Following the week-long celebration of Black Heritage Month at LBCC, ASB set up a movie showing of the film, “Black Panther Wakanda Forever” Friday evening in the college center located in the E building.
The event started a little after six and was met with a crowd of students, family, friends and locals of the Long Beach area.
Food and beverages from local vendors such as popcorn, pizza and macaroni were provided and enjoyed. The line was continuous all night.
Student Activity Organizer, Kim Hamon said it was an “easy, unanimous decision” choosing a film for the event. The film, as the first Marvel superhero with a predominantly Black cast, drew in a crowd.
“The committee wanted to have sequential events after this movie screening around marginalized communities and inner group conflict especially because of the themes of the movie,” Hamon said to connect it to this month’s Black Heritage month.
She added that the goal of the institution was to have a movie screening that many can relate to.
Fellow Viking and attendant, Xa’ Neyang thought the movie was perfect, “it was a great representation of Black Heritage Month as it is a nonoffensive movie.” said Neyang.
“We did a showing of Spider-man last year and the crowd was less than 30. Today we’re pulling chairs to get more seats,” said ASB Vice President Abi Israel.
“We were very overjoyed and happy with the results and turnout from the movie night event,” Israel said, “we (ASB) have plans on keeping the movie night events going once a month this semester.”
First-semester student and culinary arts major Leo Cepeda, shared that his interest in Marvel movies and hearing about the food led him to attend the event.
“This is my first event as a student here. I’m a big fan of the Black Panther comics and enjoyed the first movie. I’d first seen the movie in theaters and it was emotional and heart-touching, a movie worth rewatching” Capeda said.
As Black History Month continues, LBCC will be hosting more events that students are welcome to attend.
The LBCC women’s basketball team extended their win streak to 11 games on Friday with a 77-52 victory over the El Camino Warriors.
Early on, The Vikings were having to settle for low percentage contested jump shots as the Warrior’s zone defense was not allowing them to get open looks.
Although their offense was not flowing, the Vikings were working hard on defense, staying in front of their assignment and taking chargers when needed.
Sophomore guard Amanda Lopez was able to feed off this defensive momentum and open up the offense for the Vikings. She was aggressive in driving the ball to the rim, causing the defense to collapse and opening up people on the perimeter.
“We’re focused on trying to score, get inside the paint, and move the ball,” said Lopez.
From this point on, the Vikings took the lead and never looked back.
Sophomore guard Amanda Lopez (left) and sophomore guard Aaliyah Carter do shake hands in player introductions before the game on Feb. 10, 2023 at Long Beach City College. The Vikings defeated EL Camino 77-52 in a commanding win. Photo by Davis Ramage
They started to pick apart the zone with Lopez running the offense and finding her teammates in the high-post in the middle of that Warrior’s zone.
Sophomore guard Jaden Sanderson was one of those teammates often operating in the middle of that zone, either pulling up for an open mid-range jumper, finding a teammate spotted up for a three, or cutting to the basket.
A three by Lopez in the third quarter sparked a 36-18 point run to end the game.
This run was fueled by a plethora of threes and mid-range jumpers from the Vikings, who could not miss to end the game.
“To finish off the fourth quarter and stretch the lead out to 15 plus, I thought that was good on the girls’ behalf,” said Viking head coach Ollie Brent.
The Vikings look to extend their win streak to 12 games when they take on Cerritos College on Feb. 15 at 5 p.m.
Correction: an earlier edition of this story included a photo caption misidentifying the order of appearance of The Debrembrah brothers in the image, the caption has now been corrected.
Long Beach City College hosted its annual Black history kick-off event celebrating black heritage, culture, and music in the LAC quad on the afternoon of Feb 9.
The event kicked off with traditional African music with performances by the Dembrebrah Drummer group, and the LBCC dance group and choir club, The Lyrical Workers.
Alisia Kirkwood, who is the new dean of student affairs, gave a powerful speech on African American learning, as well as the damage of police brutality incited on African Americans.
Many other speeches were given by Lee Douglas, the appointed LBCC VP of academic affairs and Erainin Freeman, who is Associate Dean of Student Support Services at Long Beach City College, as well as board president Herlinda Chico.
Speeches included a prayer of silence for the victims of police brutality, including a lengthy list of names. Students and faculty all took a moment of silence out of respect for the victims, including the very recent death of Tyre Nichols.
During the event, The Lyrical Workers did a cover of Sam Cooke’s, “A Change Is Gonna Come.”
This performance invoked the emotions of everyone. As the heartfelt lyrics said, “It’s been a long time coming, but I know change is coming.”
LBCC’s group Lyrical Workers singing a rendition of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come.” Photo by Lauren Benson
A taste of soul food and the culture brought a huge line to the stand. Food stands served barbecued chicken, with a side of macaroni and cheese, bread, and barbecued baked beans to eagerly awaiting attendees.
“Black history represents pride. It represents a legacy to, not only remind people of our past, but to teach people of our culture.” said financial aid advisor Michelle Bowen when asked what Black history means to her.
Dancers opened their act with a traditional African dance that had bursts of energetic movement and flexibility. Despite the hot sun shining down on the dancers, their illuminating happy expressions managed to finish out strong while honoring dance and tradition.
LBCC’s dance ensemble perform a traditional African dance during the Black Heritage Kick-off event. Photo by Lauren Benson
The Dembrebrah Drummers are a three-man band that play traditional African beats on drums. They proudly wore colorful, traditional African clothing as they performed. With the strong sound of the drums and the uplifting atmosphere of the event, some say Black history month is not only for Black people, but for all ethnicities.
“Black history means the forward progression of Black people. It means a coming together, not only of African Americans, but those that can come together under any circumstance despite race, ethnicity, gender, etcetera. It’s a celebration of Black music, Black culture, Black food, and the support of Black owned businesses. I celebrate Black history month every day, I wake up Black, I am Black. My life pretty much is history in general.” said Celeste Farrah who was working at the financial aid booth.
“Black history, to me, is the overall celebration of what we as a culture have gone through since our existence in America. Not necessarily the restoration that we have gone through. We have to celebrate that for our new generation so they understand what we have overcome to get to where we are at. We still have a long way to go.” said Viking athletics advisor Marcus Carroll.
A stunning block assist by Shane Nhem and Lucca Mamone leads Long Beach City College’s men’s volleyball to victory over Miramar with a score of 25 to 18.
This is Long Beach’s third win, with the only loss being against Irvine Valley, putting them in a good start for the beginning of the season.
Head coach, Jonathan Charette, said, “I feel good about this game. This is the fourth match so far and I like the direction we are trending.”
He also states, “We’ve been working on service pressure which shows with this game. We need to work on connection as a team, the more we work together the more we’ll connect with the upcoming games.”
Long Beach got off to a slow start with a lack of communication on the court and lots of pressure but quickly shook that off to put them right back on top.
Sean Nguyen, who is a sophomore at LBCC and setter for the team, showed great leadership during the game and scored multiple points during the game with his explosive service aces.
Setter Sean Nguyen jumping for a serve in LBCC match against Miramar at home location for Long Beach City College in building Q small gym, on Friday, Feb. 10 2023. Serve was taken in second set of the three match game. Photo by Sam Huff
Nguyen states, “Performance was great, I think we worked together really well.” He also says, “Our starts can be slow so we can work on them with practice.”
Miramar started off strong in the first set, showing great teamwork and multiple blocks on Long Beach.
Long Beach turned things around with a close set, which ended in 25 to 21. They won the match point with the play by their opposite hitter Lucca Mamone.
Long Beach came out of the gate strong for the second set being the first team to 20 points in a 10-point gap against Miramar.
The second set ended with a 25 to 13 lead by Long Beach, who won with a service ace played by Lucca Mamone to win the second set.
With how these guys are playing so far, we can expect a strong season for Vikings volleyball this year.
LBCC’s Liberal Arts campus began the return to Spring semester on Tuesday Feb. 7 with a special vendor popup kickoff event, bringing vibrant local restaurants and food right to the heart of campus.
The event marks the beginning of LBCC’s most recent attempt to provide adequate food services on campus. A plan enacted with the help of Dina Feldman, owner of the Feel Good Salsa Commissary Kitchen located in Long Beach.
In collaboration with Feldman, LBCC has planned to host one popup restaurant vetted by her kitchen Mondays through Thursdays at lunch time 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the remainder of the semester.
The commercial kitchen works as an industrial workspace that food vendors can rent out and use to fulfill orders. Feldman’s kitchen, in particular, is notable for being the first licensed shared kitchen space in Long Beach, partnering with small businesses to help them “grow in an ethical, sustainable way.”
Feldman was initially put in contact with LBCC through the office of state senator Lena Gonzalez, who had known of Feldman’s kitchen, as well as LBCC’s lack of a permanent catering service to adequately serve the student population on campus.
“It was like the perfect opportunity for these vendors to have an audience,” said Feldman.
Vendors at the kickoff event included Dear Mama, Renegade Food Co. and Mariscos Yessy, all of which have a history of working out of Feldman’s kitchen, using the workspace to grow and expand their businesses.
“Right now we’re focusing on this campus, doing the lunch popups to see kinda from there how it goes to make sure that the reception is there, that students are liking it and it’s something they’re supporting.” said Feldman.
Students and staff passing through the A quad were eager to try the restaurants’ offerings, with people stopping by to try free kombucha samples, a glimpse at menus, and enjoy the music, provided by DJ HoneyMee.
By 1:30 p.m., Mariscos Yessy had sold out, beginning to tear down their kitchen, with others still working diligently to fill the steady stream of customers who came by to try out tacos, burgers, and sweet treats from the remaining stands.
One stand housed Dear Mama LA, a plant-based and vegan Mexican food business based in Boyle Heights. The business also occasionally rents out Feel Good Salsa Kitchen when fulfilling orders for pop-ups at markets, food festivals, and in this case, school catering.
Desiree Flores, owner of Dear Mama, explained how she heard of Feldman’s kitchen space through a fellow vendor and after meeting to discuss renting out her kitchen space, they clicked well, sharing similar values when it came to plant-based and eco-friendly sensibilities.
Flores was especially excited for the opportunity to man a popup on LBCC grounds.
“I was so down. I thought it’d be really cool to come to campus. Sometimes you don’t have a lot of options. I was super excited to provide plant-based options to the community, especially college students since I was vegan in college too.” said Flores.
Popup vendors will continue to appear around lunchtime on campus for the remainder of the Spring semester, with hopes of student reception making offering more lunch and potentially breakfast vendors viable in the future.
In this week’s episode we talk to drag queen Torta Jugosa (which translates to “juicy sandwich”). who won the title Miss Long Beach Pride of 2022 this summer and is known for representing Mexican culture through her drag persona. We talk to Torta Jugosa about her origins in drag, what her inspiration is, the planning that goes into her outfits and her love for her drag community.
LBCC’s men’s water polo progressed to the semi-finals of the Southern California Regionals after defeating Orange Coast College 9-7 in the second round of an intense game on Friday night.
However, the men’s team lost to Cuesta 14-10 in the semi-finals but won third place in the tournament after beating Saddleback 14-13 in an intense game with three overtimes.
Right as the clock started the energy could be felt in the air as both teams had a prideful crowd cheering them on throughout the whole game.
The Vikings outplayed Orange Coast during the first period of the game outscoring them 3-2. LBCC moved through the waters aggressively and forced turnovers which resulted in many of their possessions ending near their opponents goal.
From the first period to the final seconds it was a very physical game as both teams were hungry for the win resulting in whistles being blown all throughout the match.
The intensity in the stands were rising heading into the second half with the score being 5-3.
As soon as the buzzer rang for the third period Orange Coast jumped into the water with a different mindset focusing heavily on offense, it was obvious that their game plan had changed and it seemed to be working very well with OCC scoring two straight goals.
With five minutes remaining in the third period and a score of 6-5, LBCC called a timeout to prioritize their defense.
OCC gained a boost of confidence from their final plays during the third period while their supporters in the stands filled the facility with enthusiastic cheers, putting all the pressure on LBCC.
Despite the Vikings’ timeout to configure a new strategy, OCC scored once again and tied the game 6-6. This seemed to flip a switch in the back of the Viking’s heads.
Both teams were shouting over each other trying to have the most efficient communication as time was racing.
Heading into the fourth period LBCC led with a score of 7-6. Orange Coast made sure they were heard shouting “1..2..3.. Coast!” from their side of the pool while the Vikings walked straight from their huddle and dove into the water feet first.
This was it, the most nail biting part of the game with both teams fighting for different outcomes. The Vikings could be heard shouting “Defense first!” as OCC was mainly focused on penetrating the Vikings defense, eager to score.
A little into the fourth period, it seemed that the Vikings’ determination to win had increased, as they transitioned from defense to offense very smoothly by scoring twice in a row and regaining their momentum. By the end of the buzzer it was the Vikings’ win.
After the game, Vikings attacker Itay Batito shared his thoughts.
“I’m really happy that we played together and we got this win, we played against a very tough team and I am proud of the guys,” said Batito.
The Vikings’ team chemistry has looked strong all throughout the season, mainly in how they communicate with each other.
“It started from being here every morning, practicing together, the coach makes us support each other in every game, every moment, and I’m glad to be a part of this team,” Batito said.
While the Vikings were celebrating, LBCC men’s water polo coach, Chris Oeding, had some words for his team.
“Enjoy the feeling but tomorrow is a big day, focus and be ready to go, job’s not finished.”
This week, the Vikings Talk Podcast is joined by our editor-in-chief, Maisie Vilchis, to talk to sports journalist James Williams. Williams covers UCLA football for the OC Register and hosts multiple podcasts. The talk with Williams goes over how he got into sports journalism and he gives his advice to student journalists on how to network and kickstart their careers. He also goes down memory lane and talks about his time with our own professor, Walter Hammerwold.
The Carols by Candlelight concert returned to LBCC to bring holiday joy after being on hiatus from COVID-19.
Due to COVID restrictions, many people including director Skye Angulo have not been able to attend or be a part of caroling events until this year.
“It’s great to finally be back singing and performing for you all,” Angulo said. “This is my favorite time of year and I am so grateful that our students are able to sing at LBCC.”
With the auditorium decorated with light projections, reefs and poinsettia flowers all across the stage, there was no doubt Christmas spirit was present for the event.
The Viking Chorale dressed in all black formal attire, while singing traditional Christmas songs such as “Deck the Halls.”
The Viking Chorale waits in the audience with candles at the Carols by Candlelight choral concert. The stage was left empty for the soloist Ellie Chaoate playing the harp. (Jacqueline Prado)
Booklets were given to each audience member for a chance to sing along with the Viking Chorale.
Later into the concert, the LBCC Viking Singers stole the spotlight while dressed in red, green, black and white for the Christmas season.
People of all ages came to support the different choirs and instrumentalists performing at the concert, in addition to many LBCC students as admission was free with proof of an LBCC student ID.
One of those students included Leona Sapiter, a second year nursing major at LBCC.
Skye Angulo conducts the Viking Chorale at the Carols by Candlelight concert. This is the first caroling concert at LBCC since December 2019. (Jacqueline Prado)
“I was actually surprised by how beautiful this concert was. This was my first time attending a Christmas event at LBCC and I think the choir is really good,” Sapiter said.
“I think having events like this at LBCC are really important for students like myself to stay engaged. Finals are coming up and I know everyone just wants to get a little break from reality.”
Toward the end of the concert, pianist instructor Hanna Yi performed a beautiful solo as a goodbye after being an instructor for the ensemble for seven years.
The concert ended with smiles and cheers from both audience members, choir and instrumentalists.
LBCC kickstarted a music-filled weekend on Friday with the Vocal Jazz and Big Band Concert directed by Andrea Calderwood and Patrick Sheng.
This semester-leading event has been in preparation since August.
“For all the ensemble classes, we always have a built-in concert at the end of the semester,” Sheng said. “During the first days we let them know in the syllabus that these are required dates and the concert is kinda like their final.”
The show itself started a little after 7 p.m., with seats filling quickly and a line to get in snaking out the door. The audience had local members of Long Beach, as well as students and alumni.
Poinsettia flowers lined the main stage along with Christmas lights, creating a holiday setting for the winter show.
Numerous instruments were on stage including a grand piano, drums, trombone and other various jazz instruments.
The show’s opening act, the Evening Jazz Choir, kicked off the show with a performance of the song “Revelations” by Carol Welsman. They were directed by musical and vocal professor Andrea Calderwood. (Juleah Corzantes)
As the lights dimmed, director Andrea Calderwood came out to welcome everyone to the show, which began with the vocal talent segment, The Evening Jazz Choir.
With the performers dressed in red and black, the set consisted of four songs. The first song was “Revelations” by Carol Welsman with Kevin Kearney on the piano.
The Evening Jazz Choir concluded the show’s opening act with a performance of the song, “Cow Cow Boogie,” where a mix of several performers sang small solos giving a cappella feel, while still incorporating the rhythms of jazz.
The second act, The Lyrical Workers, started off with the song “Teach Me Tonight,” arranged by Calderwood. The advanced group is noted for its talent by being given the opportunity to travel as well as perform at big shows such as Generational concerts, Pasadena Racial Justice, Black History Month shows and many more.
The group ranged in vocal talents and Sara Cooper, one of the members, had a few solos throughout their act showcasing her voice by hitting numerous high notes. The ensemble ended its segment with the song “Never Giving Up” and were met with loud applause and cheers from the audience.
Members and fellow students of the LBCC Big Band ensemble perform during the concert. They performed their opening number “Whirly Bird” by Neal Hefti. The Big Band was orchestrated by music professor Patrick Sheng. (Juleah Corzantes)
The final act was performed by the LBCC Big Band ensemble, directed by Sheng. The band consisted of various instruments filling the stage, each performer decked out in Christmas attire.
The band began its act with the song “Whirly Bird” by Neal Hefti.
In the middle of the set, Sheng gave a chance for fellow ensemble alumni to stand up in the audience. About ten of them were among the audience, and one of those ten was Peter Estrada.
“I was impressed with the Big Band performance, it’s great that the program is still going strong with so much more talent than when I was a student, Patrick has really made the music classes have a name for itself,” Estrada said.
The Big Band performed a total of eight songs. During “Wolverine Blues” by Jelly Roll Morton, Sheng had made note that there has not been a tap dancing number in over five years performed on stage. He then brought out a lone student dancer to tap dance along to the song.
During the last few performances of the concert, The Lyrical Workers and Big Band collaborated on stage. Singer Sara Cooper, performed a solo along with the Big Band during the sing “All or Nothing at All” by Jack Lawrence and Arthur Altman. The performance went on to receive high praise from the audience.
The show concluded with a final song called “Snow Samba” by Paquito D’Rivera. Together, both ensembles performed the closing act putting on a display of every jazz instrument featured on stage.
Taking a final bow, all the members thanked the audience for performing and congratulating Calderwood and Sheng.
“It’s been a crazy and fun time, organizing the show with so much going on, glad to see how it all came together,” Calderwood said after the show.
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