Volume 47 | October 2018

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Grammy and Academy Award-Winning Musician Engages Kern Youth

Common Encourages Youth to Address Social Injustice Through Positive Community Involvement On October 10th, music superstar and social justice advocate Common was in Bakersfield on the first stop on his Hope & Redemption Tour through California's Central Valley. Moderated by Bakersfield College student and South Kern Sol reporter Ja'Nell Gore, young people from across Kern County listened to Common highlight the importance of their voice and participation in creating healthy communities. Attendees also shared some of their concerns and challenges with the musician, specifically around social injustice and racial disparity. After his stop in Bakersfield, Common continued up the Central Valley, visiting prisons and community events in Fresno, Merced, and Stockton. To learn more about Common's social justice and community work, visit the Common Ground Foundation .

South Kern Improvements Within Reach In September, the Kern County Board of Supervisors created a new economic opportunity zone intended to boost the economy in South Kern. The special zone, dubbed the Arvin-Lamont Economic Opportunity Area, will receive funds from all non-oil and mineral-related tax increments (property and sales) for the next ten years, and those funds will be used only within that zone. Running between Highway 99 and Towerline Road (West to East), and Mountain View Road to Herring Road (North to South), residents are hoping these funds will support infrastructure that has been sorely needed. County officials estimate that by the end of 2019 more than $30,000 will be available, and that in 10 years time, more than $300,000 will have been generated.   BHC partners Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability and the Center for Race, Poverty and the Environment were in attendance and supported the zone put forward by Supervisor David Couch.

KHSD School Climate Update Twice a year the Kern High School District (KHSD) holds a community forum to update parents and residents on changes in school discipline and climate. BHC partners learned about what has been happening in the district with Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS). While partners were pleased with the engaging presentation and the fact that translation was available, there are still some areas that partners felt could be improved on for the next forum. According to GBLA attorney Lyndsi Andreas, "Many in attendance at the KHSD Community Forum felt the district did not do a good enough job of involving the community and that many questions were not answered in their entirety by the district.” In addition to believing questions were not fully addressed, partners also believe that concerns for the LGTBQ student population were not discussed. While the Kern High School District has made some significant strides in reducing suspensions and expulsions in recent years, there is still work to do. Suspension and expulsion rates continue to show that students of color are impacted at disproportionate levels. The next KHSD community forum will be held in January 2019. Read more about KHSD's school climate in South Kern Sol's Q&A with CRLA attorney Rebecca Buckley-Stein .

This Family Makes A Difference Generation After Generation Valerie Gorospe, Communications Coordinator for the Center on Race, Poverty, and the Environment's (CRPE) Delano office is following in her mother's footsteps. Valerie's mother Teresa DeAnda was an air quality advocate for the Central Valley whose work focused on pesticide hazards. Valerie is building on her mother's work by increasing the scope to include many facets of environmental justice. Read more about Valerie .

Check out South Kern Sol’s latest stories!  Read about students fighting to keep their campus beautiful. Read about how infrastructure impacts students in Delano and Greenfield.

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