The 2021 Diversity in Culture Festival will be held virtually
April 12-15, 2021
The Diversity in Culture Festival is committed to recognizing, celebrating, and promoting awareness and appreciation of the value of diversity at our colleges and in our community. Presented in collaboration with Oxnard College’s Multicultural Week. Live captioning and ASL interpreting at all events.
Monday, April 12, 2021
9:30am - 9:45am Opening Remarks with Campus & District Leadership
Ventura College President Kim Hoffmans, Oxnard College President Luis Sanchez, Moorpark College Interim President Julius Sokenu, VCCCD Chancellor Greg Gillespie, VCCCD Board Trustee Stan Mantooth
Monday April 12, 2021
10:00am - 11:15am Wellness During the Pandemic
A student panel discussion with campus mental health professionals
and NAMI representatives on finding wellness during Covid-19.
Monday April 12, 2021
11:30am - 12:00pm Performance Mondays Musical Ensemble
VC Music Professor Brent Wilson leads an engaging Ventura College student musical ensemble.
Monday April 12, 2021
12:00pm - 1:00pm Qi-Gong as an Antiracist Tool with Dr. Kathleen Yep
As Resmaa Menakem, Bellaruth Naperstek, Peter Levine, and Bessel van der Kolk discuss, oppression and violence get recorded in our bodies. Racism impacts how long we live, how well we live, and future generations. Qi Gong (chee-gong) is an ancient and contemporary practice involving breath, awareness, and movement that may provide somatic healing. In this applied session, we will learn about and practice qi gong as a way to mediate racialized, gendered, and classed trauma in the body. In addition to being a qi gong practitioner for almost 30 years, Dr. Yep is a tenured Professor of Asian American Studies at the Claremont Colleges who has spoken at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Monday April 12, 2021
1:00pm - 2:00pm “Love in the Time of Pandemic” a musical performance with pianist and composer Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner
VC alumnus, Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner has entertained and enlightened audiences on five continents. After VC, Llewellyn graduated from Juilliard and was selected as a Gilmore Young Artist, an honor awarded every two years highlighting the most promising American pianists of the new generation.
www.llewellynsanchezwerner.com
Monday April 12, 2021
1:00pm - 2:00pm Transforming Patriarchy through the Gendered Lens with Celia Daniels
A discussion on the intersectionality of gender identity.
Monday April 12, 2021
2:00pm - 3:30pm Youth, Identity, Power: The Chicano Movement with Dr. Carlos Muñoz, Jr., professor emeritus of Chicana/o Studies, UC Berkeley.
Dr. Carlos Muñoz, Jr. is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Ethnic Studies at Cal Berkeley. He is a Chancellor’s Distinguished Public Scholar and the Edward A. Dickson Emeriti Professor. As a scholar-activist, Dr. Muñoz has been a central figure in the struggles for civil and human rights and peace since he was a student activist in the 1960s. He played a prominent leadership role as a founder of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement that came to be known as the Chicano Movement. Dr. Muñoz has served as a leading organizer of various multiracial coalitions, including the Faculty for Human Rights in Central America, Faculty Against Apartheid in South Africa, and The Rainbow Coalition.
https://ethnicstudies.berkeley.edu/people/carlos-munoz-1/
Monday April 12, 2021
3:30pm - 4:00pm Afro Fusion Dance With Yaminah Legohn
A short presentation & workshop that consists of cultural dances, including African, Hip Hop and Caribbean dance.
Monday April 12, 2021
4:00pm - 5:30pm Understanding Audism: Discrimination Against the Deaf and Hard of Hearing with the ASL club of Oxnard College.
The officers of the ASL Club at Oxnard College will be giving an informational presentation that addresses a specific form of discrimination towards people who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing, known as audism. In addition to a discussion about audism, the linguistic differences between English and ASL, the nuances of Deaf culture, and the misconceptions hearing people often have about Deaf and Hard of Hearing people will be covered. We hope to spread awareness about the beauty of Deaf culture and the ways hearing people can better support the Deaf community.
*The presentation will be interpreted into spoken English for the signing-impaired.
Tuesday, April 13, 2021
Moorpark College Multicultural Day
Tuesday, April 13, 2021 from 8:30am - 3:30pm
Tuesday, April 13, 2021
3:00pm - 4:00pm Matthew Maxey: Bringing Music to the Deaf Community
Matt Maxey is the founder of DEAFinitely Dope, an organization that brings music to the deaf community through sign language. DEAFinitely Dope was created in 2014 as a way to provide support to those that felt marginalized and ignored by mainstream America. Matt Maxey specialises in signing ASL with hip-hop music, and found himself a pioneer in the genre and interpreting the music in new ways.
Wednesday, April 14, 2021
9:00am - 10:30am Ventura College Ethnic Studies Program Open House & Aztec Sun Stone Calendar Event
Ethnic Studies Program Open House with Professor Rubisela Gamboa and CSUCI Professor Jose Alamillo. Find out about this new exciting program at VC and details for transfer. Followed by a presentation by James Vega on the Aztec Calendar and using the ancient sunstone to find your career and major path
Wednesday April 14, 2021
10:30am - 11:30am Songs, Dances, and Stories: A Cultural Presentation in Collaboration with First Nations and SCAIR
Join us as local performers share Native American songs, dances, and stories. Presenters will provide us with the history of their cultural displays, followed by Q&A with the audience. Presenters include Julie Tumamait-Stenslie, Eleanor Fishburn, Sonny Flores, Sarah Koyo, and Jimmy Ramirez
Wednesday April 14, 2021
11:30am - 12:00pm Poetry Slam Presentation of Entry Videos
VC English Professor and local poet Fernando Salinas hosts a virtual presentation of the top poetry submission videos from Ventura and Oxnard College students. Winners will be announced on Thursday, April 15, 2021.
Wednesday April 14, 2021
12:00pm - 1:15pm Transforming Hispanic Serving Institutions With Dr. Gina Garcia (Keynote Speaker)
Dr. Gina Ann Garcia is an associate professor in the department of Educational Foundations, Organizations, and Policy at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research centers on issues of equity and justice in higher education with an emphasis on understanding how Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) embrace and enact an organizational identity for serving minoritized populations. She also seeks to understand the experiences of administrators, faculty and staff within HSIs and the outcomes and experiences of students attending these institutions. Finally, her research looks at the ways that race and racism have shaped the experiences of minoritized groups in higher education.
Wednesday April 14, 2021
1:30pm - 3:00pm Transforming Hispanic Serving Institutions with Dr. Gina Garcia (Workshop)
This training is intended for campus administrators, faculty, and staff. It can help all campus constituents think about various aspects of the campus that must be addressed for long-term change (e.g., mission, purpose, curriculum, programs, services). Dr. Garcia will discuss her organizational framework for transforming HSIs. She will then guide participants to develop ideas for what transformation looks like on their campus, guided by the framework. Topics include: (1) social and historical factors that have hindered the educational success of Latinxs, (2) decolonial and organizational theory that can guide transformation, and (3) moving from diversity and inclusion to equity and justice.
Wednesday April 14, 2021
3:00pm - 4:15pm Food is Medicine! Honoring Ancestral Knowledge & Indigenous Foodways
Dr. Jennie Luna, CSUCI Chicana/o Studies professor, will share the seven warrior foods of Mesoamerica for overall heath & well-being and will inspire you to think about how to honor Indigenous ancestral knowledge in your kitchen. The movement to decolonize our diet and Indigenize our foodways is based on the premise that food is sacred. When we connect to our food, either through growing it, cooking it, or being mindful when we eat, food can heal our bodies and our communities. Join us on a Food is Medicine 101 discussion and recipe/cooking demonstration.
Wednesday April 14, 2021
4:00pm - 5:15pm Radical Creativity with Gabby Rivera
Gabby Rivera, author of Marvel’s first queer Latinx superhero, will share her journey as an author.
Wednesday April 14, 2021
5:30pm - 6:30pm Mindfulness, Identity & Creativity with Tina Doley Carlson
Discover how mindfulness and creativity can loosen labels and ideas we may have of others and ourselves. Tina Doley Carlson is a mindfulness teacher at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center, consultant for Random House’s upcoming The Cat on the Mat, and creator of family programs at the Hammer Museum. Tina’s workshop will address how both mindfulness and creativity can give us insights, a sense of appreciation, and a chance to explore how we navigate the world, with greater awareness of our senses, emotions, and thought patterns. We will observe our typical responses, recognize, and work with our inner critic, let go of expectations, see things in a new way, tap into creativity and flow, and connect with community.
Thursday, April 15, 2021
9:00am - 10:00am Project R Presentation: Respect, Rethink, Reconsider
Project R is a campaign discouraging the use of the “R” word so that people with disabilities may be empowered and recognized as individuals with qualities and abilities who offer value and significance to our community. Project R is an initiative encouraging people to rethink and reconsider their use of the “R” word in their everyday dialect. We expect to promote respect and cultural competence among all cultures and age groups in Ventura County. Eric Rodriguez from the ARC will join panelists from Project R.
Thursday, April 15, 2021
10:00am - 11:00am Remaining Hopeful in Uncertain Times with Sade Champagne
Motivational speaker and performer Sade Champagne will discuss how to remain hopeful, motivated and positive during times of uncertainty. How to stay focused on your passions and mission and be consistent and persistent when faced with obstacles, discouragement and setbacks.
Thursday, April 15, 2021
11:00am - 12:00pm Chicano Identity through Music, Drum and Dance with Jahny Wallz
Jahny Wallz was raised in a cross-cultural environment while overcoming the obstacles which many Mexican American immigrants face. Music, drums, and dance were always the common denominator in his world; these eventually became his life after receiving a Recording and Music Industry degree at CSU, Chico and also pursuing a career as a musical artist. Come and dissect music, culture, and life thru a live performance of the rhythms and melodies that make up his DNA. Come, join in an unplugged, storytelling performance of So Cal Artist/Producer Ivan Paredes, a.k.a. Jahny Wallz.
Thursday, April 15, 2021
12:00pm - 1:00pm Artivism: The Power of our Stories, an artist talk / Una Platica con Eli-Jacobs-Fantauzzi
We welcome filmmaker and activist Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi to share and discuss clips from his work and the creative process that he refers to as “just filmmaking.” He is the founder of FistUp.TV, a media platform of uplifting and telling stories from communities across the world who refused to be silenced. His work has circulated through National Broadcast: Free Speech TV, Teaching Channel, and PBS. Online he has created content for remezcla, okayafrica, TIDAL, and VIBE. Spike Lee is one of the reasons Eli became a filmmaker, and in 2019, he hired Eli to work on set with him as a photographer for She’s Gotta Have It Season 2. Eli is the co-founder of Defend Puerto Rico, a multimedia project designed to document and celebrate Puerto Rican creativity, resilience, and resistance. He is currently touring the world with his new film Bakosó: Afrobeats of Cuba and curating his 12th Annual Fist Up Film Festival in the Bay Area. His dedication to his craft is deeply connected to his commitment to social justice and the belief in the transformative power of film.
Thursday, April 15, 2021
1:15pm - 2:30pm Disability Justice 101 with the L.A. Spoonie Collective
The Los Angeles Spoonie Collective will facilitate this workshop on the emergence and development of Disability Justice activism, a modern civil rights movement. Presenters Lilac and Hatfield will discuss many topics and concepts of ableism and saneism (the forms of marginality disabled people encounter) including: Patty Berne of Sins Invalid’s Principles of Disability Justice, Christine Miserandino’s Spoon Theory, johanna hedva’s Sick Woman Theory, and more. The presentation will close with a discussion on how folks can learn to stand in solidarity with disabled people in their lives, and how to appropriately support and affirm disabled, neurodivergent, and chronically ill people. Oxnard College English Professor Jose Maldonado hosts.
Thursday, April 15, 2021
2:30pm - 4:00pm Workplace and Educational Justice for Divergent Thinkers with Carly Fulgham
Carly Fulgham ,President of the Autism Society of Ventura County
will highlight strength-based approaches to solutions and best practices with reasonable workplace and college accommodations for individuals on the autism spectrum/success and strategies for all.
Thursday, April 15, 2021
4:00pm - 5:00pm Announce Student Art Contest Winner AND Poetry Slam Finale with Fernando Salinas and Matt Sedillo
The winner of student art contest for next year’s Festival artwork will be announced. Poet Matt Sedillo will perform his original work.
VC and OC student finalists will perform in a live poetry slam, sharing their own works as they compete in a juried poetic competition for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place and cash prizes, courtesy of the OC and VC student governments.
Friday-Saturday, April 16-17, 2021
“Devil Boys from Beyond” by Buddy Thomas, Kenneth Elliot, and Drew Fornarola (A Virtual Staged Reading)
Join the Ventura College Theatre Arts Department for a virtual performance of this hilarious, “high gay camp” comedy filled with south- ern-fried laughs, Devil Boys from Beyond pays tribute to the low-grade sci-fi films and satires the rampant homophobia and sexual repression of American society in the 50’s.
NOTE: This production contains strong language, mild violence, and mature themes. It is not appropriate for children under the age of 13.
Friday, April 16, 2021
"The Amish Project" by Jessica Dickey (A Virtual Staged Reading)
This powerful and poetic work recounts the 2006 shooting at the West Nickel Mines schoolhouse in the Old Order Amish community of rural Pennsylvania. Conjuring a variety of fictitious characters based off the victims and citizens in the town, The Amish Project explores how the tragedy tore apart a community filled with prejudice and misunderstanding. Though the compassionate and humbling reactions of an often misunderstood and ostracized religion, the members of the township forge a path to forgiveness and acceptance in the devastation left behind.
This production contains some strong language, the use of gun sound effects, and descriptions of violence
For more information about the Diversity in Culture Festival, please contact:
Gigi Fiumerodo at mtfiumerodo@vcccd.edu or 805-289-6007