating our students and the public about radicalized violence and working for a just society,” Butler said on Twitter. “It’s something we need to do if we are [going] to see structural and lasting change in America regarding racism, policing and injustice.”

One of CSULB’s strike organizers, Maulana Karenga, Africana studies department chair, said he is participating in solidarity with “our people and the struggle in the streets across the country” and poses a challenge for the university to “contribute meaningfully, measurably and continuously to the struggle against racism on campus and in society.”

“It is our struggle, another battlefront of our larger struggle as Black people to end police violence and systemic racism,” Karenga said. “It is also the struggle of people of color as a whole and for all people who value and support freedom from oppression, justice and equity for all. The university is also a ground of struggle and we’re obligated to struggle there and in society.”

He feels the administration should implement collaborative initiatives for faculty to foster a “collegial and welcoming climate our students, faculty and staff want and deserve” on campus.

Per the page’s event calendar, Tuesday’s programming begins at 9 a.m. with a screening of the Netflix film 13th, directed by Ava DuVernay. Following this, there will be a discussion from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. titled “13th: What the Film Teaches Us About Anti-Blackness in the U.S.” that includes guest presenters.

From 12:45 p.m. to 1:45 p.m., there will be a discussion titled “I Am Not Your Negro: James Baldwin’s Words & Their Impact” as well as a student teach-in by ENGL 375, or U.S. ethnic writers. There will also be a discussion from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on “Abolitionist Futures,” featuring several faculty presenters.

At 3 p.m., there will be a session focused on taking action in “opportunities for direct participation” that encourages voting, census participation and writing to representatives. Students are also encouraged to join several organizations including Black Lives Matter, the Black Student Union, La Fuerza, Students for Quality Education, the Anti-Racist Coalition at the Beach and Showing Up for Racial Justice.

Also at 3 p.m., a march to “End Police Violence” is set to take place at Long Beach’s Recreation Park.

Following this, participants are encouraged to register for a teachin meeting from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. regarding “When Black Lives Matter and Immigrant Rights Movements Collide.”

“I look forward to, and work and struggle for, victory against police violence and systemic racism which

Beach #Schola

Protestors gather outside L.A.’s City Hall on Monday, June 8, 2020 to demand justice f

This means first recognizing each people and culture as a unique and equa highest respect. It also means moving from the conception of society as a W fact that it is an unfinished, ongoing, multicultural project.

”

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backs arStrike

JULIA TERBECHE | Daily Forty-Niner

for victims of police brutality and promote anti-racism.

can only truly and fully take place with a radical reconception and reconstruction of society,” Karenga said. “This means first recognizing each people and culture as a unique and equally valid and valuable way of being human in the world and worthy of the highest respect. It also means moving from the conception of society as a White-finished product to a conception which recognizes and respects the fact that it is an unfinished, ongoing, multicultural project.”

The events for Wednesday, Sept. 9 begin at 10 a.m. with a session titled “The Movement Needs Co-Conspirators Instead of Allies” that features several BLM members from the Long Beach chapter.

Immediately following, a session on “Racial Equity in Undergraduate Research” will take place from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.

From 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., there will be a discussion on Assembly Bill 1460, the California State University ethnic studies requirement.

Wednesday’s schedule ends with a session on demanding transformation within Long Beach and Los Angeles to “dismantle the racist carceral system,” from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

“I am impressed with how our faculty are manifesting the aims of the Scholar Strike,” President Jane Close Conoley said. “CSULB faculty always think out of the box and keep a focus on students rather than making it just about themselves.

Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to participate in national conversations about these issues via social media by following Butler’s hashtag #ScholarStrike.

News of the strike reached CSULB when David Shafer, history department chair, decided to take a “tangible” stand on racial inequity rather than just making a statement of sympathy. Shafer did this by sending an email to the College of Liberal Arts faculty on Aug. 28, declaring his participation in the strike along with Karenga, Rigoberto Rodriguez, Chicano and Latino studies department chair, Barbara LeMaster, director of American Sign Language Linguistics and Deaf Cultures, Teresa Wright, political science department chair and Kristine Zentgraf, sociology department chair.

“I don’t have any illusions that it’s going to lead to monumental change, especially when it’s academics who are doing it,” Shafer said. “I mean it’s possible that some will give it a great big shoulder shrug if it gets any publicity, or people are going to say, ‘Well what do you expect, it’s a bunch of ivory tower intellectuals.’ But the point is it starts something, it moves us away from statements, it moves us to some sort of action, and this is where it becomes impactful.”

Butler initially posted a Tweet promoting the strike that led Gannon to reach out to her on Twitter, and the two eventually met on Zoom to collaborate on the project.

With thousands of participant signatures, the strike is meant to

be a deviation from the curriculum and a disruption from “business as usual” that Gannon hopes will be a chance for scholars to put their skills to work in a real-world setting.

“If I am not answering work emails for two days, what does that disruption mean, and what message is being sent by the allocation of my skills and labor to this public project?” Gannon said in an email. “And while this isn’t a mass demonstration in the streets, it is a disruption, a collective stand taken by those of us in higher education to hold ourselves, our institutions and our communities accountable to the ideals they supposedly stand for.”

Butler said on Twitter that she understands some individuals may place their jobs at risk by formally participating, such as faculty on tenure track or within union agreements, and maintained that those able to join should do so.

Initially, CSULB administration did not explicitly encourage faculty to participate in the strike, according to Shafer, but instead provided “conceptual and tangible support” for the alternative programming and “would offer logistical support.” The CLA Dean’s office expressed concrete support for the movement in response to Shafer’s email, which he said “means a lot.”

Shafer hopes the College of Liberal Arts acts as “a lead role in academia” to inspire other liberal arts colleges and departments to participate.

“Their support emboldened me to think that no matter what happens, if somebody chooses to participate, that there would never be any retaliation or retribution or that they have anything to worry about,” he said.

The significance of the strike occurring the day after Labor Day, he said, relates to the pay disparity faced by working class people of color.

Shafer maintained that his email to the Beach’s CLA faculty was not meant to pressure anyone to participate, but instead he felt it was important for professors to be aware of the strike to determine if they wanted to engage.

“We see our efforts as simply part of a larger national and international effort to work for justice and for Black lives,” Gannon said. “You start where you are, and for us, this is the place.”

Karenga said he hopes the strike will foster an increased understanding of the importance of voting and census participation, as well as support of AB 1460.

He also hopes participants will build an “interest in reimaging and reconstructing” a “multicultural and good society.”

“What happens after the strike and what each of us does to actively support, work and struggle for racial justice and social justice and to end police violence and systemic racism will be decisive,” Karenga said. “For let us remember that the struggle is a long, difficult, dangerous and demanding one.”

ally valid and valuable way of being human in the world and worthy of the White-finished product to a conception which recognizes and respects the ­— Maulana Karenga, Africana studies department chair

”

6 ARTS & LIFE

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RICHARD GRANT | Daily Forty-Niner

The Delta Gamma “Little House,” where sorority members typically hold meetings and events, stays mostly empty as guests are not permitted this fall.

Going Greek at home With the transition to virtual learning, fraternities and sororities are learning how to run their chapters and recruit new members.

By Paris Barraza Arts and Life Editor

T

he loud chants and cheers from the students in fraternities and sororities can be heard the moment you step onto upper campus during Week of Welcome in the afternoon.

Large cut outs of Greek letters like alpha and zeta line the pathways while students huddle around their tents and beckon you to come over and join their chapter.

Interested or not, the excitement in the air mimics a scene out of a college movie. The only problem is that this semester, all of Fraternity and Sorority Life will be virtual.

In the spring, Long Beach State fraternities and sororities dealt with the difficulties caused by being off-campus.

One issue was student engagement, according to Mike Do, a fourth-year finance major and president of the Interfraternity Council, an association of men’s fraternities.

“It was kind of tough because individuals started relaxing because there was no class,” Do said.

“It was kind of hard bringing people together and keeping people on track during that transition.”

When CSULB first announced the transition to virtual learning on March 11, classes were canceled for the following six days so that faculty could prepare for it.

For many students, this meant

heading home, catching up on sleep and enjoying unexpected time off from school.

Third-year finance major Kendel Karal, vice president of finance in Delta Gamma, saw members undergo a similar experience.

“We didn’t process the weight of this pandemic,” Karal said.

As the weeks ticked by, it became evident that virtual learning was going to be permanent, and fraternities and sororities would have to adjust.

But first, members had to reconcile with the loss of highly anticipated events.

For Karal, that meant the loss of visiting the Blind Children’s Center in Los Angeles, a biannual volunteer event where Delta Gamma members spend time with the children.

“We really pride ourselves on getting to do those hands-on opportunities,” Karal said.

The connection between members within chapters struggled as well.

Mikey Garcia, fifth-year kinesiology major and president of the Panhellenic Council, an association of all women’s sororities, knew that her first priority was to reach out to members.

“I like to touch base with them, check up on them mentally, physically and emotionally, however they’re doing first because I feel like that’s most important,” Garcia said.

Zoom became their common area, where virtual chapter events replaced in-person hang outs and meetings. The following months proved to be a test to members’ commitment, as well as a chance

at personal growth.

“I’ve really learned how to be a team player,” Karal said. “My interpersonal skills have flourished in this time. You don’t know what 100 other girls are going through in this chapter. This pandemic has shown me to the fullest extent.”

Now, Fraternity and Sorority Life will continue to operate completely virtual, according to coordinator Monica Schnapp. Zoom events, such as Netflix watch parties and game nights will continue to strengthen member bonds.

Chapters can continue to raise money for charities they work with, and volunteer work can take place in socially distanced settings, Garcia said.

Their biggest challenge will be recruitment.

Interfraternity chapters will hold recruitment from Sept. 7 to 11, while Panhellenic chapters will go from Sept. 12 to 15.

Approximately 600 students begin the recruitment process each semester, according to Schnapp. While those numbers are expected to vary this year, chapters within Fraternity and Sorority Life have each made the decision on whether to recruit members this fall.

“It’s very hard to meet someone not in person,” Do said. “Translating that to virtual recruitment for FSL orgs, that’s just a psychological thing seeing a person on a screen rather than in-person.”

But there is a benefit to virtual recruitment.

“Sometimes, in actual in-person recruitment, it might be a little more scary,” Garcia said. “I feel [that with] virtual [recruitment],

RICHARD GRANT | Daily Forty-Niner

Kendel Karal, third-year finance major and vice president of finance in Delta Gamma, poses in front of the “Little House” of the three-building sorority complex.

more potential new members will be comfortable because they are in the comfort of their own home and in the environment that they are familiar with they might be more comfortable.”

Only time will tell as to whether the cost of joining an all-virtual chapter is worth the cost of new member dues, which can reach up to $1,000. Karal recognized that and understands that it is difficult

to ask students who are in various financial situations to pay for one more fee.

It is why making the most of the fall semester is so important to her.

“I’m really glad that the whole community banded together and tried to figure it out,” Karal said.

“We want to give [new members] that opportunity. It’s only fair to put our 110% virtually.”

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Gordon sets up his new and old equipment for his at-home studio that he will play in for the fall semester.

Photo by WESLEY GORDON

The show must go on Three students from the College of the Arts explain how virtual learning both challenges yet works for them.

By Celeste Huecias Arts and Life Assistant Editor

W

hen President Jane Close Conoley first made the announcement for students to not return back to school for a few weeks, all that second-year music performance major Wesley Gordon felt was excitement.

Ready to head home to Bakersfield, Gordon had no idea how quickly his last class of the day would turn into his last in-person class at Long Beach State for an unimaginable amount of time.

“We all thought we were coming back,” Gordon said.

Gordon and his classmates began to realize how different school would look and how difficult it would turn out to be. But Gordon was not the only student that came to this realization.

Natalie Lovan, a third-year dance major, questioned how anything would work for her classes.

“Performing arts, specifically and especially dance, being in-person is such a big part of it,” Lovan said. “You gain so much from being in person while you’re with instructors and learning from your peers.”

Lovan wondered how any dancers could succeed without adequate space, proper flooring and stable internet connection.

Despite her concerns, Lovan

Photo by ISAIAH CHACON

Isaiah Chacon, a fourth-year vocal performance and choral music education major, displays his equipment for his at-home studio. came to terms with how quickly things were changing and tried to keep up with her training. She took online classes through studios, from her professors, worked out and disciplined herself to stay fit and healthy for when she could dance full-time again.

“Our training is just definitely not up to par when you’re not training in person but it’s definitely teaching us how to use what you have,” Lovan said.

Though training no longer remains a huge issue for the fall semester, performances do. Both

Gordan and Lovan faced the cancellation of their end-of-the-year performances, but fourth-year vocal performance and choral music education major Isaiah Chacon faced the cancellation of a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity.

Chacon is a part of the Bob Cole Conservatory Chamber Choir at Long Beach, who not only had an end of the year performancecanceled, but a two-week competition in Germany as well.

“The biggest reason why I came here was for the ensembles and the performance opportunities and to learn directly from those

instructors,” Chacon said. “Now it’s just really difficult to have a lot of that taken away.”

For many of the students in the College of the Arts, performing is their biggest reward.

The cancellation of so many performances last semester has left these students at a loss. Now, they can only wonder how it will work for fall semester.

“For the teachers that do teach ensembles, they are mostly going to do virtual choirs, so you’ll record yourself at home and submit it and after a lot of editing they will combine it into one big thing,”

Chacon said about his fall classes.

Gordon doesn’t have the luxury of virtual performances though.

After a large meeting with students and department chairs, Gordon learned that classes such as concert band and symphony orchestra had opted for new material like songwriting, how to record at home, introduction to mixing and recording and more.

Classes that were once intended for practicing and performing were swapped with different teaching material and criteria that are easier to teach and learn through virtual learning.

But for students like Lovan, so much uncertainty remains when it comes to performing.

“We were deemed too high-risk to do hybrid classes so everything will be online,” Lovan said.

Lovan explained that many professional and local dance companies were utilizing technology and online resources to showcase their work and it has made the dance department more open to that realm of performing, but as of now, nothing is certain.

Though students within the College of the Arts are faced with so much confusion and uncertainty throughout the fall semester, they know one thing for certain.

The show must go on.

“It’s very different and we are all trying to stay connected as much as possible,” Lovan said.

“But if anything, this just shows how much discipline you have and who really wants it.”

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ARTS & LIFE 9

Creating space for Black artists at the Beach The CRay Project creates a place to celebrate the Black community with the Long Beach Dance Festival.

By Paris Barraza Arts & Life Editor

O

n the stage are two dancers, gripping and twisting in and out of each other’s arms for a few minutes.

Their faces are solemn, and eventually, one dancer is left, spinning on one leg before placing a hand over her stomach.

The intimate piece is titled “Cat-Call,” choreographed by James Mahkween, about one woman’s experience with sexual assault. It is only a few minutes of a two-hour project he is working on.

As one of the last performances of the Long Beach Black Dance Festival, a weeklong event organized by The CRay Project, the piece captured the artistry and thought put into dance and it is part of the reason the festival was created.

But the Long Beach Black Dance Festival was created for a reason, and while each dancer took to the stage to perform a story with their body, it became clear.

This is a space for the Black community to express themselves as artists, dancers, choreographers, instructors, performers and leaders.

The Long Beach Black Dance Festival is the first of its kind in Long Beach. It was born from the mind of Chatiera Ray, executive creative artistic director of The CRay Project, a Black empowerment movement that provides a platform for artists to be themselves and build a community between Black and Brown artists. Today, the CRay Project works with the Long Beach community and youth to educate and engage them with dance and art.

In Cleveland, Ohio, Black-organized festivals were part of Ray’s upbringing. When she moved out to Long Beach, she said the city’s diversity made it so that people did not realize there was a need for an event specific for a community.

Ray saw that Long Beach is brimming with talent, and yet no was channeling it.

“We’re not amplified,” Ray said. “I feel like a lot of the work that we do is kind of like, ‘Oh, yeah they do African dance, oh yeah, they do hip-hop’ and a lot of people kind of mixed up the dance culture. We do jazz, we’re one of the pioneers of jazz. We do ballet, we do modern, we do contemporary, we do Afro-Cuban beats.”

Ray has been dancing since she was 11.

She minored in dance performance at Kent State University and, in 2014, she moved to Long Beach and interned at the Lulu Washington Dance Theatre.

Soon after, Ray founded The CRay Project with LaRonica Southerland, a fellow Cleveland native and professional dancer.

Southerland, assistant creative director and development manager, knew that The CRay Project was going to be monumental for what it stands for.

“It really paves the way for other young Black women or men, to really stay true to what it is they want to do,” Southerland said. “That’s just an art itself. I feel like a

LaRonica Southerland and Chatiera Ray (top) are professional dancers and both graduates of Kent State University. Photo by Kevin Paul Lawrence Studio. Gravity Dance Company, a Long Beach based studio for the youth, performs at the Long Beach Black Dance Festival.

Photo by BSide Photography.

lot of artists are scared to move forward in their passion or purpose in the art form because of societal norms.”

The idea of this festival had captivated Ray for a long time, but the need for it became undeniable after the killing of George Floyd and the recurrent police brutality the Black community continues to face.

While The CRay project always sought to empower the Black community, Ray knew that they were needed in a new capacity.

The Long Beach Black Dance Festival needed to happen, and it needed to happen now.

“We’re going to involve the community always, but you’re not just going to get a performance experience, you’re going to be educated too,” Ray said. “You’re going to leave learning about something.”

The initial stages of the project were met with disbelief that an event of this size could come together in such a short window of time. The CRay Project was told that it could only be done virtually.

But Ray knew it needed to be both virtual and in-person, and a month and a half later, it was.

The festival kicked off Aug. 9 with a lineup that included daily dance classes, discussions for artists to engage in and live performances.

Southerland and Ray spent the following days beneath the sun in their dual roles as both participants and organizers.

One of the performers, Rebekah JoAnn Guerra, performed a solo she choreographed based off of a poem she wrote for a friend whose father had passed away.

“It Will Be for the Stranger, the Fatherless and the Widow” is a nine-minute piece with multiple iterations that delves into the emotional complexities that arise when a death occurs.

“Dance provides an avenue for me to offend if I need to offend, or without holding back,” Guerra said. “I can say everything that I need to say.”

Guerra, who values a performance rooted in honesty and education, found herself very much aligned with what the Long Beach Black Dance Festival aimed to emphasize.

“It’s often our communities that are left out of being able to see dance,” Guerra said.

“Whether it be in a presidium stage or an art gallery. I see less of us in a lot of dance spaces, and to create space for us is a beautiful thing, because no one else is going to do it for us.”

Ray and Southerland already have new ideas for next year, which will include masterclasses taught by dancers who are pioneers in their field and to have three classes a day taught by local artists and instructors.

And based on the responses Ray and Southerland received after the event, the Long Beach Black Dance Festival will only grow.

“We have to do things in ways like no other to keep fighting for justice,” Ray said.

“Whether it’s through art, whether it’s through music, whether it’s through poetry, whether it’s through writing. We have to do something, and that’s the whole point of the Black Renaissance reestablishing itself right now, and I feel like this is definitely one of the foundations in that, that will help push that within Long Beach, and hopefully beyond it.”

10 OPINIONS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | OPINION@DAILY49ER.COM

Illustration by Vic Fitzsimons

Cis people: do better.

Cisgender people need to advocate for transgender people now more than ever.

By Kelsey Brown Opinions Editor

T

hree transgender women were beaten and robbed on Hollywood Boulevard on Aug. 17, while bystanders stood by laughing.

The three women, Eden Estrada, known on social media as Eden the Doll, Jaslene White Rose, and Joslyn Flawless, all influencers with a significant following, were waiting for an Uber when a group of men approached them.

One of the men threatened one of the women with a crowbar, stole her phone and forced her to strip her shoes and jewelry. He told her if she was trans he would kill her. In the video that has now gone viral, you can hear the bystanders laughing, even taunting the women with “She’s a man!”

The video is horrifying. What was most alarming was the amusement and support of the violence from those watching on the streets—it was as if violence towards trans people was a joke.

I wondered why no one felt compelled to step in and provide some safety for these women. Did they just see trans people as disposable?

Harassment isn’t only extreme acts of violence and hate crimes, but in everyday encounters as well. Violence towards trans folks starts small, like purposely misgendering them and not respecting their pronouns.

It is comments like, “Oh, I thought you were a real girl,” which invalidate trans women’s entire existence. It is only accepting trans folks that pass as cisgender or a person whose identity and gender

corresponds with their birth sex. It is excluding trans folks from social justice movements because some cis folks don’t think to advocate for the issues they aren’t affected by.

Even in social movements advocating for equality, trans people are often forgotten. For some of the people who scream “Black Lives Matter,” their activism doesn’t extend to Black trans women. Some feminists who claim they want equality for all forget or deliberately ignore trans women in their conversations.

It is rare that trans folks are represented in legitimate and well-rounded ways in the media. Only until recently, trans women, like Laverne Cox, had little-tono roles in the media. Before that trans people were played by cisgender people, or reduced to comedy sketches by people who cross-dressed and mocked trans people’s existence.

This portrayal of trans people as comedic has damaged the way many view them. Seeing trans people as a stereotype rather than a developed, multidimensional person makes it easier for people to ignore and abuse them.

By focusing solely on the physical aspects of trans people’s existence rather than their true self, they are depicted as objects to pick apart instead of human beings. Alienating and isolating trans people makes it easier for cisgender people to ignore their issues, further subjecting them to violence.

As a cis person myself, I am not attempting to co-opt the struggle or pretend to fully understand the issues trans people face. I am speaking up on this issue, using my privilege and platform, as we all should. If anything, I am hoping to call upon cisgender people to take a more overt stance on trans lives.

I was fortunate to grow up surrounded by trans folks and therefore understand and empathize with their struggles more

intimately. It was beautiful seeing my friends, who felt uncomfortable in their assigned gender roles transition into their true selves.

But trans people shouldn’t have to be close to you and show you their vulnerabilities and insecurities, to earn your respect. They have basic humanity, and should be respected and treated like a human being, like everyone else.

Cis folks never have their identity and gender challenged; they are never questioned about their genatalia.

Trans folks’ identity aren’t a discussion or a subject to be debated, and opinions on the subject don’t matter. If someone tells you their name is Bianca and they’re a woman, you should respect their identity and act accordingly, instead of being concerned with what genitalia they have.

It is not enough to just befriend trans folks. It is not enough to use their proper name and pronouns—that is the bare minimum. That is treating someone with basic human respect, a courtesy everyone deserves. Being an ally for trans lives extends far beyond that. It is correcting people when they misgender trans people. It is shutting down offensive jokes that target people’s identities and informing them on why it’s wrong—to just not laugh is not enough.

It is having uncomfortable conversations with other cis folks to raise their awareness on the violence perpetrated by cisgender people onto trans people daily, for just existing as themselves. It is donating to funds to aid and uplift trans people in your community and listening to what they need to feel supported.

We’re living through a time of “new” understandings. Because of the Black Lives Matter movement, many white folks are just realizing the harrowing realities of police brutality, which Black people have endured for as long as policing has existed. Due to the #MeToo movement, many men have been forced

to confront issues of the abuse women face. It is counterproductive for any association whose motives claim to align with equality and abolishing oppression to perpetuate that same cycle of oppression onto trans folk.

It is no longer acceptable to dismiss the relevance of experiences outside your own solely because they haven’t happened to you—it is time to dig deeper and educate yourself on issues outside of your experience.

As cisgender people, it’s our duty to educate ourselves on issues trans people face. We cannot burden trans people with the emotionally draining work of educating cis people on their issues.

Though it is imperative we listen to what trans folks need to be supported, it’s equally as important to do the research ourselves.

There is an abundance of information on the internet on issues transgender people face and ways to combat them.

There are documentaries like “Disclosure,” which discuss the effects of the portrayal of trans folks in the media.

Even just searching on Google, “How can I help trans people,” floods the search engine with articles and ideas on becoming a better ally.

We must use our privilege as cisgender people to make our society safer for trans people’s existence. We need trans people in the media, whose stories don’t solely revolve around tragedy, but on self discovery and growth. We need to be taught history involving trans folks, who have existed for centuries around the globe, expanding beyond our limited colonized view of history.

We need to make space and platforms where trans people feel comfortable existing in and expressing themselves.

As cisgender people, we need to use our privilege to do so much more to support the trans community.

OPINIONS 11

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | OPINION@DAILY49ER.COM

Skating to keep sane How this Cal State Roller has found stability during uncertain times.

By Jasmine Moore Contributor

S

pring 2020 rapidly blurred into the summer, marked with the looming fears of finishing the semester amidst the coronavirus pandemic and leading into the surge of civil unrest and angst due to police brutality.

Many people entered into what has been coined as the “new normal,” seeking something to breathe life back into them— and roller skating seemed to be the right thing at the right time for many Americans, and people around the world.

Roller skating’s rise back into the mainstream unfortunately became yet another trend that was assumed to be embodied by the slim-figured white girls on TikTok, and overshadowed the historically racial tensions that the pastime so dearly meant to the Black community. The atmosphere that embodied rollerskating emerged largely from the swagger and suaveness of Black rink skaters from coast to coast.

The music, the style, the fashion and everything that drove the mass appeal of skating back into the mainstream emerged from Black culture. For so many Black folks, roller skating is not a hobby, but a lifestyle that

Photo by JASMINE MOORE

Jasmine Moore poses in her roller skates.

many have abided by their whole lives.

My desire to pick up roller skating again was reignited the past summer after realizing how much of my life was being absorbed as a full-time college student and working parttime. I felt like I wasn’t taking time to do the things that really made me feel liberated and happy.

Roller skating has been a great way for me to get out of the house when the quarantine seemed to be driving me insane, and it grounded me when I needed stability.

This past summer, I was also able to amass a following of over 63 thousand skaters and non-skaters alike on Instagram, to follow along on my personal journey with progressing on rollerskates. The rollerskating community has helped me to feel significantly less isolated than I was before.

Even though face-to-face interactions were very slim, the comment sections of fellow skaters were filled with supportive messages and words of encouragement through these difficult times. In my 21 years of life thus far, I had never felt more a part of a community than I have for the past two years with the roller skating community.

I am in no way surprised about the new appeal surrounding roller skating once again, but I just hope that those who are entering into the community are kind to the existing members within it.

To follow my personal rollerskating journey, follow my instagram @justseconds.

Spill the Tea is a weekly section for students to share their opinions and make their voices heard. Long Beach State students answer a question that can rnage from the silly the political. We at the Daily Forty-Niner valve deverse opinions of the CSULB student body and look forward to you sharing them with us.

How are you balancing school and home life being in the same space?

BY JIREH DENG AND KELSEY BROWN

Hannah Peedikayil, second-year healthcare administration major

Jazelle Candelaria, third- year English education major

Georgina Oceguera, third-year molecular cell biology / psychology majors with a minor in chemistry

Iris Hang, second-year criminal justice major

“With school being online, it’s pretty difficult to separate my home life from my school life. Before this pandemic, my school life was mostly constrained to the campus and to the classroom. Now my room shares both spaces which has definitely been a transition.”

“I take my dog on really long walks. Being outside is a mental reset for me. It’s really hard working and attending school at home but the outdoors, a good audio book and my pooch really help me maintain a positive mindset!”

“This semester I am following a daily routine for staying on track with my classes which includes waking up early, going to bed before midnight and writing down all my assignments for the upcoming week during the weekend. This has helped me stay on track with classes and feel less pressured by knowing what I need to do and when.”

“I’ve resorted to staying up super late, usually until 3 a.m. to finish my notes and homework. During the day, I attend my lectures which start early and then end early. This allows me to have the rest of the day to hang out with friends, relax, take up new hobbies, play with my pups or to do my favorite thing, nap!”

12 SPORTS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | SPORTS@DAILY49ER.COM

Beach athletics embraces new program The athletics department’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee is finally making its debut after 18 months of development.

By Cain Hernandez Assistant Sports Editor

E

stablished nearly 18 months ago, the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee is composed of student athletes, athletic department staff members and coaches and is focused on collaboration between different entities on campus to create safe spaces for those who want to grow as an inclusive community.

Funded by the athletic department, the committee came together to acknowledge and cel-

ebrate marginalized groups at Long Beach State.

“We’re doing good things but we can do more,” Long Beach State athletic director Andy Fee said. “We created this committee close to two years ago, it was organic and we hadn’t had it before.

Ultimately I believe in empowering our student athletes to practice free speech and to protest for [what] they feel is right.”

In the last year, the athletic department sent out two surveys to all 400 Beach athletes to gauge their feelings on diversity and inclusion within the department, of them, 310 responded.

Stephanie Baugh, assistant director of student athlete development, said she is proud that the committee and athletic depart-

Daily Forty-Niner

ment is moving toward being more inclusive.

Partnering with Travis Tamasese, chief of staff of student affairs, and Kerry Kilma, assistant director of assessment and evaluation, the committee strives to create spaces and programs for the Beach athletic department to learn, grow and communicate as an inclusive community.

“When Andy first got here this was really important to him, we first started this process using data we [got] from our surveys to get feedback,” Baugh said. “Athletics is emotionally involved. We are fundamentally emotional.”

One of the committee’s goals is to bring the student athletes on campus together to learn about each other’s backgrounds and cul-

tures, all while celebrating their differences.

In a time of civil unrest due to police brutality, athletes on campus feel a “very different type of emotion,” according to the chair of the committee and women’s track and field head coach LaTonya Sheffield.

“Athletics in general are a unifying entity,” Sheffield said.

“To celebrate means that they recognize, respect, applaud and support our differences in different communities. It’s always wonderful when you know more about the differences than only acknowledging you and yourself.”

In an effort to maintain transparency within the Beach athletics department, the committee intends to have the coaching staff

involved in the discussions in addition to all student athletes.

The committee also plans to send messages to local communities to ensure that CSULB is a safe and nurturing space for student athletes to “launch into their greatness” after graduation.

“We are working to collectively raise our cultural competencies so that we can create a very inclusive environment and be great support to one another,” Baugh said. “We can create an environment that’s welcoming to all our student athletes, they can come and be a part without having to edit themselves.”

Jacob Powers, sports editor, contributed to this article.

Postponed in protest Five Major League Soccer matches have been postponed to stand in solidarity with Kenosha, Wisconsin.

By Ignacio Cervantes Assistant Sports Editor

M

ajor League Soccer is taking a stand against social injustice as players join in unison and refuse to play in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, which has caused nationwide protests.

“Real change needs to happen.

The shooting of Jacob Blake and the murders during the protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin are the latest incident and it has to stop,” MLS said in a statement released on its website. “Make your voice heard.”

The MLS has said it stands behind the Black community and “shares in their pain, anger and frustration,” as well as condemns “racism, racial injustice, bigotry and the use of violence by police.”

Many players followed suit Wednesday by posting their show of support for the Black community on social media.

Making it clear they stand behind the league’s decision, players used their platforms to raise further awareness on things like police brutality alongside other major sports leagues in America.

MARK-ANTHONY CAYE

Mark-Anthony Kaye, a member of Black Players for Change, poses alongside his team with the Tweet: “Thank you to all who supported the players choices tonight across the country. We appreciate you Red heartFolded hands @BPCMLS.” Last week, the N.B.A.’s Milwaukee Bucks began the trend when they refused to take the court against the Orlando Magic. The league suspended three games scheduled to play as a result.

Following, the MLS canceled all but the Orlando City SC and Nashville SC’s match which began just before news of the Bucks

walkout spread.

Los Angeles Football Club manager Bob Bradley and his midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye have been vocal about the ongoing issues that, according to Bradley, are currently dividing the country.

A member of Black Players for Change, Kaye believes that people need to realize that there are

things happening in the world right now that are more important than sports.

According to MLS’s Tom Bogert, Kaye made his decision not to play before the league’s movement started. When he let his teammates and coaches know, they stood behind him.

“It’s a big moment to know that

it’s not just Black people in this fight,” Kaye told reporters in Sunday’s pre-match conference. “It’s all these other races and ethnicities that want to end racism because it affects everyone.”

The Los Angeles Football Club midfielder said it’s “not fair” that “many people of power and influence aren’t stepping up to really help change the cause that continues to be a problem in this country.”

Kaye believes the support from league commissioner Don Garber and the league’s ownership group has been effective.

In Carson, California, Sacha Kljestan, midfielder for the Los Angeles Galaxy, made a statement on behalf of the club and his teammates.

The Huntington Beach-born Bosnian-American said the club wanted to show “the support we have for the Black community.”

“We have to keep, every day, doing a little bit more,” Galaxy winger Sebastian Lletget said in a recent interview. “Even though it’s not happening to [everyone] directly, we have to be empathetic to those that it is happening to.”

The league has since resumed its games as of last week, releasing new dates and times for the games postponed.

SPORTS 13

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | SPORTS@DAILY49ER.COM

Daily Forty-Niner

The Long Beach State women’s volleyball team stands together during the national anthem before the first round of the NIVC. The Beach made it to the postseason for its first time in three years under head coach Joy McKienzie-Fuerbringer.

SETting up for success Women’s volleyball team remains hopeful for a fall season.

By Teran Rodriguez Staff Writer

D

uring this time, the Long Beach State women’s volleyball would normally be in the gymnasium preparing, practicing for their season.

To the dismay of the team, however, the season along with all other fall sports at Long Beach were postponed after the Big West Conference issued a statement on July 29 that fall sports competition would be postponed through the end of the calendar year.

“Of course we were disappointed at first, but under the circumstances facing a pandemic and for the safety of the student-athletes, coaches and staff, [I’m] really happy that they postponed the fall sports,” head coach Joy McKienzie-Fuerbringer said.

McKienzie-Fuerbringer felt ultimately it was the right decision for the Big West to postpone all fall sports to see where everyone in the conference is at in the spring.

According to McKienzie-Fuerbringer, the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1 council will be meeting on Sept. 16 and is expected to make final plans regard-

ing the spring season and what that’ll look like at that time.

“They’ve got some different ideas on the table. I think coaches put out a proposal and they’re looking at another format,” McKienzie-Fuerbringer said.

As for the women’s volleyball team during the pandemic, the team has stayed connected through Zoom and forms of assigned literature. Coach McKienzie-Fuerbringer over the off-season assigned players a book to read in hopes to learn as a team.

In addition , the team has had what they call a “sisterhood” in which two players pair

up, check in with one another and eventually do presentations sharing their sister’s stories on how they and their families ended up at the Beach.

Sophomore outside hitter Katie Kennedy and sophomore libero/defensive specialist Jade Waskom were assigned to read “The Five Dysfunctions as a Team.”

“The books have been super helpful and Matt [Fuerbringer the assistant coach] and coach Joy pick out which books apply to us,” Kennedy said. “That’s one thing that has been helping me and I know all of the other girls [on the team] agree.”

“It was a really hard adjustment especially in the beginning of quarantine, the whole team was very committed to trying to get better.”

- Jade Waskom Sophomore Libero / Defensive Specialist

Kennedy said that she and the other members of the team have focused on selfcare by doing yoga, meditation, journaling and exercise.

Both Oregon natives, Waskom and Kennedy are currently living with two other members of the women’s volleyball team.

Waskom, who also plays on the beach volleyball, said that she and Kennedy have sometimes played beach volleyball to make sure they aren’t rusty. Waskom added that hanging out with a small yet close group of friends such as Kennedy has kept her sane during this time.

“I was definitely heartbroken [that the season got canceled],” Waskom said. “It was a really hard adjustment especially in the beginning of quarantine, the whole team was very committed to trying to get better.”

Despite not being able to play in the fall like other conferences such as the Big 12 and the Atlantic Coast Conference, McKienzie-Fuerbringer said that she still plans to watch some of the other teams play to scope out the competition.

“If other conferences are able to play and we’re not, we’re going to try to use that time wisely and one of the things on our list would be scouting and seeing how they’re progressing,” McKienzie-Fuerbringer said.