In the past few years, the United States has unfortunately seen a spike in school shootings. Most recently, on March 20, two students were injured during a shooting at Great Mills High School in Lexington Park, Maryland. This comes just weeks after the tragic shooting in Parkland, Florida when a former student snapped and killed 17 people, including both students and staff.

There have been countless rallies and protest held against the current gun laws. Many parents are expressing concern for the safety of their children, and many students admit to being afraid of the “norm” that this has become.

In an attempt to make students aware and prepared in the case of an emergency, Chabot teamed up with the Hayward Police Department to join in on the ‘Run Hide Fight’ campaign. A campaign designed to teach students how to survive an active shooter.

The video is narrated by Lieutenant Antonio Puente, who walks us through the steps to take in case a shooter is on campus. While Puente speaks, the viewer watches a mock active shooter situation going through the campus of Chabot. The shooter is portrayed by actress/producer Connie Jo Sechrist.

Sechrist, a San Jose native and former Chabot TV employee, admitted she felt “very uncomfortable” while portraying the shooter in the video. “The whole point of making the video is to help save lives, and when we decided to make the shooter a woman, I was for it. But in reality, I had to step outside of my comfort zone to play the role. I don’t want people to be scared of me.” Sechrist hopes that this project sends a message to viewers to “stand up, protect yourself and others, to not let this continue and to fight back.”

I showed the video to a couple of students and got feedback on what they believe would be the best tactic to remain safe during a shooting. “I would run, but I would also try to locate where the shooter is and avoid that area,” a student named Gabriel said to me. His friend, Christian, followed by saying “I would try to find an empty room to hide in.” Both of which are great options to keep in mind.

Sechrist is currently working on a feature film about human trafficking in which she hopes to bring awareness and expose the truth behind the epidemic. To hear more about Sechrist upcoming projects visit her website, www.ConnieJoSechrist.com. This story was originally covered by the Spectator, last year.

https://youtu.be/QrMhyk6zBfo

Hello, sunshine. Hello, spring. Hello, Women’s History Month! With the welcoming of March comes the welcoming of Women’s History Month.

On March 8, 1857, a group of female garment workers, in New York City, organized together to form a rally outside of the factory they were employed in. The ladies held picket signs and posters that read phrases that demanded the need for better working conditions and better pay. The rally proved successful and from this came the creation of the first women’s labor union.

Over 50 years later in 1908, on the anniversary of the garment workers original strike, thousands of women banded together yet again but this time taking to the streets of New York. They marched from Manhattan to Union Square and not only chanted for more change of pay but also attacked the issue of extremely long hours, voting rights, and child labor laws. A few months later in May, the Socialist Party of America declared that the last day of February be dubbed National Women’s Day, which was first celebrated the following year in 1909. This soon gained international attention and other countries started to follow suit and acknowledged February 28 as well.

As the years went on activist, began to realize that not only was there an issue with woman’s pay and very poor working conditions, but there was also painfully obvious lack of women’s contributions to the United States of America in school history books. In 1970 a group of activist gathered together and revised the school curriculum in Sonoma County which eventually spread across the county and went on to earn so much attention that in 1980 president Jimmy Carter proclaimed the first national women’s history week for March 2 – 8. Making sure to plan it around the anniversary of the garment worker strike.

As the movement continued to gain traction some parts of the nation went on to celebrate the entire month of March in honor of women. Thus inspiring the Women’s National History Project to lobby for an official longer observation period, which was successful and in 1987 Congress passed a proclamation establishing March as the official Women’s History Month.

Now in 2018, women are still fighting the good fight for equal rights, pay, and standards as men. Much of women’s success story has begun in somewhat recent times and has expanded to include the rights of women who area part of the LGBTQ community. It is safe to assume the fight is far from over, but more so just the beginning.

Upcoming Women’s History Month Events

Oh February, how we love you so. Winter is ending, birds are chirping and Black History Month is being celebrated. Although being Black is always something to be proud of and the culture should be praised year round, February is dubbed as the official Black History Month in the United States.

Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard Graduate from Virginia, is widely known as the “father of Black history.” Woodson, born December 19, 1875, couldn’t help but noticed the lack of proper representation (or representation at all) of Black culture in his US History studies. Determined for change and in an attempt to educate others on the impact of Black culture in our society, Woodson launched the Association for the Study of Negro Life in 1915. From this came the Journal of Black History (now known as the Journal of African American History), a publication that highlights the roles, importance, and history of Black people. His work brought in loads of support and encouragement, and in 1926 Woodson was able to organize the first-ever Negro History Week. This purposefully fell on the second week of February to celebrate both Frederick Douglass (former slave/national leader of the abolitionist movement) and President Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays. Woodson devoted his entire life to ensuring the presence of African American history in the United States. Sadly he died of a heart attack in 1950 before seeing his celebration go from a week to the entire month of February in 1976. However, Woodson left behind a legacy that goes hand in hand with the works of other astounding African American leaders.

Week one of February has been exciting as the celebration of Black history is in full effect all across the Bay Area. Celebrations and dedications have been held by the city of Hayward, Oakland and many more. Chabot’s Scholars of the African Diaspora (CSAD), a group of programs and organizations in place to promote the academic success of students of the African descent, has hosted motivational workshops and panel discussions all throughout campus. And not to mention we screamed Happy Birthday to Mrs. Rosa Parks as she would have turned 105 on February 4. Parks, of course, made history when she refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man on December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama.Parks was arrested and tried for this event, but eventually made bailed and moved on to continue fighting against segregation and discrimination.

If you feel that you’ve missed out on the festivities, don’t worry! There is plenty more celebration to go around. Here at Chabot CSAD is hosting three more upcoming events including a “Get Out” film screening on the 15th, a Black Scholars Family Night on the 22nd, and an end of the month Carnival on the 27th. The Bay Area is jammed packed with events as well, most of which are free. For more information scan the code below for events around the Bay Area if you would like to join in on all the love. Also, tune into KTCH Channel 27, and catch an episode of Chabot News where Chabot’s Avier Brass will be doing weekly segments about culturally significant figures in Black history.

For more on Black History Month events in the bay area check Eventbrite.