Update for students:  Maribel Martinez notes, “We will have discounted tickets for SJSU students who would like to attend but are unable to due to financial issues. Please contact me at cccac@as.sjsu.edu subject “Dolores Huerta Tickets” to have your name placed on the will call list . Be sure to include your name, email, and phone number. Thank you.”

Mark your Calendars!

The legendary activist Dolores Huerta will be in conversation on the SJSU campus to discuss current events and their impacts on the fight for Chicano equality in America. Joining her on the panel will be Thomas A Saenz, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund’s President and General Counsel, along with three members of the band Ozomatli, who have been designated official United States Cultural Ambassadors. Moderating the panel will be National Public Radio’s Richard Gonzalez.

The event, sponsored by the Student Union and hosted by Maribel Martinez of the Associated Students Cesar Chavez Community Action Center, will benefit the Center for Steinbeck Studies and the Mexican Heritage Corporation.

An Evening with Dolores Huerta, “By the Time We Got to Phoenix: SB 1070 and the New Chicano”
Thursday, September 23, 7:00pm
Morris Dailey Auditorium
Tickets: $15 General Admission, $10 Students (ID Required)

The immigration station on Angel Island in San Francisco Bay, in use from 1910 to 1940, has often been called the Ellis Island  of the West. But to what extent is the Pacific gateway a junior version of the storied immigration station that sits next to the Statue of Liberty in New York’s harbor?

If Ellis Island remains the iconic symbol of American immigration, Angel Island represents a more complete history of America’s diverse origins and the government’s diverse policies that welcomed some and excluded others.

That fascinating history is the subject of “Angel Island: Immigrant Gateway to America,” by historians Erika Lee and Judy Yung, both descendants of Angel Island immigrants, and published on the occasion of the station’s 100th anniversary. Lee and Yung offer a kaleidoscope of immigrant portraits that bring history alive, and, in the process, demolish many myths and stereotypes about Angel Island and American immigration in general.
Readers who already know that Angel Island differed from Ellis Island because the former was built to process Chinese immigrants and the latter for Europeans will be surprised to learn that non-Asians comprised fully one-third of those seeking entry through Angel Island before the 1920s.

According to the authors’ research, about 1 million people passed through the Angel Island station: foreigners and citizens, arrivals and departures, immigrants and deportees. “Angel Island” tells the stories of Chinese, Japanese, Koreans and South Asians, as well as Mexicans, Russians, European Jews and Filipinos who were processed through the station. Their stories testify to the great diversity of American immigration.

Story continues at SFGate

Dr. Valenzuela spoke with us about the concept of “subtractive schooling,” a critique that traditional schooling divests Mexican and Mexican-American youth of “important social and cultural resources, leaving them progressively vulnerable to academic failure.”  She goes on to discuss several new projects, including the National Latino Education Research & Policy Project (NELRAP) that seek to address these kinds of consistent inequalities in American education.

Click here to see the interview on the SJSU server (or click image)

Some excerpts:

On Mexican identity: “We have been traumatized in this society, and we continue to be traumatized, harmed, because of the languages we speak, the identities that we hold….virulent campaigns that don’t ever seem to stop, against Mexican immigrants, and Mexicans in general, by association….”

“Where is that common discourse, within the mass of silent people, where is that discourse that is really trying to reach out for fairness within this system?”

Demographics: “What people need to know and understand, lead on, is that the way that Texas looks now demographically is the way the whole nation will look in 2050.”

The next step: “A systems approach, a systems analysis. We have many piecemeal programs…we have the intellectual knowhow. We really don’t need another study that shows us bilingual education works if it’s well-funded, well-trained, well-staffed. Now it’s about leadership, critical, respectful partnerships…. We need to work together to change systems….”

See the interview here

See young men walk a mile in heels to raise awareness about Sexual Assault!  The YWCA of Silicon Valley hosts this unique event during Sexual Assault Awareness Month to call attention to these statistics:  one-in-three women and one-in-five men, regardless of socio-economic status, will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime.

This event is a light-hearted approach to a very serious subject and is also a fundraiser for our local YWCA’s  local rape crisis center. Donations are not required to walk, but every little bit helps.

Registration for the event begins at 4PM. The walk will start at 5:00. Shoes WILL be provided, but show up early. The walk route parades through downtown San Jose, culminating at the California Theatre on First Street. There will be a reception to follow.

Also, don’t forget, AfricanAmerican scholar/activist Angela Davis will be speaking the same evening at Morris Daily Auditorium!

If that’s not enough to pique your interest, here’s a few more facts why you should walk, and ladies don’t worry. Only the guys need to wear heels. ;)

1. Because one out of three women will be sexually assaulted in her lifetime. You need to be prepared to help a loved one who discloses a sexual assault. Statistics prove that women in your life have dealt with sexual assault.
2. Because sexual assault crosses all barriers. Anyone can be sexually assaulted regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, or socio-economic background.
3. Because 97% of sexual assaults are committed by men. You can help stop sexual assault by no longer being a silent bystander & by challenging rape-supporting attitudes & behaviors.
4. Because 10-20% of all men are sexually violated in their lifetime & face unique difficulties in reporting & seeking help. Unfortunately, male survivors are often faced with misunderstanding & disregard.
5. Because 80-85% of sexual assaults are committed by a perpetrator known to the victim. When this happens it is very difficult for a survivor to distinguish between men who can be trusted & men who pose a threat. The result is a society with its guard up, where relationships with men are approached with fear & mistrust.
6. Because you want to understand the dynamics of sexual assault. Myths & stereotypes about sexual assault still tend to place the blame upon the victims & not the perpetrators. These false ideas only serve to traumatize survivors & make them less likely to report or seek help.
7. Because you are disturbed by a culture that has created a society that lends itself to sexual assault. The media sexualizes violence & makes it appear glamorous. The images & messages we see everyday lead to an acceptance of violent sexual crimes.
8. Because you don’t want sexual violence to remain a hidden evil. Unless you or a loved one has dealt with sexual assault personally, chances are you’ve never considered this issue before. It is important for everyone to understand the effects sexual assault can have on someone & the resources available in the community.
9. Because you want to make your community safer. By participating in this event & educating yourself about sexual assault you are raising the community’s awareness of this issue & speaking out against violence.
10. Outdoor exercise, open dialogue, great footwear, & an important cause. The only question left is:

WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING WEDNESDAY, APRIL, 21, 2010?

In solidarity,
Mallory Cooper
President, SAVE
(Students Against Violence Everywhere)
mallorykcooper@gmail.com

April 7 – Andrew House,White Privilege:  Identifying & Understanding at MOSAIC: Cross Cultural Center.

Carol Queen is a writer, speaker, educator and activist with a doctorate in sexology.  She has a long history of organizing in local and international lesbian/gay communities, including co-founding one of the first gay youth groups in the United States.  She is a worker/owner at Good Vibrations, the women-owned, worker-owned sex toy and book emporium, where she directs Continuing Education for the staff. She also organizes workshops at The Center for Sex and Culture, a non-profit sexuality education center which my partner Dr. Robert Lawrence and I have spent the last several years organizing.

The multialented queen writes explicit fiction and memoir, essays, commentary, analysis, book and film/video reviews, reportage, and interviews.  She publishes a sex and relationship advice column which is available at the Good Vibrations Magazine.

Please join us Wednesday at 1:30-2:45 in Engineering 189.

Related links:
www.goodvibes.com
www.sexandculture.org
www.carolqueen.com

Seven scholarships will be awarded to students majoring in the Social Sciences.  Both undergraduate and graduate students may apply.  Last year’s scholarship recipients are not eligible to apply for any of these scholarships during Spring 2010.

• SJSU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION DEANS’ SCHOLARSHIPS (2) • $1,250  (The SJSU Alumni Scholarship is awarded to a student only once during their academic career at SJSU.  This scholarship will be disbursed Fall 2010 and is only available to students enrolling at SJSU for Fall 2010. Scholarship applicants must demonstrate community service or participation in student organizations.)
• GERALD WHEELER SCHOLARSHIP (1) • $1,000
• CHARLES BURDICK SCHOLARSHIPS (1) • $1,000 (student must demonstrate financial need based on the 09-10 FAFSA – FAFSA must be on file in the SJSU Financial Aid Office)
• INEZ AND DONALD BURDICK SCHOLARSHIPS (1) • $1,000 (student must demonstrate financial need based on the 09-10 FAFSA – FAFSA must be on file in the SJSU Financial Aid Office

Application available here in MSWord format or here in PDF format

To be eligible, a student must be a major in one of the Departments in the College of Social Sciences and must provide all information called for on the scholarship application.  If selected, students must be prepared to provide transcripts from all universities and colleges.  Preference will be given to applicants who meet the following minimum standards:
3.5  Overall GPA at SJSU;  3.5  Overall GPA in Major; 3.5 Overall GPA (all colleges/universities)
If you are awarded a scholarship – to receive your award, you must be continually enrolled and complete a minimum of 12 units undergraduate/credential, or 6 units, graduate, each semester of the academic year. (Note special requirements for SJSU Alumni Association Scholarship, above.)

If your fees have already been paid, a check for the entire amount will be sent to you. If you owe fees or debts to the university, you may visit my.sjsu.edu to see the amount applied to the university.  If you are a financial aid recipient the award will be coordinated with your financial aid funds. You may receive a revised offer letter indicating how much, if any of your original financial aid award was reduced to allow you to receive this scholarship.

For more information about applications, contact your department or the College of Social Sciences Office-WSQ 103, phone 924-5300.  Applications are available in the Dean’s Office, College of Social Sciences (WSQ 103) or your major department office or online at http://www.sjsu.edu/socialsciences/awards/index.htm.