Collaborating for Community Health and Environmental Justice€¦ · Collaborating for Community...
Transcript of Collaborating for Community Health and Environmental Justice€¦ · Collaborating for Community...
USMA
Residency Guide
Tuesday, April 25th
– Sunday, April 30th
2017
Collaborating for Community Health and Environmental Justice
Antioch University Los Angeles
Master of Arts in Urban Sustainability
400 Corporate Pointe, Culver City, CA 90230
310-578-1080 ext. 288
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RESIDENCY GUIDE
Table of Contents
RESIDENCY THEME .......................................................................................................................... 3
NOTES ABOUT RESIDENCIES ......................................................................................................... 4
WIFI .................................................................................................................................................. 4
RESIDENCY SCHEDULE .............................................................................................................. 5-10
RESIDENCY GRID ............................................................................................................................ 10
IMPORTANT DETAILS ABOUT THE RESIDENCY ..................................................................... 11
REQUIRED READINGS & VIEWINGS FOR RESIDENCY ................................................. 11-12
MENTOR MEETINGS ................................................................................................................... 13
REFLECTION ............................................................................................................................... 13
FOOD .................................................................................................................................................. 14
DIRECTIONS ................................................................................................................................. 15
PARKING ....................................................................................................................................... 16
GUEST SPEAKERS ...................................................................................................................... 17-26
SUSTAINABLE SUPPER FLIER……………………………………………………………...……27
FACULTY & STAFF CONTACTS ................................................................................................... 28
FUTURE RESIDENCY DATES ........................................................................................................ 29
ACADEMIC CALENDAR (S) ........................................................................................................... 29
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RESIDENCY THEME
Collaborating for Community Health and Environmental Justice
Introduction to Spring/Summer 2017 Residency Guide
They might call this the bottoms. This is not the bottoms. This is Watts, true enough...Watts is
beautiful, and it’s worth it, and the Jordan Downs sure is worth it!
Denise Richardson
45 year resident of Jordan Downs
Despite the narratives circulating in the current political environment--narratives that paint our urban
centers as blighted and dangerous places--there are powerful counter narratives in cities across
America and throughout the world. In these cities, the negative characterizations have been rejected
and replaced with stories of empowerment and action. Here in Los Angeles, the community of Watts
is both unique and emblematic of the kinds of community engagement, collaboration, and
empowerment that are paving the way to social, economic, and environmental justice for all of its
citizens. The Watts of Denise Richardson, of the late Dr. Ernie Smith, M.D., of three generations of
the Watkins family, is a dynamic and vibrant place filled with infinite possibilities. It is home to more
than 41,000 Angelenos asking for nothing more than kept promises made long ago and an equitable
share of resources and investment needed to ensure their bright future built on the foundation of a
complex and rich history.
Ted Watkins, founder of the Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC), admonished his
fellow residents, “Don’t move. Improve!” Guided by the Better Watts Initiative (BWI)--a coalition of
the WLCAC, Physicians for Social Responsibility, LA Human Rights to Housing Collective, The
Black Health Task Force, and CSU Dominguez Hills--we will explore the ground on which the spirit
of “Don’t move. Improve!” is alive and well. We will deepen our understanding of the goals of the
Better Watts Initiative and its plans for achieving those goals.
Before we begin our work in The Big Question Lab, we will consider the importance of cultural
humility. We will develop skills and learn about techniques for collaboration and conflict resolution.
With these critical concepts and tools in hand, we will go to work on narrative strategies and
curricular initiatives that can be offered back to the Better Watts Initiative as gestures of solidarity and
contributions to their ongoing work. We can only hope that the work we do will serve as an adequate
expression of our gratitude for the time and effort that the Better Watts Initiative and the WLCAC
have so generously given so that we might become better practitioners and contributors to the
sustainability of all urban places.
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NOTES ABOUT RESIDENCIES
Our residencies contain a mixture of classes, workshops, events, site visits and an intensive
problem-solving engagement regarding the real-world urban sustainability issues posed
by cutting edge Los Angeles organizations. Students will also have time to meet with mentors
and get to know classmates.
Because we require a limited amount of your in-person presence through the program, every day of
each residency is packed with engaging and crucial information and events. Each residency is unique
and there will be no opportunity to make up for missed time. Every residency activity is
considered mandatory, unless otherwise noted. The Program Chair may grant excused absences, only
on a case-by-case basis.
This Residency Guide will assist you in planning and making the most of your Residency.
This 6-day residency will take place at ANTIOCH UNIVERSITY 400 Corporate Pointe,
Culver City, 90230. It is critical that you read the details for your comfort and safety.
For other information, check the program information on our USMA website or for campus-wide
policies on the website: AULA General Catalog.
WI-FI There is free student and guest WI-FI on the AULA campus.
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Residency Schedule Tuesday, April 25 - Sunday, April 30, 2017
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
8:30 am – 9:00 am Room: 1006
Breakfast (Provided)
9 am – 10:15 am Room: 1006
Welcome Meeting Required
Donald, Andrea, Catherine, Mariana, Faith
10:15 am – 10:30 am Break
10:30 am – 11 am Bus
Bus to Watts
11 am – 12 pm TBD
Watts Cultural Competency Talk
12 pm – 1 pm Room: Outside Eating Area
at WLCAC
Lunch (Provided)
1 pm – 1:30 pm Room: Outside Eating Area
at WLCAC
History of Watts Timothy Watkins President and CEO (WLCAC) Watts Labor Community Action
Committee
1:30 pm – 3:30 pm Bus
Watts Exploration Tina Watkins-Quaye Development Executive (WLCAC) Watts Labor Community Action
Committee
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm Bus
Bus to AULA
4:30 pm – 5:30 pm Room: 1006
Site Trip Debrief Donald Strauss
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Wednesday, April 26, 2017
9 am – 12 pm Room: 1006
Research and Writing for Practitioners Semester 2
Victor Polanco
9 am – 12 pm Room: C1030
Grant Writing Semester 3 & 4
Beverley Keefe
12 pm – 12:30 pm Lunch
12:30 pm – 3 pm Room: 1006
Sustainable Urban Economies Semester 2
Jane Paul
12:30 pm – 2 pm Room: C1040
Capstone A Semester 3 & 4
Susan Gentile
3 pm – 3:15 pm Break
3:15 pm – 5:15 pm Room: 1006
Cultural Humility Workshop Povi-Tamu Bryant Program Manager Leadership Development in Intergroup
Relations
5:15 pm – 5:30 pm Break
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm Room: 1006
Better Watts Initiative Goals and Assignment
Introductions Caroline Orija, Program Coordinator Better Watts Initiative
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Thursday, April 27, 2017
8:30am – 12 pm Room: 1006
Sustainable Urban Economies Semester 2
Jane Paul
9 am – 12 pm Room: C1040
Adaptive Leadership for
Sustainable Change Semester 3
Bob Lazzarini
12 pm – 12:30 pm Lunch
12:30 pm – 3 pm Room: 1006
Fieldwork 5110 Semester 2
Jane Paul & Karen Ochoa
12:30 pm – 3 pm TBA Semester 3
3:00 pm – 3:15
pm
Break
3:15 pm – 5:15 Room: 1006
Team Building Workshop Jeanne Hartley, Organization Development and Training and
Development Practitioner Antioch University and Cal State Northridge
5:15 pm – 5:45
pm Room: 1006
Teamwork
5:45 pm – 6 pm Break
6 pm – 8:30 pm Room: 1000
Sustainable Supper Dr. Rasheeda Hawk, Biophysicist, Epigenetic Research Antioch University Los Angeles Monika Shankar, Land Use & Health Coordinator Physicians for Social Responsibility Los Angeles Robert García, Founding Director and Counsel The City Project
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Friday, April 28, 2017
9 am – 12 pm Room: 1006
Research and Writing for Practitioners Semester 2
Victor Polanco
10:30 am – 12 pm Room: C1040
Capstone A Semester 3
Susan Gentile
12:30 pm – 12:30 pm Lunch
12:30 pm – 6 pm Room: 1006
Teamwork
Saturday, April 29, 2017
9 am – 12 pm Room: 1006
Urban Infrastructure Semester 2
Celine Kuklowsky
12 pm – 12:30 pm Lunch
12:30 pm – 5 pm Room: 1006
Teamwork
5:00 pm – 5:30 pm Break
5:30 pm – 8:00 Room: 1000
Capstone Presentations and Reception
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Sunday, April 30, 2017
9 am – 12 pm Room: C1040
Urban Infrastructure Semester 2
Celine Kuklowsky
10 am – 12 pm Room: 1006
Fieldwork 6120 Semester 3
Jane Paul & Karen Ochoa
12 pm – 12:15 pm Break
12:15 pm – 1 pm Room: 1006
Presentations and Feedback Donald Strauss, Andrea Richards, Faith Myhra
1 pm – 1:30 pm Room: 1006
Lunch (Provided)
1:30 pm – 2 pm Room: 1006
Evaluation Andrea Richards
2 pm – 2:30 pm Room: 1006
Reflection and Closing Andrea Richards & Catherine M. McDonald
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IMPORTANT DETAILS ABOUT THE RESIDENCY
PRE-READINGS FOR RESIDENCY April 2017
Here is a list of REQUIRED reading to read prior to this residency
Required Readings
L.A. Unified sues city housing authority over cost of lead, arsenic cleanup at Watts high school (Sonali Kohli)
“Los Angeles Unified School District has spent more than $1 million in the last three years cleaning
lead and arsenic from the soil at David Starr Jordan High School in Watts.” http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-edu-jordan-high-lawsuit-20170302-story.html
Soil contamination a hurdle for new Jordan Downs housing plan (Tony Barboza and Jessica Garrison)
“As if the task of transforming one of the city's most notorious housing projects into a new "urban
village" wasn't daunting enough, Los Angeles has run into another hurdle in the redevelopment of
Jordan Downs: concerns over contaminated land.” https://web.archive.org/web/20150922050258/http://articles.latimes.com/2013/dec/25/local/la-me-jordan-downs-20131226
A brief history of how the American public was sold on toxic lead (Matt Pearce)
“After toxic lead from old pipes started poisoning the drinking water in Flint, Mich., residents were
outraged at the environmental regulators who incorrectly treated the water.”
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-lead-pipes-20160204-story.html
Watts Waits: The Proposal to Rebuild Jordan Downs (Mike Sonksen)
“Jordan Downs is a 43-acre public housing project in Watts originally developed as semi-permanent
housing for war workers during the Second World War. After converting to public housing in 1955,
Jordan Downs gradually become known through the 1960s and beyond as one of the most dangerous
projects in the city. This period of time was marked by a huge loss of manufacturing jobs across
Southeast Los Angeles and the dramatic proliferation of street gangs that came to rise to fill the void.
As the years went on, this widespread disenfranchisement made Jordan Downs a mecca for criminal
activity. Aside from being one of the flashpoints of both the 1965 Watts Uprisings and 1992 Rodney
King Rebellion, it was also the epicenter of the Grape Street Crips and a site of interethnic tension in
the last generation.” https://www.kcet.org/shows/departures/watts-waits-the-proposal-to-rebuild-jordan-downs
Jordan Downs Infographic https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1Bq-3D1aNzoM2VyM2hoXzd6ajlHMks1Zml6dTd6dTRmYy1Z/view
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Required viewing of Videos
Interview Dr. Smith
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4YSx_RzTd5KbjJQVGRsU2ZUZjQ/view
Required Websites (visit each website to get a sense of their goals and purpose. We will have
a guest speaker from each of these community organizations) (WLCAC) Watts Labor Community Action Committee
Better Watts Initiative
Leadership Development in Intergroup Relations
Physicians for Social Responsibility Los Angeles
The City Project
Recommended Readings and Viewing prior to Residency Watts Waits Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_MFKn942sM
Public Housing Promises in Watts Video
https://www.kcet.org/shows/socal-connected/public-housing-promises-in-watts
Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) at USC, a lot of great readings http://dornsife.usc.edu/pere
Lead Poisoning Afflicts Neighborhoods Across California
(Joshua Schneyer and M.B. Pell) “Dozens of California communities have experienced recent rates of
childhood lead poisoning that surpass those of Flint, Michigan, with one Fresno locale showing rates
nearly three times higher, blood testing data obtained by Reuters shows.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-lead-california-exclusive-idUSKBN16T18Y
ROOTS RAíCES: Latino Engagement, Place Identities, and Shared Futures in South Los
Angeles (USC Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration (CSII))
“Roots | Raíces explores a different sort of immigrant integration: the settling of Latinos into a
historically African-American place. As we will see, the initial Latino wave arrived to a neighborhood
in crisis, one wracked by deindustrialization, a crack epidemic, and militarized police and gangs. The
anti-Black prejudices many migrants brought from their home countries were reinforced by daily fears
and social distance. But their kids—some who are now prodding their elders in a more open
direction—grew up with Black schoolmates and friends and exhibit much tighter solidarity with
African Americans. Strikingly, both generations exhibit a special pride in being from South LA; much
like their Black neighbors, they celebrate a sense of resilience in the face of challenges and injustice
and are often invested in multi-racial coalitions to bring change.” http://dornsife.usc.edu/assets/sites/731/docs/Roots_Raices_CSII_Final_WebVersion.pdf
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MENTOR MEETINGS Mentor meetings are a unique opportunity for students to have face-to-face meetings with their
mentors. It is strongly encouraged for all students to meet with their mentors; local students may find
it easier to meet directly before or after the residency . Each mentor and student may plan a time that
is mutually convenient: at breaks, meals or at another time.
JOURNAL WRITINGS
Be prepared to journal your activities; we will provide the new students with a journal; returning
students can bring their journal or a new writing pad.
CELL PHONE USE
Please do not use your cell phone for email, calls, texting, social media or accessing websites during
meetings, workshops, group activities or class time. It can be very distracting to others, including
instructors, guest speakers, and other students. If, for instance, a speaker mentions New Mexico or
Texas, do not go with your first inclination to find out more about the topic that the speaker mentions
by Googling it; instead, hand write a note to look up later. Please give the guest speaker, instructor or
your fellow student presenter the benefit of your full attention. Many students have mentioned
inappropriate cell phone use in residency evaluations. If cell phones are being used for research
during a designated time, and everyone is similarly engaged in on-line searches, that is a separate and
acceptable circumstance. Your cooperation in this important matter of shared behavior during the
residency is much appreciated.
REFLECTION
This activity gives you an opportunity to reflect on specific learning you gained due to your residency
experience. The Reflection prompt will be made available at the Welcome Meeting on Tuesday
morning. A reflection of approximately 750 words is due. to your mentor by Monday, May 8,
2017. Please submit it electronically.
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FOOD
The program will provide meals at the following times (subject to change):
Tuesday 4/25
Breakfast 8:30a
Lunch 12p-1p (on location)
Thursday 4/27
Sustainable Supper 6p – 8:30p
Saturday 4/29
Capstone & Graduate Reception 5:30p - 8p
Sunday 4/30
Lunch 1p – 1:30p
Note: we do not guarantee food in between meals. If you will need them, bring snacks. We will
provide a refrigerator for student access anytime. Be advised that there will be a vegetarian option
for every meal. If we know in advance, we will try our best to accommodate your dietary restrictions.
Please bring a water bottle and a reusable mug for coffee or tea.
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DIRECTIONS
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Los Angeles public transportation is improving. Students who travel by air to Los Angeles should plan to fly
into the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Visit www.metro.net for the larger Los Angeles Metro
system or call (800) COMMUTE.
FREEWAY DIRECTIONS
PARKING
GETTING to our SITE VISIT
Most residency activities will be at Antioch University.
As of now, we will have one Site Visit. Details will be given at the residency.
Bring comfortable walking shoes.
S
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PARKING
All faculty and students park in the secure parking garage for 400 Corporate Pointe.
You will receive parking validation to cover your first day. At the residency, you will receive
instructions on how to submit the USMA Student Parking Request Form to the Campus Services
Office to receive a parking pass. All request forms will be provided to you by Program Coordinator,
Catherine M. McDonald and they will allow you to park in our garage for the current semester.
AULA students are automatically assessed a parking fee. If you will not be using the parking garage,
you can submit the USMA Student Parking Fee Exemption / Waiver Request Form. If you submit
this form during the residency, you will not be charged the parking fee for the current semester.
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GUEST SPEAKERS
Povi-Tamu Bryant Program Manager, LDIR | Leadership Development in Intergroup Relations
Program Manager, LDIR | Leadership Development in Intergroup Relations
As a black, queer, gender nonconforming womyn, Povi-Tamu is committed to working with people
to bring an intersectional understanding to the ways we build, live and interact with each other. It is
that commitment that roots Povi-Tamu in their facilitative approach to leadership development. They
grew up in a household where stories of black activism and struggles for freedom were centralized,
but black women and queer people were often invisible or erased in those stories. Through student
activism and learning from their 5 siblings who were being activated in school, nonprofit and other
spaces Povi-Tamu developed a broader consciousness and understanding of the importance of process
in creating change and shifting power. They have spent time developing and honing their facilitation,
mediation and analysis through working with an array of organizations, collectives and the public
sector. From developing popular education collectives to designing leadership development programs
for formerly incarcerated people from marginalized communities, Povi-Tamu is experienced with
working with a wide cross section of needs and struggling with leaders to create process and programs
to best address their needs. Povi-Tamu currently serves as the Program Manager for Leadership
Development in Intergroup Relations (LDIR) a program of Asian Americans Advancing Justice- LA
where they have built curriculum to develop leaders in the health sector in LA, Fresno, and Merced;
launched condensed trainings and resources to meet continued demand for LDIR’s unique integration
of facilitation skills-building, personal growth, and social change philosophy. In their time with LDIR,
Povi-Tamu has facilitated and developed curriculum on power, privilege and oppression as well as
working in solidarity across difference. Povi-Tamu spent the last three years working deeply with
Black Lives Matter LA and is now focusing on building out a local legal support network for the
movement for Black Lives, through an emerging project Justice Warriors for Black Lives.
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Robert García Founding Director and Counsel, The City Project
Founding Director and Counsel, The City Project
Robert García is a civil rights advocate who engages, educates, and empowers communities for equal
access to public resources. He is the Founding Director and Counsel of The City Project, a non-profit
legal and policy advocacy team in Los Angeles, California. Robert has extensive experience in public
policy, legal advocacy, mediation, and litigation involving complex social justice, civil rights, human
health, environmental, education, and criminal justice matters. He has influenced the investment of
over $43 billion in underserved communities, working at the intersection of equal justice, public
health, and the built environment. He served as chairman of the Citizens; School Bond Oversight
Committee for five years, helping raise over $27 billion to build new, and modernize existing, public
schools as centers of their communities in Los Angeles. He has helped communities create and
preserve great urban parks and preserve access to beaches and trails. He has helped diversify support
for and access to state resource bonds, with unprecedented levels of support among communities of
color and low-income communities, and billions of dollars for urban parks. He served on the
Development Team for the National Park Service's Healthy Parks, Healthy People Community
Engagement eGuide. Robert served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of
New York, and an attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense & Education Fund. He received the
President's Award from the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice for helping release Geronimo
Pratt, the former Black Panther leader, from prison after 27 years for a crime he did not commit. He
represented people on Death Row in Georgia, Florida, and Mississippi. Stanford Law School called
him a civil rights giant and Stanford Magazine an inspiration. Robert served on the Justice and Peace
Commission for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles under Cardinal Roger Mahony. He is an immigrant
who came to the U.S. from Guatemala at age four.
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Jeanne Hartley, MSOD Organization Development and Training and Development Practitioner,
Antioch University and Cal State Northridge
Organization Development and Training and Development Practitioner,
Antioch University and Cal State Northridge
Jeanne Hartley, MSOD has been an organization development / training and development
practitioner for over 25 years. She has worked in manufacturing; service and non-profit environments
helping line managers improve individual, team and organizational performance. Ms. Hartley’s
organizational experience includes conducting climate assessments, and recommending and
implementing solutions to discovered problems. She has facilitated strategic planning, led change
management and performance improvement efforts. She has led design and delivery teams for
management development programs, management feedback and assessment, team building, and group
facilitation. In her work, Jeanne also serves as a development coach for individual leaders. Jeanne is
also an experienced training and development specialist. Her work includes assessing organizational
and individual training needs designing, developing and delivering performance based training
programs. Jeanne teaches and coaches other trainers through her train-the-trainer course. She is a part-
time instructor at Antioch University and Cal State Northridge where she teaches Organizational
Development, Team Building / Group Dynamics and Communications to graduate and undergraduate
students.
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Dr. Rasheeda Hawk Biophysicist, Epigenetic Research
Biophysicist, Epigenetic Research experience includes conducting climate assessments, and
recommending and implementing solutions to discovered problems. She Dr. Rasheeda Hawk, a native from South Los Angeles, received her doctorate degree in Biophysics
from the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine. As a Postdoctoral Scholar at
the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), her research focus was in Epigenetics and Health
Disparities. Rasheeda’s work into translational and applied practices have been accepted
internationally at the invitation of the First Lady of Mali and the U.S. Ambassador from Niger. Dr.
Hawk organized and facilitated a series of research symposiums that addressed health issues such as
child and maternal health, malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV in developing countries. Following her
research appointment, Rasheeda’s focus at USC Viterbi School of Engineering was in identifying and
analyzing epigenetic changes to the breast cancer gene “braca”. By modifying integrative optics and
biosensors, she was able to identify epigenetic changes on the braca gene at the picomolar levels. Her
research findings are promising in that it will allow diagnostic breast cancer screenings that will detect
the possibility of cancer a decade before the breast cancer markers appear in the blood.
As an educator, she conducts science experiment workshops for K-12 teachers and college instructors
to assist them with their STEM curriculum and instruction. Her current interest and practice is in
introducing meditation or mindfulness techniques to students from marginalized communities.
Rasheeda’s most recent project is the implementation of the “Living Lab” in Leimert Park Peoples
Plaza. Living labs are real-life innovative spaces where students, faculty, and community members
can address a current problem in order to develop and
test possible sustainable solutions. Her current research involves the use of biorememdiation
methodology to eliminate toxins from the soil and water in urban areas.
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John Jones Field Deputy, LA Councilmember, 15th District
Field Deputy, LA Councilmember, 15th District
John Jones, a Watts resident and President and Co-founder of the East Side Riders, John Jones III,
was honored at the Multicultural Communities for Mobility’s (MCM) third annual awards dinner and
ceremony. The East Side Riders Bike Club (ESR) is an all-volunteer, grassroots bicycle club founded
in 2008 with the purpose of preventing youth from joining gangs and taking drugs, and engaging
youth who have a desire to enrich the community through recreational activities, specifically focusing
on bicycle riding. The club introduces kids to bike safety, healthy eating and active living, the
importance of giving back to the community, and hosting riding events. The objective of the MCM is
to educate, empower and advocate for low-income bicyclists of color and create social justice in the
environmental and bicycle advocacy movements. East Side Riders aim to provide a comprehensive
youth program that seeks to positively impact inadequate organized recreational outlets for local youth
in the Watts area, a community rife with high rates of child obesity, asthma and other health
challenges amongst youth. This program encourages physical activity through bike riding for youth
and their families.
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Mariana Mendoza Manager of Local Peace Economy Campaign and Affiliate Faculty, CODEPINK and AULA
Manager of Local Peace Economy Campaign and Affiliate Faculty,
CODEPINK and AULA
Mariana Mendoza was born and grew up in the iconic Mexico City, and moved to Los Angeles in
2013. For the last years, she has developed and facilitated organizing trainings for grassroots
organizations in Mexico and the U.S., organized to fight against the criminalization of immigrants and
people of color, advocated for community solutions, supported Center for Story-based Strategy with
narrative trainings, and worked on various imagination youth projects. Currently, she works for the
Local Peace Economy project at CODEPINK, which mission is to create spaces and tools to divest
from the war economy and build a just, peace economies locally. Mariana deeply believes and
supports the collective-self-determination of communities. When she is not organizing, reading, or
eating, she is usually climbing rocks.
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Kiara Nagel Associate, The Center for Story-based Strategy
Associate, The Center for Story-based Strategy
Kiara Nagel is an Associate with The Center for Story-based Strategy and an Affiliate with
Interaction Institute for Social Change. Kiara has contributed to local, national and international
initiatives focused on social justice and transformational change and trained and supported organizers,
educators, and young people to be more effective and creative in their work. Her work, emerging from
an exploration of the historical patterns of development and forced displacement, aims to enable those
directly affected to engage in decision-making about how their places can be shaped, understood and
represented. Kiara holds a Masters in City Planning from the Department of Urban Studies and
Planning at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and serves on the faculty of Antioch
University and the International Youth Initiative Program in Sweden.
Caroline Orija Program Coordinator, Better Watts Initiative
Program Coordinator, Better Watts Initiative
Caroline Orija is the Program Coordinator for the Better Watts Initiative at WLCAC. Caroline has a
stellar background in the banking and finance industry. She is now a sustainability professional with
advocacy experience in the non-governmental and government sectors. Caroline will be combining
her education in Urban Studies and Urban Sustainability to engage and educate under-served
communities in southern California about sustainable water issues and build campaigns and coalitions
to influence decision making on urgent environmental issues. She attained a BA in Urban Studies and
Planning/Environmental Analysis from California State University, Northridge and a MA in Urban
Sustainability from Antioch University, Los Angeles.
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Monika Shankar Land Use & Health Coordinator, PSR-LA | Physicians for Social Responsibility Los Angeles
Land Use & Health Coordinator,
PSR-LA | Physicians for Social Responsibility Los Angeles
As the Director of Health & Environment Programs at PSR-LA, Monika Shankar oversees the
organization's Climate, Air and Toxics programs, and coordinates its Land Use work. In the Land Use
program, Monika is responsible for projects and initiatives focused on reducing health disparities
caused by unhealthy uses of land and increasing healthy land use options in low-income communities
of color. This is accomplished by mobilizing and engaging health professionals, community groups
and advocates in community development and education, and policy advocacy. Monika sits on the
steering committee for the Jordan Downs Environmental Justice Coalition and ClimatePlan. She holds
a MA in international urban development from the Milano School of International Affairs,
Management, and Urban Policy (The New School).
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Timothy Watkins
President and CEO, Watts Labor Community Action Committee
President and CEO, Watts Labor Community Action Committee
As President and CEO of WLCAC, a primary concern and area of focus is in the area of public policy
and how it often exacerbates and perpetuates poverty. Along with his day-to-day responsibility for
operating the WLCAC, he researches and develops legislative recommendations or revisions that
positively impact the quality of life for residents of Watts and neighboring communities. Because he
is a firm believer in the use the use of cultural enrichment as a means of healing the human spirit in
places like Watts, he is leading a much needed discussion on the concept of Social Enterprise as a
long-term solution to poverty and neglect.
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Tina Watkins-Quaye
Development Executive, Watts Labor Community Action Committee
Development Executive, Watts Labor Community Action Committee
Experienced professional responsible for the maintenance, growth, and diversity of funding base at
Los Angeles’ most significant non-profit organization, the Watts Labor Community Action
Committee (WLCAC). Currently leading a team of talented professionals, with oversight of all grant
writing and new program operations. WLCAC is a dynamic, non-profit 501(c)3: The organization has
served millions of individuals since its founding in 1965.
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FACULTY & STAFF CONTACTS
Donald Strauss Founder and Program Chair [email protected]
Bio http://www.antiochla.edu/directory/donald-strauss/
310/578-1080 x289, 310/625-1636
Andrea Richards Co-Founder, Dean of Assessment [email protected]
& Student Learning
Bio http://www.antiochla.edu/expert/andrea-richards-phd/
310/578-1080 x206
Catherine M. McDonald USMA Program Coordinator [email protected]
310/578-1080 x288, 310/497-4288
Jane Paul Teaching Faculty [email protected]
Bio http://www.antiochla.edu/directory/jane-paul/
Sue Gentile Adjunct Faculty [email protected]
Bio http://www.antiochla.edu/directory/susan-gentile/
Celine Kuklowsky Adjunct Faculty [email protected]
Bio http://www.antiochla.edu/directory/celine-kuklowsky/
Mariana Mendoza Affiliate Faculty, [email protected]
Bio http://www.antiochla.edu/directory/mariana-mendoza/
Faith Myhra Affiliate Faculty [email protected]
Bio http://www.antiochla.edu/directory/faith-myhra/
949/374-1143
Karen Ochoa Adjunct Faculty [email protected]
Bio http://www.antiochla.edu/directory/karen-ochoa/
Victor Polanco Adjunct Faculty [email protected]
Bio http://www.antiochla.edu/directory/victor-polanco/
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FUTURE RESIDENCY DATES
July 2017, four-day residency July 27 – July 30, 2017
Fall/Winter 2017, six-day residency October 24 – October 29, 2017
January 2018, four-day residency January 25 - January 28, 2018
ACADEMIC CALENDAR
Spring/Summer 2017 Semester
Mon. April 10 Registration begins
Mon. April 24 Orientation
Tues. Apr. 25-Apr. 30 Residency period
Thu. July. 27 – July 30 Mid-semester Residency period
Sun. Sept. 24 Last day of semester
Tues. October 17 Submission Deadline of Student Learning Evaluations
Fall/Winter 2017-2018 Semester
Mon, Oct. 2 Registration begins
Mon. Oct. 23 Orientation
Tues. Oct. 24-Oct. 29 Residency period
Thu. Jan. 25 – Jan. 28 Mid-semester Residency period
Sun. March 25 Last day of semester
Tue. April 17 Submission Deadline of Student Learning Evaluations