Volume 78, Issue 16 | www.elaccampusnews.com | Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Huskies have strong showing with Netflix series BY ANNETTE M. LESURE Staff Writer Netflix docuseries "Last Chance U: Basketball" follows the East Los Angeles College Men's basketball team as sophomores struggle en route to Division 1, the highest level of intercollegiate athletics. The team of former D1 recruits and powerhouse players manage at-home and college adversities as they hustle in a battle to make it out of "JUCO," the junior college basketball level. The eight-episode spinoff of the original Netflix show "Last Chance U" delves into the ELAC players' and coaches' lives. It depicts their rise from ashes to success and is not for the faint of heart. Viewers will witness the heart-wrenching efforts of the players' blood, sweat, and tears, driven by a passion that derives from their personal-life struggles. ELAC Basketball is the meaning of faith, family and bonds that tie and create camaraderie in this team sport. With an ensemble of purehearted coaches and staff, Netflix takes the viewer into their homes as they see first-hand how it was no accident that they all ended up at ELAC. Fans will get acquainted with one of the nation's hidden gems that were ranked #2 in the state of California. Elans should brace themselves as they witness the rawness of the real-life struggles of fellow Huskies come to light. Fans will get to know the players, including Deshaun Highler, who endured the most significant loss of his life before making it to sophomore year. Highler and the other players battle their inner demons as they stand the test of time in this basketball series. Head Coach of Men's Basketball, John Mosley, a father of three teenagers, took his parental patience to the basketball court. When talking about these athletes' troubled
pasts, he recognizes that not every student will be perfect. "The students are going to make mistakes. They're diamonds [in the rough], and I share all the time that we just need to get to that diamond.” “For some of us, the diamond is completely covered, and no one wants to crack it. The ones that are super raw are the ones I gravitate to. Those are the ones that remind me of myself growing up in the inner city," Mosley said. When talking about the players' at-risk histories, Mosley said, "I will not share the deep personal issues of every one of those young men that you may have seen act out [on the show]. There are some deep-seated issues where we all saw it and
understood.” “People now see why I allowed some reactions to happen. I stuck with all of them, and they are doing well because I allowed them to act out, and slowly we started to chip away toward the diamond,” Mosley said. “But hey, let's start to change this response. 'I'm gonna let you act out because I understand what is going on, but we have to change that no matter what the level of adversity there is. You still have to change your response in regard to the worst things that are happening.'" "Now, what's around the diamond is the poor response. I see the performance, and it reveals who Joe Hampton is, for example. If he can handle a high-pressure situation and
be poised and lead his team, at the moment where there is the most pressure, and decide 'Hey, I'm gonna lead us through this,' then to me, that's who he is. I just have to chip away at all the other stuff that's around it and get away from the responses so that diamond can shine through," Mosley said. Regarding the athletes' behaviors, Mosley said, "It's unfortunate in our society, sometimes we immediately stereotype and say, 'that's a bad person, or that's a bad kid.' So, I talk about ‘basketball reveals.’ To me, when I see Joe Hampton play, I see it reveals his character, not him screaming. I see his character by how he plays. I see him being unselfish, I see him rooting on his guys, and I see
CN/ANNETTE LESURE
JOHN MOSLEY him trying to win. Now, him responding to a small adversity because he didn't get a foul call or because I took him out of the game... that's the response we have to learn how to change." Mosely said, "In regard to the revelation I get of how he [Hampton] played, that's something that he loves. He loves the game, so I can see who he is. Just as a ballerina, a singer, an actor, or anybody in some level of arts, they're expressing themselves through their art. “And then away from their art, they may be an introvert, or we may call them 'arrogant,' we may call them this or that, but we can see through their art who they really are. With Joe Hampton and Deshaun, I can see through their art that they are unselfish leaders, determined to win, focused and not afraid of the moment. So, for me, that's the diamond that I see." COURTESY OF NETFLIX
WHAT TEAM? HUSKIES!—The players of the basketball team huddle in unity after practice in the series “Last Chance U: Basketball.”
For full version of this story and photos visit elaccampusnews.com
Huskies gather to celebrate ‘Last Chance U: Basketball’ BY DANIELLA MOLINA Staff Writer The East Los Angeles College Alumni Association held a virtual watch party on Friday evening to honor the ELAC Men’s basketball team and Coach John Mosley on being featured in Netflix's awardwinning documentary series. A Zoom invitation was open to all ELAC students, faculty, and staff. Several members from the Alumni association were in attendance, along with members of the ELAC cheerleaders, players from the basketball team and Mosley. The watch party was organized to celebrate the March 10 release of the Netflix series. The eight-episode series covers the Men’s basketball team's quest to a state championship, and is currently number 4 on Netflix’s most watched list. The alumni association also opened a fundraiser to help raise money for the members of the ELAC basketball team, cheerleaders and marching band. Donations have been accepted prior, during and after the watch party and amount of donation is
News Briefs
being asked for. There was an immense sense of excitement for the star players on the team. Alum Deshaun Highler was in attendance. Highler was the star guard at ELAC during the 2019-2020 season. He has since been accepted into Sacramento State University. He sent out a group chat during the meeting party that read ‘Thanks everyone! Husky for life and will visit as soon as possible. Great to be a husky Alumni!” Cheering and applause continued throughout the watch party as the donation amounts were announced. The current amount collected through the alumni association is $2000. The association applauds the faculty, staff and students for making the college the quality institution it is. The Alumni Association will continue supporting the college and students as much as they can. ELAC College Alumni Association will keep the fundraiser open until April 10. Contributions can be made through. https://elacfoundation. com/donate-to-elac-alumniassociation/
CN/DANIELLA MOLINA
HUSKIES UNITE—Current and former students gather on Zoom to enjoy the watch party of the new Netflix series.
COVID-19 vaccinations to be given at ELAC Starting today the California Department of Public Health will provide vaccinations at ELAC. To check for eligibility go to https://covid19.ca.gov/vaccines/
East Los Angeles Women’s Center grief and loss workshop
East Los Angeles Women’s center will hold a grief and loss workshop March 24 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. RSVP at https:// linktr.ee/elawc_elac by Tuesday March 23 at 9 p.m.
ELAC Theater Arts: Conversation with actress
Center Theatre Group and ELAC Theatre Arts will host a seminar with actress Elizabeth Anweis tomorrow at 6 p.m. For Zoom info, go to www.elactheater.org
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Opinion
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, March 17, 2021
Pets influence owners’ mental health during pandemic BY CASSIDY REYNA Staff Writer Animals of any species can make a positive impact in both a person’s life and mental health. Through the pandemic, many people have become victims to their own anxieties. After having to stay indoors for over a year, having a four-legged pal or scaly-skinned reptile has helped many ELAC students cope with anxiety and depression. ELAC student Nayeli Garcia is majoring in health information technology and coding, and has been lucky to have her dog named Princess. Garcia found Princess wandering the streets at 8-months old. After the death of her dog Mona, she stumbled upon Princess and stayed by her side. Princess is now 12 years old and still brings so much joy and happiness to Garcia’s heart. “I feel animals are so pure. They love their humans no matter what. I could be having a bad day, and they don’t care because all they want is to be with you, and Princess is just like that,” Garcia said. Princess has helped Garcia with her anxiety and kept her calm throughout the pandemic. She also helped balance family and school work. Garcia also talked about how animals are sometimes all people have or want in their life. Many people choose to adopt animals and give them loving homes. According to Shelters Animals Count, it has been recorded that among 500 rescue organizations across the U.S. there have been more than 26,000 adoptions in 2020 than 2019. Garcia also talked about how
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Princess has become best friends with her son, and not only has Princess stabilized her mental health, but that of her family. ELAC student Diana Ramirez is a nursing major who recently adopted two dogs within the past year. Ramirez adopted two siberian huskies Yukio and Yuna. She has struggled with balancing her responsibilities due to stress and anxiety. Before her dogs were a part of her life, she felt as though she might not be a worthy nursing student and wondered if the path she’s taking was the right one. “Before my dogs came home, I would be so stressed out with
classes. It took me so long to complete assignments due to loss of motivation and questioning my career path. I had no inspiration as well, it felt like a routine,” Ramirez said. Similar to many other students, even before the pandemic it was easy to feel overwhelmed having to commute to and from campus along with other home responsibilities. If it wasn’t for the pandemic, it wouldn’t have given the chance for some students to realize that their mental health is a priority. “Now that I have my dogs, my anxiety levels are down and I feel comfortable to take exams. I
learned how important it is to take breaks and have a little ‘me time,’ and to take care of my physical and mental health. I realized that it is not a waste of time and it is okay to step away from school for a moment and come back refreshed,” Ramirez said. Many students like Ramirez have actually taken advantage of the pandemic to take time for themselves while still staying in school. Her pets have helped her focus her energy onto herself and school. “My dogs changed my mental and physical health for the better and I don’t feel like my life is a routine anymore. Instead, it feels
new and adventurous everyday. I feel more motivated and inspired to continue with my nursing career without doubting my worth as a nursing student,” Ramirez said Former ELAC student and Campus News staff writer Melvin Bui has always had fish throughout his life. Bui took the chance of adopting new fish every so often throughout the pandemic as it is his hobby to care for them. “I have always kept fish my whole life. Before the pandemic I had two fish tanks and I set up another two during the pandemic. I own dozens of tropical freshwater fish and cherry shrimp and a part of my local fishkeeping club, Southern California Aquatic Plant Enthusiast Club. It’s an online forum where people share their pictures and talk about freshwater planted tanks.” “I join monthly Zoom calls to show my aquarium to other members and vice versa. I go to the fish store at least once every two weeks to talk to the owners for some fishkeeping tips or just about life. It’s a nice little break from reality,” said Bui. He also talked about his other pets which include his dog Dobby an american bully, and his california king snake who remains unnamed. Due to his last semester before transferring from ELAC being taken due to COVID, adopting more pets and learning about them kept him level headed. “Keeping pets helped me stay sane during the pandemic because it gave me an excuse to take breaks and trips to the local fish store. Since I wasn’t able to explore nature, I brought nature to my home,” said Bui. For the full version of this story, visit elaccampusnews.com
Restrictions should remain for in-person courses BY LEONARDO CERVANTEZ Staff Writer The world is still in a pandemic and students must be mindful of the situation. After what has been a difficult year and a half for most, there will finally be some sense of normalcy. Young adults will be entrusted to be responsible, not only for themselves, but for their classmates. The school cannot police students on what to do, but reminding them not to give handshakes would be good. Masks and disposable gloves should still be mandatory at all times. ELAC will have limited in-person classes for the fall
semester. It will have been well over a year since ELAC was forced to suspend in-person classes due to the COVID-19 virus, but it seems like that will change during Fall. The COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been going well and is leading to lower hospital visits and deaths. Via the LA TIMES, 19.2% of the population has received at least one vaccine dose. Case counts are far below the peak. Over the last seven days, the state has averaged 3,881 cases per day, a 32.8% decrease from two weeks ago. Trying to predict the future is hard, but the recent data is showing signs of progress. By the time the new semester begins, the percentages of vaccinated individuals will be extremely higher and case counts will likely be significantly lower.
President Joe Biden recently said he expects small family gatherings to be safe for a fourth of July celebration. So fastforwarding a month after that, it is not inconceivable that attending campus will be safe. There should be an agreement between the school and the staff members, if a student refuses to wear a mask they should not be allowed in the classroom. This not only benefits the students, but the rest of their classmates as well. Even if students and staff are vaccinated, wearing a mask should be mandatory. Staff and faculty should make an arrangement if a student is under the weather, it would be best not to show up to class. There is no need to take unnecessary risks and put the rest
of your classmates in jeopardy. If any student or staff member feel any symptoms, they should automatically quarantine. Better to be safe than sorry. Maybe campus officials can make some type of compromise like having the cafeteria, library and bathrooms limited to half of its normal capacity. That way student and faculty safety can be ensured from COVID-19. This pandemic normalized young adults not interacting with one another. With in-person classes being available soon, students will finally have human interaction once again. Young adults need to socialize with others and connect with people their age. It is not normal for young adults not to be able to interact with others in their age
group, so opening the campus again will be a huge benefit. It will give students a morale boost to be back living somewhat normally again. This morale boost can possibly improve their school work. The feeling of being locked down in your own home will, for the most part, go away. Mental health issues rose during the pandemic for many reasons but one of them was because young adults were essentially trapped in their homes for safety. A lot of the norms, like going to the grocery store, suddenly became not so normal. You had to be mindful of potentially contracting COVID-19. Students returning to in-person classes on campus will finally feel like usual again.
Babies of 2020 are not COVID babies BY DANIELLA MOLINA Staff Writer The babies born during the COVID-19 pandemic are not Covid babies. 2020 will forever be etched in history as the year when things changed. Under all the uncertainty there were women who had to face the new reality and vulnerability of pregnancy, childbirth and parenting. However, in no way is it okay to call a child that was born in 2020–2021 anything negative just because of the year they were born. In all the chaos there were still positive aspects and amazing things that happened throughout 2020. Being born is a pretty good thing to happen for anybody. It was not the “worst year ever” for everyone. It was a pretty good year for those babies born into the world. If anything, those who were born during such a time should be considered extraordinary in contrast with all the lives lost to COVID-19. In 1818, the Spanish flu left millions of people bed ridden and millions of people dead. However, those born during the Spanish Flu pandemic are not deemed flu babies. Those individuals who were born during the 1818 pandemic, that were still alive when COVID-19 hit, were about 104 years old. As more of these centennial gems came forward they were not portrayed as the unfortunate individuals born in a horrible year, but rather as beams of hope, proof that the human race could make it through a terrifying, deadly illness. To negatively label children that were born during the COVID-19 pandemic and during the height of www.ELACCampusNews.com
racial inequality, is some sort of a compromised immune system. weird inside-out discrimination. It’s Childbirth in general is nerve demeaning to those children and the wracking without the additional parents who had no control over the risk of an airborne disease. timing of their births. The government deployed two COVID-19 does not negotiate hospital battleships. Mercy and the over who it will take or when. Nor USNS. These were the comforts is there anything parents can do to assist with hospital overflow. to delay the birth of their child. However, the battleships were Being born is quite the ultimate not equipped to handle labor and accomplishment for a human. Even delivery situations. They forced under the circumstances, some of women back to the options of the best days in people’s lives took hospitals or extremely expensive place in 2020. birthing centers. Couples still The amount got married, of stress and some people anxiety can “To negativeley label got to stay easily prove too home with their children that were born much to handle loved ones, and f o r a n y b o d y. during the COVID-19 babies were Especially pandemic and during born. Bringing for expecting a healthy baby p a r e n t s the height of racial into the world watching daily inequality, is some should not be news updates of downplayed or hospitals being sort of weird insidetied maliciously at capacity out discrimination. It’s to a title of a with positive deadly disease. COVID-19 demeaning to those O b v i o u s l y, cases rising the babies born children and the parents rapidly. A new d u r i n g t h e who had no control over level of bravery pandemic were was required the timing over if their not conceived from expecting t h r o u g h mothers, their births.” insemination partners and the with the medical staff. COVID-19 All had to risk virus. COVIDtheir own life in 1 9 w a s order for a new practically unknown to the world life to be born. when some of these babies were Being affected by COVID-19 conceived. They were not born in any way is hard enough and immune to the virus and just as then having people call a newborn susceptible to contracting COVID- out of their name shows lack of 19 as any other human. consideration. It was the mothers who were Women were shuffled into more at risk while pregnant due to delivery rooms and faced with
EDITOR IN CHIEF Erica Cortes MANAGING EDITOR Juan Calvillo FRONT EDITOR Cassidy Reyna OPINION EDITORS Brenda De La Cruz Zasha Hayes NEWS EDITORS Annette Quijada Jonathan Bermudez FEATURE EDITORS Paul Medina Alma Lizarraga ARTS EDITORS Grace Rodriguez Gabriela Gutierrez COPY EDITORS Luis Castilla Ivan Cazares STAFF WRITERS Raymond Nava Leonardo Cervantes Annette Lesure SOCIAL MEDIA Daniella Molina Breanna Fierro PHOTOGRAPHER Diego Linares GRAPHICS Andrea Cerna CARTOONIST Ivana Amaral ART DIRECTOR Steven Adamo ADVERTISING Stefanie Arocha ADVISER Jean Stapleton Campus News encourages letters to the editor relating to campus issues. Letters must be typed and double spaced. Submitted material becomes the property of Campus News and cannot be returned. Letters should be limited to 300 words or less. Campus News reserves the right to edit letters for grammatical errors or libelous content. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers must sign submissions and print their names and a phone number where they can be reached. Letters should be addressed to the editor of Campus News. Submissions can be made at the mailroom in building E1 or the Journalism department office in the Technology Center in E7-303. East Los Angeles College Campus News 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez E7-303 Monterey Park, CA 91754 (323) 265-8819, Ads (323) 265-8821 Fax (323) 415-4910
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the new challenges of taking deep breaths while wearing a mask. Due to new policies, a mask must stay on the entire time a patient is in the hospital. No family and friends are allowed to visit, and there are food limitations because hospital cafeterias are closed for precautions. The duty of labor is a hard one. The serotonin kicks in and epidurals wear off. Women run on very little sleep while being told to sign a stack of documents to establish a new baby’s identity. It is a lengthy process that people may overlook, but it
is especially important. A name is forever, and there is so that much that goes into naming a person. So, what do you call babies born during COVID-19? Well, it’s very simple. Call them by their names, the names that were given to them by their parents. To refer to a child by anything less, especially a deadly disease, is disrespectful unless the parents are okay with their baby being called a virus. Respect a child by referring them by their given name, not the name of a horrendous disease.
The East Los Angeles College Campus News is published as a learning experience, offered under the East Los Angeles College Journalism program. The editorial and advertising materials are free from prior restraint by virtue of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The opinions expressed are exclusively those of the writer. Accordingly, materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, should not be interpreted as the position of the Los Angeles Community College District, East Los Angeles College, or any officer or employee thereof.
News 3 ARCH hosts stress workshop for students EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2021
BY ZASHA HAYES
situations in which a college student can get stressed out. Te said, “The purpose of our (ARCH and APIDC) workshop is to Anxiety Resource for Campus teach different students how to cope Help (ARCH) held a Stress with anxiety and raise awareness Workshop with Pasedena, East to different anxiety provoking Los Angeles, Citrus, and Rio situations.” The main Hondo campus topics of this resources on “The purpose of our workshop Friday. were defining T h e (Arch and APIDC) what stress is, Navigating workshop is to reach how it affects Stress Workshop he body teaches those different students how tand how to who attend how to cope with anxiety manage that to navigate stress. stress. ARCH has held and raise awarness Te workshops that to different anxiety introduced a share topics that owerpoint include mental provoking situations.” ppresentation health, anxiety to assist in and coping RENEE TE explaining skills. Renee Te Member of APIDC what stress was the host of is, as she this workshop. said, “Stress Te is a master’s is a feeling of student in clinical psychology who is a part emotional or physical tension. The of Asians and Pacific Islanders with body’s reaction to a challenge or Disabilities of California (APIDC). demand.” She explained that there are She shared how to take control of
Staff Writer
multiple triggers or indicators of stress and anxiety. Because of the variety of triggers and how many students are said to have anxiety or stress, each person is unique in how they calm down and distract themselves from it. The techniques for managing stress she suggest include dancing, exercising, and/or cooking. Talking to friends was also emphasized because of the isolation students are facing due to the pandemic. “It’s fine if the stress is temporary but if it’s prolonged or even chronic it would be really beneficial to talk to a medical provider or counselor to find ways to reduce stress or at least have that contact established in case things get worse. A perfect example of that is COVID. That transition and experience made a lot of people be more aware of their stressors and how they’d be triggered.” Future workshops that focus on anxiety and stress are included on the @elac_cafyes.nextup Instagram page. If students need assistance, ARCH supplies links to DSPS for each campus included in the workshop. CN/ANDREA CERNA
Decrease in enrollment brings concern to LACCD of education loss in the community. “I was going to make the point Staff Writer about learning loss happening in K-12 and how it’s going to affect our communities. I think part of it has Enrollment for students at to do with the socioeconomic status the Los Angeles Community of the students at certain colleges College District are at lower levels which are being disproportionately compared to last year, jeopardizing affected.” Brent Said. the personal success of minority Southwest College which is students. suffering the lowest enrollment Proof was shown with a credit in the district is located in the enrollmet comparrison chart at unincorporated area of West the March 11, District Academic Athens, which according to the Senate meeting. Census in 2019, it had a staggering DAS President Angela Echeverri 10.4% of residents living below the she said she is concerned about the federal poverty level. number of enrolled students across The community’s demographics the nine-campus college district is made up of 52.1% Black and based on figures from March 4. 46.1% Hispanic or Latino. While East Los Angeles College L A Tr a d e Te c h C o l l e g e numbers are lower compared enrollment has also hit low levels. to a year ago, ELAC figures The decreasing enrollment is an fare better compared to other unfortunate matter as it affects an campuses within institution which the LACCD. primarily serves “ We h a v e communities a b i g h o l e t o “We have a big hole w i t h a h i g h climb out of, the disproportionate enrollment losses to climb out of, the a m o u n t of have not been poverty and lower enrollment losses even throughout socioeconomic the district, you have not been even levels. can see that Aside from throughout the Southwest, Trade serving as and West have district you can see a r e p u t a b l e been particularly degree granting that Southwest, hard,” Echeverri institution, Trade trade and West said. Tech happens to A decline be the district’s have been in student flagship campus population is in providing particully hard.” unfortunately trade programs being felt such as welding, Angela Echeverri throughout automotive DAS President California. t e c h n o l o g y, Beginning with culinary arts, the start of the cosmetology and pandemic, construction. throughout the academic year, These programs prepare students c o n c e r n s a b o u t d e c l i n i n g for careers in fields crucial for enrollment have rippled statewide. economic development and job A c c o r d i n g t o E d S o u r c e , placement in the community. And California Community Colleges by students not being educated, it Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley can hamper success to its students, said at a September Board of many who are of color. Governors meeting “This is an According to Fall 2019 figures issue that we’re paying very at LACCD’s website, Black and close attention to, that we’re very Hispanic students made up the concerned about, particularly as majority of the Trade Tech’s it relates to any loss of enrollment students. for our most vulnerable student “I really think we need to start populations.” having those conversations. How Echeverri further raised concern to turn this around? Because this over the status of Southwest is a huge challenge for all of our College, whose enrollment colleges.” Echeverri said. numbers are the lowest in the DAS, is a districtwide committee district. which is made up of six officers, “I would say Southwest is hit 9 academic senate presidents, the hardest, I think that there’s a each from a different college and lot of concern about the future of representative members from every that college. How do we turn this campus. around? They’ve already been According to their website DAS struggling financially for years “represents the faculty of the Los and now you have a hit like this,” Angeles Community College Echeverri said. District in all academic and professional matters.” Matters Further concerns were brought include grading policies, degree and upon by other board members. certificate requirements as well as DAS Secretary Lourdes Brent educational program development who is an EOPS Counselor at LA throughout the district. Trade Tech College concurred DAS next meeting is scheduled with Echeverri about the impact for May 13.
BY PAUL MEDINA
PHOTO COURTESY OF SABRA WILLIAMS
Sabra Williams Brings Theater and Art to Prison BY GRACE RODRIGUEZ Staff Writer The Department of Theatre Arts held an introspective interview with actress and activist Sabra Williams. Host, Venessa M. Pellegrini, took charge of asking pressing questions pertaining to Williams’ mission to apply the Arts in prison systems across America. “You can teach an old dog new tricks,” a student said to Sabra Williams after taking her first class; the same class that made her realize she was at the precipice of change. The actor, host and co-creator of the Actors’ Gang Prison Project, has a passion for the Arts and has dedicated her time to exposing the importance of using theatre to help people heal from trauma. A brief biography for the actress can be found at https://elactheater. org/Sabra-Williams. The renowned actress has been recognized by both, former president, Obama and the Queen of Elizabeth II. Williams exudes confidence and begins the interview with a call-out and celebration of the resilience of African American people. She reveals the path that led her to the creation of her passion project. The prison project introduced theatre and arts to young prison inmates in an attempt to teach new and applicable, positive behaviors and reactions. The project is the first of its kind. It has had more than 1,000 participants to date. Williams does not believe in the corporate approach to resolving issues of this kind.
To sit around a table and talk the end goal is to help individuals about these issues is boring and grow emotionally. useless to her. Williams said “we are trying to Instead, Williams proposes that create a new path that doesn’t yet we “take the table and throw it out exist.” the window” in order to shift the It is only through working focus on the performative arts. personally with inmates that she The power of the arts can be can begin to see the change that is enough to heal, long overdue in she explains. American prison She stresses systems. the importance She offers “Refering to them as w o r k s h o p s , of working alongside VR activities, anything other than the men and programs and people can add the women in anti-racism prison as prison mentality that t r a i n i n g t o partners. inmates. “ I t i s perpetuates feelings of Her work important that being trapped mentally, d o e s n ’ t s t o p we treat them there, she offers as people” she thus hindering healing. her services to said. correctional The exposure to the She goes officers as on to explain incarcerated population w e l l , w h o i n that referring is what motivated her ha re er oapniontiho en r, to them as a n y t h i n g to begin a program that gang that is in a other than constant state of would transform the people can ‘fight or flight.’ way prisons reformed “Correctional add the prison mentality that officers suffer inmates.” perpetuates from a high feelings of suicide rate, being trapped strokes and heart mentally, thus attacks,” she hindering says, showing healing. her that they too must be in dire The exposure to the incarcerated need these services. population is what motivated She alludes to part of the problem her to begin a program that being the fact that prisons are would transform the way prisons hierarchical systems. reformed inmates. She even shares that after not It took a lot of experimentation being allowed past security detail and hard work to find something in a prison to teach her class— due that worked. to having a non existent metal But when it did work, she most implant, she changed her approach. definitely took notice. “The only way to beat the Posed as games and activities, hierarchy is to play it against
itself.” she said. She began making friends in higher places. If security was the issue, she called the warden and if the warden was the issue she called the head office in Sacramento, she explained. She involves her philosophy in her work, the people she works with are offered equal pay and equal input, a stark contrast to the hierarchy that exists in many workplaces. June 6, 2006 marked the first day of her first prison reform class. By the end, she distinctly remembers receiving positive feedback directly from her students. “This is the first time that we have been treated like humans,” one of them said to her. Arts advocacy is important to Williams and she believes people are unaware of the power of art. She also stresses that artists’ begin to focus on the craft as opposed to the aesthetics and money behind art. Williams backs this call to action, by explaining she has had a better time becoming an artist than “chasing fame.” Shakespeare seems to be an inspiration to Williams. Although she recognizes there is racism in his work, she believes he might have also been an ally. Regardless, she particularly likes the fact that his stories are still relevant to this day. She is currently working on a new book called, “Beauty in the Beast.” More information on this can be found on her websites, https://www.sabrawilliamsacts. com and https://www.creativeacts. us.
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News
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2021
ELAC comeback comittee preparing for campus reopening BY JUAN CALVILLO Staff Writer The Los Angeles Community College District will phase its nine colleges back into limited in-person classes in the fall following the state’s color-coded “Blueprint for a Safer Economy” protocol. East Los Angeles College’s comeback committee is working with faculty, staff and administration in an effort to decide on which classes will return in person with limited sizes in the fall semester. Melinda Nish, LACCD deputy chancellor, said colleges will move into the red tier of the state’s blueprint this week. The district is using a combination of the state’s blueprint and colored tier system in its “COVID-19 Re-Engagement Grid.” Nish said the district will not require anyone to have gotten a vaccination for COVID-19 to return to in-person classes on their campuses. She said that the district colleges would also not require testing to be done for return to in-person classes. Nish said everyone coming on campus would be checked out following the standard questions of whether the person had been near an infected person or if they were having any symptoms. All of the precautions of hand washing, social distancing, face coverings (masks) and staying home if the person was feeling sick are going to be followed as well. Nish said in-person classes and preventative measures like social distancing didn’t mean instructors would not be able to help students. She said the health department was optimistic that if a person gets the vaccine and wears a mask, the need for social distancing will diminish as time goes on. She said instructors could help students despite not adhering to social distance as long as they followed the other safety protocols. “If you are working in a lab, and you need to assist a student with something and you are going to get within six feet, you can do that. But you minimize that time and you’re trying to avoid having a 15 minute contact with a person,” Nish said. She said the district encourages those that are returning to get
vaccinated, but that is all they can do. Competitive sports will have their own procedures when returning. Nish said they would follow what most competitive sports are doing, which means weekly tests and a disclosure of the test results. She said the idea was that if the rules for each tier were followed as well as sanitary precautions were taken, things would progress well. “So we are trying to make sure that we provide a safe environment, that we bring back services in a reasonable, phased in manner and that we understand that not all people will be vaccinated, but that we will still be able to have a safe working environment and that we believe that the vast majority of our staff and our students will be vaccinated this year,” Nish said. She said the colored tiers that were being used by the state each had specific rules that needed to be followed when it came to educational institutions. She said for educational programs red tier meant that in person was allowed but was limited. For this tier, programs can resume instruction but at only 25% of operations. In total the tier system has four levels: purple, red, orange and yellow. Each tier allows for less strict limits on operations. William Boyer, LACCD director of communications and external relations, said following the rules of the colored tier system was imperative. “These are health orders that, I don’t want to sound too draconian about it, but they do come with penalties. You look at the health orders online, and there are penalties for violating the health orders,” Boyer said. Nish said the district has heard that Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, feels that by summer, the state should be in the yellow tier. Nish said the district is following it’s re-engagement grid when it comes to deciding who and when people will come back in the fall. This grid uses the colored tier system to describe how certain courses, departments and student services will return to in-person activity. The grid explains if the program or class is essential infrastructure, what considerations are needed and how they would be implemented, all according to the color requirements.
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California’s Color-Coded County Tier System
*Information applies to schools and colleges as well New cases: The average number of new cases per day, over 7 days, per 100,000 residents Positive test: The percentage of coronavirus tests given per day that are positive for COVID-19 Health Equity: Although the Health Equity metric does not move a county to a more restrictive tier, meeting specified thresholds for a less restrictive tier can allow a county to progress to a less restrictive tier. Check out the thresholds for progressing to a less restrictive tier via the healty Equality metric.
REOPENING CAMPUS—The East Los Angeles College Comeback Comittee will update
students on the specific opening of deparments and courses once decisions are made. This will better specify the terms according to ELAC and the Los Angeles Community College District’s use of the ‘Red Tier.’
Marcellino Morales, chair of the comeback committee, said returning departments at ELAC would have to be discussed before anything was set in stone. Nish said it would not be common for all departments and people to come back on campus at once, but the decision was to be made locally at the college. Morales used the example of the social sciences lecture classes being
hard to justify returning, as opposed to other programs that required more in-person instruction. “We know some athletics, we know student services, we know healthcare is on that red tier. With limited space and things of that nature and limited large classroom instructions, under that tiered category it (certain programs) will be more prioritized and they will need to come back to continue
student success in those programs,” Morales said. ELAC President Alberto Romàn said that certain programs didn’t make the cut previously like other “essential infrastructure” programs. He said these programs have had issues due to the lack of in-person classes. “We have other courses that have been on hold because they weren’t
considered part of the ‘essential infrastructure’ yet they require some in-person interaction. We have some other classes that have suffered significantly because of the nature of the course. Just throwing an example, ESL (English as a Second Language) for example. So there are a lot of considerations, a lot of things to talk through in our comeback committee about what it means to come back at 25%, 50% but we do have a committee that is very well represented by faculty, classified staff and administrators. And I think it is well represented by departments as well,” Roman said. In the end the main concern for ELAC and its administration is the well being of the students. Roman said they were more concerned about the impact the last year has had on students as well as being able to provide these students with the needed classes when they return. He said the comeback committee was focusing on being prepared for the red tier but also for the following tiers. Nish said moving through the colored tiers was not about replacing online classes with in-person instruction. She said it was about having the flexibility for both online, in-person and hybrid classes at the district’s colleges. Roman said a combination of both types of classes would be ideal to fit the needs of students at ELAC. Nish said the district is encouraging all employees to get vaccinated. The district’s idea is to let staff know that coming back is about safety and that all facilities are clean and safe for use. She said that staff should understand that as long as COVID-19 procedures are followed, the teaching environments will be safe. Facilities teams have been tasked with checking all buildings to make sure they are safe and prepared. Nish said if instructors still have concerns comeback committees at the colleges are part of the preparations being made for returns. If instructors have ideas, they should express them to the appropriate committee. Nish said each campus needed to look at it’s level of cleanliness. She said it wouldn’t always be about getting more janitorial staff or cleaning crews to come clean. The idea was to set up a smart strategy for optimum cleaning first.
ELAC Student Health Center brings awareness to mental health Medical services being offered BY ANNETTE QUIJADA Staff Writer East Los Angeles College’s Dream Resource Center provided insight for students on accessing valuable free or low cost health services during the pandemic. This event was hosted by DRC coordinator, Elizandro Umaña and Student Health Coordinator, Celia Cruz. Alongside them were Vanessa Diaz Venegas with Via Care and Amanda Washington with UCLA. The Student Health Center currently provides services that include mental health/individual therapy/support groups, COVID19 testing, STI and HIV testing, family planning (birth control), and LGBTQ+ services, etc. “The most important thing I would like all of our students and our whole campus community to know is that although our campus is closed, as well as our campus, medical and mental health services are still available to our students,” said Cruz. The Health Center is also offering a number of support groups over Zoom such as a Mens Healing Group, Women’s Support Group, LGBTQ+ Support group, etc. For information on when these support groups meet check https://linktr.ee/ elacshc. For additional upcoming workshops follow the Student Health Center on Instagram @ elacstudenthealth. Amanda Washington from UCLA introduced the Screening and Treatment for Anxiety and Depression program that will be at ELAC this spring. STAND was first created at UCLA and it is a www.ELACCampusNews.com
system of care that uses technology to deliver mental health services to those experiencing anxiety, depression, and related conditions. Students will have access to a mental health tracker for free, the tracker consists of a 5-10 minute survey in which it assesses your answers. Based on symptoms shown, students will be referred to 1 out of the 3 services STAND offers.
“The most important thing I would like all of our students and our whole campus community to know is that although our campus is closed, as well as our campus clinic, medical and mental health services are still available to our students.” CECILIA CRUZ
ELAC STudent Health Coordinator
“First is the Wellness Service, you will essentially be taking a self guided online prevention program. For those with more moderate symptoms you’ll be referred to our Digital Therapy with a Coach, you’ll have weekly one-on-one meetings with a coach. The Third option is for people with more severe symptoms. You’ll be referred to our clinical care service. You’d receive one-on-one treatment via telehealth with trained clinicians at Harbor UCLA medical center,” Washington said.
SUPPORTING STUDENTS—ELAC Health Center brings awareness to the extra services they’re providing while the campus remains closed.
S TA N D w i l l b e w o r k i n g directly with the Student Health Center. To receive updates for when STAND officially launches at ELAC, students can sign up at https://tinyurl.com/ELAC-STANDInterestForm. Via Care Behavioral Health Therapist Vanessa Diaz Venegas
said she hopes to be able to support the ELAC community in a unique way. Venegas believes being a student comes with responsibility and a role one must fulfill which can impact mental wellness, therefore self care is important. “Putting self care into action, we can focus on physical interaction
with nature, implement some type of workout routine, or do something out of our everyday routine,” Venegas said. Students can also download the Healow App on the Via Care website to access telemedicine sessions to speak to a physician. Students who require an in person
appointment with a physician can do so even if the campus center is closed by accessing the clinics near the campus. For mental health and medical appointments, students may contact Via Care at (323)268-9191 and say they’re an ELAC student to make an appointment.
Arts
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17 2021
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Eddie Murphy returns with ‘Coming 2 America’ BY JUAN CALVILLO Staff Writer “Coming 2 America” is one of Eddie Murphy’s most fun movies in some time and is filled with plenty of laughs and heart-warming moments like the original. One of Murphy’s finest films was the 1988 romantic, fish out of water movie “Coming to America.” The sequel makes frequent call backs to the original and focuses on the acceptance of not only family, but the failures and changes that come with life. The movie's story follows Prince Akeem in his attempts to try and bring stability to the Kingdom of Zamunda and create a place for his family in his kingdom. This is stalled first, by the intrusion of a general from a nearby country and second, by the revelation that Akeem has an illegitimate son, which is hilariously referred to in a scene, as a bastard son living in America. The movie’s focus is on Akeem’s family in Zamunda and his newly discovered son. It very much follows a similar plot as the original by asking the new members of Akeem's family to follow their heart and become their own individual people. It’s interesting that in this film it takes a moment of crisis to remind Akeem that he followed his heart years before to great success. This makes him realize that the fruit does not fall far from the tree. Murphy plays Akeem, among many other characters in the film. Akeem has settled into his life with his wife and daughters. Shari Headley returns as Murphy’s love interest and now princess, Lisa. Together they have three daughters, Meeka, played by stand out KiKi Layne, Omma, played by Bella Murphy, and Tinashe, played by Akiley Love. Murphy, once again, plays Akeem perfectly. He infuses the character with charisma and a playful attitude throughout the movie. Aging has hardly slowed Murphy’s
comedic timing and he hits the right notes exactly when needed. He also plays the father role quite well. His biological daughter Bella is even one of his on-screen daughters.
‘Aging has hardly slowed Murphy’s comedic timing and he hits the right notes when needed. He also plays the father role quite well.’ Headley continues to be the voice of reason as Lisa. Her ability to be regal one moment and then real the next is interesting and the perfect companion to the more royal perspective Akeem displays. All three of the actresses playing Akeem’s daughters are fantastic. But it’s Layne that stands out the most. Layne plays Meeka with a strength and sincerity that is truly awesome to watch. The movie shows her as the most obvious heir apparent due to her confidence, smarts and ability to do the right thing in difficult situations. Layne manages to make the character a force to be reckoned with despite some of the situations she is placed in by her father Akeem. Rounding out the cast is Arsenio Hall as Murphy’s trusted friend Semmi, Jermaine Fowler as Akeem’s bastard son Lavelle Junson, Leslie Jones as Mary Junson, Wesley
HEAR THEE, HEAR THEE—Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall reprise their roles as royal friends and allies as Prince Akeem
and Semmi.
Snipes as General Izzi and James Earl Jones as King Jaffe Joffer. Out of the newer cast, only Snipes is able to create a memorable character. This is entirely to Snipes’ credit. He manages to play Izzi as over-thetop as possible. At first it seems too much, but it’s the extremes that Snipes plays with that make the character memorable. While Jones isn’t on-screen as much as the first film, he still manages to be the funniest actor in every scene that he is in. Both the score and the movie’s
costume and art department are to be commended. Every scene in Zamunda is filled with beautifully colorful costumes and set-pieces. There are so many costume changes that it would make a live performance on an awards show jealous. The score is also amazingly fun and is definitely a throwback to some classic R&B and Rap music. There are some fun surprises in the form of musical guests that the film has under its sleeve that are a classic call-back to the era of the original. This makes certain parts
not only musically pitch perfect, but funny as well. If this film suffers at all, it is from the fact that its run-time doesn’t allow audiences, nor the movie itself, to truly explore many of the newer or standout characters. During the film's run-time, it does a great job handling Akeem's progression and change into a more understanding character, but it drops the ball choosing to focus on the character's son instead of the daughter. While Fowler’s character is interesting and follows a similar
path as Murphy’s character did in the original, the movie misses an opportunity to follow Layne’s character's struggles. Amazon Studios has a fun movie in “Coming 2 America.” Murphy and the rest of the cast do their best combining laughs and heartfelt moments of connection during the film's 110 minute run-time. “Coming 2 America” is rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, language and drug content. It is in theaters and available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
Personality test documentary exposes biases BY ZASHA HAYES Staff Writer H B O ’s d o c u m e n t a r y, “Persona: The Dark Truth Behind Personality Tests” is worth watching. It explains how personality tests decide who a person is and how that decision affects their home and work life. The documentary allows viewers to experience how personality tests can affect them. It brings attention to the people who ultimately get overlooked and rejected for honestly answering seemingly simple questions that are
actually double-edged swords. The film takes place in New York and Atlanta. These two states have an overflowing population of people who are all looking for places to work. It follows a multitude of those people who have encountered personality tests and how they affected them. The documentary splits the perspectives of those who have flourished and those who have been put down and rejected because of personality tests. The group of people whose lives have improved are the workers of big business corporations who are white-passing and male.
They make money off of the personality tests. This shows how discriminatory the test is. People who don’t fit into that category are tossed aside, forced to take the test with each job application only to be rejected again. The audience is immediately introduced to the different definitions of what a personality or a personality trait is. The film also includes different opinions about these definitions. To follow this, multiple clips of YouTubers are shown, each talking about the MyersBriggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality test. The MBTI is a multiple choice
quiz. The test asks various questions about the test takers’ views of the world around them and themselves. In turn, the test-taker is placed under a specific personality type. The MBTI results in a list of 16 personality types that a person could possibly fall under. The 16 personalities are identified by a letter and each one has its own unique meaning. E and I for extroverts and introverts. S and N for sensing and intuition. T and F for thinking and feeling and J and P for judging or perceiving. Another personality test is mentioned later in the film. The Big 5 Test is not as much
PERSONALITY REVEALED—A woman who has taken the personality test is shown the percentages of what she scored for each trait in the Big 5.
of a household name but worth mentioning. Ben Dattner, organizational psychologist and executive coach, said the two tests are the “Coke and Pepsi of the personality assessment world.”
‘The group of people whose life has improved are the workers of big business corporations who are white-passing and male. They make money off of the personality tests.’
In other words the two tests are as popular as the two namelabeled soft drinks. These two tests are what decide if a person is employable or if they are faulty products. Many of the tests are copied and illegally used by companies to decide who is worthy enough to have a job. This is why companies that see themselves as superior to the lower workingclass stay that way. The film goes on to show the biases of these personality tests. Katharine Cook Briggs, the creator of MBTI, held conservative views. Briggs, like many other people during World War 2, shared the common view that women and men were not equal mentally, physically, or emotionally. She also was abelist in her views, as well as racist. The documentary shows how the test was first printed out and answered with pencils
and erasers. As stated, Briggs believed that those who didn’t have an IQ of 100 or more couldn’t take the test because they were far too ignorant to have a personality. These people were usually people of color. She made sure that women and men who took the test had to have their results separated. The test even had questions that undermined those who have disabilities as a result of her views. The MBTI is now available online. The film explains how the database was created by white men who don’t have knowledge or experience when it comes to communities that are made up of minorities. The result is a corrupt database that excludes anyone who is different. Instead searching for those who fit the views of whitepassing men. The film shows how applications for work became less about that field of work and more about the applicants and who they are as people. Those who answered truthfully were rejected, so applicants began learning exactly how to answer these personality tests. Employees have to be perfect, always smiling, robots. The film highlights how serious of a problem personality tests become. Personality tests should not affect the way a person is perceived, and they shouldn’t affect whether a person is hireable or not. The documentary is both scattered and organized. It jumps from point of view to different point of view. But it does a good job of organizing them so that the audience can follow along. It informs those who are not aware of the discrimination they might face when taking a personality test in their home and work lives, and it gives viewers a chance to help raise awareness of the corrupt hiring system.
www.ELACCampusNews.com
Arts ‘Moxie,’ a coming of age story empowers teenagers 6
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, March 17, 2021
covering certain topics but it is almost as though it was following Staff Writer a checklist of what to cover next. There is no doubt that “Moxie” Netflix’s new coming-of-age fullfils its mission as being an film “Moxie” empowers women empowering movie but the and covers hard topics. Amy execution of covering each strong Poehler made her directing debut in topic could have been done “Moxie” which is based on the book smoother. by Jennifer Mathieu. W h a t The film follows balances the t e e n a g e Vi v i a n checklist of (Hadley Robinson) topics is that who finds an old some were zine made by her This film speaks out on covered so mother Lisa (Amy sexual assault, letting well that it Poehler) during her can cause younger generations rebellious years. audiences to Vi v i a n b e g i n s know they can also fight be angry. her own zine called Angry in “ M o x i e , ” w h i c h for what they believe in. the sense that sparks a revolution the audience among the girls at f e e l s her high school. empowered T h e f i l m t o d o covers topics like something in feminism, sexual assault and real life situations. sexism. Robinson’s character shows Viewers feel passion and anger immense growth when at first she because of how the characters face is a wallflower but blossoms into these situations. an outspoken young woman after It’s especially prominent when starting “Moxie.” the topic of harassment is covered. With the growth of the zine, Vivian In high school, many can assume is able to meet fellow classmates that when boys joke around they who are just as passionate as her are just “annoying others,” when when it comes to these topics. in reality it is harassment. The film itself does a good job These situations happen and are
BY CASSIDY REYNA
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COOL PEOPLE— Moxie is more than a movie. It’s a en empowerment tool to achieve new heights against the staus quo. easily dismissed as “kids messing around” when it can lead to worse case scenarios. Viewers will be able to see the sense of community that is
developed throughout the film and relate to it. As the group of “moxie” grows in Vivian’s high school, the film displays that people from different
walks of life can come together and join forces. With movements like Black Lives Matter and women empowerment, it is important to have movies like
this so that younger generations are aware and can grow from the struggles that society deals with now. What makes this film stand out is that it is straightforward, despite having moments that are cringey and being like a checklist in some parts. The movie forces audiences to realize how important it is that these hard topics be covered. Some may argue that the film tries too hard to be “woke,” but with younger generations, it is important to both relate and market films to them. With children and teens not being in school due to the worldwide pandemic, this film can allow young people to realize that these topics are not taboo and need to be discussed. What also makes the film stronger is the diverse cast, there are cast members who are people of color and transgender. “Moxie” may be considered “cringey” but it does take a stand. This film speaks out on sexual assault, letting younger generations know they can also fight for what they believe in. Overall “Moxie,” does its job as being a film that covers strong topics in a way that relates to younger audiences.
Panel discusses staggering healthcare discrimination ‘Medical Racism’ speaks on the disparities and prejudices, people of color endure BY ALMA LIZARRAGA Staff Writer
“Medical Racism” is a two-hour film about racism people of color experience while seeking medical care. The film also discusses on the issues they face while trying to access a COVID vaccine. The film presented cases in which people of color face difficult situations with doctors that made it apparent there was a lot of discrimination involved. The film begins by presenting what the move for COVID vaccines should be for Black people, which seems apparent to be the focus of this film. It is apparent that there is distrust among the Black community about vaccines and experimental procedures. A woman who was interviewed mentioned they called doctors, “white coats,” which does not install much trust. Historical footage was shown such as The Tuskegee Syphilis Study. A study that took place by the U.S. Government between 1932-1972 which tricked African American men into being injected with syphilis. The infected were told they were part of a scientific discovery telling
them they were receiving free health care. President Bill Clinton famously apologized for the study in 1997. Incidents, mainly involving Black mothers, showed doctors pushing for vaccines that mothers concluded had caused damage to their children reportedly such as autism. Presenter Melvin Donalson took the lead before the film started explaining a bit of background on the project and what led to him working closely on it. Donalson is associate producer of the film, and worked with director David Massey, who pushed for the film to be made during the COVID pandemic. Donalson said of the film, “The purpose of the film is to explore, first of all, the medical history as it pertains to people of color, as well as what happened to Black populations of certain African countries.” A woman in the film was interviewed begging for a C-section to be ignored by the attending doctor. People of color on the street were asked their opinio on vaccines with many voicing distrust. It wasn’t until her mother interfered and insisted she be given the procedure, which due to an almost ruptured uterus, a normal birth would’ve been fatal. The film jumped between stories and interviews, being awkwardly
put together at times which blurred messages. Some scenes stressed fear of vaccines themselves, intercut with interviews of people commenting on COVID and medical professionals giving their two cents. There didn’t seem to be an overall focus which led to minor confusion and it seemed as if the film was vilifying vaccinations. Further fear of vaccines causing mental damage was presented. As more mothers showed their stories of their children being vaccinated with unknown medicine, which they said had caused their children autism. By this point the Zoom chat became active as watchers wondered if this film was an anti-vaccination movie. Questions were asked which were to be adressed after the film. After about 40 minutes of footage, the presentators started taking questions. Audiences were reassured the point of the film was to bring forth the reason for distrust toward medicine from POC. Doctor Christine Chandler urged for awareness to this issue and stressed the need to overcome fears and get vaccinated. The rest of the panel concluded with watchers sharing their stories and thoughts, with some sharing why they will or will not take the COVID vaccine. C/N STEVEN ADAMO
‘Yes Day’ shows that parents need to chill out BY BRENDA DE LA CRUZ Staff Writer “Yes Day” brings its audiences a feel-good, inspirational vibe that will make viewers laugh and bring them to tears all in the same 86-minute timeframe. The film centers around two parents who are known by their kids to notoriously say ‘no’ to everything. The mom, played by Jennifer Garner, is shown to have been a fun person before having her kids. Her husband, played by Edgar Ramirez, was also a fun individual but has now become the ‘no’ guy, even at work with his employees. The parents decide to place a bet against their three children, claiming they can say ‘yes’ to everything for 24 hours or else the kids win bragging rights. Once ‘Yes Day’ commences, so do comedic situations they all seem to get themselves into. www.ELACCampusNews.com
The film follows the family on a day-filled adventure where the kids get to plan out chaotic events for the parents to participate in. If the parents say no to anything before the 24 hours are up, they lose the bet. The message being sent to viewers is one of love and a light is shined on the relationship ups and downs of parwents and their kids. Many families can possibly relate to the characters and dilemmas that take place in “Yes Day” as many parent-children relationships tend to have their kinks to work out. The performances by Garner and Ramirez are great. Their chemistry as husband and wife is possibly overshadowed by their other roles as parents in the movie. Ramirez, known for films such as 2015’s “Point break” and “Deliver us from evil,” is placed in hilarious situations, while Garner is mostly seen dealing with friction between her and their eldest daughter, played by
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LOOSEN UP—Edgar Ramirez (left), Jennifer Garner (right) star as parents who usually say no, but have to say yes for a day.
Jenna Ortega. Ortega is known for her roles in the TV show “You” as Ellie, and the voice of Princess Isabel in “Elena of Avalor.” Garner is known for her role as Sydney Bristow in “Alias,” and films such as “Daredevil” and “13 going on 30.” The film has a similar theme like 2008’s “Yes Man” starring Jim Carrey, who similar to “Yes Day” plays a character who has to say ‘yes’ to everything. Ultimately, “Yes Day” is a great film to watch with the family that’s sure to bring you to tears, either from laughing or crying happy tears. “Yes Day” is directed by Miguel Arteta, who also directed “Like a boss,” “Beatriz at dinner” and “Duck butter.” The film is rated PG for some rude and suggestive material, and brief language. It was released on March 12 and is now available to watch on Netflix.