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Last week, President Suarez and I attended a 2023 Economic Forecast presented by the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce. Of little surprise to followers of the news surrounding inflation and interest rate hikes, the forecast is cloudy. Actions being taken now by the U.S. Federal Reserve are intended to cause a mild economic slowdown in order to reduce inflation, yet the chance of a deeper recession is significant. We must prepare for the storm. Based on past recessions, the Coast District should expect to see higher student demand coincide with constrained state resources. This is not a happy note, but it is necessary for participatory governance to begin from a place of planning with the best understanding of the future we face.
Turning to better developments, I had an opportunity to speak with Dean of Instruction Dana Emerson about her experience as part of the Coast District delegation to the All African Diaspora Education Summit in Ghana. Turns out we have a mutual friend in President Edward Bush of Consumnes River College, leader in the African American Male Education Network and Development (A2MEND) program which cosponsored the summit. I remember Dr. Bush's advocacy for reconnecting with the history of the African diaspora to understand the relationship that history has with today's lived experiences of our students, faculty, staff, and managers.
Dr. Emerson voiced a strong commitment to bring her life-changing and purpose-affirming experience forward. My appreciation to her and her colleagues for sharing a renewed focus on the context in which our equity work exists. I am eager to see what Dr. Emerson, Tanisha Bradfield, Avery Caldwell, Dr. Rendell Drew, Andrea Eke-Amacker, and Michael Scott take from their experience to help the Coast District community. Their experience should inform our work, enrich our cultural understanding, and help us eliminate the equity gap.
Postscript: The Los Angeles City Council Recording
The commitments stated above stand on their own, independent of external events. Separately, the anti-Black, anti-Indigenous, anti-Semitic, anti-Armenian racist and homophobic speech we heard in the recording of Los Angeles City Council members was disgusting and unacceptable. This is a painful reminder that hateful words can be spoken in the corners of any of our institutions. Too many in our community experience discrimination and aggression. That is why we continue the work of equity with renewed urgency.
With gratitude,
Whitney
Whitney Yamamura, Ed.D.
Chancellor
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