In this episode, Mindful Vikings reporter, Abrielle Lopez, is geared up with a GoPro and participating in the first Viking Drumming Circle at LAC.
The Viking Drumming Circle was formed to help students alleviate mid-semester stress.
Hanif Riley, director of the Viking Drumming Circle, teaches participants how to keep a beat and feel the earthly rhythms of West African Drumming.
We hope you enjoy this fun and healing, interactive bonus episode. Give us a like and subscribe, if so!
In this episode, we have some fun at the Wellness Fair!
Reporter Abrielle Lopez walks around the fair and talks to students about their “Why,” or motivation to get up in the morning and try their best every day.
We meet Kosi and Hanif, the head drummers of the Viking Drumming Circle, and they give a demonstration of West African Drumming for everyone at the fair.
We hope you enjoy this bonus episode. Feel free to give us a like and subscribe, if so!
Rabbi Peter Levi waited as LAC room T-1200 filled quickly with anxious and excited Long Beach City College students ready to listen to his Nobody is Born a Bigot presentation, which tackled the extremist and white supremacy ideologies.
The October 30 event comes after several LBCC faculty voiced their concern about inclusivity, according to LBCC Vice President of Human Resources Gene Durand.
“This speaker series was very important for me to bring to the district because I firmly believe it is my duty to ensure that we have safe spaces to have difficult conversations,” said Durand.
Durand hopes that events like these will allow students and faculty to gain competence when it comes to delicate issues and conversations like these.
During the presentation Rabbi Levi shared images of students setting up red party cups in the form of a Swastika. He also shared memes that people created like Hitler pointing a gun at Anne Frank’s head.
This all served as a means to expose the multiple occurrences of bigotry, racism, and anti-semistism in California’s highschools and social media.
Levi, who is a regional director for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), shared the various data that ADL has found due to reports and surveys conducted and explained why reporting acts of hate and violence are crucial.
“That’s when we learn that 74% of people who play multiplayer online games are harassed because of some aspect of their identity. We didn’t know that before,”
“When it gets reported it becomes part of a spreadsheet, it becomes data in a report,” Levi said.
Levi explained how acts of hate and violence, whether seen or personally experienced, must be reported in order for the data collected to be used in a way that can create change.
“Reporting creates data and data creates policy,” explained Levi.
Third-year LBCC student Jeesica Rojas who attended the event said that it is interesting to learn about things like these that open your eyes in regards to the biases we all have towards other people and the mentality we have toward ourselves.
“Nowadays it’s like a trend to hate on yourself, so now it’s becoming a trend to hate on everybody else,” said the administrative justice student.
Levi said that hate and hate speech is not new, but the ways in which hate and extremist ideologies are being normalized is.
According to Levi, while social media has brought positive interactions they are also a gateway for extremists and white supremacists to recruit people and even children as young as 12 years old, which is why it is crucial to report acts like verbal and written threats.
“That’s why it is so deeply important to understand that words matter. The gas chambers weren’t built with bricks they were built with words. That’s why it’s so important to call it out in those early stages,” said Levi.
Any sort of harassment, discrimanation, hate speech, and/or threat can be reported to the Anti-Defamation League at PLevi@adl.org.
Fathers, fathers-to-be, father figures, and foster fathers all gathered at Warren High School in Downey on November 9th for the annual FatherCon workshop.
FatherCon, created by Patrick Erlandson and in partnership with LBCC’s Foster and Kinship Services Department, is the 2nd annual event aimed at combatting human trafficking through promoting healthy fatherhood.
In an age where 1 in 4 children are living without their fathers, according to the 2017 U.S. Census Bureau, the event brought together men to discuss the obstacles of fatherhood amid the threat of human trafficking.
Erlandson spoke about Long Beach and its unique level of diversity, however “Because of the diverse population, you have a vulnerable community. All of these communities get exploited.”
The State of California Department of Justice reported that there are an estimated 20.9 million human trafficking victims worldwide at any time. In the United States, California is one of the largest sites for human trafficking, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, with 1,331 reported cases in 2016.
Dr. Claudia Garcia, Director of Foster and Kinship Services at LBCC, spoke on how former and current foster youth are more vulnerable to potential trafficking, and LBCC’s partnership with the event as a result. The workshop’s intent is to further “engage fathers and males to be part of that conversation. We’re not seeing that presence. We’re seeing more females than males, so FatherCon is a call to males to be more present in that dialogue in protecting their communities.”
Erlandson aimed to address the unique challenges of “being a father in the 21st century,” with the Internet now involved and a driving force behind trafficking in the community.
Zach Tanenbaum of Stryker Corporation, discussed his innovative app idea that would create added security and allow adolescents and teens to use social media within a more enclosed environment, interacting only with others who have also been verified by the app.
“There are 500,000 sexual predators online at any given time,” said Tanenbaum, explaining the need for this upcoming technology. He explained that technology has been utilized to “Teach kids to value sexuality,” taking advantage of likes to release dopamine, and how photo editing has reached an extreme, creating unattainable levels of perfection for impressionable youths.
The workshop mainly discussed the positive effects of having a strong father figure, serving both as a role model and as a protective force against the risks of trafficking.
Alan Smyth, Executive Director of Saving Innocence, an organization dedicated to combatting child sex trafficking, spoke about the importance of spending quality time with daughters, and how he would take his daughter on a vacation every year, just the two of them, and how this creates lasting memories and strengthens father-daughter bonds.
“You don’t have to be perfect,” said Erlandson. “We want to focus on the positives. There are plenty of negatives from an unengaged father. On the flipside, we want to address all the positive good that can be done. You can be imperfect but still have a positive impact on your children.”
“I was born a son. I was born a brother. I was made into a father,” said speaker and former NFL player Scott Galbraith.
The event included several short talks from a variety of speakers involved in the trafficking industry, an interaction section as well as an open mic. Dozens of research and social services organizations also attended, aiming to bridge the gap and connect attendees to available services.
Notable speakers included Armand King, a former pimp and author of “Raised in Pimp City,” Superbowl champion Scott Galbraith, Rodney King’s daughter Lora King, and trafficking victim Stacy Jewell.
Erlandson said the event is targeted towards “men changing their attitudes.” FatherCom aimed to answer, “How do we reach this person and have them become a responsible father? We leave behind this abusive, toxic past to get to something satisfying.”
The event also included a segment about pornography, led by father of 8, Jeremy Green. It addressed how men’s views of women and sex become impacted as a result, particularly regarding those introduced to porn at a young age, creating a “hypersexuality in our culture.”
This culture of entitlement is directly related to trafficking, and the usage of people as products, he explained.
This event brought men together to explore the significance and obstacles of fatherhood in an age of local and online threats to our children and communities from human trafficking.
The convention concluded with various Heart of the Father Awards, given to notable members of the community who have consistently fought trafficking in the area. Recipients included Downey Mayor Rick Rodriguez, former FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Clark, and principal of Valley High School in Santa Ana Dr. Hector Galicia, who was able to rescue five students at his school from trafficking.
Pastor Donald Parish Jr. was also awarded a certificate, for his work with “Breakfast With Dads,” the event that received national attention for having almost 600 men volunteer to have breakfast with 11-13 year-old male students.
A toast concluded the event, “Whatever we’ve experienced, we can take this forward. We want God to bless our relationships with our children, and bless our children. What we’ve heard repeatedly today is our children really need us. This toast says this is a new beginning for me, I’m going to be better, I’m gonna be more engaged and more present this is for our children, our country and our world, and the community we want to build,” said Erlandson, to a room of raised sparkling cider glasses.
Long Beach City College students of different cultures and backgrounds enjoyed delicious ice cream at PCC thanks to the members of the student center with the help of volunteers and officers who have a goal of keeping students informed and safe.
Long Beach Police Department celebrated an ice cream Social day at PCC on Thursday afternoon to inform students about the activities they do in the community and teach the important roles that they play in the city.
The first spot was the ice cream place for those students who wanted to enjoy delicious ice cream. After getting their ice cream, students and teachers had the opportunity to play roulette wheel to win batches, water bottles, stickers and more.
The police unit from Long Beach constructed different spots next to the cafeteria to show their values and experiences that they have learned from different circumstances.
The most popular attraction was the Airport K9 Team. Every student wanted to pet Kala the German Shepherd who works for the police unit. Kala was the main attention for students since many of them had never touched a police dog before.
LBCC student David Buster enjoyed his first time petting a dog in these types of moments.
“I always wanted to pet a dog from the police department. I was scared, I thought they were mean. I love the idea of bringing the police to the school because we can learn a lot from them,” Buster said.
Kala is a detection-trained K9 out of Lackland A.F.B., Texas. She is assigned to the Long Beach Police Department, airport section. Her partner, officer Keith McCart, has over 22 years experience. Together they work every day to keep the community of Long Beach and the traveling public safe.
“Kala lives with me, I am her official partner. Everywhere I go she goes with me. I have to take care of her as she is my kid. She is a great dog, I love her,” McCart said.
McCart explained every single detail about the types of training the thousands of dogs have to do in order to become part of the police department.
“We chose this specific breed because they are big and people are afraid of them. People think these dogs are mean so we cannot train other dogs. It is a long process that they go through. Dogs train hard to become part of us. Humans have a great sense of smell but dogs duplicate that. I love my job and I love my dog,” MCart said.
The high temperatures did not prevent students from getting ice cream and taking pictures with the police’ cars. Officers brought their vehicles to show students how beneficial these vehicles are for them and students took advantage of this opportunity to take pictures inside the cars.
Maria Garcia was a student who attended the ice cream Social event. She is part of the Sociology program and mother of two kids who are also students at LBCC.
“I was passing by the cafeteria when I noticed that students were given free ice cream so I went with my friends. I think is important to bring the police department to our school because we learn how they protect us against bad people. I also go to LAC and I’ve never seen an event like this in the other campus. It would be fantastic if they make an ice cream social event at LAC,” Garcia explained.
The event ended up with all the police officers and members of the student center playing games.
Plumes of smoke fill every corner of Lowell Farms trailblazing cannabis café: Lowell Café, as guests puff out of joints and gravity pipes while noshing on munchies curated by La Brea Kitchen.
The decor outside is reminiscent of a rustic farm: exposed brick and beams make up the mortar and frames filled with pictures of pot-smoking celebrities hang on the walls.
Every inch inside is utilized with tables line the walls and a five-step deck that makes room for even more cozy seating. The inside features a large bar in the middle as well as window seats that gape outside to one of the two patios (one of which is designated for non-smokers).
Dreamy plants are tucked into corners high and low and a neon cut out of the Lowell Farms logo sits in front of a dark green leaf wall – the perfect place to snap pictures of proof that you indeed, were there.
Once seated, guests are greeted first either by their flower hosts, who help customers navigate the cannabis menu, or their server who will make sure you get your tummy filled.
If you think you are getting cannabis-infused made to order food straight from Lowell Farms, think again. Though you can enjoy Keef Cola and CBD infused tea (purchased separately from your flower host) all of the food is curated and put onto a rotating menu by La Brea Kitchen.
The elote is a stoners fever dream, topped with Pops crunch cereal and Hot Cheeto flakes, you truly have to be high to enjoy it.
The Better Than Vegan Vegan Nachos are to be enjoyed by vegans and meat eaters alike. As long as nobody steals all the guacamole.
Other shareables include corn dogs, chips and guacamole, and roasted brussel sprouts. A large sandwich menu features unique favorites like banh mi and po’ boys.
The dessert menu has an ice cream sundae and cereal coated bread pudding. The perfect ending to your spicy, salty and/or cheesy meal.
The cannabis menu has all of the tools you need to get medicated like G pens, papers and pipes. You can purchase pre-rolls, flower, wax and infused drinks. There is essentially everything on the menu that you can get at your favorite local shop, except you don’t have to wait until you get home, you can light up while waiting for your munchies!
The table comes with an ashtray, matches, and your budtender will even bring a piece of a hemp wick for you to light up if you so choose. It is an organic cannabis cafe after all.
The staff is helpful and easy to talk to, though the customer service does show how green the place is. When our table asked a food runner about a menu item, instead of finding out the answer for us, he said it was only his second day and scurried away.
In short, go for the bud, stay for the vibes and enjoy the fact that you can smoke in a judgement free zone. Order your tree first and medicate while waiting for your munchies. The food is not as good as the cannabis, until you start to smoke… then it really hits the spot.
Your designated driver will be able to enjoy the atmosphere and maybe even get a little contact high. Make sure to take pictures at the photobooth and the soon to be famous neon sign. Bring cash for cannabis purchases and your tip.
4/20 friendly indeed, spread the good vibes and positivity while medicating responsibly in this immersive experience.
Lowell Farms: Lowell Café is located on 201 N La Brea Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90038 and open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m..
Reservations are required for seating, but the bar is available for walk-ups and may require a wait. There is a 2-hour limit per table.
For reservations visit lowellcafe.com and find them on all social media as @lowellcafe.
Visit our Instagram story @LBCCVikingNews for more pictures and videos of Lowell Café.
Members of LBCC’s Umoja club visited Stanford Middle School to help students of color identify with themselves and spread more awareness about black culture.
In Stanford Middle School a similar program by the same name, Umoja, is built to help the small population of students of color.
The program was started by Assistant Principal Nicole Reyes who reached out to her students to educate them on black awareness.
“Just bringing awareness to the African American culture other than what is already out there. For example, there is more to us than the rappers and the athletes and I want them to learn about that,” Reyes said.
The club is separated into two parts: during school hours, club-oriented activities are conducted. After school, tutoring is offered in the study club.
Reyes was given this idea by LBCC’s Umoja club president Elijah Harris who wanted to spread his resources and help out by tutoring students.
Reyes and Harris met while they planned a social awareness forum at Cerritos College with Reyes’s sorority, Delta Sigma Theta.
“I was talking to one of my sorority sisters about the planning art of it and they told me about the club and I said, ‘Hey, I need his contact information.’ So yeah, that’s kind of how I got connected with him. I read up about what he was doing, about the club and I told him what I’m trying to do and so, [the program] was born,” Reyes said.
Reyes keeps track of club activities while also being the club’s administrator. She builds her student’s knowledge on African American culture by giving them small research assignments on African American figures who are not as popular as the ones seen in textbooks.
“So, just giving them opportunities to dive a little deeper into black history other than what they learn in February which is really just Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Malcom X, because there’s more to us than just those historic public figures,” Reyes explained.
“Our African American students make up a very small percentage of our kids. We have 97 students of color or African American and we have over 1200 students on campus. One of the things I want to do is to include people that aren’t African American so they can learn about it.”
With the program, students are more open to embracing their culture as African Americans and ignoring the negativity that makes them ashamed of who they are.
The students enjoy the help they receive from the club and want to continue to learn about Black history in the club.
Aside from the students, Umoja members from LBCC enjoy their time helping the younger students with motivation and tutoring.
“Normally we do mentoring, we just started doing tutoring, it’s kind of like oh their homework is not done, we got to get homework done. Normally with mentoring, we plan to play games or just sit and talk about just being black in a community where there’s not many people who look like you. The goal is to understand that there are people who look like you and you’re not alone in school and even in situations where you are alone, you have to strive to be your best because you represent all black people as a whole,” said Sierra Kerr, Umoja member and volunteer.
Alongside Kerr, Umoja club member Shareif Shelton wants for the future generation to be allowed guidance and strength in ensuring a strong future.
“I volunteer because I feel that we should teach the youth because the youth are the future and if we don’t teach the youth then there’s no future. It’s already in mind that we come out here and help them because I want them to see that they have somebody that actually cares about them,” Shelton said.
“Like she said, they are not alone. And I understand that they have a future in front of them and sometimes it gets hard to understand that there’s a future in front of you if you don’t have anybody telling you that there’s a future in front of you. So it’s good to know that they have options, so they can use their minds to be anything they want to be and not just another number. And we should show them that they actually matter and have a purpose, they’re born with a purpose, that nobody is born without purpose.”
The Stanford Umoja club helps young minorities in giving the chance to learn about black history outside the books and gives them a sense of strength for who they are as young people of color.
Long Beach City College continued the tradition with a Dia De Los Muertos event with community gatherings, face paintings, poetry readings, cultural performances, offering contests and a community parade.
Dia De Los Muertos was celebrated for two days in a row in remembrance for passed loved ones who have left an impact on many lives.
LBCC wants the community to know that culture is a part of what makes up the foundation of its campus.
“I hope for the community to embrace this rich tradition and to experience the event like a celebration in “familia.” I hope for the event to allow community members to immerse themselves in the experience,” Associate Dean of Student Support Services Sonia De La Torre-Iniguez said.
On the night of Dia de Los Muertos, altars were placed around the courtyard with pictures of loved ones.
Around the altars displayed different offerings that settled about the shrine such as favorite foods, beverages, pictures or memorabilia.
“This tradition becomes the focal piece for honoring our loved one who have passed and should really embody who they were,” Iniguez said.
The offering contests involved departments and students who established their own mini ofrendas and see who had the most memorable contribution.
The movie “Macario” was shown to the public, which demonstrated the significance of Dia de Los Muertos.
The event also had a cultural performance by the LBCC dance department that the public enjoyed.
“We really want this to be a community event, we pushed it to the high schools and inviting families as well and of course LBCC students so hopefully we see them all in the loop,” LBCC Enrollment Specialist Linda Olmos said.
Event decorator Amber Orosco, also known for her famous costume as Catrina Carlotta, was the queen of the night alongside the highest altar of the event. Many attendees were fascinated and excited to take pictures with Orosco dressed as Catrina Carlotta.
“We encouraged many people to come dressed up too for Dia de Los Muertos,” Orosco said.
The community parade highlighted the night. Character Catrina paraded around the courtyard with children who also celebrated the night with her.
This event will not be the last at the college. LBCC has expanded their multicultural celebrations for diversity and equality.
Cultural events create awareness and fairness to all students who represent different cultures on campus.
November 30 at 11:59 p.m. is the deadline for those who want to transfer to a CSU or UC for Fall 2020.
November is an important month for midterms with finals approaching and deadlines students can’t miss. LBCC student Jeanette Lem prepared for her application by visiting the transfer center.
“I have a lot of questions about my application and the process, some counselors have been able to help but I don’t want to mess up and I thought it would be better to come and get that help,” Lem said.
Deadlines in general can be stressful but for this transfer season, transfer counselor Ruben Page and UCI undergraduate application evaluator Guillermo Gallaga have provided some tips that can help you stay on top of the transfer application process this season.
UCI undergraduate application evaluator Guillermo Gallaga said, “ The UC application has a holistic approach. It looks at everything… UCI specifically looks at an applicant’s major preparation.”
Here are Gallaga’s three most important tips.
The first is to get help with the application.
“Many don’t fill out the application right, they make simple mistakes that cost them their admission,” Gallaga said.
Make sure you’re taking the right math class, and classes in general.
“I’ve denied people admission for mostly not taking the right calculus course for humanities and science. It’s important to seek resources at your institution to help you with this important process,” Gallaga shared.
Secondly, start early.
“Some students have one page of transcripts some have four so its important you give yourself time to input that correctly to meet the deadline November 30th which is a strict deadline,” Gallaga added.
“It’s crazy this time of the year, crazy but good!” Page exclaimed.
As a transfer coordinator, Ruben Page suggests the following tips to help students for students during the application process.
Pages first tip? Know the deadlines.
“November 30th! Cal States and UC’s deadline is November 30th. Last year there was an extension for the CSU application but this year they’re not considering it,” Page said.
Next, Page says to start early!
“Thanksgiving is two days before the deadline and the transfer center will be closed that Thursday and Friday,” Page added.
And of course, come to the transfer center.
“The new schedule is up for application assistance for November we want you guys to come for help, this is a time where there are lots of anxiety which is normal because this is a big transition,” Page explained.
Page also shared that the process is not done when you submit your application because winter involves making updates to your application.
“Which only takes about five minutes,” Page said.
Page also suggests to prepare for selecting your next school by exploring campuses and booking tours during the Spring.
Transfer services are offered at EE-105 at PCC and A-1097 at LAC.
UC application website: https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/apply-now.htmlCSU application website: www.calstate.edu/apply
Long Beach City College held an Ofrenda contest at a Latinx heritage month event on Friday, along with poetry readings and cultural performances.
In Latinx culture, Ofrendas are usually set up on Dia de Muertos to celebrate the life of loved ones who have passed away.
One of the contestants, Giovani Bautista, had a heart-warming theme behind his altar.
“Our altar is dedicated to our abuelitas, paying respect and memory to the things they’ve taught us,” Bautista said.
Ofrendas consist of objects that once belonged to the individual who is being celebrated. Objects like photographs and food, such as Pan de Muerto.
Every unique altar was filled with different decorative pieces from festive breads to vibrantly colored flowers.
Instructor Melissa Ramirez was one of the contestants in the event.
“Our Ofrenda is filled with traditional influences, with aspects such as marigolds, pan de muertos. We also mixed traditional influences with specific influences, such as books to highlight Latinx philosophers,” Ramirez explained.
Student Kylie-Sky Lindsey helped her professor set up an altar at the event.
“I wasn’t aware there was a contest, I’m just really passionate about the holiday, and thought this was a fun way to be apart of it,” Lindsey said.
Along with the Ofrenda contest, there were also interactive activities such as face painting, coloring and making paper marigolds.
This was the closing event for Latinx heritage month.
