Veterans Sharing Oral Histories Highlight Spring Arts & Lectures

Veterans Sharing Oral Histories Highlight Spring Arts & Lectures

Marine Corps veteran and CSUSM alumna Amy Forsythe will be the keynote speaker for a March 19 event titled "Veterans History Project: An Unveiling of the Journey."

An event showcasing the oral histories of military veterans highlights the spring lineup of the longstanding Arts & Lectures series at Cal State San Marcos.

This season boasts a diverse selection of eight events as the university hosts renowned guest speakers and performances.

Attendees can reserve tickets online via the Arts & Lectures website now.

All-Out Turf & Popping Hip-Hop Cypher and Battle

Feb. 5, 1-10 p.m., USU Ballroom

A day-long cypher and battle led by two notable hip-hop artists, Johnny Lopez (Johnny 5) and Quentin Robinson (SpecialFX). Born in Oakland, Johnny5 is a Latino professional turf dancer and the founder of TURFinc, a Bay Area company that instills positive changes in the community through dance. SpecialFX is a father of two, a Marine Corps veteran and the founder of Movements 4 Movements. At CSUSM, they will share hip-hop dance and culture during an event that includes guest lectures, dance workshops and a cypher featuring authentic hip-hop dancers, performances, competitions and classes.

CSUSM students: Free

Faculty/staff/alumni: $5

Community: $10

Songs of the Wayfarer

Feb. 15, 7 p.m., Arts 111

"Songs of the Wayfarer" is based on select poems of Rabindranath Tagore, India's Nobel laureate. Translations from Bengali to English were created by Jayanta Acharya, original music was composed by Mtafiti Imara and dances were choreographed by Anusree Bonnerjee and Cherie Hill. Each step in this collaborative process involved reflections on the central theme: one who goes on a spiritual journey. It's both an ancient and modern theme found in many disciplines, including literature, religion and mythology. These songs ask questions of what defines us as individuals and as connected humans.

CSUSM students: Free

Faculty/staff/alumni: $5

Community: $10

From Fungi to the Planet: Complex Systems in Science and Art

Feb. 17, noon, USU Ballroom

Join a panel of scientific and artistic thinkers for a deep look at the roles of fungi on the planet and microscopic elements within complex systems. Scientists from the Treseder Lab at UC Irvine will examine fungi's layered relationship to planetary life and discuss how fungi mediate and connect distant ecosystems. David Familian, also from UC Irvine, will introduce life webs and AI as complex systems, a topic that comes to focus in the art exhibition "Future Tense: Art, Complexity and Uncertainty." Moving across perspectives in art and science, the panelists will reframe how we picture the planet. The lecture will be preceded by a workshop from 10:30-11:30 a.m.

CSUSM students: Free

Faculty/staff/alumni: Free

Community: $5

'Bad Child': Film Screening and Interdisciplinary Panel on Sexual Assault

March 4, noon, Arts 111

"Bad Child" is a short documentary about the more intimate, less visible outcomes of enduring repeated childhood sexual abuse. The film focuses on one survivor's reflections while expert interviews place emphasis on the importance of parental and caregiver support. Director Nicole Mendez will discuss the film's format and its contents, then host an interdisciplinary panel examining impacts of sexual assault, artistic expressions of trauma and resources available to survivors. Panelists include CSUSM faculty and staff from Student Health & Counseling Services, the Department of Psychology, the School of Arts and more.

CSUSM students: Free

Faculty/staff/alumni: Free

Community: $5

Veterans History Project: An Unveiling of the Journey

March 19, 6 p.m., USU Ballroom

This event showcasing the oral histories of military veterans offers an intimate look into the personal experiences, challenges and triumphs of veterans from diverse backgrounds. The stories shared will be archived at the Library of Congress and in CSUSM's Kellogg Library, preserving their legacies for future generations. The keynote speaker is Amy Forsythe, a Marines Corps veteran, Navy reservist and CSUSM alumna. The formal program will be preceded by a veteran/military resource fair and reception at 5 p.m.

CSUSM students: Free

Military-affiliated community and resource fair guests: Free

Faculty/staff/alumni: $5

Community: $10

Jason Magabo Perez

April 7, 6 p.m., USU Ballroom

Through poetry, performance and video, Jason Magabo Perez - the most recent poet laureate for the City of San Diego - will explore the poetics of memory as an act of anticolonial future-making. Perez is a poet, essayist, performer and author of the book of poetry and prose titled "This is for the mostless" (2017) and the forthcoming book-length poem "I ask about what falls away." An associate professor and director of ethnic studies at CSUSM, Perez will be joined by DJ, music producer, performer and longtime collaborator Shammy Dee.

CSUSM students: Free

Faculty/staff/alumni: Free

Community: $5

Xtreme Wellness: Keep It Moving

April 14, 6 p.m., USU Ballroom

In "Xtreme Wellness," featuring the Oside Steppers and guest instructors, you can experience modernized step aerobics set to hip-hop music, offering a fun, intense workout that burns calories, boosts cardiovascular health and relieves stress. The event includes showcases, instructional sessions and practice for all skill levels, from beginner to advanced. In a bonus panel discussion, get to know your instructors and discover how they use movement to enhance their well-being. The panel will be moderated by Daja Marks, a CSUSM alumna, artist/activist and experimental documentarian

CSUSM students: Free

Faculty/staff/alumni: $5

Community: $7

Educational Equality Now: The Legacy of the Lemon Grove Incident in the Mexican Southwest and the Challenge to Desegregation in the United States

April 23, 6 p.m., USU Ballroom

The 1931 landmark case Roberto Alvarez v. the Board of Trustees of the Lemon Grove School District wasthe first successful school desegregation court decision in U.S. history. This lecture by Dr. Robert R. Alvarez Jr., a professor emeritus of ethnic studies at UC San Diego and the son of the lead plaintiff in the case, will review the specific struggle by the Mexican families of Lemon Grove in the greater context of the Mexican challenge to U.S. school desegregation. The case established the rights of children of Mexican immigrants to equal education, despite local, regional and national sentiment that favored not only segregation, but the actual deportation of the Mexican population in the United States. Current educational equity issues for Mexican immigrant and Latino communities will be contextualized through regional data compiled by the National Latino Research Center at CSUSM.

CSUSM students: Free

Faculty/staff/alumni: $5

Community: $10

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

[email protected] | Office: 760-750-7306