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Weekly News Brief | February 15, 2024
From the Office of Chancellor Whitney Yamamura, Ed.D.
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This past Tuesday, Trustee Hornbuckle and I participated in the Lunar New Year Celebration at Golden West College and last Thursday, we did the same at Orange Coast College. These were wonderful events honoring culture, including the crowd favorite of a traditional Lion Dance. This is a time of vibrancy, high spirits, and good intentions for the future. In that spirit, I offer happiness on the dawn of a New Year.
While the focus should remain on the positive, February also brings my attention to February 19, 1942, when President Roosevelt issuance of Executive Order 9066 led to the forced relocation of 120,000 Japanese Americans living on the West Coast. As I have previously written and said, this was an act of immense harm undertaken with racist and ethnophobic intent.
There is light even in that oppressive darkness. Our friend Janice Munemitsu spoke of that light in The Kindness of Color. We know her story as one of partnership with the Méndez family, as Felicitas and Gonzalo Méndez farmed and cared for the Munemitsu's land during internment. This allowed both a place to live and means to support themselves after the war. This also meant that a family of Japanese heritage and Mexican heritage grew together before the Méndez family made history in the fight against school segregation.
I was recently reading from Janice that her father's middle name was Lincoln, and he went by the nickname Tad, out of respect for President Abraham Lincoln. That name and the emancipation it represented served as a ray of hope. Janice also posted a moving tribute to the Marshall family, Black Americans in the "J Flats" of East LA who comforted, fed, and kept safe the property and treasured heirlooms of interned Japanese American families.
So, in my Lunar New Years intentions, I am remembering all those who step forward in kindness when darkness is at its most oppressive. The bright colors and fireworks are only flickers of a candle in comparison to the human capacity for good.
With gratitude,
Whitney
Whitney Yamamura, Ed.D.
Chancellor
Note: District Offices and Colleges are closed Friday, February 16 and Monday, February 19, for the President Lincoln holiday.
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Persistent Innovation
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Please send examples of persistent innovation, by which I mean having a good idea and then putting in the hard work to make that vision a reality. The more examples submitted, the better I can highlight your successes in future letters and in the community! |
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Black History Month
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February is Black History Month! In celebration, Coastline College and its Umoja Community will be hosting multiple events throughout the month. Coastline is extending an invite to the entire District. 
Additional open events may be found on the Golden West College Black History Month events page.
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College News
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GOLDEN WEST COLLEGE |
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Golden West College hosted a Lunar New Year celebration on February 13, kicking off the Year of the Dragon. Students, employees, and invited guests partook in the festivities, which included a Lion Dance performance, a demonstration by UC Irvine's Wu Shu martial arts club, and a replica of an ancestral shrine. Attendees also were invited to write down and then hang a wish on a "Wish Wall," decorate a red envelope, and play Bầu cua cá cọp, a Vietnamese game of chance. Traditional Asian cuisine was served, including Banh Mi sandwiches, Banh Bao pork buns, egg rolls, fortune cookies, and oranges. GWC's new president, Meridith Randall, greeted guest with a heartfelt "Chúc mừng năm mới" which translates to "Happy New Year" in Vietnamese.
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| ORANGE COAST COLLEGE |
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Former Orange Coast College women's basketball player Meghan McIntyre was a star on the court and in the classroom. The current Southern Oregon University student-athlete was recently named part of the 2022-23 California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll for achievements at OCC. With nearly 24,000 student-athletes in the 3C2A, McIntyre is among 21 student-athletes selected for this accomplishment. McIntyre will be honored at the 3C2A Scholar-Athlete Luncheon on Wednesday, March 27, as part of the annual 3C2A Convention in Sacramento. Before starting at OCC, McIntyre played basketball at Golden West College, where she was one of the top all-around players in the state as a freshman. McIntyre started playing at OCC during her sophomore year. As a Pirate, McIntyre's accolades include Orange Empire Conference Player of the Year, State Tournament MVP and First-Team, and All-State honors.
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Schedule
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Chancellor, Week of February 19
Dr. Yamamura is in the District, Tuesday through Friday. Monday is an observed holiday.
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publicaffairs@cccd.edu
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