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by Sally Lopez

According to Governor Newsom, “minorities would be the first to receive the Covid-19 vaccine” and that it would be distributed to the larger latinx communities.

Yet, the vaccine has been the least given out to older Latinos compared to non-latino whites. We know that latinx communities here in California have been the hardest hit and have the highest mortality rate from ages 0-54. So why is it taking so long to vaccinate more of our latino population? The media is stating that latinos are wary and fear of the side effects, although that may be true, personal stories have said that there are other factors.

In the Los Angeles community more and more people are starting to notice that neighboring cities are taking advantage of the opportunities offered to those in low-income communities. For example, someone I know was able to receive Covid-19 tests faster by driving out to low-income communities such as Maywood and taking two up to three tests because of less slots in Culver city. Some family members working in hospital settings have also said people working within private hospitals have been jumping their family members to the front lines to receive the vaccine before those listed as Tier 1A & B ,meaning regardless of not being an “essential “ worker or a senior over the age of 60 they are receiving their first dosage. I’m not clear on how this can be happening but it is making it much more difficult for others. It makes me think maybe it is not the lack of opportunity but the fact that the opportunities are being taken advantage of.

Then again, we must factor in the lack of accessibility of information to the community. Having an immigrant status or being undocumented makes people think that they are not allowed to receive the vaccine or that they must pay to receive it but that is not true. There’s also the fact that people cannot get the information they need and the media is also causing misinformation. They are just hearing symptoms, side effects, certain people suffered from this because of mouth to mouth spreading of information. Many people do not investigate any further and make decisions upon that fear. People are scared including my own family members because so-and-so said something that made the vaccine not seem safe or seem worse than Covid-19 itself. Others have a mistrust in the whole pandemic situation and do not believe that it is something that serious but it all boils down to where they are receiving this information. How can they access not only learning more but making appointments? Going to and from appointments?

Most if not all of the Latino community are hard workers who work everyday in order to stay afloat. Many have already been sick and cannot afford to take off another day to receive the vaccine. Getting to the location can also be difficult because once you receive the vaccine it can affect your body in different ways, if someone is taking public transportation it can cause more stress to their body. There are many factors that contribute to the lack of vaccinations within the Latino community. It will certainly be a tough couple of months to get everyone safe and vaccinated. 

by Ivan Salinas

In the spring of 2017, CSU Chancellor Timothy White distributed Executive Order 1100 across the 23 CSU campuses for comments and consultation, this was the beginning of the CSU system’s latest attack on Ethnic Studies. The executive order would remove the Cross-Cultural Competency GE Requirement where students had to take six units, two classes, that discussed race, gender, and/or class in order to graduate. Many of the classes offered in Ethnic Studies departments would fulfill this requirement.

Students and faculty began to demonstrate throughout the 23 campuses in response to the chancellor’s decision as many considered this to be detrimental to the Ethnic Studies departments which included four historically defined racialized core groups: Chicana/o Studies, Africana Studies, American Indian Studies, and Asian American Studies.

One of the first major demonstrations at CSUN occurred in Fall of 2017, when several students organized a week of action, walking out in the middle of class and boycotting purchases from campus stores. I was starting my sophomore year at CSUN, and although I was taking many general education courses in the Chicana/o Studies department, many of the professors had not brought up the issue in class. This issue became more visible once the students began organizing outside of classroom halls. It was the first time I joined a protesting march. 

Stevie Ruiz, an Assistant Professor of Chicano/a Studies at CSUN has been on the frontline of the struggle to undo what Chancellor White and his administration had done to Ethnic Studies departments. “We were trying to undo the harm that was done by the executive orders and we were invited by [Pan-African Studies Professor] Melinah Abdullah from CSULA as she had seen the attention we were getting,” said Ruiz “Our faculty voted against the executive order three times. But CSU Chancellor insisted on the implementation and [CSUN president] Dianne Harrison implemented it.”

In December of 2018, CSUN faculty senate voted 44 to 20 against the implementation of Chancellor White’s  executive orders and a 32 to 26 vote of no confidence in President Dianne Harrison.  I was outside of the Oviatt library joining professor Stevie Ruiz and student protesters who were denied entry to the senate faculty meeting. At the time I was working as assistant culture editor at The Sundial, although I was not assigned to write a story, I was there for support. By then I firmly believed the CSU administration was enforcing a system that would only hurt ethnic studies faculty. This was also the time I began to be more involved in MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlan), where I learned more of the history of student activism. In fact, CSUN students were arrested in the 1960s for demanding ethnic studies colleges to be implemented in the university. 50 years later, a new generation of students were reminding the administration of the struggles people of color have had to endure to receive a higher education. However, these demands were not enough to ensure that the executive orders would not affect the future of ethnic studies.  

Ruiz explained that student and faculty coalitions found a new strategy, switching gears to save ethnic studies from disappearing on the curriculum through legislation. Dr. Shirley Weber introduced Assembly Bill 1460, a California Law that would require all students attending a CSU to take one class on Ethnic Studies in either Chicana/o Studies, Africana Studies, American Indian Studies, or Asian American Studies before they graduate. Dr. Weber, a California State Representative,was a Pan-African Studies Professor at San Diego State for over 30 years and understood the importances of education on historically racialized communities.

“This is her work. She was elected in San Diego as a voice of the marginalized, including the marginalized faculty in the CSU’s,” said Ruiz.“She’s not jumping into a conversation, but rather someone who’s done the work about this. Weber has shown us how to be diligent in how to advocate for policy. I hope that we can get stuff done. The real change is going to be at the local level.”

AB 1460, which passed and was written into law on August 17 corrects the watered down CSU Cross-Cultural Competency GE Requirement where students could take classes that discussed race outside of the Ethnic Studies. Now Students graduating in the 2024-25 academic take a minimum of three units within the four core Ethnic Studies departments in order to graduate. On top of this the law also requires all campuses to provide Ethnic Studies courses by fall 2021 and the Ethnic Studies Council and Academic Senate of the California State University must approve the core competencies guidelines before the end of the 2020-2021 academic year.

Throughout the summer of 2020 I became more involved as a student organizer to lobby for AB1460. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to adapt to social distancing organizing.  As a result, we created virtual phone banking sessions and made flyers and infographics to encourage entire communities of California to call district senators and vote in favor of the bill. Once AB1460 passed in the assembly, we then encouraged as many people as possible to call Governor Gavin Newsom’s office to sign AB1460 as soon as it was on his desk. We gained the support of many activists and organizations outside of education platforms to share our infographics on their platforms given that this was an issue that would affect future students of color that would enroll in a CSU. On August 17th, Gavin Newsom signed the bill and AB1460 became part of California law. 

But the CSU Board of Trustees are causing new issues. Ruiz explained they are rushing the process of implementation through an abrupt memo sent by CSU Executive Vice Chancellor Loren Blanchard saying that the full requirement of the law must be effective beginning in fall 2021. 

“We were told in early September we needed to produce the core-competency by Oct. 1st. We have been rushed to meet at all 23 campuses and produce a set of guidelines on how to implement ethnic studies all within less than one month,” said Ruiz. “He’s trying to rush the process so we’re just playing catch-upThis man has demonstrated a record to be anti-ethnic studies. He has not made the issue of a proper racial education a priority. We have been asking if we halt all implementation until we get our new chancellor, so this can be implemented as stated by the law.”

The California Faculty Association released a statement where their Political Action and Legislation Chair Steven Fillings explained in an email that “There is nothing in the law that would require the drastically accelerated timeline proposed by the memo.  There is nothing in the law that would require that ethnic studies courses meeting the learning outcomes requirements be offered in Fall 2021. There is nothing in the law that would require an immediate revision to EO 1100.”

I am currently in my final semester to complete my bachelor’s degree. One of the courses I am taking is Chicana/o Studies 261, Race, Racism, & The Sciences with prof. Stevie Ruiz. His class addresses how people of color have been subject to scientific experimentation and deemed as “inferior” due to our race and even refused us our rights of citizenship. However, the class also offers different ways that we can engage with this information in order to fix these systemic issues.

This moment in United State history, has proven that all residents in America need Ethnic Studies to understand the disparities affecting communities of color such as policing and environmental issues affecting all four communities, especially when the president continues to spread racist rhetoric and the push for a “patriotic” curriculum.

“The Trump administration has belittled the stance of race with a colorblind ideology widely endorsed by left and right-winged groups. They have taken a blind side to talk about racial inequity. We don’t know how his policies are going to shape ethnic studies in the future,” said Ruiz.

by El Popo Staff

Los Angeles, CA (Tuesday, April 21, 2020)—An estimated 2 million people in Los Angeles County suffer from food-insecurity issues on an ongoing basis. That vulnerable community is sure to swell because of pandemic-related economic losses in the months to come, but Los Angeles County is committed to preventing hunger and ensuring access to food for all residents. The County is currently mobilizing a Countywide response to hunger by coordinating public agencies, nonprofits, and volunteers to provide meals to anyone in need during the weeks and months to come. The County is also launching new digital resources to help members of the public access food at no cost — including program sign-up information, maps, and frequently asked questions — all located on the County COVID-19 website. 

Individuals/Families in Need Can:

• Get help with food expenses. CalFresh is a Nutrition Assistance Program that can help people in low-income households purchase food by increasing their food-buying power. Apply here and see eligibility requirements here.

• Find free food near you. County agencies and partners that provide free groceries and meals are expanding their services during COVID-19. Click here to see options and find food distribution sites near you. Some programs also provide delivery.
• Get food delivery assistance. The County has launched a Critical Delivery Services program to deliver food and other vital items to adults age 60+ and individuals with disabilities who are unable to leave their homes due to COVID-19. Items must be prepaid and ready for pick-up. There is no cost to the client for delivery. For more information, click here or call 1-888-863-7411.
• For assistance, or if you do not have access to the Internet, please dial 2-1-1. Multilingual operators are available to help members of the public find free food resources. 

Service Providers/Nonprofits in Need Can:

• Request volunteers. L.A. Works matches community organizations with volunteer labor and other resources. More information here.
• Request food to redistribute. The L.A. Regional Food Bank is accepting new applications for partner agencies. Partner agencies receive free food and re-distribute it to community members. More information here.
• Join a food recovery network. There are a number of organizations that use mobile apps with matching technology to recover unused food from restaurants and other businesses and re-distribute it to communities in need. If you are interested in donating food or receiving donated food to re-distribute, look for the following in your mobile app store:

• Food Finders
• ChowMatch

Here Are Other Ways Los Angeles County Residents Can Help: 

• Giving food-related offers and donations. Does your business or organization seek to sell or donate food-related resources to support COVID-19 response efforts?  The County is helping to match available food resources with those in need. Fill out an online questionnaire to let us know what food resources you have to share. Our partner providers are in need of food resources, services, and equipment including:
  • Prepared meals ready-to-eat meals: no heating required
  • Prepared meals: just heat and service
  • Groceries: non-perishable, shelf stable food items and perishable food such as produce, meats, and dairy
  • Specialty foods: Vegan, kosher, gluten-free, and other specialty options
  • Food delivery: drivers and vehicles, including special vehicle types such as refrigerated trucks
• Other types of donation and support. Looking for other ways to lend a hand during this crisis? Explore the County’s COVID-19 resource page to learn how you can help, from doing wellness checks on older neighbors to donating blood.
• Starting a food pantry. Interested in offering free food to community members? If you already have food to re-distribute or are planning to collect food items from private sources, please follow these Guidelines for Charitable Feeding Operations. If you are interested in receiving donated food to re-distribute, consider partnering with the L.A. Regional Food Bank, which is currently accepting new applications for partner pantries. More information here.
• Joining a food recovery network. There are a number of organizations that use mobile apps with matching technology to recover unused food from restaurants and other businesses and re-distribute it to communities in need. If you work for a restaurant or other business that is interested in donating food, look for the following in your mobile app store:
  • Food Finders
  • ChowMatch
  • Postmates Merchant App
• Volunteer your time. L.A. Works matches community organizations with volunteer labor and other resources. More information here.

by Katarina Machmer & Belinda Mellado