From the Director,
I
write to you today just as commencement activities begin to ramp up, thankfully in person after two years of virtual gatherings. We are so happy to welcome families, friends, and other guests to Johnston commencement, which will take place Friday, April 22, in front of Bekins. If you are local and would like to join us, we’d be happy to see you! This large-scale event follows from the thirty-four individual graduation reviews that will have taken place, one at a time, as many of you will remember. Hearing friends and teachers, but especially families, speak to the growth and importance of each of our graduates reminds me why we continue to advocate for Johnston every day. We’ve been able to support students in many ways. The Johnston Food Pantry, Book Support Fund, Student Project Fund, Travel Grant, and Director’s Discretionary Fund each support students in different ways. We’ve used some resources to set up a commuter lounge, with beds, a desk, a bathroom and a kitchen for the increasing number of Johnston students who travel to and from school, but who need a space to call “home” within our buildings. Other students have been able to study abroad when otherwise that might not have been possible. I could go on. The point is: we are so thankful to be able to welcome students into the community, and to support them once they are here. You might then rightly ask, well what is going on in Johnston? I’ll provide some highlights. This semester, we were able to welcome two special guests. In collaboration with the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, we welcomed Mr. Abdur-Rahman Muhammad, the inaugural Diversity in Action Resident at Redlands, to speak with us about his work as an independent historian and key figure in the Netflix series “Who Killed Mal-
“Big Daddy’s BBQ Bash” Johnston Restaurant, April 1 2022
colm X.” CJ Russo, an independent filmmakers, brought us a presentation about their new film Ladybuds, which tracks the corporate takeover of the cannabis industry in California by centering the voices of six women from diverse backgrounds. As classes have returned fully in-person, we’ve also started rebuilding community within the physical space we still refer to as “Johnston complex.” The curriculum is diverse and robust. For example, Professor Kelly Hankin is leading a seminar called Johnston Restaurant, which puts on pop-up, themed restaurants that invite all community members to join in food and fun. It is great to see students interacting, building on old traditions and creating new ones. She has offered a crucial reflection on this seminar in the context of returning to campus: “The lifeblood of Johnston has always been our unique traditions and rituals—practices that are passed down year to year by students, faculty, and staff. The disrupted campus life and online learning of the last two years was a sharp reminder that, despite its 50 plus years, Johnston is a fragile ecosystem. Without students on campus to nurture and mentor one another, many of our wonderful