CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH
BLACK SCHOLARS' NEWSLETTER
October 12, 2022
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DR. SHELLY ANN COLLINS
Psychologist
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Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
By Dr. Shelly Collins
Dr. Shelly is a licensed psychologist who specializes in relationships, racial, gender and sexual minority mental health, increasing cultural competence and fostering a sense of belonging. Dr. Shelly earned her PhD from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts and completed a nationally accredited doctoral internship at UCLA and a health psychology postdoctoral fellowship at the University of San Francisco in California.
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In addition to her clinical work as a staff psychologist at California State University, she is also a psychologist in private practice at Black Girl Doctor, and an adjunct professor for the City College of San Francisco. Dr. Shelly is a change maker, committed to promoting equity and inclusion and has served CSULB as president of the Black Faculty & Staff Association, representative for the California Faculty Association’s Council of Racial and Social Justice, past co-chair of CSULB’s Division of Student Affairs Equity & Inclusion Task Force, and a 2021-2022 recipient of both the NASPA Silver Award in Excellence (area of Equity, Inclusion & Social Justice) and the Division of Student Affairs Excellence in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Recognition.
Dr. Shelly is published and presents on microaggressions among highly educated people of color for corporate and academic audiences on topics such as inclusion, managing stress & anxiety, racial trauma, radical resilience, multicultural competence, and relational health & wellness.
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SEKOU CHINYELU
Student at CSULB, Author
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By Teylor Graves
It was a pleasure to interview Sekou Chinyelu for the Black Scholars’ Newsletter for the month of October. During the interview, Sekou got into detail about his life as a writer, as a CSULB student, and about his past life. He was open, honest, and warmly welcomed the questions that were asked of him.
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Sekou’s journey from being an aspiring writer to creating his own website and publishing novels began when he found his love for reading and writing during grade school. He would read classic literature such as Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Little Women, etc. and this planted the seed. It also was the beginning of building a foundation for him because it piqued his interest and opened his mind to the world of literature. Even as a child he made frequent trips to the library.
Throughout his life, Sekou went through the transitions of figuring out what he wanted to pursue. At one point he considered being part of the music industry because he loved to make beats. However, remembering his love of books and learning from his experience as a CSULB student, he ultimately rediscovered his passion for writing. With that decision made, he sold around $10,000 worth of music equipment and used that money to publish his first few books.
His journey was not all linear though. He faced some roadblocks when navigating through printing companies and learning the process of self-publishing. Undaunted, he continued forward and now offers several books in multiple genres including romance, drama, sci-fi etc. on his website www.ensbooks.com. They are also available on Amazon under his alias PapaSak or SD Chinyelu.
Sekou is inspired by people, character delineation, and personal experience. His ideas come from how he imagines a character would react to a certain event or how they would react in a specific environment. Since Sekou believes that the Black community is underrepresented, he uses his culture and his people to draw inspiration from and be able to tell characters’ stories in a different light. He believes that because Black history is so vast, he has so many stories to tell. It is important to him, that he gives each story the justice it deserves.
Going back to school has been a challenge. He goes to school during the day and works at night. He’s also parenting an 11-year-old son while his wife is still a citizen in Africa, but he keeps moving forward. He credits three professors for shaping him as a Creative Writing student. Professor Greenberg who taught fiction and nonfiction, Dr. Moore who taught poetry, and Dr. Alice Nicholas who helped him further identify who he was as a scholar in an African American experience.
Overall, Sekou is someone who has walked all stages of life that brought him to where he is today and now, he is successful in achieving something that holds importance to him---writing and making his written works available to the public. As an aspiring writer, I have read some of his stories and fell in love with his word choice and imagination. Sekou is a wonderful role model because he’s such a hard worker and has so much self-perseverance that is needed to become an accomplished writer. I highly recommend Sekou’s novels to anyone. It’s a perfect Christmas and New Year’s gift or even a birthday present. There’s something for everybody and showing support will not go unnoticed. www.ensbooks.com
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Photographed by Yenny Garcia
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NICOLE SNELL
CSULB Alum, Owner of
Girls Fight Back
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Instagram: girlsfightback
Youtube: Nicole Snell (#Outdoor Defense)
Facebook: Girls Fight Back
Twitter: girlsfightback
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LONG BEACH BLACK OWNED BUSINESS HIGHLIGHT |
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Max Viltz
Owner of Village Treasures
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Written by Imani Moses
Max Viltz has been in business since 1997 and is the owner of Village Treasures on Broadway in downtown Long Beach. When she first started her business, she was traveling to Africa and started collecting and studying African History and culture. During that time, Max was working a full-time job at the Boeing company doing Government Contracts Management. She was not sure if she wanted to go into retail as an entrepreneur, so she worked both her fulltime job at Boeing and did her personal business for 5 years before she left her job. In the beginning, she admitted it was a struggle but, she made the decision to go into the unknown versus a salaried income. When she started college at California State University Long Beach, she started her college career with the intent to get her degree in Sociology but, when she started at Boeing, she later changed her degree to Business and then attended a special program at UCLA in Professional Designation in Government.
Her African import shop exposes you to the African culture and she houses a range of artifacts, textiles, books that are affordable and upscale. Her intention with Village Treasures is to provide the community with accessibility to the best. Some wisdom that Max offers to those who want to be an entrepreneur or do not know what to do is to follow what fits your personality and your passion and find a way to turn it into a business. Max went from working in an office and seeing the same people every day to seeing the public every day and creating the environment she wanted to work in all because she followed her passion. Some of Max’s favorite items are her very own textiles/ cloths, masks, and statues.
Village Treasures is located at 247 E. Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90802 and can be reached at (562) 435-3110
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TEC LEIMERT
BLACK TO THE FUTURE
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Written by Kayla Brooks
On Saturday, September 24, 2022, I may have had one of the best experiences of my life. Being someone that has never been interested in technology since math and science are not my strongest areas, I could not see myself attending a tech conference. However, when I received a flier about Black to the Future from my supervisor on campus, I immediately jumped onto the opportunity to attend. With a play on one of the best movies ever created about the power of technology in its name, the event emphasizing the inclusion of the Black community sparked my curiosity. Upon expressing my interest in this event, I was fully embraced by the staff even before it took place. As a Black college student from another state, I don't drive so transportation is difficult for me and limits my ability to participate in things that I would like to explore. I communicated this to Janelle Bechdol of Tec Leimert, and she did not hesitate to offer me resources to ensure that I could attend the event. This woman, who had no idea who I was, opened her heart to me and made it clear that her passion in this life is to assist the youth in any way that she can. Her warmness did not stop there. When I made it to the event it was clear that the staff’s intention was to make every participant feel special. We were given custom designed bags as a token of appreciation for attending that included sweatshirts and an event pass. One of the staff members even offered my close friend a couple of snacks after she expressed how she had not eaten all day. This group put an emphasis on community and refused to let anyone they encountered go without support.
The panel experience was amazing. People spoke about cryptocurrency, the importance of owning your work, video game development/content etc. One of my favorite moments of the day happened at the video game panel. A young woman grabbed the microphone and spoke about how she would like to stream her gaming on the twitch platform, but she was not comfortable with showing her face on camera or speaking. She asked the panelists if this would be possible. Not only did they reassure her that it was possible and offer her tips on how to execute this, but they also encouraged her to step out of her comfort zone and begin streaming with video and audio. They affirmed her and told her that as a content creator she has the power to impact her following and that she should not fear putting herself out there fully. The audience raved in support of the panelists' response to her and joined in on showering her with love and affirmations.
Another favorite moment of mine was getting to meet Black people in our community that are showing out in the fields of media, film, and entertainment. I gained so much knowledge about the coordination of these areas and the importance of making connections. I was honored to take a picture with Hayma Washington, the Vice President of Disney’s Creative Talent and Inclusion. He spoke with me, and we engaged in a conversation that I will always be so grateful for. Our conversation reminded me of the importance of feeling seen. Yes, representation is particularly important, but I would like to express my gratitude for feeling seen. I felt seen as an individual talking to all these people that contribute to the media that we enjoy today. Amid feeling too shy, too unaware, too uninformed, too everything, I felt comfortable enough to be myself while navigating these conversations. Mr. Washington’s attentiveness gave me that comfort. Each that panelist I spoke with did everything in their power to make me feel included in this space while listening carefully to every word that I shared with them of my story.
Overall, the work that Tec Leimert continues to do is truly a call to action. They offer youth the ability to participate in programs and provide resources and tools to thrive in the field of advanced media. Tec Leimert has shown me that everyone has a place in STEM and technology regardless of their background or work experience. I really appreciate their strength and their ability to hold down spaces such as Leimert Park that are sacred to the Black community of Los Angeles. Tec Leimert, thank you for what you have offered this New Orleans, Louisiana gal.
Add contact information:
TECLEIMERT.ORG
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First day that applications are accepted- October 1
Deadline - November 30
Reinstatement (disqualified) CSULB students
Need Assistance? Please check out the Student Affairs Programs designed to help with academic and financial aid counseling, tutoring, for first generation, historically low income, foster youth, pregnant and parenting, adults and men of color.
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INTERESTED IN ATTENDING CSULB? |
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COLLEGE INCLUSION SUMMIT
Saturday, October 15, 2022 | 8:30am - 12:30 pm
Under the direction of Dr. John Hamilton, the College Inclusion Summit was envisioned to provide prospective students from traditionally disenfranchised and historically underserved communities with information to empower them to apply to college and be successful once they arrive.
We encourage all interested high school and transfer students, parents, K-12 school personnel, and organizations to join us in on campus in the University Student Union, Ballrooms to:
- Learn more about CSULB
- Complete your CSU application
- Receive Assistant with completing FAFSA & Dream Act Funding
- Attend workshops for Students & Parents/Guardian
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RSVP is required. Online RSVP Form If you have questions, please contact us at 562-985-5587
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INTERESTED IN PARTCIPATING IN STUDY ON CAMPUS? |
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Recruiting Research Participants
Dr. Amber Johnson is currently recruiting Black/African American women aged 18 years or older to participate in a study to understand Discrimination, Sociocognitive Processes, and Cardiovascular Risk (DSC Study)!
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OUTober 2022
Looking for Testing materials?
Scantrons, green books, pens, pencils, etc. are available in the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) in F03
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