Volume 54 | May 2019
Your monthly news & updates
Kern Holds Second TRUTH Act Forum
Earlier this month, Kern County held its second TRUTH forum in the Board of Supervisors Chambers. After feedback from the first forum, two sessions were offered this time; one at 6:00 pm on Monday the 13th, and the other at 9:00 am the next morning, just prior to the weekly Board meeting.

Chief Deputy Tyson Davis from the Kern County Sheriff's Office reported to the Board of Supervisors that between 2017 and 2018 the percentage of ICE arrests dropped by 23%.

Despite the reduction, BHC-Kern partners believe there is still a great deal of work to do. To learn more about their reaction, click here!

Just two days after speaking at the TRUTH forum, Bakersfield College student Jose Bello was detained by ICE for the second time in a year. During the forum he read a poem he wrote to describe his experience. Read his poem here.
Youth Power Summit Sells Out!
Youth from across California gathered at Bakersfield College the first weekend in May for Kern’s first Voto Latino Power Summit, which provided young emerging leaders with the opportunity to learn from and be inspired by leaders in media, tech, and advocacy, and to discuss issues impacting their communities.

Dubbed a "power summit pop-up", the free event was held at the Levan Center, and included speakers such as Norberto Briceño, co-founder of Buzzfeed’s Pero Like and Paola Ramos, host of VICE's Latin-X.

“For me, Voto Latino is a great place where we can find the marriage between politics and civic engagement with entertainment,” said Briceño. “We don’t have to be only one thing. We can be a kaleidoscope of things.”

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Music Celebrates Social Justice
Featuring Las Cafeteras and Velorio, the Dream for Social Justice concert was held on May 2 at the Edward Simonsen Performing Arts Center on the Bakersfield College Panorama campus.

Sponsored by a partnership between South Kern Sol and Bakersfield College's Project Conexiones, the event hosted hundreds of participants who believe in #peoplepower!
Learn When To Hold a Press Conference,
And When Not To
Local Teacher Speaks Out About Lack of Teacher Diversity
Kern High School District teacher Jesse Aguilar shares his opinion about the impact on students when teaching staff do not reflect the students they teach. Read more here.
Last Call For Young Writers!
College Students!
In celebration of Mahatma Ghandi's 150th birthday, the Rabi and Naina Patel Foundation, in partnership with the local Gandhi Committee for Truth and Non-Violence, is hosting events throughout the year honoring Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence. The celebration began last month with a free screening of Ghandi at the Fox Theater.
 
Submissions are now being accepted from all Kern County high school seniors and all Kern County college students for an essay contest with $1,000 1st place prize and $500 for 2nd place.
 
How to Enter
 
Write a personal essay, in approximately 750 words, that explains what you think Gandhi meant by the quote:  "An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind."  Discuss how you think the method of Satyagraha could be applied for solving the problems the world is facing today. Describe examples of what you have done or what you could do to make the world a better place, following Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolence.
 
Submit an essay providing your personal interpretation of Gandhi’s quote:
 
College Students:
Deadline: May 30
Submit your essay in pdf format to: gcccollegeessay@gmail.com
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