Celebrate Black History Month, Trojan Style
Happy Black History Month, Trojans! In February, we take time to celebrate Black students, professors, history, and culture on this campus and beyond. In honor of the month, here are a few events you can still hit!
How I Celebrated International Women’s Day
By: Ann Nguyen ‘22
International Women’s Day was March 8th this year, and I knew the perfect way to celebrate — by spreading some love, appreciation, and confidence throughout USC. After all, the first step of female empowerment is believing in yourself, ladies!
International Women’s Day: What USC Should be Doing
By: Natalie Oganesyan ‘22
As an intersectional feminist, I love going to events around campus which feature panels of successful and powerful women. I’ve seen Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie being honored, Roxane Gay and Amanda Nguyen tackling the pervasive problem of sexual assault, Grammy-nominee artists TOKiMONSTA and Cam discussing the lack of gender parity in the music industry, Sandra Bland’s sister calling for police accountability, and much more. All these events uplift women and give them a space to talk about the struggles they face not only as women but also within the intersections of race, sexuality, and class. While these events on campus are phenomenal and I am grateful for the plethora of opportunities available at USC to engage in thoughtful discussions about activism and social change, I feel that engagement on a mass scale is lacking.
Notable Black USC Alumni
By: Alexandria Frank ‘21
It is, of course, that magical time of year – Black History Month. And even though February never lasts long enough (like can we please get a do-over BHM in March, please), USC churns out wonderful alumni all year long. Still, the Black alumni of this university can be overlooked at times in favor of Steven Whatshisname. No more! This February, we’re looking at some of USC’s notable Black alumni and letting them have their day in the sun. Of course, there are plenty more wonderful folks that can be found through USC’s Black Alumni Association. But for now, I’ll just give you a little taste.
2nd Annual USC Asian Pacific Film Fest
By: Ann Nguyen ‘22
A martial arts master, a ninja warrior, a mystical and wise old mentor, an annoying know-it-all, the main character’s shy friend, the second person to die in a horror movie… These are just some of the stereotypical representations of the Asian community in film. (You know what I’m talking about!) Though Hollywood definitely isn’t perfect in regards to representation and diversity, it has gotten much better for the Asian-American community with the great strides of improvement that were made thanks to the success of Crazy Rich Asians in 2018. Not to be forgotten in its shadow, however, are works like Japanese drama Shoplifters, which is nominated for an Academy Award, and Sundance-hit Searching, which was made, in part, by USC alumni. And let’s definitely not overlook the great works that Asian Pacific and Asian American filmmakers are continuing to produce about Asians that also feature Asian actors.
USC Students' Favorite Dishes from their Countries
By: Camila Grases ‘21
So I got to talking to a few international students about what it’s like to be far away from home; for Los Angeles to be a foreign city as opposed to some of us who grew up here. Part of what is most inherent in people’s culture tends to be the food, something you may not even realize is fundamental to your daily life until you are thrown into a place entirely out of your comfort zone. So what is it that these students miss the most, food-wise? The answer from every single one of them was “my mom’s cooking.” No doubt, your mother’s cooking holds a very special place in your heart. But what food exactly? Lets find out.
Iridescence: USC Drag Culture and Queer Visibility on Campus
By: Talia Walters ‘20
Every year, USC, through a long list of student associations on campus including the Queer and Ally Student Assembly (Facebook, Instagram), puts on its own drag show with local (read: student) performers. And thus, in my determination to become more acquainted with USC’s queer communities, I decided to attend the show.
Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month
By: Lilly Kate Diaz ‘20
Hello, all! I hope your semester has been going well and that you are all taking care of yourselves. While I am a bit late on posting this, I firmly believe in “better late than never!” If you haven’t heard yet – it’s a very special time of the year for me and my fellows Latinx/Hispanic folks:
Durag Day at USC
By: Joy Ofodu ‘18
Inspired by similar Durag Day events at colleges like Morehouse and UT Austin, student members of USC’s Black Student Assembly & friends set a new tradition in Troy: the first day in which undergraduate students allied to comfortably and proudly debut their nighttime stylings under the LA sun.
Latinx Student Empowerment Conference
By: Lilly Kate Diaz ‘20
Hi, all! I hope these first three weeks have been going well for you all and I wish you the best throughout the next several weeks! I wanted to write this post about a great experience I had this past weekend with El Centro Chicano. This past Sunday, on January 21st, 2018, I went to El Centro Chicano’s Latinx Student Empowerment Conference. This conference aimed to support the research, academic success, and social justice activism of USC students. Conferences such as these, and the overall organization, are open to current USC students - both undergraduate and graduate - and welcome new spring admits! They welcome & encourage USC Alumni to attend these conferences! And if I’m being completely honest…It was the best thing I have ever attended. The conference started off with a special guest speaker, Cristela Alonzo, comedian, actress, writer, and overall amazing human being.
Trojan Athletes Turned Kappa Brothers
By: Joy Ofodu ‘18
Last week saw the resurgence of not only the Alphas on USC’s campus, but also the Kappas! Officially recognized as Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. (Beta Omega Chapter), USC’s chapter, integrated with LMU and Pepperdine, gained five Trojan members.
My KASA Freshmen Dance-off 2017 Experience
By: Amy Wang ‘21
I joined KASA Freshmen Dance-off as someone who has never really danced before unless you count high school prom (plus, I’m also extremely clumsy and uncoordinated). Nevertheless, deciding to join was one of the best decisions I made my first semester freshman year.
Project Playlist - New Music from Black SC
By: Joy Ofodu ‘18
The Thornton kids aren’t the only ones producing music; various members of USC’s Black Student Assembly (affectionately nicknamed Black SC) have created enough bangers and slow jams to last you all Fall ‘17! Whether you’re warming up your dance moves for the last few ragers or trying to stay warm during cuddle season, these projects definitely belong on your playlist:
Sexual Assault Awareness Month: Denim Day
By: Lilly Kate Diaz ‘20
Did you know that in the United States, April is Sexual Assault Awareness month? Spread awareness by participating on Denim Day (April 26th, 2017).
ISA Globefest Recap
By: Anna Lipscomb ‘19
Did you miss this year’s Globefest? Here’s a recap of the event.
Celebrating Feminist Accomplishments in Music: FemFest 2017
By: Terry Nguyen ‘20
On Friday, April 5, USC hosted its fifth annual FemFest, a festival dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments and promoting women within the music industry. The event was made possible through the joined efforts of various feminist organizations on campus, including the Undergraduate Student Government, USC’s Student Assembly for Gender Empowerment, and MUSE at USC. On the Facebook page, USG Program Board and USC FemFest also contributed to hosting the event. FemFest 2017 was a six-and-a-half hour event that took place in Founder’s Park, starting at 5 p.m. with a variety of female musicians headlining the show. The event was free and open to the public, featuring local community vendors, musicians, and even members of the Trojan family.
USC’s First Feminist Media Festival
By: Terry Nguyen ‘20
On Sunday, April 2, the Women in Cinematic Arts hosted its first ever Feminist Media Festival. Although this was an inaugural event, the organization hopes to host more festivals in future years to improve inclusivity and diversity within an industry predominantly represented by cisgender white men. The USC School of Cinematic Arts is diverse in its student demographics — the school’s demographics reveal that it is 50% female. Unfortunately, the film industry does not reflect these numbers, as only 3% of women direct the top films of the field. Such events like the Feminist Media Festival aim to create and build a network of feminist filmmakers to pave the way for the film future.
Hapa Japan Concert 2017 Recap
By: Anna Lipscomb ‘19
From February 22-26, the Japanese American National Museum and USC hosted the 2017 Hapa Japan Festival for the Los Angeles community. The festival featured events such as film screenings, discussions, and performances to celebrate multicultural voices and identities. I had the opportunity to attend the Hapa Japan concert featuring Kina Grannis, Marié Digby, Kris Roche, and Andy Suzuki & the Method.
SCA’s Queer Cut Hosts ‘When We Rise’ Prescreening
By: Grace Carballo ‘17
Last Tuesday, USC’s School of Cinematic Arts aired a pre-screening of ABC’s new miniseries, “When We Rise,” which officially premieres next week on February 27. Queer Cut, the LGBTQA Student Association of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, hosted the event, which my friend and I were very excited to attend. All SC students, faculty, and guests had the opportunity to attend, but if you missed it, I highly encourage you to watch when it airs on Monday. If the rest of this post doesn’t compel you, then maybe the trailer will. ABC provided feedback forms for those in attendance to fill out after the screening. Fortunately, one of the co-presidents of Queer Cut reminded everyone that leaving sections of the form blank was absolutely fine, as ABC seemed to view gender as a binary concept. The feedback forms were definitely not made with this specific screening in mind.
Here’s What Went Down At USC’S Gearfest
By: Ellice Ellis ‘20
This past Saturday, the Black Student Assembly (BSA) hosted Gearfest on McCarthy Quad - showcasing black artists, black-owned businesses and other local artists. After a very stressful week of midterms, Gearfest was the perfect pick-me-up and a fun-filled break from studying. As I walked around the festival, I saw that there was something different was offered at every booth. The running group, BlackListLA, had a booth set up promoting their various fitness activities around Los Angeles. I visited Ugly Betty Boy Crush: a jewelry store that sells stackable bracelets. Ugly Betty Boy Crush even had Mardi Gras-themed jewelry just in time for the revelry next week. The vendors at the festival were a great way to promote black business and introduce students to black entrepreneurs in the LA area.