CAPTURED JOURNAL 2013 CONCEPT DESIGN by tammievaler

2o13 - THIRD EDITION DEPARTMENT OF PAN AFRICAN STUDIES CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE

STUDENT RESEARCH JOURNAL 1

THE AMERICAN DREAM

Copyright © 2013 by California State University, Northridge. All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any way or by any means, electronic or print, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the express, written permission from the faculty editor.

Multi-media web edition available www.capturedjournal.com

3nd annual Student Research Journal: Print edition Department of Pan African Studies Spring 2013

Creative Awareness Productions Through Universal Research and Educational Documentaries

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The CAPTURED Student Research Journal team wishes to express gratitude to the Associated Students (AS), Instructional Related Activities (IRA), the CAPTURED Research Group and the Department of Pan African Studies for all the support and assistance in the production, promotion and distribution of the 3nd Annual Spring 2013 Print and the 2nd Annual On-Line Multimedia Edition.

EDITORIAL BOARD

FACULTY EDITOR Dr. Theresa White, Pan African Studies Department Lead Student Editor Kate Parsons, Graduate Student, CSUN Art Department Contributing Editor Sara Tekle, President, CAPTURED Student Research Group FACULTY ADVISORS Dr. Sakile Camara, Communication Studies Department Dr. Raquel Kennon, Pan African Studes Department Graphic Designer Tammie Valer Web Designer Rhoee Amar Cover Illustrations Ralph Ordaz printer Northridge Printing Services

fUTURE submissions

The CAPTURED Student Research Journal invites submissions throughout the fall and spring semester. Manuscripts, multi-media projects and/or questions should be be sent to capturedjournal@gmail.com The author should include email, address, telephone number and title of project. You may also address to: CAPTURED Student Research Journal Pan African Studies Department (PAS) Attn: Dr. Theresa Renee White California State University, Northridge 18111 Nordhoff Street Northridge, CA 91330

letter from the faculty editor Welcome to the 3rd Print and 2nd Electronic Multi-Media edition of the Captured Student Research Journal. We are, once again, delighted that the outstanding, insightful commentary contained herewith exists in cyberspace, allowing a multi-cultural, global audience access to this student-produced journal. Our call for submissions invited contributors to share their ideologies and creative expressions related to "The American Dream." The student editorial team wrote, "The American Dream is a mythos unlike any other, and has its roots in our nation's founding documents. All men and women are created equal and are provided the opportunity to create the life they desire. But what if the American Dream is unavailable? Has the system, that was formed to protect the rights of the people, failed? What does it mean to have an identity that does not fit into the 'American Dream' ideal?"

We felt this topic to be particularly apropos during a presidential election year, given the emphasis placed on potentially usurping many rights that have long been fought for. I believe we are all aware that the ideas of a just and equal America is changing and the reverberations go far beyond a single election. The American Dream is diverse and often represents conflicting ideas. The ways in which that dream is imagined are as complex, and as contradictory as America itself. It's something U.S. citizens (and those who aspire to be) all once held up on a pedestal as something to strive for and attain. With the average national unemployment rate hovering at 8%, and over 16% for college graduates, for many of our contributors this "idea" is a study of contrasts.

As is expected from our talented student body, your will find eloquent storytelling, prose and colorfully artistic expressions framed within notions of social and environmental justice, individual freedom, civic responsibility, immigration, education, multiculturalism, dreams imagined and dreams deferred. Please accept my sincerest gratitude to all who continue to support this endeavor, and who work tirelessly to bring it to fruition. I offer special kudos to our faculty advisors and to the editorial team, most specifically to our Lead Student Editor, Kate Parsons, who has led this charge for the past two years, but who is now graduating with an M.A. and heading to UCLA to make manifest her own American Dream. So, we ask...What is YOUR vision for America? What will YOU do to make it a reality? Change begins with just one...I hope you enjoy! Peace and prosperity,

Dr. Theresa Renee White Faculty Editor

letter from the lead student editor

Welcome to the 3rd print edition--and the 2nd multi-media version--of the C.A.P.T.U.R.E.D Student Research Journal! We are so proud to bring you another iteration of our publication and to showcase the fine work created by the students at California State University, Northridge. Our theme this year is The American Dream, a subject that we felt was particularly poignant during the 2012 elections. CSUN Students seemed to agree and met our call for submissions with a variety of articles and media portraying many different opinions and viewpoints. Many of the entries took a broader look at the mythos of the American Dream and investigated its meaning in a variety of contexts. The history of the concept as well as its relevance to past and future generations was explored and re-imagined both through the eyes of the undergraduate and

graduate students. Many felt as though the dream had left them behind, or believed that it was an antiquated notion that no longer applied. Others expressed a certain nostalgia for the idea, along with the hope that the concepts therein might eventually become meaningful once more. All viewpoints were represented and portrayed with the honesty and intensity that we have come to expect from the diverse CSUN student community. It is my hope that the journal elicits new thoughts and feelings in those who read the work, and that it might spark new discussions about what the American Dream truly means to our generation and the next.

Kate Parsons Lead Student Editor

CONTENTS 8

“An Artist’s American dream” Brittney Aroff

10 45 14 47 16 52 17 53 21 56 28 60 31 61 36 64

“A Song for You: The Donny Hathaway Story” Ariel Gooden

38 68

“Preservation through education” Vanessa Moultrie) “the american dream” Davale Horn “Cultural Clash” Cintia Segovia “I’m just another citizen” Marcos Castro “culture clash” Cintia Segovia “Embrace the chaos” Adrian Amor “Citizenship Through My eyes” Brittney Bridges

“I had a Dream” Jessica Hernandez ”NO RIGHTS, ONLY PRIVILEDGES” Sean Williams “The Obamas” Sarah Cohn “The Election and issues that face our country” Mariam Harutyunian “Being an american” Jordan Mitchell “The American Ethnicity” Tammie Valer “Presidential Election 2012” Jasmine Campbell “My Take on Today’s Political Psyche” Randolph Miller-Taylor “sOME fIGHTING” John Mickus

)

“Freedom is not free” Tanya Benjamin ) “American Dream” Jade Johnson “In My Head” Cynthia Shahian “VACANCY” and “torn” Ashley Minstrel “J-Dilla Hip Hop’s Loss, Heaven’s Gain” Randolph Miller-Taylor “Modern Maternity” April Bey “Untitled” Strongman Osom “When I was An American” Maya Singleton “Dream of the family unit” Austin Smith

69 73 74 75 76 84 85 89 93

94 100

“Forget thy creator”) Leonard Tatum

102

“Case Study: Education and the Inequality of East Los Angeles” Christina Marin

115 118 127 133 135

“American Dream” Genevieve Santerre

136

“Dreams to be Heard: The Struggles of Being an Undocumented Student” Charlie Kaijo, Dwayne Key, and Ricardo Hernandez

“Dream of the american working class” Justin Smith

“Garrett Pointer: Temporalities” Beatriz Cortez “Desert Desolation” Leah Oakes “CityScape” Alexandra Cohn “In dreams” Garrett Pointer (

MULTIMEDIA

PRESERVATION THROUGH EDUCATION BY VANESSA MOULTRIE

With a wide variety of news mediums and the set ups. Additionally, television programming vast amount of political coverage in our day, there has been in a dark age for several years, especially are no excuses for a citizen to with the oversaturation of reality be out of the loop, except by "Life should be better and richer shows. As a result, a citizen is choice or mental dysfunctions. and fuller for everyone, with active or inactive in the political Personally, I found it difficult opportunity for each according to realm of our society by CHOICE. to escape the political coverage ability or achievement regardless The choice to be inactive would during this year’s election be against our better judgment of social class or circumstances season, unless I chose to do so. of birth.” -James Truslow Adams because every citizen and resident However, it is also due to the of the United States of America is fact that I chose to tune into impacted by our political landscape. valuable television and radio programming like 60 Minutes, The Nightly News, NPR’s Left Right & Since the presidential election between George Center, The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report. W. Bush and Al Gore in 2000, I have gradually Conversely, the top radio stations in Los Angeles, increased my awareness of the political process. like KIIS FM and Power 106, select to cover My understanding of the influence politics has on brainless topics like celebrity gossip and infidelity the world around me has been developed through

a few academic courses, but more so through my own personal effort. Through government class in high school, I learned the basic structure. Through radio, television, and print, I have learned the substance of each campaign, including propositions and the platform of both candidates. I have also learned the importance of participation and the implication for not participating. The lack of participation in an election is harmful. But what is the root of this problem? Why do some people believe voting is a lost cause? Is it a lost cause, or does one fall into a premeditated trap by wasting their right to vote? As I mentioned before, in my academic education, I learned the basics, but the current political scene was not actively incorporated by an instructor into any coursework or study. Therefore, by the time a citizen can legally vote, he/she is ill-equipped to cast an educated decision, if they only have their Government 101 training under their belt. Thus, a vicious cycle presents itself.

Educated citizens stem from efficient schools. Efficient schools are sustained by resources. Valuable resources are allocated by the government. Government is appointed by citizens—thus, the former and latter link to become a cycle. However, there is one major discrepancy in this cycle, essentially serving as the break or obstacle, which can be accounted for by the verb: educated. In our present social, political, and economic climate, the education system has been rung out and hung up to dry, cutting out what some consider as “excess” and leaving just the bare minimum in order to cope with our soaring debt. Nevertheless, by resorting to this tactic, we as a nation limit our future opportunities for growth and sustainability, individually and collectively.

Therefore, all citizens need to understand that their vote can hold the fate of their future, to a certain extent, ultimately shaping the structure of possibilities in America.

The attractive image of the United States of America relies on the opportunities it provides for its citizens and residents. Consequently, our country has branded itself with the concept of “the American Dream.” But what exactly is the American dream? My perception of the American dream has become diluted and twisted by the media, who have caused it to become synonymous with possessions and wealth. Thus, the domestic version is straying further away from the concept of social upward mobility and moving more towards the idea that your tangibles define you and your level of success. Consequently, I decided to ask my husband, a French citizen, what the American dream represented to him. He replied

“Everyone living in the U.S. can be successful by his/her work, courage, and determination.” This was reassuring to hear, especially during a time when many of the policies that enable the opportunities of this idea were on the chopping block. Citizens today must understand that they hold the power to preserve and change our nation; no matter what tiny percent their ballot contributes. In addition to exercising their right to vote, they need to become and remain intellectually involved in the political scene to make educated decisions. Furthermore, the maintenance of a citizen’s political involvement will help him/ her to justly assess the performance of political leaders because if not, he/she will fall victim to the billion dollar advertisements and propaganda deployed for deception. Correspondingly, in this year’s presidential election, there were countless commercials on television that were either Pro-

Obama or Anti-Obama. As a result, if a citizen did not have proper information on the progress President Obama made during his first four year term, he/she would have been disillusioned by the slander that Obama made our country worse off. Thankfully, our president, Barack Obama, is a modern day example of the American dream. His hard work, courage, and determination led him to the White House, and in turn he is helping to lead this nation towards their American dream. Therefore, President Obama understands and acknowledges the importance of preserving and expanding opportunities for his nation’s people through education. Ultimately, education will create more growth for our nation because it enables our workforce to become more productive and innovative. Conversely, tax cuts will only provide short-term relief, as well as corporations and wealthy individuals with more cash flow to invest.

The increase of globalization, the reliance of domestic investment by savvy or cutthroat investors is risky because many seek only to increase their bottom line. Ultimately, I do not want my ideals, including my American dream, to be jeopardized by legislation, which is why I utilize the one offensive, or defensive, tactic every citizen over the age of eighteen has, a voting ballot. On November 6, 2012, I laced up my running shoes, threw on my “rock the vote” t-shirt, and jogged down to my polling place to proudly cast my vote for the candidate who will lead us through the next four years. I voted for the candidate who is aligned with utilitarianism, that is, to provide happiness for the greatest number of people for the greatest good.

“By voting for this candidate, I ensured the pursuit of happiness for myself and others which is the foundation of the American dream.”

The American Dream BY DAVALE HORN

Can a dream of equality, liberty, really be true? Can it still be possible for you and me to have the opportunity? I dream of a land where people can truly show love to one another! 14

The American dream is a fantasy of desires depicting change in society. But I speak out with pride Today true liberty does not exist It is a fake illusion, wishes that won’t come true and lies without sacrifice and personal change All I see is hate, greed and selfishness Growing up in south central California Dreams…seem to be nightmares

Walking down the street hoping to see young men show love to one another But, instead I see young men fighting, killing, stealing and not caring This terror breaks me down 6 feet under to the grave of King’s Dream Women giving away their bodies to pay for school, rent, or just to survive How can the American Dream still exist if nobody strives? It’s a crazy system Expectations limited Who are2 the faces of basketball, football, and prison exotic sex objects, eye candy and prostitutes?

Listening to rap is not the same either The messages of love, social change and the true stories people faced have changed Money, ladies, sex, drugs and violence The Dream is not the same It is only destruction at this constant pace Motivation is needed I come as 45 Caliber Pistol locked and loaded ready to fire… BOOM! True dreams…will only be possible if we elevate toward Mount Everest Seek change, face the labor system and believe

Dreams…are real Dreams…are real Dreams…are real

Rise and be leaders Visualize and change the world and get some of that Krispy Kreme donut happiness. If the American Dream is dead today you and I can change the clock that keeps on ticking, Tick, tock, tick, stop…Boom… Reformation today, it is time to make the American Dream a Reality!

#”R ubi. ” Distr ito Feder al, Me xico, 2 010

)(For more, see page 21)

BY CINTIA SEGOVIA

cultural clash

I Am Just Another Citizen BY MARCOS CASTRO

I am free. Free to make my own decisions about myself, my education, my health, and my opinions. I practice these freedoms every day, and for that, I am truly grateful. I was born free, and I will die free. Therefore, I have concerns and opinions about this election year. To me, this election could potentially threaten or justify the life I live. Whether it be protecting my girlfriend’s right to contraception, my right to education, those on death row, or supporting new fuels for the future, I will do what I can to have my sense of justice heard by others. We should not stand for crimes against ourselves and others, and as a result, I aim to make my voice heard this election season. I believe one of my roles as a human being

is to practice what I believe in and fight for it, regardless of the opposition I may face. I wouldn’t argue that fighting for what I believe in makes me an American, but I will say that it makes me proud of who I am as an individual. One of my goals as a person is to advocate a person’s natural right to be themselves, and make their own choices without facing oppression from others. I will firmly state to anybody that no one has the right to tell others what to do with themselves. The beauty of having the intelligent minds we do is that we get to use them to dictate what we do and how we do it. I take it upon myself to defend these views. As a college student, I aim to learn more about how the world turns,

what makes people who they are, how to create change, have an open perspective on subjects, and to receive the education that everyone deserves, in addition to the specific education that I desire. The knowledge I gain will help me make many future decisions, as well as influence my opinions politically. I also make it my responsibility to be plugged into the world around me via the internet, news, television, or any other trusted media. I consider my role as a citizen of the United States to be the protector of my fellow citizens, who have just as much right to be here as I do. With the education I continue to receive, I consider myself more qualified to make political decisions that will affect more than just my life. It is for these reasons, I vote to protect myself, my loved ones, and people I have never even met.

In the spirit of being politically active and aware of what is happening in our country, let us not ignore the apathy of some individuals. It is interesting to wonder what creates an individual that does not have interest in the changing state of our country. I have heard the argument that their opinions do not matter in a pool of billions of others, or that everyone in government is corrupt and they can’t do anything for us. When presented with this argument I think to myself “Did Martin Luther King Jr.’s opinion not matter? Or what about the students that recently fought to pass Proposition 30 this month? Did their campaigns not start with an opinion or an idea?”

I feel that some have not been exposed to the change possible by others and that the statement, “all government officials are corrupt,” is a generalization based on the tactics of media; this tactic expresses that the corrupt behavior of an individual will get more emphasis than any positive acts carried out by another. Many times, are not in the same party. Many acts attempted only one side of the story is heard and it causes by the President most likely will fail to gain the stubborn and one-sided bias. A popular opinion Congress vote, which could about President Obama is that explain why the last four years he actually increased the debt “Of or pertaining to the have been “uneventful.” When I and that in his presidency he has United States of asked a relative why they didn’t accomplished nothing. Basic America or its inhabitants.” like President Obama, they gave knowledge on how the me this unforgettable response: government works would “Because he’s fu**ing black.” demonstrate that President Obama I am appalled by these primitive and hateful cannot simply “make something happen” and opinions. I wouldn’t even consider something like that there are many processes that have to happen this an opinion, but rather hate in the form of a in order for the President to actually accomplish comment. It is reasons like these that I feel some something. Congress is currently dominated people have become uncaring and unsupportive of by a Republican opinion, most of whom will our current government. disagree with the President simply because they

Dictionary.com defines an American as, “Of or pertaining to the United States of America or its inhabitants.” On the other hand, the connotation of an American varies within different perspectives. Some define being American as someone who is about patriotism, nationalism, being free, or watching football. I consider myself an American because I was born a citizen and I choose to identify as an American, not because of the way I behave. I am proud to be a citizen of a splendid country like this, even though there are many issues that have yet to be resolved. I hope to take action with my fellow citizens and make our voices heard in order to shape the country to be a place where everyone has chances and freedom.

Maybe I’m not the stereotypical thread in the American fabric, but I am definitely present and I am making my voice heard along with many other Americans. I wish to reiterate that I take pride in what I am and what I stand for. I am proud to call myself an American and I am proud to be a part of the nation’s political process, regardless of its flaws. I support President Obama and what he does, I support gay rights, I support clean energy, and I support education for everyone. I am an American because I want to be, and nobody will ever strip me of that. I take the election this year seriously and I will take the next elections seriously as well, because they can determine my standing as a citizen and as a human being.

cULTURAL clASH BY CINTIA SEGOVIA Societies aspire to progress and develop, yet are constantly confronted by the resistance to change and the reality of economics. Therefore, a clash of cultural expression often occurs. Still, while societies aim for technological and economic progress, another part of the population remains in extreme poverty, with no opportunity to join the wave of development. # “ T ac o s, ” D ist rit o F ed er a l , Me xico, 2 010

“Chica,” V enice Be ach, USA, 2010

“Bob,” S a n ta Bar bar a, USA, 2010

#“S a nt o,” Patzc uaro, Me x ic o , 20 0 9

#“S i S abe , ” D istr ito Feder al, Me xico, 2 005

#“P rogr esso, ” Puebl a, Me x ico , 20 0 4

cAUTION: HUMANS CROSSING BY CINTIA SEGOVIA

I explore racism in the United States through the discourse of yellow, government issued signage found along Highway 5 near the Mexican border. These silhouette-laden signs tend to equate humans with animals and dangerous objects. Some caution signs warn drivers about potential animal crossings, including deer and kangaroo, while others alert commuters about the presence of hazardous materials and construction equipment. The sign seen near the Mexican border reads, "Caution" and bears the silhouette of a nuclear family running with urgency. This essentialist portrayal signifies an insidious racial profiling, the people portrayed having distinct features of Latino culture, including girls with braided hair and women wearing long skirts.

My work uses the color and silhouetted features of these signs to restore a specific and more dignified humanity to the individuals. Suburban, heterosexual couples hold hands and carry ordinary twenty-first century objects, including cameras, iPods, and briefcases. These items denote the aspect of commodity and consumerism, and the diversity of human silhouettes suggest that these Americans are immigrants, too. Instead of a girl with braids, a woman holds a plucked chicken by the ankles while she balances statically on one foot. My satirical approach to the sign questions seemingly subtle representations of racism and the dearth of self-criticism within a contemporary consumerist society.

EMBRACE THE CHAOS CONSIDERING iDENTITY AND THE NORMS OF THE AMERICAN DREAM BY ADRIAN AMOR Keep your chin up young traveler Don’t let darkness and turbulence discourage you

The closing caskets, sleepless nights Unwanted decisions, maniacal fights The conflicting roles of accepted values Constant uncertainty of what you might lose And yet here we are, still fighting Ready and able to take on the unpredictable storms Stronger than who we were once before Skin thicker, heart bigger, mind wiser, more experienced than yesterday Refined perspectives, new objectives, No longer captives of the shackles that kept our souls from running At least for the most part

Like you, I still crawl into my cave To remove this mask That fits so perfectly upon the bridge of my nose Sadness, anger, confusion, fear Only then do these demons roam freely Digging into the entangled perceptions of my brain Biting, scratching Keeping my eyes stretched open and my thoughts afloat Gripping my ankles Not letting me take flight Into the awe-inspiring sunsets of my dreams But it’s only natural These emotions that keep us guessing We’re only human I just wish you would sing your blues to a willing ear There are people that love you, you know?

And you have such a lovely voice So sing! Sing to them the sincerities of your significantly soulful story Sing to them the subtle sensitivities of your stellar sculpture Sing to them the schizophrenic spectacles of your superbly sophisticated sub-consciousness They’ll listen, I promise You don’t always have to wear that cape Let go, embrace the chaos Wrap your arms around its shoulder to cry on Use it to guide your way I know it’s hard, easier said than done But I’ve seen you rise above the clouds Just to kiss the moon with your fingertips I believe in you So continue on your journey There are a myriad of opportunities and paths for you to venture Take them Don’t be afraid to fail Its okay to

Understand that failure can be a necessary benefit An adjustment in pace, in direction, in method, in purpose Don’t forget that you are in process Constantly experiencing, learning, accepting, Reconstructing, morphing, transforming A revolution of the mind, body, and soul The logic, feelings, consequences of decisions made, understood and accepted Right? Wrong? Lessons learned? Never known until the next chapter comes along to tell you so Everything happens for a reason There’s a magnificent universe out there and within waiting to be explored Dive in Tumble down that rabbit hole Dark, suffocating, frightening, it may be, but just jump Trust me Your radiant light will paint the way You are illuminating, contrastingly dazzling Let them see, let yourself see That you are a star, you are beautiful, you are a masterpiece Take it and run, but don’t forget to look back

And maybe one day we can sit by a fire and tell each other what we’ve discovered.

Citizenship through my eyes BY BRITTNEY BRIDGES

Tuesday, November 4, 2008 is the most memorable day of my life. My grandparents, father, and I were at the dinner table. The television was on channel 11, Fox News and the news anchor was announcing that President Obama was now the 44th president of the United States. My family isn’t really one for tears, but I remember looking at their faces and seeing the pride they felt, the excitement that burned inside them, and the amazement that glistened in their eyes. And there I was crying, but why? Was it just that the president was Black? Honestly, yes. Three generations of Blacks, sitting in the same room, and each of us experiencing differently what Obama’s Presidency meant.

My grandparents lived during the times of segregation when they had to fight for equality, and stand together as a collective people. My dad lived during a time where things had changed somewhat socially, but was still corrupt. I had lived in a time where terms like “color blindness” and “equality” were common everyday expressions. I felt everything but apathy at that moment and it was all for my grandparents and great-grandparents. My tears had nothing to do with me. I knew that for them this was a milestone, something they thought they would never experience in their lifetime and here it was. My tears were for them because I could feel their pain and their struggle.

My tears weren’t for my generation, because Preparing for this Presidential Election 2012 I knew that we didn’t understand the depth was a bit nerve racking for me. Listening to all and meaning of this moment. We could never the speeches, appearances, and debates was time appreciate this the way they did. We could never consuming and even annoying because I knew that fully understand what this meant for them. Even as I was going to vote for Obama no matter what, I was crying, the ultimate form of but what this election forced me to do passion in my eyes, I knew that I was to listen and hear Mitt Romney could not fully feel their emotions. “I wanted to hear both out. I didn’t want to write him off I didn’t get to vote, because I was sides and truly compare just because I heard he was a racist, 17, but it was at this very moment homophobic, woman hating, white and contrast the two.” that I knew being an American, a man. I wanted to see for myself. I participating American at that time, wanted to hear both sides and truly was about more than just voting. compare and contrast the two. I didn’t It was about really taking the time to participate, want to be accused of voting for Obama just learn, and voice your opinion on the issues that because he’s black and be labeled as this young face our country. This was my motivation for kid who really could care less about the economy, becoming a plugged in American on this 2012 doesn’t know a thing, but jumping on the Obama Presidential Election. bandwagon. I wanted to make an educated and informed decision. When voting day came, I was so proud of myself that I was able to do that. I was able to relive that very same moment in 2008 again.

I was worried though, that maybe Mitt Romney confidence that Obama could change our economy was going to win. He truly had an equal chance. and never once lost the enthusiasm that he initially People were losing hope in President Obama. His instilled in me back in 2008. But, I was starting to support didn’t seem as strong this time around lose hope because I knew, I alone, couldn’t elect and it was not as motivating as before. There President Obama for his second term. But then as were so many more celebrity-supported public I began to talk to more people, I realized that my service announcements (PSA’s) and groups that fellow citizens hadn’t lost hope. As a matter of were encouraging young people a fact they gained more hope, more and everyone else to vote in excitement, more motivation to give “Isn’t voting the key 2008, and they seemed almost Obama another four years to continue component to democracy? nonexistent this time. People his plan for change and they were were saying Obama hasn’t done excited for Election Day. Isn’t America based on anything. They were saying democracy?” everything is the same since he So then Election Day arrives and has come into office; no one we all wake up, turn on the news is any poorer or any richer because of him. They and begin to hear about the election. Everyone were failing to recognize his accomplishments is stressing to us, as Americans, to go vote. They in a four-year period. I mean come on, we gave name all the places and all of the ways that they George Bush an entire eight years to continually have made it “convenient” for us to vote. Then screw things up right in front of our face, but we get ready for our normal day, head out to we couldn’t even recognize President Obama’s work, school, etc… and we begin to hear different accomplishments in four? I never once lost the opinions on voting. Some of our peers

are vehemently against voting, some passionate about voting, some indifferent, and some who are unaware and could care less about the whole thing. And all of them are claiming to be an American. Are they?

“Isn’t voting the key component to democracy? Isn’t America based on democracy? And to be an American, it must mean you value democracy right? Isn’t each one of us a thread in the American fabric? What about the citizens that can’t vote?” For example, there are disenfranchised Black voters and citizens living in poverty without the necessary materials to vote. What about the citizens who can’t make it to the voting center, because on voting day there is a sign on the door that says “this voting place has been cancelled,” but there is no information on the current voting center.

What about the citizens that work from sunrise to sunset, rush to the voting center and stand in line just to be told they couldn’t vote. What about them? Are they threading in the American fabric? How can they be? Their opinions, needs, and wants are overlooked, but still decisions are made that affect them. They’re American enough to work long days away from their family for this country so that the person on top can live the “American dream,” but not American enough to vote and elect a president that can offer them a chance at the American dream? As an eligible voter, I get the opportunity to elect someone who I feel can best offer me the American dream. I am not just voting for myself though. I am voting for those who can’t. I want them to have the same chance at the American dream. But is that even tangible anymore? Was it ever tangible? Maybe at one time, I wouldn’t know, but now I don’t believe it is.

It seems we live in a society with unreachable skies meaning you can never be successful or have it all when there is no bar of satisfaction. Especially in my generation, we are taught to always want more. One million dollars isn’t enough when you can have two million. One wife or husband isn’t enough when you can live in promiscuity. One burger isn’t enough when you can order as many as you’d like. Because of this, no one, poor or rich, will ever lay hands on the American dream. You must then define the American dream for yourself. As a citizen of the United States of America, you must find what you value most, that is your American dream. You have a tangible goal and you go for it. In the process, don’t forget that voting isn’t the only thing that makes you an American.

Being exactly who you are with all your opinions, wants and needs, working hard every day, continuing to find hope in your president, Barack Obama, is what makes you an American.

an artist’s american dream BY BRITTNEY AROFF

When I am in my studio working, feeling my house-paint sized brush swirl through the paint in the buckets, I remember when I first started painting. Everyday after school when I was about nine years old, the school bus would be at the stop by my house and I would get off and walk two blocks to my painting classes. On those walks, I remember having conflicting emotions that I had no idea how to express. At the time, my father had slipped into a deep coma from an accident and even upon awakening, was never the same again, until finally, he passed away two years ago. The absence of my father birthed the artist in me. I may not have a father, but I have my art. What I didn’t know how to say back then, is deeply expressed in my artwork today.

Growing up being an artist, I was always taught how to “do” art by copying The Masters and creating still lives and by learning technique. After years of assignments, I was finally introduced to abstraction and my life changed. I discovered that there is an awareness of culture, life, expression, and purpose that comes with being an artist. I knew I had to paint, go to school, get my Masters in Fine Art, create work, and widen my knowledge. When I was young, I didn’t know how to express feelings through words, I learned how to do it through art. My American Dream is manifested in the dedication to my practice and unfolding the mysteries of art.

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a Song for you: THE DONNY HATHAWAY STORY BY ARIEL GOODEN

It was a cold winter night in New York on January 13, 1979 when famed soul singer Donny Hathaway was found dead. His lifeless body was lying on the sidewalk in front of the Essex House hotel. There was no sign of struggle to indicate that he had been murdered, therefore the only conclusion was that he jumped from his 15th floor hotel room balcony. Many asked what could possibly drive a man who possessed so much talent and fame to commit such an act. “Was the fame becoming too much pressure? Was it his mental illness that he battled everyday of his life that was taking a toll on him? Was his paranoia justified? Was there any truth to his accusations that “white men” wanted to kill him because they wanted to steal his musical sound?”

The thoughts expressed by Donny Hathaway prior to his death may still be in question, but one thing that is not up for discussion, is his undeniable talent. The way he crooned on a record with his sorrowful voice that was filled with so much pain, but beauty all in the same breath, was an extraordinary gift that many artists no longer possess. Donny Hathaway was a tormented soul who was able to channel his energy into music and there is no question that his music came from the heart. Though widely recognized for his singing and songwriting abilities that resulted in so many hit recordings, very little attention, if any at all, has been given to exploring the dark side of Donny Hathaway – a dark side that found a man constantly having to fight the demons of mental

illness while crying out, as he did in his music, for a love that was sadly, slow to come.

in particular, as well as the ukulele and piano. He became known as “Donny Pitts, The Nations’ Youngest Gospel Singer” and was viewed as a The Early Years child prodigy. By his teenage years at Vashon High Donny Edward Hathaway was born October School, Hathaway had gained enough respect to 1, 1945 in Chicago Illinois to Drusella Huntley. receive a three-year fine arts scholarship to study Although, he respected his mother, he was aware music theory at Howard University in 1964. It that she struggled throughout life and he didn’t was there where he began to experiment with want the same for himself. He was sent to St. different sounds, and build relationships with other Louis, Missouri to stay with his musicians who were able to impact grandmother, Martha Pitts, at a his career. “He discovered his love very young age. Living in the for music at the very young Carr Square housing project, it During his years at Howard age of 3.” would have been the easy route University, Donny became a member for Hathaway to fall into a life of of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, violence and drugs and become met his future wife and mother of a product of his environment, however, he his children, Eulaulah, who was studying classical discovered his love for music at the very young voice at the time, and his future duet partner age of 3. With the help of his grandmother, who Roberta Flack. At Howard, Hathaway found was a professional gospel singer, also known as himself growing a much larger interest for jazz Martha Crumwell, Donny was able to join the music, despite his grandmother’s wishes. He often church choir and expand his vocal ability. He battled with himself throughout his career because studied music and took a liking to gospel music he wanted to remain true to his gospel roots, but

loved jazz and rhythm and blues. He became apart of “The Mayfield Singers,” which was a group formed by Curtis Mayfield, then later joined a jazz trio called “The Ric Powell Trio” where he played alongside drummer Ric Powell. He later decided to discontinue his college education after his 3rd year, and focus solely on his musical career.

producing abilities. Donny was able to pen songs for the label and influence musical acts such as The Five Stairsteps and Holly Maxwell.

Donny was finally given his chance as an artist in 1969 and recorded his own songs, “I Thank You Baby” and “Just Another Reason,” which were both duets with singer The Musical Career “He often battled with himself June Conquest. Curtis Mayfield He started his professional throughout his career because introduced Donny to Atco Records, career as a songwriter and he wanted to remain true to his a division of Atlantic Records, producer for sessions at Twinight gospel roots, but loved jazz and where he was offered a recording Records in Chicago, where he contract and released his first rhythm and blues.” arranged the songs “Court of single, “The Ghetto, Pt. 1.” This Love,” and “The Beginning of My song was the first single from his End” for The Unifics. He was partially responsible 1970 album “Everything is Everything,” which for launching the careers of Jerry Butler, Aretha was co-produced by long time friend Ric Powell. Franklin, The Impressions, The Staple Singers and The album reached number 33 on the U.S. R&B Curtis Mayfield. He made a lasting impression on Charts and included songs with gospel influence Curtis Mayfield, who gave me him the opportunity such as “De vous Aime.” to work with Mayfield’s label, Curtom. There, Donny became a “staff writer” and further impressed Mayfield with his arranging and

It wasn’t until his second album, self titled “Donny Hathaway,” where he began to receive musical recognition with the album reaching number six on the U.S. R&B Charts. Having written songs for friend and label mate Roberta Flack, such as “Tryin’ Times,” it was only natural that Atlantic Records would want the two artists to work together on a joint project. The two singers, who had been friends for some time, collaborated on the duet album “Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway” in 1972 that reached number 2 on the U.S. R&B Charts. It was this album that garnered Donny Hathaway a Grammy Award winning, number one single with “Where Is The Love?” According to Robin Francis’ article, “Such commercial success would normally bring a certain level of contentment, but Donny was definitely not content with commercial success gained in this way. He was continuously torn between his strict gospel teachings and the trappings of success, as well as the constant yearning for recognition for ‘his own’ material.”

He enjoyed making commercial music, but longed for people to want to hear something from him that was more organic. His inner struggle was the beginning of a much deeper, life threatening battle that he would soon have to face; the battle between himself and mental illness. The Demise of Donny Hathaway In the book, “Winners Have Yet to Be Announced: A Song for Donny Hathaway” by Edward Michael Pavlić, the sporadic behavior of the soul singer is illustrated in a way where one could visualize the scattered thoughts that caused confusion and worry for his close family members, close friends and musical partnerships. People began to notice how he would ramble on, spurting out incomplete thoughts about things no one could understand. He wanted to be understood, but felt there was nothing to say. He felt trapped in his own body and felt as though people wanted to obtain his thoughts to harm him. Donny Hathaway was diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic in 1973. The moments leading up to his death,

while recording a music session, other musicians there claimed he was paranoid and saying “white people” were after him. Donny believed they were trying to kill him and hook a device to his brain to steal his thoughts, ideas and musical sounds. The people around him had reached their limit and decided to end the session. Two hours later, Donny was found dead, lying on the sidewalk. He had gone back to his hotel room and jumped from his 15th floor balcony. 42

Before Hathaway reached that point of extreme paranoia, his work ethic and music were not affected. He was able to release his fourth studio album, “Extension of a man,” in 1973. It did not receive the same recognition as his duet album with Roberta Flack, but it included the songs “Someday We’ll All Be Free” and “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know,” which many people feel expressed the innermost feelings that may have triggered his severe depression.

Donny felt he was being pulled in different directions because he still had a love for gospel music and his roots, however his label pressured him to create commercial music. He took this as people rejecting his own thoughts and ideas by not wanting to hear what he had to say in his music. In the song, “Someday We’ll All Be Free,” Donny offers words of encouragement by singing: “Hang onto the world as it spins, around. Just don't let the spin get you down. Things are moving fast. Hold on tight and you will last.” In this song, he sang inspiring lyrics about not allowing negativity to get the best of you, and not to worry because one day “We’ll All Be Free.” However, his meaning of freedom is questioned and many believe that taking his own life, was his way of being freed from the pressures and negativity of the music industry. His strong yearning for “freedom” resulted in depression, paranoia and ultimately, death.

The rumors surrounding his death went from “mob bosses” looking for him to settle a gambling debt, all the way to Donny secretly being head over heels in love with Roberta Flack. Many people felt it was so sudden because his career was beginning to pick up again. They didn’t see a reason for his depression and paranoia, but his schizophrenia caused unpredictable behavior that nobody could understand. People shrugged it off, but no one thought he would commit suicide. The Legacy Although the story of Donny Hathaway has a sad ending, his influence on music and artists from different racial backgrounds, proves that his impact overshadowed his tragic demise. His legacy and dreams live on through many top name artists like Beyonce, Usher, Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown, Amy Winehouse and Mariah Carey, just to name a few. There have been many remakes of his classic songs “A Song For You,” “Someday We’ll All Be Free,” “Where is the Love?,” “The Closer I Get To You,” and the Christmastime staple,

“This Christmas,” that even inspired a movie in 2007, starring Chris Brown, who performed his own rendition of the classic record in the film. His daughters Lalah Hathaway, Donnita, and Kenya have continued on his legacy as well. Lalah has pursued her own musical career and has become a notable R&B and Neo-Soul singer, while Kenya has become one of the three back-up vocalists on the hit television show American Idol. In conclusion, he may not have had the most pleasant life experience, but one thing is for sure: Donny Hathaway will always be remembered as a man whose musical talent and voice touched the heart and souls of many. He spent his life both pursuing and living the American Dream. References Dayton-Johnson, J. "Donny Hathaway: Someday We'll All Be Free." Jazz article: By Jeff Dayton-Johnson. Rhino Francis, 30 Jan. 2011. Web. 14 Dec. 2012. Francis, R. "Donny Hathaway." Michael Valentine Studio. Michael Valentine Studio Ltd., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2012.

Heslam, D., and Tobler, J. The NME Rock'n'roll Years. London: Hamlyn, 1992. Print. Jones, B. E., and Gray, B. A. "Problems in diagnosing schizophrenia and affective disorders among blacks." Psychiatric Services (1986): n. pag. American Psychiatric Association. Web. 14 Dec. 2012. Keyes, A. "Donny Hathaway: Neglected Heart Of Soul." NPR. NPR, 21 June 2010. Web. 14 Dec. 2012. Lawson, W. B., Mueser, K. T., and Jeste, D. V. "Schizophrenia in African Americans." - Schizophrenia- in African Americans. ArmMed Media, 3 Jan. 2011. Web. 14 Dec. 2012. Metzl, J. The protest psychosis: How schizophrenia became a black disease. Boston: Beacon, 2009. Pavlić, E. M. Winners have yet to be announced: A song for Donny Hathaway: Poems. Athens: University of Georgia, 2008. Poussaint, A. F. Lay my burden down: Suicide and the mental health crisis among African-Americans. Beacon Press, 2001. Ramsey Jr, G. P. Race music: Black cultures from bebop to hip-hop. Vol. 7. University of California Press, 2003. Tourville, S. The overdiagnosis of schizophrenia in African Americans. Scholarly portfolio. University of Denver, 4 Feb. 2008. Web Database. 14 Dec. 2012. Werner, Craig. Higher Ground. 1st ed. N.p.: Crown, 2004.

I Had A DREAM BY JESSICA HERNANDEZ

I had a dream that took generations to hear the cries of their “enemy”: Children wailing, Stop the bombs! Only to hear their ashes in the wind Farmers crying for their green trees and lands, not the AVATAR version, the real-life, indigenous, native, my-land-hasbeen-raped-and-stolen version Soldiers “punched” through my sister’s body tearing her earth in half This is not global warming! This is the cry of our “enemy”

I had a dream that took generations to see the: Military coup d'état in South America, strategically planned by the “Chicago Boys” Bring rise to corruptions, poverty, death and oppression I had a dream that took generations to overcome “human beings burning with napalm…of homes being filled with orphans and widows…men returning home from dark and bloody battlefields physically handicapped and psychologically deranged” * MLK Beyond Vietnam This is not a news flash

This is the American Dream A dream of US troops passing the manifest destiny borders and reaching worldwide Of shelling freedom like bullets piercing the body slowing exiting the bones and shattering fragments of a revolution

A white picket fence dream of one-story home, no house divided, creating policies to enrich corporate bellies while citizens of a “democracy” line up hungry, hours are 9-5pm, please return Of children reading below the 5th grade while judicially graduating from the University I.M.P (I Made Prison) This is the Red, White, and Blue Please raise your right hand to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth!! I had a dream…

I had a dream…America? I had a dream This poetry piece was inspired by Martin Luther King’s Beyond Vietnam—A Time To Break Silence. After I read this speech, I wondered what and for whom the American Dream was a reality. We hear so much about citizens and immigrants, both who want to achieve the “American Dream,” but at what expense? This speech made me consider what kind of American Dream I’d want to participate in and how I might do so.

NO RIGHTS, ONLY PRIVILEDGES BY SEAN WILLIAMS There is a very misleading and idealistic being beaten and killed for, do not take advantage concept in this country. It is the thought that as a of it? human being, you have certain inalienable rights. Supposedly, there are things that you inherently In my Pan African Studies, “Black Images deserve, and no one can take them from you. The on the Silver Screen” class at CSUN, there is a truth of the matter is that in this world, there are no student that said that the reason he does not vote rights, only privileges. Anything you is because he does not believe that want to have in this world, you have Democrats and Republicans can to be willing to put in the necessary “The truth of the matter is fix our problems. I understand that that in this world, there are opinion, but allow me to counter. work to get to that goal. no rights, only privileges.” Last Tuesday, November 6, 2012, On September 16, 2010, Senior this country exercised the privilege Airman Daniel Sanchez (23) and that every American has been afforded…the right his team, along with Afghan partner forces were to vote. 116,543,973 Americans voted out of the providing security for a national election polling 314,761,438 total Americans. Why is it that over site near the Kajran District, when an enemy half of the American population, who has this insurgent ambushed the forces. Sanchez was shot privilege that others across the world are literally and killed trying to protect the Afghan citizen’s

privilege to vote. Senator John McCain, a veteran of the Vietnam War, regardless of how you feel about his political ideas, was a Prisoner of War (POW) for five and a half years.

It is easy to sit in a college classroom and say that you refuse to vote because you do not believe in the system. Well, the E5 in the Navy, who has not seen his wife and three children for two months, may not believe in the system either. But, he continues to “You have the privilege make the sacrifice so that his family to become whatever you can walk down the street without the want to become, if you threat of a suicide bomber. work hard for it.”

He was kept in solitude, tied up, beaten repeatedly, and almost committed suicide because he was defending the privileges of this country. So what is my point? You disrespect those men, countless others, and the flag that represents the sacrifice many have made when you ignore those privileges. You devalue their sacrifice; many of whom gave their lives or have had their lives forever altered by war. For people of color, you cheapen the lives that were lost in the 1950’s, 1960’s, and 1970’s trying to obtain absolute equality, not to mention the legions of lives lost before that pivotal period.

And regardless of how you view America, if you are a citizen, you benefit from his sacrifice. So you may be angered by the situations in the country, you may not like how the country is being run, you may not think that things are not where they should be, but respect the sacrifices that have been made so that you are able to get a college education, even if the fees are sky high. So what if the fees are high.? You still have the privilege to go to college. You have the privilege to become whatever you want to become, if you work hard for it.

During this election, I saw and learned that the United States is in the middle of a journey, at a turning point in its history. I believe we are at the point where we must choose to either come together or separate. There are many things that divide our country, but I believe that the promise of freedom for all, with no prejudices or requirements, is stronger. I believe that the bond that holds the United States together is far superior to the things that try to divide us. Even though I believe this to be true, the American citizens, as a whole, must decide if this is true as well. When will America stop saying that we respect each other and we are united, and start doing it. For example, one of the prime issues that the United States is dealing with, and finds itself polarized on, is faith.

Using myself as an illustration, I am a Christian. I hold firm to my beliefs. I do not support same- sex marriage and I do not support abortion, but I support people. Regardless of faith, gender, sexual orientation, past, or present, I support people. I will not stand idly in the corner while someone is being mistreated in any fashion for any reason by any person. I am a Christian, not Christ. I have no authority over any life but my own. I cannot judge anyone, because I am not without fault, and I do not wish to be judged either. The only things that I can do for someone else is love and support them. A person is not defined by their actions, and my friendship and my compassion is not dependent on what you do or have done. All are created equal and that includes man, woman, straight, gay, transgender, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Atheist, Caucasian, African, Latin, Hispanic, Asian, murderer, rapist, racist, or anyone else.

At the midpoint of this pursuit towards a goal, there are many who have given up. Four years ago, this country exploded with the hope that, then Senator Barack Obama, inspired. So many Americans were energized because they could mentally visualize an America that they desired to live in. The President said something very crucial in his acceptance speech in 2008 that many overlooked. The President stated that 50

“The road will be long, change will not come over night, the process will be tough, but, if we keep working as a country to get to that goal, we will arrive there.” Four years later, when there is no “perceived change,”, many Americans have given up. They do not have that fire in their souls that they did four years ago. They cannot see that the America they wanted just a little while ago, and here is the reason. Many people today, especially young people, want the diamond without the

pressure. They want the flat stomach without the sit ups. They want the Bachelor’s degree without coming to class, or only giving the least amount of effort that is absolutely necessary to graduate. And most frequently, they want success, fame, regard, and fortune, without the sacrifice. People want the end without the beginning and the middle. Because the road got a little rough, people gave up on the dream they had four years ago. When they voted on Tuesday, November 4, 2008, they wanted the pressure that they felt, especially from the economy, to subside on November 5, and absolutely no later than two years from then. If we continue with this preconditioned mentality, if we continue to go through this life weak, refusing to do the hard work it takes to succeed, America will never be the great country that we want it to be. It is going to take extreme effort, long nights, unimaginable sacrifices, and unerring determination day after day, month after month, year after year if we really desire to be successful. Examine how the country has changed

in the past. People were marching, protesting, and I also believe that determination must turn into fighting. They did whatever they had to do in the action and action cannot stop when we meet an face of the most extreme opposition. They did obstacle. There are only two things that you can not give up because they wanted something so do when you meet a complication; succeed or quit. desperately that they were willing to be attacked There is no such thing as failure, because as long by dogs, sprayed by fire hoses, beaten by police, as you get back up after you fall, you can continue. spit on, cursed at, and demeaned to get to the The United States of America needs to get back greater goal. They were willing up, and is doing so. to feel temporary pain for an “I also believe that everlasting reward. They realized In conclusion, nothing is determination must turn that the only thing between them promised. You have to work for it. into action and action and their goal was time and work. We are privileged to be in a position cannot stop when we meet to be able to chart the course for our Today, we have to be just as willing an obstacle.” to do the work, and as of right now, own lives, and have the freedom to many are not. see it through. Respect that privilege because it was not free. Respect that But, I believe that will change. I am willing privilege and make the most of it. Respect that to do the work. I am willing to go as far as I need privilege because not everyone has it. to in order to have the life that I desire, in order And respect that privilege because people around to give my parents all they desire and more, and the world are crying out constantly in order to to help those who are not receiving it. I will do have it. whatever I have to in order to see that day. And that same determination that I have is in others.

The Obamas BY SARAh COHN

To many members of my generation, Barack Obama is a tangible symbol of the American Dream - an outsider who worked his way from Harvard Law to the United States Senate, ultimately making it to the White House as the leader of the free world. He represents the ideology upon which our country was founded, the idea that if you work hard enough and are determined, you can achieve anything. Though politicians and pundits tell us that the American Dream is dead for members of our generation, we can look to our President and know that the American Dream exists, as long as we are willing to fight for it. This portrait of the President and First Lady is an original acrylic painting, measuring 8" x 8", entirely hand-drawn and hand-painted.

#“The Obamas,” 2 012 . Acrylic, 8” x8”

The Election and Issues that Face our Country BY MARIAM Harutyunian Like every other immigrant, I also moved to America for a better future. In the backdrop of achieving the American Dream, I knew that my journey was headed toward the best things in life. Apparently, things are not what they usually seem to be. Foreigners view the United States as a land where money grows on trees. There are many stereotypes about Americans. For example, foreigners believe Americans don't have to work to be rich, or being rich and owning expensive things is the number one imperative for Americans. If they only knew that America is not the land of all good things anymore. There are many issues that are facing both men and women in the United States today. These issues range from healthcare, poverty, environment, education to immigration.

As a healthcare administration student, I feel that having a broken healthcare system is one of the biggest issues the United States faces today. When your child is sick, the last thing you should be worrying about is whether you can afford to take him to get proper medical treatment. Because of the way our healthcare system is set up, this is the way many Americans feel. Health insurance has become increasingly expensive, making it difficult to afford. This leaves millions of people without healthcare coverage. When compared to the healthcare system of United Kingdom or France, United States healthcare is just terrible. As we noticed, one of the main aspects of both political campaigns of 2012, was health care reform. Re-electing Barak Obama means the healthcare reform will be passed. President Obama’s new healthcare reform is based upon the right and value of choices. In Obama’s health plan, people have the right to choose if they would rather have private insurance or national healthcare insurance. Healthcare should be available to every American citizen. It’s important to have choices.

Being a student can be a stressful time for everyone, regardless of interests or majors. Due to this sometimes people have to make tough decisions about what to cut out of their life. For me, one of these decisions was watching the news and being informed on political issues. However, on the day of elections, I made time to watch the whole thing. I don’t really have anything to say about the elections. I don’t understand how presidential candidates spend millions of dollars on campaigns, while their country is in so much debt. One thing for sure, every presidential election is full of promises, but after winning the election, everyone forgets about what they promised.

President Barack Obama and presidential candidate Mitt Romney, both brought their own strengths and fair share of weaknesses to the table, but honestly, I wanted Obama to be re-elected because I was afraid of change. We were already familiar with the way Barack Obama runs the country. I’m sure that many people voted for him for the same reason. I watched the elections and President Barack Obama’s acceptance speech. I was very touched. I think he brought up many points, especially how we all should treat each other equally. I am not very sure, however, that he is the best candidate because he didn’t keep some of his promises, and unemployment rates are higher now compared to when he first became president. The U.S. is in a very bad condition, and it will take lot of years and lot of work to fix it.

As a U.S citizen and as a college student, It’s not only the president’s job to fix this I have the responsibility to be a faithful citizen country; every citizen has his or her part in it. of the United States of America Like Obama said in his speech, “We by respecting it’s laws, whether “We are the United are the United States of America,” so I agree with them or not. As a States of America.” we have to work together to make this student, I have the responsibility nation rise. I consider myself lucky to of getting the best education I can live in a country that offers so many and master my profession so I can do something opportunities to its citizens. Putting aside all the good for this country. If we live in this nation, it issues and all the negative things, having the right makes us part of it. We vote for the president and to speak, freedom of choice and having the right for propositions; thus, we have to be educated and just to be free is the greatest thing about the United well informed to make the right choices. Though States. with work and school I am not very informed about everything that happens in the United States, I still think that I am a part of it.

BEING AN AMERICAN BY JORDAN MITCHElL

To be quite honest, four years ago when I was a junior at Serra High School in Gardena California, I was only paying half attention to the 2008 United States Presidential Election. I was aware that there was a chance for Barack Obama to become the first Black President of the United States. It was pretty exciting, but I was not really aware of the fundamental differences between Barack Obama or the nominee for the Republican party in 2008, John McCain. Like most young African Americans at that time, I wanted Barack Obama to win because he was black. Wanting Obama to win because he was black was not necessarily a wrong thing to believe. In the history books, all the U.S. Presidents prior to Obama were all white males.

“The idea of Barack Obama as the President of the United States was, and still is, very exciting for not only African Americans, but for all races as well.” The 2008 Presidential Election generated the highest voter turnout; people were excited to vote and even more excited to be a part of this history. I was disappointed, however, that I could not vote in the 2008 Presidential election because I was seventeen-years-old. A question that I can ask myself during the 2012 Presidential Election is whether or not I am engaged as an American; not just for the sake of politics but just in democracy itself. When I voted on November 6th, 2013, I asked myself, whether or not I voted for the right candidate because of his color, or personality, or simply because it was the “cool” thing to do.

A lot of things were going on for me during 2008. I transferred high schools and was trying to adapt to going to a Catholic Private School. I was also playing basketball on a travel team and was trying to get attention from Division 1 colleges. I was excited for the election, but it wasn’t the only thing on my mind at that time. I knew that Barack Obama’s main philosophy during his campaign trail was the notion of hope and change. Hope that the country of the United States will one day get out of the financial deficit that it is in, and being able to change our nation’s economic situation for the better. Fast forward four years to present day and one must ask themselves if President Obama’s message is still prevalent, not only for those who voted and supported him in 2008, but also for those who were one or a couple years too young to vote in 2008, but was still tuned in.

Being a junior at California State University Northridge, I only have roughly a year and a half until I graduate. This means that I will be flung out into the real world, and being a twenty-two year old college graduate in America, I am sure that it is going to be extremely hard to find a job. I’m not going to have any previous work experience or really any avenues to receive a good paying job.

I know for me, Obama’s message is still relevant and is more important than ever that he keeps his promise of changing this nation.

I play basketball for the school, and I don’t want to live in a world where the only way I’ll be able to support myself is to be a good basketball

“Life isn’t going to just be hard for me, it’s also going to be hard for millions of other college graduates who are looking to apply their education in the workforce.” Because of our economy, people are losing jobs every day and very few jobs are available.

player. I do not believe that I am disillusioned with Obama’s current term, I am a firm believer that Obama and his administration has the ability to make the necessary changes and decisions to fix this financial deficit for the better and to put this country back in shape.

Another question that I feel all American’s should ask themselves at one point or another is whether or not they feel like they are a part of this country. This country is so large and so diverse, people and especially young adults can often feel as if they are not a thread of the American fabric, simply because of how the wealth is spread in our country. For instance, one of the major elements of Republican candidate, Mitt Romney’s campaign, was the fact that he was giving tax cuts to the rich. Many Americans, especially democrats were skeptical of Romney’s political platform, and

simply saw him as a candidate who was trying to get elected by appealing to his rich friends. Romney’s approach during his campaign was one of the reasons I was skeptical that Obama would win. I anticipated that because Romney’s plan to keep rich people happy would insure him the spot at the White House. What the 2012 Presidential election results have taught me is that the majority really does have rule in America. Bill O Reilly said something very interesting during his political show “The O ‘Reilly Factor”. He said,

“The white establishment is the minority in America.” He is absolutely right. Prior to Obama being in office, young people had a lot more voter apathy. Some young adults might have felt that politics really did not matter to them. I feel that I speak for most young black males when I say that voting between two older white males for the presidential

election really doesn’t inspire one to go out and vote. Obama was younger and charismatic enough to make one excited to be interested and engaged in political affairs. I consider myself as a thread in the American fabric because I am part of a generation of people who are a lot more engaged in what’s going on, whether it is politics or international affairs and it is partially because of President Barack Obama and because of the fast spread of information through technology. In conclusion, I think that what makes one an American is their ability to have a sense of pride in their country, the belief that they have a voice in their government, as well as the ability to be able to have power in what goes on in their community. I think what makes people disengaged is because of the cynical overview that it doesn’t matter who Americans elect in the White House.

Whether you are democrat or republican, all the problems we face are going to remain the same for years to come. I am a firm believer, especially after the 2012 election results, that America is a great democracy and that the majority of Americans really do have a say on who should lead this country. 59

THE AMERICAN ETHNICITY BY Tammie valer

Presidential Election 2012 BY Jasmine Campbell Obama, Obama, Obama is all I can say. As our There are many ways to be a productive citizen country is faced with many issues, my role as an in this country. This includes having the power American citizen is to be productive. These are to generate, stay creative and put forth effort. important factors as a college student, because in It is important to have those three characteristics order to become productive, education is the key. because everyone has a voice and should be heard. As a citizen of this country, I truly believe I am Not everyone would agree with the President, but part of this nation. This belief if you have the power to generate comes from being a first time and stay creative, you’re able to “We rise or fall together voter and actually being able to put forth the effort as an American as one nation and as one citizen and voice your opinion. mark my opinion and knowing people.” it was considered. Although This statement is relevant because many Americans appear to the President has stated numerous be disillusioned with the President’s ideas in the times that as a nation we must come together first term due to his slow economic growth, many and set our differences aside, regardless of what still believe in him for a second term. One who is political party you agree with or whether or not considered to be an American must believe in the you know where you fit in. One example of government and also in the role of the President coming together was after Hurricane Sandy in regardless of what political party you believe in. New York. Many of us donated to help surviving

victims. For me, this is proof that we can come together through hard times.

Higher education enables one to gain knowledge and skills as a citizen. These skills allow Americans to live the American dream, which we all try to obtain. As we are rapidly approaching a new era where technology is in high demand Obama wants to make improvements through math and science teachers. In my opinion I think this is a great way to help make this nation successful.

Education is the key to success as many of us have heard many times. I believe in this statement because the President has stressed numerous times that increasing taxes would increase student tuition. Increasing student tuition would have discouraged many college students not to attend college, including myself. I am a first generation The power to be positive is to be patient. college student and I am already fighting the battle As citizens, we must remain positive with our alone while continuing my journey President and have faith in him. to graduate. Education is important “I like to know what I’m As a result of Bin Laden’s death, because it is the basic necessity we proved that as citizens we could talking about before I of learning, which enables skills be patient. Thinking Fast and Slow, speak.” and knowledge from the past and a 2011 book by Daniel Kahneman, future. There has been a disconnect was read by the President and with education, which we can see from the informed him about “how people make decisions, propositions. As a nation we had to make quick, instinctive thinking versus slower, decisions about education, which proves my point contemplative deliberation.” This article allowed that education is the key to success. If education our president to see that he is a rational thinker. was not important it would not have been on the A rational thinker means he is a reasonable thinker. ballot. I would think that by our President being

a rational thinker it would be more logical for our country. But as Americans we tend to be impatient, which could hurt our nation in the future. “Being a slow thinker for a leader is not necessarily an advantage because the public likes a leader to think quickly and react instinctively.” I disagree with him because a rational thinker takes the time to understand the problem at hand and is able to deliver a reasonable solution that is logical. As Americans we must learn to be more patient. Every vote counts and being a young first time voter I didn’t know what to expect. Given this opportunity to vote I felt connected to my country, which gave me a feeling of excitement. The anticipation I felt as the polling places were closing made me very anxious. I just wanted to get off work and sit in front of the television and wait for the announcement that my vote did count. When President Obama was re-elected I instantly felt a sense of connection because my vote did matter. From the moment I walked into the polling place and cast my vote, I felt that I was an

American. I took the voting process very serious and it took me about thirty minutes to complete the process. Although I had researched and I knew what propositions I was voting for I had to be certain. This voting process has enabled me to recognize the importance of voting which determines my future. The President has called upon help from all people to make this country a better place. President Obama has begged for our help as citizens, brown or white, Republican or Democrat, he has even asked his opponent for assistance to get our country on the right track. He is fair and willing to make sacrifices that will create opportunities for all Americans. His love for this country has given many of us hope, young or old. I think given this second opportunity as Americans we will be able to see a difference at the end of this presidential term.

Obama, Obama, Obama is all I can say.

MY TAKE ON TODAY’S POLITICAL PSYCHE BY RANDOLPH MILLER-TAYLOR

It seems as though my generation is split between apathy and a passion for politics. When I talk to my colleagues about this year’s election, an increased frustration flares inside me as I realize how disillusioned and ignorant a lot of them are to the stakes and issues that the 6th of November entailed. When I asked some why they didn’t vote, or why they voted the way they did, I heard statements such as, “I as one person am not going to make a difference,” “The popular vote doesn’t count,” “I didn’t know the issues so I just selected randomly,”

and many more. My personal favorite response was by a close friend of mine that claimed that he “doesn’t believe in the government,” even though he heavily depends on government provided grants to pay for his schooling and housing. To me, to consider yourself American is ultimately to be aware that you are an American. In order to do this, one must have an educated opinion regarding the various economic and political happenings within the nation. Another part of being an American is to be involved in the democratic process. The age-old argument that “government is corrupt” and it “doesn’t matter what I think” are mainly used as excuses for people to wallow in their own discontent.

People who do not exercise their right to vote on issues pertinent to themselves and their community should be stripped of the right to complain about their social-economic situations. I am not naively saying that our government and democratic processes are not flawless, but we cannot expect anything to change in our favor unless we speak up and demand that change be made. Whether we want to be or not, we are all a part of the American fabric. The ones who actively participate in this concept help American tradition radiate worldwide, while the individuals that idly stand by and give up what chance they had to make a difference dampens the eminence and greatness of the more perfect union that so many before us died in order to achieve. I view myself as a thread in the American fabric because I see myself as a part of American history in the making. I see many others and myself as one of the many forces that have contributed to the progressive movement to keep this country

moving in the right direction. It is true that our individual voices are small. It would be a valid thought to believe that one person would be drowned out by the cacophony of over 350 million voices. On Tuesday, November 6th, however, the collaboration of the individual voice that decided to be heard harmoniously proved resonant enough to be heard for the next four years. In my early education on government and the election process, I was increasingly enamored with the concept of the Electoral College.

I didn’t understand why we had a group of representatives that dictated who was to be the next president of the United States, if this was to be a truly democratic society.

I was told that the College was implemented because the Founding Fathers were afraid that with the masses of people being illiterate and, quite frankly ignorant, they would be too easily swayed by rhetoric and claims that were simply not true.

In 2008 (the year before I was eligible to vote), I saw pride in the people’s ability to vote. Sadly I would have to say that from what I experienced in this recent presidential campaign truly opened my eyes to the indifference and ignorance that many a people possess regarding their representation and government. I felt my passion to express my right to a voice echoed in an empty room of apathy and witlessness.

With the advent of radio, television, the Internet, and other forms of wide spread media, one would think that this problem would be alleviated. However, it in “I felt my passion to express fact seems to be just as prevalent, In my opinion, if one questions my right to a voice echoed if not more, than the revolutionary whether or not his or her voice in an empty room of apathy days. Television and radio talk would be heard or would be and witlessness.” shows such as Fox News, the Rush proven insignificant, they are also Limbaugh show, MSNBC, and questioning their self-esteem and the like are all brainwashing their constituents personal relevance. The direction of the free world to realize their political agendas. It’s saddening was on the verge of change and it seemed that life to see that even individuals with an education for most was just business as usual. (college students, graduates, professionals, etc…) are being coaxed into mindlessly believing in dichotomies that an outsider would see as nonsensical.

Although there are so many problems that plague our existence, including the deficit, foreign affairs and the socio-economic war we face at home, it seems as though people (not just my generation) are relatively content with their situation. If this isn’t the case, they are merely afraid that making waves would serve more trouble than an issue would be worth. Whatever the challenge is, the passion that would expunge apathy from its throne no longer seems to be present. Only we as a people can reverse this lethargy and bring birth to this passion’s second coming.

Some Fighting BY John Mickus “Some Fighting” is a collage which uses humor and hyperbole to depict the violence involved with making American—and the American Dream—a reality.

FREEDOM IS NOT FREE BY Tania BENJamin

They enforced the hijab to conceal her big, brown eyes. It wrapped around her rosy cheeks and shut her lips, blocking her voice from speaking out. She walked the grounds with one purpose: Providing her husband with contentment. What she enclosed within herself was the fear of looking into a man’s eyes. When teenage girls in America are getting ready for their prom, the Afghani teenage girl is preparing to be wed to a man three times her age. All hope of attending a college and finding a career is lost. Her path is now set: to cook, clean, and raise children for the remainder of her life. Would freedom just appear out of thin air for Afghani women or will there be a price paid to gain it?

What is freedom? Many believe that freedom is a form of release from slavery— independence or emancipation. To many people, freedom is the ability to act, think, and speak without stringent restrictions. There are many major subsets of this definition of freedom— from freedom of religion, which is interpreted as the right to practice one’s religion without persecution, to the right to know the reason why one is being arrested. In the United States, these freedoms are embedded into the Constitution, and have been absorbed into social and political culture. Americans know that Constitutional freedoms come with a price—perhaps one as hefty as the use of soldiers to protect our freedoms.

The most prominent example of Americans’ use of soldiers to gain freedom is the Revolutionary War. After the war, the United States was free of Great Britain’s control. This triumph was substantiated with the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Taxes, regulations, and businesses were no longer decided by the Parliament, but by the American people. The growth of political parties began to take place along with a new form of government. The citizens of this nation were guaranteed new rights under this government, which included the freedoms of speech, the press, religion, the right to bear arms, and the right to a trial by jury (Zinn, 1999). As time passes, the value of these freedoms can be forgotten; many citizens blessed with these freedoms overlook the lives sacrificed in order to sustain liberty. Today, our country is at war with nations in the Middle East, where American soldiers are losing their lives for the freedom of the people. Even civilians are losing their lives in these regions, namely in Iraq and Afghanistan, and officials are being killed. Because the American people have not, for the most part, experienced warfare the way the Iraqi and Afghani people have, the rights granted to us are not fully

understood and appreciated. Unfortunately, many do not see that freedom is not free and comes at a grave price like this US immigrant: I was an eighteen year old boy forced to join the war, punished if I refused. I had to defend a country that prevented my voice from being heard. I had to fight for a government killing its own people on the streets daily. I had to protect a nation that was allowed to practice its beliefs, yet I was not. I was treated as a vagabond by the Afghani population. I knew of a better life out there, and on silent nights, I would ask God if I was unworthy of freedom or even the sheer right of giving my mother the chance to rest peacefully at night knowing her children were safe. When I moved to the United States, I felt so blessed because now I could find a job without worrying about being discriminated against because of my religion,” my neighbor would tell my younger sister and I many years ago (Saleem, 2007). That story never held a true meaning to me until I came across the phrase “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (Monk, 2003). Western democracies give their people the opportunity to choose whether or not

to go to war, which shows that our freedom is not here because of force. The freedom comes from the love our troops have for the American Nation. They risk themselves for us and in return we must express our gratitude towards them.

commemorating. When that firework explodes in the air, does the audience see the honor it stands for, or disregard it?

Though it is not properly esteemed, freedom has carried our country to where it stands today. Women, Our freedom is not permanent either. The future such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, may hold destruction and war, and the United States may not have had the ability to advocate the rights could possibly be taken over by of females without freedom of speech. another country. Because many have Similarly, African Americans would not witnessed military invasion, this not have the rights they do if Martin “One death is a tragedy, possibility is often ignored. If that time Luther King Jr. had not made influential a million deaths is a statistic” were to come, another price would have speeches and fought for basic rights. (Bailey, 2013) to be paid. Joseph Stalin, the powerful This leads to the price of freedom. For leader of the former Soviet Union, Dr. King and his many admirers, the once justified his killing of millions price of freedom meant the loss of his of Ukrainians by saying, “One death is a tragedy, a life. His struggle to win African Americans their rights million deaths is a statistic” (Bailey, 2013). played a large role in the United States having its first A million deaths might be a statistic to one man but African American president. to the millions of people affected by those deaths, it is beyond mere misfortune. Yet, some unconsciously By the rights granted to us in our Constitution, we follow this quote even on a day when our independence have been able to transfigure our country into a land of should be acknowledged and valued. The Fourth of opportunity, where people from other strictly governed July has become a day for mere superficial enjoyment nations migrate here in search of freedom and hope. and social gathering, uninvolved with what it is These are the small number of people who are thankful

for the rights they receive when they become citizens of the United States. Others, some of the residents who were born here, are without that sense of gratitude. The son of a businessman is bought all the games in the world, and he piles them up in his closet and asks his father for more. What about the son of the unfortunate? He is given a used toy truck that he carries around with him all the time, feeling like the luckiest kid in the world. Are we not the children of a country that has provided us with a freedom to become and achieve as we desire? 72

I enjoy my freedom. I love the idea of being able to dress freely and go to school. I rejoice in the fact that I can stand on my own two feet and not have to depend on anyone to get me where I am trying to go. I can achieve my goals on my own, and I can fight for my rights without fearing violence or death. I live in a country that has provided me with blessings that most countries do not give to their people. Until I experience the hardships that come along with these rights, I do not believe I will ever truly be able to appreciate the freedom I live under. No one will.

But I do understand that these rights did not come without a price, and I will be grateful for them for as long as I live because as we know, we do not know what we have until we lose it. Freedom has never been free, and will never be free. There will always be a price that has to be paid in order to receive this privilege. This price is worth more than money: It can be a life—a life that has potential of positively contributing to its environment. Take a look around, breathe, and be thankful for the land we live in.

References Bailey, R. (n.d.). “The Death of One Man is a Tragedy, the Death of Millions is a Statistic”. Reason.com. Retrieved January 15, 2013, from http://reason.com/blog/2009/01/07/the-death-of-oneman-is-a-trag Monk, L. R. (2003). The Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution (A Stonesong Press book 1st ed.). New York: Hyperion. Zinn, H. (1999). A people’s history of the United States: 1492-present (20th anniversary ed.). New York: HarperCollins.

American Dream BY JADE JOHNSON This image presents the domestic American environment with a creation of incongruent scenes. Images of the "perfect" family are emphasized to depict extreme forms of happiness with permanent smiles, living in "perfect" homes, cooking what appears to be a "perfect" meal. This image is used to compare both the mother and advertisement as a teacher of norms. Credibility behind these market place items that are sold to and consume by us are being questioned. These two methods of instruction are examined and explore our ontologies-- “how to be” in the world.

#“Che er s,” 2 012

IN MY HEAD BY CYNTHIA SHAHIAN

The mirror is silent. I glare myself down. Why am I different? "You're such a clown!"

I grew up swallowing the thoughts I was fed. At one point I believed, "I'm better off dead!"

My nose is too big. My eyes are too small. My skin is too dark. "I hate who you are!"

Now their mirror is shattered. My knuckles are red. "Go back to where you're from!" they shout instead.

The mirror is silent yet I hear it scream, "You don't deserve the American dream!"

Their hate and disgust nearly dug my grave in the land of the free and the brave.

“Vacancy” and “torn” BY Ashley Mistriel

My work is strongly influenced by nostalgia, childhood, and vintage imagery. It owes much to the history of The American Dream, as it focuses on the nuclear family and dissects the fears and loneliness of broken homes. I use strong commentary about parental neglect and the breakdown of the family unit, which I believe generally restrict the growth and potential of a child.

J-Dilla: Hip Hops Loss, Heavens Gain BY RANDOLPH MILLER-TAYLOR

Introduction Although not universally known or appreciated, time by many top artists, not only in the hipthe late James Yancey influenced an entire hop industry, but also by many modern music generation of artists and fans through his music innovators today. His work ethic, creative genius, with songs like “Stakes Is High” and “Didn’t Cha magnificent talent, and overt-humility have all Know.” In doing so, this musical revolutionized music for both the genius revolutionized the hip-hop “His life, although short, people he personally knew and community at large. has left its mark on millions collaborated with, and the millions A dynamic performer and of fans and fellow artists.” of fans that have listened to his songwriter who was better known by music. the stage name J Dilla, he not only performed, but proved to be a prolific song writer Detroit: The Environment that Reared him and creative artist whose work with artists like The location in which J Dilla was born and Common and Erykah Badu further strengthened raised significantly influenced his work. Detroit, his claim to being a top-flight producer in the Michigan possesses a rich history, culture and world of hip-hop. His life, although short, has left economic prosperity. With the wealth of culture its mark on millions of fans and fellow artists. He that ensued, Africans-Americans within Detroit has been named one of the best producers of all were able to interact in a way that was seen in very

few places throughout the nation. People from far and wide came to the city in pursuit of the superior economic prospects guaranteed to them upon arrival. Founded by Berry Gordy, Hitsville USA and later Motown Records, would soon become a music industry monger. It produced the likes of Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, The Supremes, and many other artists that would help provide the soundtrack of a generation during an era of civil unrest and change. The advent of black radio throughout Chicago and Detroit during the 1950’s and 60’s provided a colossal contribution to the wide spread dissemination of black-made music. Black music, for the first time in history, was being placed in the hands of black dee-jays and transmitted to predominantly black artists. Dee-jays like Al Benson, Jack Gibson, and Roy Hamilton expressed their own personalities in a way that whites could not (George, 1988). Their sentence structure,

way of phrasing, and ability to improvise poetic dialogue on the fly was a feat that attracted not just blacks to the radio, but offers from white radio executives as well. Being able to “cross over” to white mainstream audiences was not an easy task for any African-American, and by doing so, these soulful “rappers” were able to expose the black art aesthetic as never before. People around the country were now hearing a new style of music and spoken word. This widespread influence would captivate the minds of its constituents and provide the ingredients for a fresh concoction of culture later to be known as the hip-hop movement. The dawning of the hip-hop movement, which began in the late 1970s, was a mixture of techniques both renovated and new. Detroiters soon found songs from their own “Motown family” being mixed in with sounds of Caribbean steel drums, jazz, blues, and the technique of

rhythmically “scratching/ looping” records. The style that the black dee-jays were reared on had now become a vehicle of creative expression that rode the rhythmic motorway paved by these newly fashioned techniques.

his own collection of vinyl records that he would continue to expand for the rest of his life. In a short span of time, he found himself infatuated with the art of “spinning” records in his collection, and began performing at family events and public places, developing a passion for dee-jaying that would ultimately evolve his craft.

A Man of Creative Natural Ability and Passion James “J Dilla” Yancey was born on February 7th, 1974 into a very musical family. Dilla also developed the ability to His mother, Maureen Yancey, was a sing, rap, play the cello, and create “From birth, James was classically trained opera singer and hip-hop beats through the use of surrounded by the influence his father, Beverly Yancey, was a a music production center (MPC) of music and soon began device, an art form that would soon jazz bassist who had worked with showing signs of advanced prove to be his primary vehicle for many musicians during the golden musical prowess.” age of doo-wop. From birth, James expression. was surrounded by the influence of music and soon began showing signs of advanced The Man with the MPC and a Plan: musical prowess. According to the official J A Brief Biopic of his Early Career Dilla website, Dilla’s parents discovered that he As a teenager, James spent countless nights in possessed the ability of perfect pitch, the ability the solitude of his basement, practicing and further to match and denote specific pitches, when he was mastering his production craft. By way of his only two months old. By the age of two, he began MPC, a device that was used for extracting music to build from vinyl records to sample, he was able to make

art by manipulating new and old music to create infinite musical possibilities. The extensive variety of material that his personal vinyl library contained allowed him to develop new perspectives, which continuously evolved his artistry. His ability to format his rhythmic palette around the lyrical contour of his samples allowed him to breathe life into an almost robotic form of sampling and looping. Official J Dilla, 2012). In 1995, “Jay Dee,” a name he was soon to be known by, along with a fellow rapper by the name of MC Phat Cat, formed a group by the name of 1st Down. They were later signed to PayDay Records. After the label folded, Jay Dee with the collaboration of rappers T3 and Baatin, formed the group Slum Village. This group would be the platform that eventually led to Dilla’s recognition. By 1997, they recorded their first album, Fan-TasTic (Vol. 1). The year 2000 saw the release of the group’s debut album, Fan-Tas-Tic (Vol. 2), under a

major record label: Good Vibe Recordings. (Busta, 2010). When the Fan-Tas-Tic (Vol. 1) album reached the ears of Q-Tip, a member of the hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest, he couldn’t get enough of it.1 The innovative sound that Slum Village produced struck such a harmonious chord in Q-Tip’s soul that he immediately began advertising the group to all of his contemporaries, including artists, Pete Rock, Common, Busta Rhymes. Later, he became one of the founding members of the neo soul movement. This was a movement that furthered the evolution of music by bringing elements of soul, R&B, jazz, and hip-hop together in a genre of music very reminiscent of the def jam poetry scene. Members of this group include widely recognized acts such as Questlove of The Roots, D’ Angelo, Common, Erykah Badu, and Talib Kweli. He worked on countless tracks with members who have earned critical acclaim, though often listeners were not aware of his contribution

to the song(s). An illustration of this can be found The year 2003 was very significant for the artist. in such songs like Common’s “The Light” off His impatience with MCA’s hesitation to release of his Like Water For Chocolate album, “Didn’t his albums was growing. In February of that year, Cha Know” by Erykah Badu, and he decided to release his Ruff Draft many others (BKyle, 2011). In EP under the German record label 2001 Yancey changed his stage “Overall exhaustion of Groove Attack. Soon after he decided name from Jay Dee to avoid any to severe ties with MCA and signed his work habits” ambiguity between himself and with Stones Throw Records. Later artist/ producer Jermaine Dupree, that year, he collaborated with the who went by the performing name Los Angeles-based producer Mad Lib “J.D.” (Reese, 2012). and created what would become their landmark duo album “Jay Lib”. During this time however, Life as his Career Developed he began to experience the first signs of his soon In 2001, Dilla separated with Slum Village to to be fatal illness. pursue a solo career. He signed with MCA records and released his first solo album Welcome to Crafting Excellence While Facing Death Detroit. In 2002, he released Pay Jay, an album The work-a-holic ethic that he had devoted to that he chose to MC because he wanted to work his craft persisted throughout his life. Even with with some of his favorite producers. Producers that the emergence of a fatal disease, he demanded contributed to the album included Mad Lib, Pete excellence. Upon his return from his 2003 “Ruff Rock, Kanye West, and many others. Draft” European tour, he began to experience signs of illness. The symptoms ranged from “overall exhaustion of his work habits” to malnutrition.

After being rushed to the emergency room, his doctor revealed that Yancey had the early stages of lupus, a fatal blood disease. Despite this news, James did not cease his creative ethic. He continued to perform and craft productions for major talents such as Busta Rhymes, De La Soul, and Pharcyde.

He produced his last two albums, Donuts and The Shining while in his hospital bedroom (BKyle, 2012).

Silent Lucidity: The Music of an Underground Artist with a Main-stage Presence J Dilla passed away of cardiac arrest on the In 2004, Yancey chose to leave his hometown morning of February 10th, 2006, three days after of Detroit and relocate to Los Angeles in an his 32nd birthday. Like many other profoundly attempt to escape the stresses of revolutionary artists such as Sam “However, his illness did living in Detroit and to re-energize Cooke, Otis Redding, and John not decimate his drive to Coltrane, he died well before his himself (Official, 2012). By the create.” end of the year, he was repeatedly time. Even though his life was short hospitalized and bedridden, where lived, his legacy and following is the 3-4 times per week of dialysis treatments took growing exponentially. Artists like the budding its toll on Yancey. After a short period of time, he hip-hop/ jazz pianist Robert Glasper, rapper lost half of his body weight and was not able to Talib Kweli, and the hip-hip band “The Roots”, walk without assistance. However, his illness did all readily pay homage to J Dilla in their songs, not decimate his drive to create. The doctors and concerts, and publicized interviews. In his film nurses at Cedar-Sinai in Los Angeles allowed him Dave Chappelles’s Block Party, which focuses to bring his producing equipment with him so he primarily on the talents and music of the hip-hop/ could continue to make beats. neo-soul soulquarians, Chappelle dedicates

the film “to the life and memory of music producer J Dilla, aka Jay Dee (James D. Yancey)” (Official, 2012). The impact J Dilla had on his contemporaries and the hip-hop scene, both mainstream and underground, is nothing short of legendary.

He produced a slew of singles and remix projects for artists like Janet Jackson, Pharcyde, De La Soul, Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip, and A Tribe Called Quest. Artists that have reached worldwide recognition, such as Kanye West, Busta Rhymes, The Roots, and Dr. Dre, have all claimed J Dilla as a prominent presence within their bank of inspiration (BKyle, 2011). In 2009, a collection of Dilla’s remixes and productions for various artists was put together in a series of albums entitled The Dillanthology. The diligence and dedication Yancey had towards his craft has inspired artists and fans around the world.

His work ethic provided the foundation for the underground arts movement “Art Don’t Sleep” and is considered an even greater axiom of praise than his actual body of work (Reese, 2012). In the memory of their son, and in an attempt to realize one of his lifelong dreams, the Yancey family established the J Dilla Foundation in 2010 for inner city youth to help “flesh out their artistic ambitions” (Johnson, 2012). According to Stones Throw Records, one of the major contributors, the foundation will "help fund the development of music in the inner city and provide scholarships to students enrolled at schools with progressive music curricula.” Upon its opening, Dilla’s mother explained, "Dilla's vision was always to spread love through many facets. We hope to continue doing this through the J Dilla Foundation to help his dreams come true." Posthumously, through the furthered exposure to his music and foundations such as these, James “J Dilla” Yancey will continue to inspire, influence, and educate many generations to come.

References Rhymes, B. Interview by H. Paul and S. Trevor T., Jr. EZs Street Show. Washington DC, 93.9 WKYS. George, N. (1988). The Death of Rhythm & Blues. New York: Plume. J Dilla Documentary, Pt. 1 by Stussy | Stones Throw Records. Stones Throw Records, n.d. Retrieved Nov 15, 2012, from http://officialjdilla.com J Dilla Documentary. (2011, Nov. 3).Retrieved Nov. 29, 2012 from http://officialjdilla.com J.Dilla STILL SHINING" (part 1 of 4) - BKyle. YouTube. YouTube, 11 Feb. 2011. Retrieved Dec. 1, 2012 from http://officialjdilla.com Johnson, S. "J Dilla Foundation, Projects Coming to Fruition." (n.d.): n. pag. Academic Search Elite. Retrieved Nov. 24, 2012, from http://libproxy.csun. edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.asp x?direct=true&db=afh&AN=48275356&site=ehostlive Miguel Atwood-Ferguson: Timeless – Suite for Ma Dukes. BBC News. BBC, n.d. Retrieved Dec 2, 2012, from http://bbc.com Official J Dilla. (2012). Official J Dilla. Diligent Works. Retrieved Dec 2, 2012, from http://officialjdilla.com

Reese, R. "The Legacy of J Dilla / Jay Dee / James Yancey." J-Dilla.com. N.p., n.d. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2012 from http://J-Dilla.com Yancey, J. and Skid, Y. (2003, March 23). . Interview by J. Yancey [Video recording] Retrieved Nov. 25, 2012 from http://www.youtube.com / watch?v=YKGm3wc3qOE

J Dilla at wor k Photo by R afae l Be at. Poster by f or the S ton es

in Los An ge les, s ummer 2005. R as hid, from the book Behind the Pay Jay Production s, a n excl usive Throw on lin e stor e .

Modern Maternity BY APRIL BEY

Modern Maternity is an alternative canvas of a maternity mannequin that expresses a shift in the American perception of the role women play in the home. The mannequin is devoid of any recognizable feature and has no face. Pregnancy represents the sentimentality behind and regeneration of birth, yet the physical and public presence of a pregnant woman is invisible and anonymous. The modern maternity has shifted around women’s evolution within society. Men are now staying home with the children and supporting their wives/girlfriends in aspiring and obtaining their American Dream. In the same sense women are choosing to have children later in life or not at all. This artwork represents a refusal and hesitation with procreation and the obligations women must inhabit.

UNTITLED BY STRONGMAN OSOM American Dream: What is it is to me Why I haven’t loss faith in Obama, and why others probably have Why we must be united in America in order to equal the American Dream What exactly is the American dream? According to Merriam-Webster, the American Dream originated in the United States Declaration of Independence. It proclaims that "all men are created equal" and that they are "endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights" including "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Now what exactly does that mean. I believe that a simpler translation is that America truly allows your life to be what you make of it.

This means that regardless of your origin, background, or faction, depending on your pure grit, you can make it in this life, it’s simply based solely on your merit. Although the American Dream is one universal concept that is understood throughout the country, the beauty of it is that it’s applicable to many situations, and many different people. The core belief is the center of everyone’s life. The very idea that a person has the choice to be successful in his or her own right, and not by anyone else’s definition, is American. Personally, I believe that there are some people in this country who simply take that advantage for granted. It therefore invites a person to become disconnected; not be able to transcend them fully and see where someone who was not as fortunate is coming from. A perfect example is my particular background.

In order for you to fully grasp what the My dad applied and was granted admissions American Dream means to me, you have to into schools in Nigeria, Ireland, and India as well understand where I came from. Both of my as America, and he chose the American dream. parents immigrated to the US and emigrated from To my father, that simply meant that his children Africa--a continent that’s more would not have to be an assistant than 5,000 miles away. If it wasn’t and immersed in the politics of for the completely selfless lifethe Nigerian government. Without “During this time period, altering changes they decided knowing a single soul in the US, fear and racism were still to make together as a couple, my father came to Oklahoma State apparent, all of which was I may not have even been able University in May of 1981. During based on a prejudice that to experience America. My dad this time period, fear and racism my father simply didn’t made the choice to move his were still apparent, all of which understand.” family in 1981 with hopes of was based on a prejudice that my finding a better life. The life that father simply didn’t understand. he left behind was not one of financial misfortune He had to undergo a complete transformation of or ruin, but one of grace. My grandfather and my knowledge in cultural affairs. He was divorced great grandfather were chiefs, (which would be the from a woman, who via marriage made him equivalent to a Mayor in American government) a citizen, but ultimately left him with next to and ran the area in which my dad grew up. Due to nothing. My father then completed his degree, the family line, my dad wouldn’t have been chief and got a Masters degree in Business and because there were two brothers ahead of him in Marketing. the hierarchy, so he made a different choice.

He saved up enough money to support my mother and moved to San Diego, where he hoped to either join a bank or start a business.

drives a taxi, and my mom is a teacher’s aid for the San Diego Unified School District, where she is still working to get full accreditation.

All of the jobs that he landed required that he would be gone for the vast majority of my childhood, due to business travel. My dad made the choice not to move and instead stayed with my mother and drove a taxi. When my father brought my mother over in 1991, my mother had been a teacher for over 10 years. One year after she got to America, I was born. She later found out that all of her accreditation in Nigeria was not valid in this country, and she realized she had to start over. She decided instead to study and became a cosmetologist, thinking that was the most lucrative career at the time. But, to no avail, so she returned to teaching. If it weren’t for me, she would have finished her accreditation and become a teacher with tenure, especially during the early 90s when districts all across California were in desperate need for teachers, due to the strike. Now my dad

Why did I tell that story? I told it for my parents. To them, the American dream was being able to provide for their children, even if it meant putting their education, living condition, or careers on hold. These choices had an impact on my American dream, and my drive to succeed. My American dream is to be able to graduate with a college degree as my parents did, land a six-figure job, buy my parents the house that they dreamed of, and the cars they never drove. I want to return the investment that they paid for with their own lives. That’s my American Dream. However, there’s one last obstacle. I am not quite sure how to achieve the goal. How am I expected to be able to reach that job if I’m

discriminated against? On November 4th, 2008, this country completed a major milestone by electing a black President. Finally, the call of our forefathers--that ALL men are created equal, and that there should be liberty and justice was answered.

Miraculously, this country reaffirmed their beliefs by re-electing President Obama for his second term. Why is that even relevant to my story, or what the American dream means to me? This election cycle, like every one before was meaner than the last, but something that was utilized in this race, more so than the last was the racial issue. There were plenty of issues to debate on. For instance, Afghanistan and Iran threats, the budget, the growth of the economy and its correlation with job creation, immigration, abortion, gay & lesbian rights, etc.. All of these are topics worth tangible debate, yet we have ads in the south run by third party organizations

and tea party groups saying that we should NOT re-elect a “black man” into office. Despite the disparaging rhetoric, Obama was re-elected. What can I conclude from all of this? It gives me hope. Hope that amongst all the negativity and slander constantly being thrown around, all of the unnecessary sporadic division that is slowly trying to divide this country apart, and spur old wounds, there’s hope in unity. Where do I find that unity? Where can we find that unity? We find it in the American dream.

WHEN I WAS AMERICAN: LETTERS FROM VICTIMS OF THE DREAM BY MAYA SINGLETON You can’t. Just believe. Poverty confined. Wealthily blind. …These scars don’t hurt much/Not anymore/I tried/ I followed the rules/But they (Yeah THEY)/ Didn’t see/Glanced away from the bruises/Put/ Me/In/Cat/e/Gories/When I screamed/for help/I wrote/love/letters/for him/Dinner/6/Oh Clock!/ Beating/6/Thirty-Two/Oh Clock!/Too Cold/ The Dinner/Too Warm/My Blood/Cleaned/Not my house/HIS house/Scrubbed/his manhood/ Bore/3/Children/Miscarried/2/at Thirty-Two/ After Six/Had a vacation from him/for/3/days/Was discharged/at Thirty-Two/years of age/I wanted to be/a wife/ dreamed / of dinner/6/Oh Clock/ Never late/Dishes Washed/Kitchen Sparkling/

Furniture Kept/Wood Polished/Face Polished/Hair Kept/Eyes Sparkling/Body Washed/I dreamed this at/6/met him at/Twen-tea/from Starbucks/ and he smiled/Hair Kept/Eyes Sparkling/Hand Outstretched/Before they enclosed/around me/and suff-o-cate-d/13 years later/With Eyes Sparkling/ from Tears/I tried/ I followed the rules/But they/ Didn’t see…/Until I leapt/from the window/of the 3rd floor/of the motel/Thirty-Two/days ago/at 6/ Oh Clock…

It has come to my attention that the manifestation of the impoverished is an epidemic to our suburbs/ Picket fences should be erected around the manicure of America/Her pedicure the better to kick his prying paws off her resources/ The way to success is by placing stocks in her bonds/Pearls around her neck from exotic primitive lands/ Plundered by our outstanding democracy/Void of an actual res publica/ Studies show that 2% of the population are hardworking Americans/ Do not inquire further about that pathetic 98%/ This country was founded by fathers with doting wives who powdered their wigs and served supper at 6 o’ clock/ And sipped tea at 3 o’clock/ They dreamed about erecting phallogocentric monuments of morals for progress/ Then the movements came like fine

cigars from Cuba and aged wines from Italy and blood diamonds from Sierra Leone/ Unnecessary to the perfection so blessed by The Divine and destined for manifestation by Wall Street moguls of Armani not the warehouses of men/ Memorandums dictate the oppression according to that 98/ But 2 are capable of getting off their asses and cuffing creased Brioni button ups/ Pressed with expectations as they straighten silk ties and flash the professional merits of business cards/ These fine collectors of Maserati and Lamborghini are fueling the economical advancements of a once grand Roman Empire that is now serving as the welcome mat to inferior immigrants/ If they knew how to work hard instead of cruising on my tax bailouts then their lives wouldn’t be such shit/

The teacher is explaining y=mx+b/ I can’t help but wonder/ if the girl with hazel eyes two seats away notices me/ She intrigues me/ So I draw up my hood/ Slouch in my chair/ And doodle some thoughts of randomness that cannot be bothered by mathematical formulas/ Like/ Weird stuff/ Ya know/she doesn’t see me/ Invisible nd used to it/ My mom sees him in me/ She’s scared/ I think I have his mouth/ That seduced her into goin for a drive/ at midnight/ Maybe even his ears/ deaf to her protests/ Also his hands/ that wrestled her down/into the sand at the park/down the street/ near her home/ The girl with hazel eyes smiles at me/ My heart’s pounding/like my mom’s/when she realized what was happening/My voice is silent/ like my mom’s/ when she screamed for too long/ and no one came/Body paralyzed/ like mom’s/

And y must mx nd b not know the answer/ to this/ when my mom gets disgusted/ at the sight of me/ on cloudy eye days/ and the hazel eyed girl tells me I’m just like the others/ when I listen/ to her broken home album/ on repeat/ nd understand/ but she sd I’m just like the others/ but she doesn’t know/ that I try/ to cut his veins out of me/ nd prove her wrong/by carryin her books/ nd holdin open doors fr her/ then my mom/ yells/because I fell asleep/ before doin the dishes/nd screams I’m just like the others/ nd a goodfornuthin/ like him/ nd cries/before usin her legs/ to run away/ even though it’s 14 years too late/ they don’t know it hurts/ tht I care abt them/ a lot/ but I can’t be weak/ I have to be stronger

/than that bastard/who thought he was a man/and forced my mom/to have me/before usin his legs/ to run away/even though it was 14 years ago/nd the girl with hazel eyes/will never know/ what it means/ to know that yr mom/ sometimes hates yr existence/because of him/nd wanted to abort you/ because of him/ but didn’t/ because of him/ nd doesn’t even try to hide this from you/ because of him… When I was American… I was promised a dream… but it’s not for the broken, the screwed, the weak, the dysfunctional… the living…

DREAM OF THE FAMILY UNIT BY AUSTIN SMITH The recent economic decline has brought to light an issue that threatens a basic part of the American dream—the stable family home. The American family has been immortalized in illustrations and artworks such as Norman Rockwell's "Freedom from Want." Rockwell perfectly displays what the American family values most in the Thanksgiving painting: A loving, multigenerational family, united and wellsupplied in a happy home. Rockwell shows that the family unit is the basis of the American Dream. In a time when the unemployment rate hovers around 8%, many families have lost their homes. This is the premise for my piece "Dream of the Family Unit." I have had friends whose families were forced to separate when they lost their house and could not afford one that could fit all of them.

I wanted to depict the pain of being forced to separate from your family. The pain of this separation only further displays the precious value of the American family ideal.

FORGET THY CREAToR BY LEONARD TATUM

Leading into the 1960s, blues as a genre waned and music of the past…Black artists retreated drastically in America, and almost ceased to exist. into a conforming mode that would last until the This issue, not unbeknownst to Black musicians, 1960s” (Floyd, 1995, 161). prompted alternative forms of By the early 1960s, assimilation music to take center stage. The for African Americans was a emergence of rock & roll— nationally accepted notion in the “Political and cultural equality considered to be amongst the United States; both “political and would require that African largest culprit in the near demise cultural equality would require Americans conform to more of the rhythm and blues genre— that African Americans conform to acceptable artistic standards as well as other derivations of more acceptable artistic standards and behaviors” blues music that no longer had and behaviors” (Floyd, 1995, (Floyd, 1995, 161) blues cogitation, nearly trampled 161). The product of conformation a genre that was the building by Black musicians forced a blocks for many musical forms to that date. “For reconfiguration of blues music in attempts to all its vitality, black music has shown itself quickly create a racially neutral form of the genre. At the vulnerable to dilution” (George, 2004, 200), height of the Civil Rights Movement, a racially mainly due to Black artists’ inclinations, beginning neutral form of blues, coined “rhythm & blues,” as early as the 1940s, to put behind “race dramas was necessary to appeal to a burgeoning and

more curious new audience: White Americans of, ‘inspired by,’ is that the roots of Black music and Europeans. The product of White audiences’ were not preserved, but were instead presented as interest was an influx of counterculture musicians original genres of music that carried no cultural performing their own version of Black originated background ties. songs. In the context of music, the fallacy in the term inspired by implies a completely new There have always been two types of Americas, form of music, whose roots are embedded in the a White America and a Black America. This is original song. The Beatles, Rolling Stones and how it has always been since slavery. Tracing other counterculture musicians, used the term the origins of blues music and the events that inspired by on occasions when led to the conformed tenets of Black originated songs were this music genre is important being reincarnated into new in understanding why Black “In the context of music, the versions of racially—and Afrofallacy in the term, ‘inspired by,’ musicians felt it necessary centric—detached music. These implies a completely new form of to chain themselves to the new versions of Black music, music, whose roots are embedded discomforts of “crossing over.” performed by White musicians This concept has several in the original song.” and artists, removed many of the references. It refers to the song’s musical roots. Musical conformation of Black musicians legends that these counterculture musicians to appeal to the newly interested White and referenced—Chuck Berry, Otis Redding and European audiences, and it also indicates the others—would have their songs stripped of the unbashful signing to White-owned record blues and jazz origins in order to appeal to a more companies and corporations. More times than not, dominant White audience. The fallacy one was a means to another. When a Black

musician signed with a White-owned record company or corporation, chances were high that the business would push the Black musician away from blues and towards pop. Later in the 1970s, this push moved into disco, which destroyed R&B all together. “The crossover mentality and the overstuffed rosters of major labels were internal industry problems that weakened the R&B world. An outside force that helped destroy R&B, pulling the music from its roots and eroding the connections made with white America in the 1960s, was disco. The irony is that disco began as an extension of black dance” (George, 2004, p. 153). The circumstances of that time period, the 1950s-1960s, prompted the dismissal of racial identity for the sake of keeping blues music alive. Black musicians’ motives were driven by forces outside of the music industry. Social and political circumstances remained inextricably linked to the success of Black musicians, particularly during that time which marked the beginnings of the

Civil Rights Movements. The Civil Rights Movements manifested itself in a large number of unprecedented events. While the non-violent movement for civil rights started in the 1950s, it was during the early sixties where the battle against America’s unethical, segregation and inequality, started gaining ground. At that time, a relatively new technology, television, allowed Americans to witness the often brutal response to protests performed by civil rights activists, casting a dark cloud on the act of violence and lending a listening ear to Black America. The Civil Rights Movement was characterized by major campaigns of civil resistance, which would eventually lead to a changed perception by White America of African Americans. Starting in the mid-1950s, the ubiquitous phrase “separate but equal” was challenged in a court case famously known as Brown v. Board of Education,

where “separate” was declared inherently “unequal.” Petitions for desegregation, voter registration organizing, activist marches, sit-ins, and a wide range of other forms of non-violent activities ultimately led to President Lyndon B. Johnson pushing through the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964. This Civil Rights Act banned discrimination based on “race, color, religion, sex or national origin” in employment practices and public accommodations. The timeline of the early 1960s Civil Rights Movements reveals just what an impressive number of historic events happened between 1960 and 1964. Simultaneously, these movements also gave rise to White America paying closer attention to Black America. For better or for worse, White America would become enthralled with Black music. “In their romantic embrace of a poverty of choice, ‘white’ audiences and performers engaged in discourses of authenticity and in the

commoditization, radicalization and gendering of sounds and images, as well as in the confluence of blues music’s class origins…‘white’ people started to listen to ‘black’ blues, essentialist notions about ‘race’ remained unchallenged and were even solidified in the process” (Adelt, 2007, p. 1). Rehashed songs of Black music artists such as, Chuck Berry, Otis Redding and other Black musicians by White artists were not represented by grassroots acknowledgement of a common heritage, a mutual overcoming of poverty, slavery and acts of forgiveness, or redemption. These attributes make up the essence of African American roots that could not be imitated by counterculture musicians, regardless of how hard White and European musicians tried. Nevertheless, White and European musicians such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were not deterred from adopting Black songs and claiming them as their own adaptations.

These new adaptations sometimes changed the music in its instrumental accompaniment, and did not follow the blues genre traditions. “Black elements were so watered down that, without liner notes and pictures you couldn’t tell black bands from white” (George, 2004, p. 200).)

The earliest style of Blues music originated as a form of expression, a musical style based on African call-and-response and later transformed into an interplay of voice and guitar. “In 1949 Billboard magazine introduced the term, ‘Rhythm & Blues’ to replace ‘Race’ as a marketing label, but the term did not embrace jazz, traditional blues, and other folk genres, as had the earlier designation” (Floyd, 1995, p. 176). Baraka, (2000) contends that, “Rhythm & blues not only reflected that stream of music that had been city blues and a further development of the growing urban tradition, it also reflected a great

deal about the America it came out of, and the Negroes who sang or listened to it. Certainly the war years had brought about profound changes in the cultural consciousness of Negroes, as they had done to the super structure of American culture as a whole” (p. 171). An argument can be made that blues was resurrected because of the internal interests of White audiences. This is certainly true, although counterculture groups such as the Beatles and Rolling Stones helped ease Black music into the acceptance of White audiences, it also propagated a musical trend that no longer had black roots, therefore, did not reflect traditional elements of the blues. There were some silver linings with conformation; many artists such as Muddy Waters, Chester Arthur Burnet, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Otis Redding and more were able to find international recognition as White musicians all across America and Europe praised their music and staked claim to its inspirational aspects. But this was not always the case, and many Black

musicians were left behind. Assimilation opened up opportunities for some Black musicians, however, it also destroyed the roots of Black music with every change in chord, and performance style, specifically tailored towards a neutral culture. One can only wonder what could have been, if after the Civil Rights Movements the Black community held strong to their roots, community and music and worked towards bettering themselves more, rather than try to usher in the acceptance of White America. Nelson George argues, “That a more committed effort at self-sufficiency, in politics and economics, would have given (and still might give) blacks a better base from which to work for integration and practical power” (George, 2004, 199).

References Adelt, U. “Black, white and blue: racial politics of blues music in the 1960s.” dissertation, University of Iowa, 2007. http:ir.uiowa.edu/ etd/128 Baraka, A. “Blues people: Negro music in white America.” New York: Perennial, 2002. Floyd, Jr. S. “The power of black music.” New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. George, N. “The death of rhythm & blues.” New York, New York: Penguin Group, 2004.

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American Dream of The Working Class BY JUSTIN SMITH

I paint with unconventional tools found at local hardware stores, because they allow me a physical relationship with the paint. I come from a working class family of warehouse and tire factory workers. By investigating the labor work force of the middle class, I seek to correlate my background within the context of abstract paintings. In rethinking the present day taxcrisis that is posed to the middle class, I created a scrape of negative space that reflects a blur in today’s political society. Textural aspects that develop from building layer upon layer create a composition that evolves organically within the boundaries of fundamental shapes such as squares and circles that establish a structure within the work. By examining the relationship between the gestural marks I create, and the content I present I construct a body of work that coincides with a culture..the American Culture.

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CASE STUDY: EDUCATION AND INEQUALITY IN EAST LOS ANGELES BY CHRISTINA MARIN

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INTRODUCTION In an industrialized society where class preserves the power structure, hegemony is key to sustaining power, wealth, and knowledge through the material goods of production, creation of labor, consumerism, education, and the distribution of ideas among the masses. Such hegemonic ideologies have historically and socially constructed the notion of wealth, power and knowledge onto cultural values. Even though the ruling class dictates the ideological concept of what is considered wealth and what predicts the meaning of possession of power, people of all “races”/ethnicities, class, gender, age, and ability have the strength to refute dominant ideologies that are specific to social control.

By contesting these views, individuals, as well as communities, are able to retain the power over their own perceptions of reality. They can maintain a knowledge that enables an awakening of consciousness and have it serve as a foundation of resistance to hegemony coerced by the power structure. OBJECTIVE The objective of this research was to focus on education and inequality. Qualitative research methods were used as a way to explore the structural inequalities and institutionalized discrimination in East Los Angeles. We gathered information individually through interviews

economic backgrounds. The purpose of using the theory of intersectionality was to include multiple dimensions of social life and categories of analysis. Taking into account internalized oppression and maintaining self-awareness helped create a functional relationship with the community servED.

and research, and came together as a group to contextualize and deconstruct it. Our goal was to practice cultural humility and remain objective and unbiased with regard to the information gathered through in depth interviews. Our research was aimed to critically examine the intersections of “race”/ethnicity, age, class, gender, sexuality, religious or spiritual beliefs and diverse socio-

Historical Framework It was the early part of the 1960s that the Los Angeles County Commission of Human Relations sponsored the Mexican-American Youth Leadership Conference at Camp Hess (Bernal, 1998). This camp was set up for high school students, allowing them to learn how to become active in their communities as well as learn the skills to organize within their communities (Bernal, 1998). Many of these students that attended the Mexican-American Youth Leadership Conference helped organize the first prominent move that addressed the issues of educational inequality: the 1968 L.A. Blowouts (Bernal, 1998; Payan, 1998).

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There were several key players in this walkout; the main figure was Sal Castro, a vocal high school teacher at Lincoln High School (San Miguel, 2011). Castro encouraged his students to “protest the terrible conditions of the schools by walking out of them” (San Miguel, 2011, p. 897).

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The walkouts were the beginnings of the Chicano movement during the latter part of the 1960s and early 1970s and inspired many other movements to work on improving education in America, and particularly in East Los Angeles (San Miguel, 2011).

Issue Community members and organizations in the East Los Angeles area agree that there is still a large issue of discrimination and segregation within the community that does not receive adequate assistance and acknowledgement from the federal government and state officials. Problems include poverty, racism, sexism, language barriers, lack of resources, lack of adequate employment and good paying jobs, and inadequate health care. School reformers and community organizers lack communication skills, and this mainly has to do with the differences in neighborhood or political activist realms (Anyon, 2005). Reforms are not successful because they do not have the support of the community, and the community often has a deep-rooted mistrust towards those who control and maintain educational inequalities.

The so-called achievement gap is not being closed, instead it is widening due to the lack of attention paid to the root causes of the problem. Education inequalities are increasing for the predominantly Latino/a population in the East Los Angeles area due to the federal government and state official’s lack of attention. Factors of poverty, historical segregation, discrimination, lack of employment and adequate pay, and health coverage (Hursh, 2007) contribute to the high percentage of Latino/as between the ages of 16 to 24 year olds that have dropped out of school (U.S. Department of Education, 2007). Framework to Understand Condition/ProbleM Critical race theory (CRT) and Latina/o critical race theory (LatCrit) are helpful frameworks to understand the foundation of inequality in education (Solorzano & Bernal, 2001).

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The CRT and LatCrit theories are used to enhance the role of “race” and gender consciousness of the “Chicana and Chicano student resistance in an urban context” (Solorzano & Bernal, 2001). “Critical theory is a way to comprehend the oppressive qualities of society as a way to create individual and societal metamorphosis.” (Tierney, 1993). 106

Recognizing the intersection of “race”, gender, and class (Solorzano & Bernal, 2001) is a key component for understanding the social inequalities within a society. In order to challenge inequities, recognition of experiential knowledge is crucial (Solorzano & Bernal, 2001). It is pertinent to challenge the dominant ideologies of a “race – and gender-neutral curriculum,” “objective standardized testing,” “meritocratic tracking systems,” and other “color – and genderblind educational policies” (Solorzano & Bernal, 2001, p. 336).

This framework brings clarification of the problem to light, and it is imperative that these issues are recognized and challenged by future representatives of the community, just as it was in the 1968 L.A. Blowouts. Power Imbalances There is an internalized racial oppression that lingers within the community of East Los Angeles. I u se critical social theory, an approach that considers the way in which authority and power in all aspects of society, including the research world, can contribute to inequality, as a framework for this paper (Pyke, 2010). Critical researchers assume that social reality is historically constituted and that it is produced and reproduced by people. Although people can consciously act to change their social and economic circumstances, critical researchers recognize that their ability to do so is constrained by various forms of social, cultural, and political domination.

for decades (Pyke, 2010). They have submitted to these Eurocentric models, in which many immigrants and first generation families are not accustomed to.

Internalized oppression is not the result of a cultural or biological characteristic of those who are subjugated (Pyke, 2010). It is a multidimensional phenomenon that takes on several shapes and sizes in various contexts, including the intersections of “multiple systems of domination” (Padilla, 2001, p. 63). Historically, the large minority population of East Los Angeles has been oppressed based on skin color and/or immigration status. The Latino/a community has endured acculturation and assimilation pressures

Population’s Experience Representatives of East Los Angeles view educational inequalities in various ways. Through ethnographic research, we found that some community members view it as a problem, while others are unaware of the issue at hand. Sal Castro, a 78 year old lifelong Los Angeles school teacher and leader of the 1968 L.A. Blowouts,discussed how teachers in the 1960s “had a lack of concern for the kids’ future, and a lack of feeling for their welfare” (VelardeHernandez, 2012, n.p.). He recounts the divide between the white population and the minority population, but explains how, as a child, covert discrimination was unrecognizable (Velarde-Hernandez, 2012, n.p.). The teachers according to Castro “were not

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going to waste their time” (Velarde-Hernandez, 2012, n.p.). Students in East Los Angeles were treated as second-class citizens, and parents or teachers did not emphasize education. Child development professor, Martha Sanchez (personal communication, October 24, 2012), of East Los Angeles College (ELAC), explained that the community is not necessarily uneducated; rather there are language barriers that keep them from advocating for their and their children’s rights to education and resources. She denoted that there needs to be a foundational focus in which educators should “Refocus on the very basic skills of students in elementary school, Jr. high school, and high school levels, and instead of catching them up, address them on the level that they are at” (personal communication, October 24, 2012). She believes there is lack of quality education that meets the needs of the diversity in the population served; immigrants coming in without

an education, or language barriers, family instability, Latino/a culture, and/ or a low socioeconomic status; which in turn can make it challenging to address the issues. Former Garfield High School graduate, Isabella Rodriguez (personal communication, October 19, 2012), who is now a twenty-one year old college student, views the population in turmoil of events. She indicated that with the high rates of gangs taking over schools, along with high rates in teen pregnancies, dropout rates in middle and high school settings are increasing. She feels that there needs to be more safety and sex education within the schools to ensure that students can avoid becoming a statistic. Framework to Understand Population Kimberly Williams Crenshaw (1998) explains how “white supremacy” was based upon political, scientific, and religious theories, in which each category relied upon phenotypic characteristics such as skin color, head shape, nose shape, eye shape, etc. These are ways to legitimize ideologies,

and the stereotypes and generalizations that come with this reify the intended consequences. In East Los Angeles, stereotypes and generalizations are consistent with these age-old forms of racialization and oppression. Racist ideology creates a pattern of “oppositional categories in a hierarchy, in which whites have historically dominated the order, resulting in people of color being seen as ‘separate and subordinate’” (Crenshaw, 1988, p. 617).

It is this very nature that dominates and controls the level of inferiority that the East Los Angeles families and their children experience on a daily basis. These covert methods of racism continue to allow forms of segregation and marginalization of a population based on “race”/ ethnicity, gender, age, ability, and class. Until the distinct racial nature of class ideology is exposed and debunked, there is little that can be done about the underlying structural problems that account for disparities among non-whites. Social Relationships Structural Inequalities Members within the East Los Angeles community have identified several forces affecting the population group. Martha Sanchez pointed out that the government’s lack of accountability is playing a large role in the education standards of the community (personal communication,

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October 24, 2012). In addition there is a lack of individual responsibility and accountability as well. Another force is the police, which enforces the community and ensures that the community members stay in their territories (Justine Ramos, personal communication, October 23, 2012). They do this by maintaining their presence in the air, on the street, and in the mind.

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Lastly, consumerism and the images that are represented on television, billboards, magazines, etc., reinforce a misrepresented population (Justine Ramos, personal communication, October 23, 2012). Major Factors of Population Over generations, negative stereotypes and discrimination have discouraged the community members of East Los Angeles from moving up the social hierarchy. Poverty stricken families and below average educational levels have maintained their positions within society for decades.

Ethnographic research reflects both children and adults with low self-esteem and little motivation to succeed on some level. These interviews do not represent an entire community, instead they provide a glimpse into the reality of education and community through the perspectives of diverse individuals. In many ways, the population has become complicit in their roles as marginalized communities. By ignoring the issues of poverty, gender inequality, “race”/ethnicity, the lack of decent paying jobs, and the lack of adequate health care, the population further increases their inequality (Hursh, 2007).

Additionally, many of the community Needs to Be Addressed members interviewed agreed that families are Without a stable environment to live in, key components to success in education and in without a voice, without a history, a population life in general. Unfortunately, not all families are cannot thrive and be successful. The identity of equipped to take on the role of an advocate. the oppressed person has taken on the identity of Many families have other children to care for, the ‘Other’. Historical oppression and subjectivity limited resources including has led to a failed community, transportation, financial support, familial, and educational system. The adequate or no childcare, lack “It takes a village to notion of institutionalized racism has of an education, and/or little or touched the community like a cancer. raise a child.” no understanding of the English It continually eats away at the selflanguage. esteem and ambition of the group members. Community integration plays a role in the success and educational growth of the Conclusion neighborhood to a certain degree. One community The economic flow of capital throughout member believes in the saying “it takes a impoverished communities is not so easily attained village to raise a child” (Amy Johnson, personal as in upper-class districts. Public schools are communication, October 18, 2012), while another run-down and do not have the necessary resources believes that community unification is key to available to ensure student success, let alone success, but finds it lacking in the East Los be placed on a fast-track to college where they Angeles community (Justine Ramos, personal are given the opportunity to choose their career, communication, October 23, 2012). discontinuing a cycle of poverty.

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Conversely, on countless occasions the underprivileged have seen through these economic manipulations and gather as communities to resist these methods of oppression. For the lower classes in this industrialized society, education can be constructed in a vibrant light to conserve cultural knowledge and can lead to a vivacious existence intertwined with a bright social imagination towards resistance. In doing 112

so, the working classes have been able to rise up and awaken their consciousness and preserve their ancestral knowledge that Eurocentric ideals have often stripped them of. Antonio Gramsci articulated that every human being is qualified to develop their intellectual mind and become aware of the dominant outside forces that prevent them from prospering (Doughty, 2008). Some tools of resistance utilized to sustain a life of education against the ruling class include gathering exposure

to arts and science, culturally understanding hegemony, becoming socially aware of the past, present and future, and undertaking leadership roles to pass onto the next generation. Education is not only acquired by being part of the elite, but is also extended from being part of a community. rEFERENCES Anyon, J. (2005). Radical possibilities: Public policy, urban education, and a new social movement. New York: Routledge Falmer. Bernal, D.D. (1998). Grassroots leadership reconceptualized: Chicana oral histories and the 1968 East Los Angeles school blowouts. Frontiers, 19(2), 113-142. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/ stable/3347162 Crenshaw, K.W. (1988). Race, reform, and retrenchment: Transformation and legitimation in antidiscrimination law. In Les Back and John Solomos (Eds.), Theories of Race and Racism: A Reader, (pp. 616-627). Abingdon, Oxford: Routledge.

Doughty, H.A. (2008). Steps to the corporate classroom: A propositional inventory. College Quarterly,11(4), 77-84. Retrieved November 24, 2012 from http://open. senecac.on.ca/FacultyForum/downloads/ doughty-2009-steps-to-corporate-classroom.pdf Gonzalez, S. (2012). In L.A. pregnancy ‘hot-spot,’ an on-campus clinic. NPR. Retrieved October 23, 2012 from http://www.npr. org/2012/05/12/152460873/in-l-a-pregnancyhot-spot-an-on-campus-clinic Hall, S. (1991). Old and new identities, old and new ethnicities. In Les Back and John Solomos (Eds.), Theories of Race and Racism: A Reader, (pp. 199-208). Abingdon, Oxford: Routledge. Hursh, D. (2007). Exacerbating inequality: The failed promise of the No Child Left Behind Act. Race Ethnicity and Education, 10(3), 295-308. doi: 10.1080/13613320701503264 Padilla, L. (2001). But you’re not a dirty Mexican: Internalized oppression, Latinos and the law. Texas Hispanic Journal of Law and Policy 7(1), 59–113. doi: 10.1037/a0023585

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Payan, V. (1998, May). From the L.A. high school walkouts to “Selena” and “The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca”: Interview with Moctesuma Esparanza. Motion Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/mesparza. html Pyke, K. D. (2010). What is Internalized Racial Oppression and Why Don’t We Study it? Acknowledging Racism’s Hidden Injuries. Sociological Perspectives, 53(4), 551-572. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/ stable/10.1525/sop.201.53.4.551 San Miguel, G., Jr. (2011). Book review: Blowout! Sal Castro and the Chicano struggle for educational justice. The Journal of American History, 896-897. doi: 10.1093/jahist/jar383 Soloranzo, D.G. & Bernal, D.D. (2001). Examining transformational resistance through a critical race and LatCrit theory framework: Chicana and Chicano student in an urban context. Urban Education, 36(3), 308-342. doi: 10.1177/0042085901363002

Tierny, W. (1993). Building communities of difference: Higher education in the twenty-first century. Massachusetts: Bergin & Garvey. U.S. Department of Education. (2007). Status and trends in the education of racial and ethnic minorities. Washington, D.C.: National Center For Education Statistics. Velarde-Hernandez, D. (2012). Interview with Sal Castro. Chicano Culture, Art, and Politics. Retrieved October 19, 2012 from http://www.xispas.com/ opinion/sal1.htm

UNTITLED BY GENEVIEVE SANTERRE I sense that Americans are proud of their culture, displaying their flag in shops, on buildings and houses, on cars and on clothes. However, Americans still seem unaware of basic dangers like eating fast food and carrying firearms. Of course, these are generalities, and I came to the States to see for myself.

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My Canadian home is not so different from the USA, and I realize that Canadians and Americans have similarities, but also many differences. Some of my photographs acknowledge the problem of overconsumption in the United States, while many of the images capture distinctly American people, places and things that reveal my experience in Southern California.

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Garrett pointer: Temporalities BY BEATRIZ CORTEZ

He said it was a found object and I wondered where in the world would you find such an object. “I live in Acton,” he said.

#”FA M I L Y D I N N E RS , ” 20 1 2

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I met Garrett Pointer in April 2012 at a Salon des Refusés. We both had work on view there. I was standing in front of the old metal carcass of an oven riddled with bullet holes. It was at the center of the show and it was titled “Family Dinners.” But there was no dinner, there was no family, the oven was completely empty. The time for all those things had passed. It was a sad piece, and yet it was also of great beauty. I was captivated by the color of the rusty, contorted metal, but especially, by the different temporalities that this object represented. I wanted to know more about the piece. I looked for the artist. He was standing by the door with a plaid shirt and jeans.

It took me months to understand that his work, his own body, and even Acton, are sites where the symbolic representation of multiple temporalities, or multiple abstract concepts of time, is rendered possible. Through this process, the modern understanding of time as universal is denaturalized. Even though universalizing

modernity is a colonial project that strives to In spite of its efforts to render other abstract make everything else invisible, in these spaces the constructions of time invisible, modernity is understanding of modernity as new is questioned always in crisis because—as Homi Bhabha because older, aged versions of modernity are (1994) has amply explored in relation to identity also rendered visible. Peter Osborne (1995) politics—in the interstice between one and the explains that “the concept of next representation of modernity “This web of time—the strands modernity first came to be there is always the potential of of which approach one another, universalized, and thereby, denaturalizing its coherence and bifurcate, intersect or ignore each universalism (5). In the words thereafter, to subordinate the other through the centuries— differential between itself and of Louis Althusser (quoted embraces every possibility.” other ‘times’ to differences by Osborne, 1995), reality Jorge Luis Borges, within a single temporal scheme is constructed by coexisting “The Garden of Forking Paths.” elements and “the structure of of ‘progress,’ ‘modernization,’ and ‘development.’ [...] But as historical existence is such that modernity ages, old versions of progress crumble, all the elements of the whole co-exist in one and new versions of progress emerge, it becomes the same time, one and the same present, and are evident that modernity is [...] a form of historical therefore contemporaneous with one another” (24). consciousness, an abstract temporal structure which, in totalizing history from the standpoint of “Family Dinners” speaks of the American an ever-vanishing, even-present present, embraces Dream. On the one hand, it is a remnant of a time a conflicting plurality of projects, of possible that signified the modernization of the United futures, provided they conform to its basic logical States, not only because of the move from cast iron structure” (21-23). ovens to gas and electric ones, but also for

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what that move represented: gas and electric speaks of broken pasts and broken homes, of public services in middle class homes, apple pie veiled private violence within the public imaginary as “a symbol of American prosperity” (US Apple of the family, and it is also inscribed with gender Association), and the traditional gender roles and class politics. that defined what a family was then. These roles didn’t always reflect the reality of daily life, and Something similar happens with “Boner.” the family sometimes became a sort of policing This sculpture is made with old, rusty metal force or as Jacques Donzelot (1979) would argue, oilcans stacked up and bound by poured milky agents of the state: the woman was resin. The cans are riddled with expected to remain in the domestic bullets of all kinds: b-b guns, guns, realm and in charge of the cooking, “A symbol of American and one single shotgun hole placed she was to be the main user of the at eyelevel. The piece speaks of the prosperity..” oven. The man was expected to national oil industry. It evokes a roam free in the outdoors, he was history marked by US imperialism, the one who would fire a shotgun, although in this by its search for oil in foreign nations and for the case it was not with the purpose of hunting, it was conditions to produce it, of the resources and labor for fun. that it secured for the US in the Middle East and later in Africa and Latin America prior to World But those roles also represented the veiled War II (see Philip, 1982). But these cans belong violence behind them: the woman confined to to a post WWII era, particularly to the 1950s when private space, the man free to wonder public space motor oil began to be dispensed in these containers and able to establish the law, after all, he was (see “Vintage Oil Cans,” 2012). It was also the powerful and armed. “Family Diners,” therefore, time of the flourishing car industry that politicians

now speak about with nostalgia. But that time has passed. Those cans are no longer used, they have been substituted for plastic containers. And the US car industry is in trouble. To make matters worse, the US has engaged in a long war over oil. And the tin cans that were a symbol of the American Dream are now riddled with bullets. But there are elements in the work that question the narrative of the lost American Dream. There is a marked sexual energy that moves through the works. This energy stands in tension with the ideas of the family or the puritan values that are part of that aged version of the American Dream. It also stands in tension with what is a remnant of the past, with the found objects. That sexual energy is not modern but it is very much alive. In fact, it flourishes in a place that is linked to the land, that coexists with the animals, that belongs to nature. However, this place (Acton?) is still inscribed within some version of modernity, and the found objects that are part of Garrett Pointer’s work are found there.

In “Boner” the sexualized nature of his work comes forward. The title makes reference to an erection. The oil cans link this experience to other forms of celebration of masculinity: cars, the exploration of the outdoors, and guns evoked by the bullet holes. But in the same self-deprecating sense of humor that characterizes his other pieces, he is also willing to laugh at the masculinity that he celebrates because this sculpture (monument?) to masculinity is of a precarious nature: it is long but it is also thin, it is made of strong metal cans but precariously stacked one on top of the other, it is weak and fragile, its milky resin drips hint of its fleeting nature. It is powerful and vulnerable, like masculinity, like the American Dream. The body of the artist becomes part of the work. When asked why he is not wearing a shirt he explains: “shirts date you.” And in fact, building upon Walter Benjamin’s thought, Osborne (1995) argues that “the main mystery

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in the everyday world of modern capitalism is, of course, the commodity. ‘The wealth of societies in which the capitalist mode of production prevails appears as ‘an immense accumulation of commodities’” (181). Commodities, or things, help define the different temporalities of everyday life, and the different moments of an always-aging modernity. There are marks of modernity that remain on the body of the shirtless artist: the sunglasses, the haircut, the pants, the tattoo on his leg with the word “James” under an image of James Brown, and the inscription of the word “Mine” on the left side of his chest that builds a metaphor on the idea of private property. The beard is harder to place. It evokes the past. He has not shaved around it, he has not trimmed it, his mustache is longer than his beard and it hints of a curl. As a result, the body of the artist represents a construction of masculinity within the modern nation and yet difficult to place at a specific moment in time.

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#“B on er ,” 2 012 .

It belongs somewhere within the last half century. But it is not a representation of the masculine stereotype. It is a masculinity that is refreshing, that is willing to make itself vulnerable, that is willing to laugh at itself.

observed. There is also a vulnerability of the artist, his willingness to expose himself to our gaze.

In the Threshold of the Visible World (1995) Kaja Silverman explains the concept of the gaze. She argues that the “the camera is less a machine, There are three videos where the artist appears or the representation of a machine, than a complex shirtless: In the piece titled “In Dreams” he field of relations” (136). As a result, “the camera imitates the batting styles of famous designates the point from which the “The camera is less baseball players. In “Untitled” he spectacle is rendered intelligible, a machine, or the strives to hit an old oilcan with the maintenance of the perspectival representation of a rocks from down the road. In “Play illusion is assumed to depend upon a machine, than a complex smooth meshing of the spectator with Ball” he plays at throwing and field of relations” catching a baseball alone. The man that apparatus” (125). But the camera in the videos, the artist, has a steak not only constructs a spectacle for the of a comedian and is full of energy. He is engaged viewer, it also constructs us as viewers through the in activities such as throwing rocks, batting, representation of the “look”. As Silverman argues, catching a baseball, jumping, or running around. “the look is within spectacle, and [it] is coerced His chest, his back, his shoulders are full of hair. in all kinds of ways by the material practices and There is a sexual energy in that man, and in his representational logic through which the camera/ attempts to perform different tasks in front of the gaze makes itself felt” (160). In other words, the camera, to playfully perform the role of the object camera leads us to look at the artist in a certain that is being way, from a certain point of view, and

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a certain perspective. But it is also constructing a certain representation of the viewer, ourselves, which becomes an invisible part of the spectacle. As viewers, our look “is located within desire, temporality and the body” (160).

The arch was complete but precariously built, the bricks were no longer inserted on their shorter edge but on their longer side, the arch was no longer suspended in the air, it was resting on a wooden form, and the sides were supported by bags of sand. Behind it there was a mess of diverse construction materials, and even trash. In front of it, on the top, decorating the keystone was a “The look is within spectacle, and [it] is coerced in all kinds of dead squirrel.

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One day in September 2012 I entered Garrett Pointer’s new studio and I saw half an arch made with bricks suspended in the air on a thin layer of luan ways by the material practices plywood. Each of the bricks I remember that day, when the and representational logic was separated from the next by Mendoza Line was mentioned out through which the camera/gaze wood shims and nothing more. came the smart phones. The title makes itself felt” There was no cement, no glue was not a geographical reference. keeping it together. It looked The Mendoza Line in US baseball magical. It made me think about how amazing talk is the line that defines the minimum batting simple bricks can be, and how magical the arches average for a player to remain in Major League that we walk through in our daily lives are. He Baseball. Its history goes back to Mario Mendoza, had meant to complete the arch but eventually his originally from Chihuahua, Mexico. He played for piece transformed into “The Mendoza Line,” as nine seasons in the US Major League from 1974 to it oscillated between a masonry metaphor and a 1982 and was known as a great player in the field, baseball one. It was built outdoors. but he was not great at hitting the ball,

and in 1979 his hitting average was 198, below the 200 point, or the Mendoza Line (Baseball Reference). A great player with a batting average below the Mendoza Line cannot make it in the Major Leagues. So, what does this piece say about a sculptor who cannot completely build an arch with bricks? What is this reference to the major leagues? His recognition that one is barely there, barely part of this group of artists, barely able to build this piece, in a precarious stance is what feeds the humor of his work and gives authority to his voice. The willingness to make himself vulnerable is what makes him human. His work is inscribed within the confines of the United States as a modern nation. Its symbols are present in the flag, in its references to US Major League Baseball, in the metal and plastic of the found objects. However, it is a modernity of multiple temporalities, it is an abstraction of time constructed by aged and newly formed versions of that modernity.

In “Play Ball,” the artist performs for the camera. He plays baseball alone. He plays like a much younger version of himself would, one that he is no longer able to personify now that he is a grown man. He holds his father’s old baseball glove. However, what is rendered visible through his performance is the memory of a child who played alone. But this was not a desolate child. This is was smart child who was able to entertain himself, and this child’s playfulness still exists, somewhere, within this is a man who is able to make the past visible, this is a man who is able, in the present, to laugh at himself. It is as Paul Ricoeur has stated, “Time is a mystery precisely in that the observations that are to be made regarding it cannot be unified”cited by Osborne, 30). And so, time in this piece cannot be unified, because the different temporalities remain there, in front of us, as this man playfully performs his own past, as the child that still inhabits that man is momentarily made visible, as that man performs masculinity, coexists with nature, inside and outside aged and newly created versions of modernity and versions of himself.

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References Pepper, A. Mendoza Line. (2012). Baseball Reference. Retrieved from Http://www.baseball-reference.com/ bullpen/Mendoza_line Encyclopedia of Players. (2012). Mario Mendoza. Baseball Reference. Retrieved from Http://www.baseballreference.com/players/m/mendoma01.shtml

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Bhabha, H. (1994). The Location of Culture. London, England: Routledge. Borges, J. L. (1999). The Garden of Forking Paths. Collected Fictions. Trans. A. Hurley. New York: Penguin Books. Donzelot, J. (1979). The Policing of Families. Foreword by G. Deleuze. Trans. R. Hurley. New York: Random House. Oilcans. (2012). Vintage Oil Can & Container History. Oilcans: All About Collecting Old Oil Cans & Related Containers. Retrieved from: Http:// www.oilcans.net/Oil-Can-History.html Osborne, P. (1995). The Politics of Time: Modernity and Avant-Garde. London: Verso. Pointer, Garret. Artist Tumblr. Retrieved from Http:// garrettpointer.tumblr.com/ Pointer, G. (2012). Artist Website. Retrieved from Http:// garrettpointer.weebly.com/index.html

Pointer, G. Personal interview, December 7, 2012. Philip, G. (1982). Oil and Politics in Latin America: Nationalist Movements and State Companies. New York: Cambridge University Press. Silverman, K. (1995). The Gaze. The Threshold of the Visible World. 125-161. New York: Routledge. US Apple Association. (2012). Popular Apple Sayings. Retrieved from Http://usapple.org/consumers/allabout-apples/history-and-folklore/popuar-applesayings

DESERT DESOLATION BY LEAH OAKES

A gorgeous skyline trimmed by the San Jacinto Mountains and spectacular views of the Coachella Valley has made Desert Hot Springs easily marketable to Hollywood. Built over one of the world’s hot mineral water springs, many individuals go to Desert Hot Springs to seek relaxation and an absolute get-a-way from life’s stresses. Since 1963, it has also been showcased as one of the “fastest growing communities in Southern California.” Minutes away from the airport, golf courts, and shopping centers, Desert Hot Springs is said to be “clearly above the rest,” as it is also an affordable place to live.

However, despite the glitz and glam of this prime celebrity hot spot, there lays the desert city not marketed—old, run down buildings and the loneliness of desert life. While there truly are mineral hot springs, calming resorts, the nearly 27,000 residents of Desert Hot Springs make a median middle class income, and the city itself filed for bankruptcy in the early 2000s (which was resolved by selling municipal bonds in 2004, according to city records). As of 2000, though the new numbers are unconfirmed, 22.4% of families and a disheartening quarter of the population was below the poverty line, with a city per capita income of only $12,000.

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Young Gift Shop, a local mom and pop art shop on Palm Drive in Desert Hot Springs, has felt the effects of the economy and had to close. Outside, a hand painted sign advertising their liquidation still remains.

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SALE

A local car dealership on palm Drive in Desert Hot Springs, provides inexpensive services to residents in the Coachella Valley purely over the phone. Though there is not an on-site business, many mom and pop businesses function this way to save money.

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trade

Traders of the Lost Surplus, located on Dillon Road in North Palm Springs, provides vintage and modern armed forces regalia to residents of the northern Coachella Valley.

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Mess

An illegal dump site, found in a desert lot adjacent to Verbana Road in Desert Hot Springs, is surrounded by household debris. Office chairs, child toys, and shattered televisions can be found when walking through.

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STOP

A vandalized sign, found in a desert lot adjacent to Verbana Road in Desert Hot Springs, provides evidence of illegal garbage disposal.

Cityscape BY ALEXANDRA COHN "Cityscape" represents the mid-century ideal of the American Dream, a piece of nostalgia for a time that never existed. In our current climate of political and economic unrest, Americans are hopeful that the country will return to a period of peace and prosperity, like the romanticized period of the 1950s.

# “ Cit ys ca pe ,” 2 012 . Acr ylic, 8 ”x8 ”

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MULTIMEDIA

http://youtu.be/tWfzqj0EHec

In dreams Video art and performance BY Garrett Pointer My work represents a busted Americana in the post 9/11 world. I strive to create commentary through the assemblage of dejected found objects. I find worth in these objects that hold a depressed residual energy from previous handlers. I recontextualize these materials to attack tradition, politics and the domestic construct. Iconoclastic contemporary works by Paul McCarthy, Jimmie Durham and Dred Scott inspire my work as well as roadkill and the intertwined glory and tragedy that exists in baseball best highlighted by Los Angeles Dodgers commentator of 63 years, Vin Scully. Exemplifying Americana, baseball serves as a microcosm of society that endorses masculinity, rewards impropriety and belittles the working class.

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“Dreams to be Heard: The Struggles of Being an Undocumented Student” podcast BY CHARLIE KAIJO, DWAYNE KEY, and RICARDO HERNANDEZ

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Expenses are a major obstacle that college students experience. Many have to worry about paying bills, adjusting for rising gas prices, buying groceries, and paying for books. Aside from these expenses, college students across the country have to worry about paying increased tuition costs. Though many have the option of accessing financial aid and loans, there is a small minority of undocumented students who must pay for these expenses without the help of financial aid. They are known as AB540. These concerns make up a large part of their college experience.

On March 2nd 2011, students at California State University, Northridge mobilized in front of the Oviatt Library in order to voice their thoughts and opinions about the tuition hikes recently put into place. Reverend Lawson, a historical civil rights activist, spoke during the rally in solidarity with the protestors. He commented, “The muddlehearted in the United States who don’t see that we owe all our children and young people a quality education, where they can learn to deal with their lives and become quality human beings, ought to be at the top of our agenda. The people who do not see that have simply given up their humanity and have stopped thinking that they were born to be humans.”

He shared his feelings about undocumented students, stating, “No human rights should be denied to any person living in this country, whether they have papers or not.” Many others on campus shared the same feelings. Among the protestors are a group of students known as Dreams to Be Heard, an organization composed of CSUN’s undocumented students. Dreams to Be Heard helps undocumented students find ways to pay for tuition by organizing on and off-campus fundraisers. Among other goals, they hope to empower undocumented students to be vocal about their status.

http://youtu.be/YYa3fNYwtBQ http://socialjusticemedia.podomatic.com/ entry/2011-04-14T01_32_23-07_00

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Creative Awareness Productions Through Universal Research and Educational Documentaries web edition available www.capturedjournal.com

CAPTURED STUDENT RESEARCH JOURNAL 2013

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