Nonprofit organizations are invited to apply for the Port of Long Beach’s Community Sponsorship Program, which funds community events and activities that help inform residents about the port. The events center on the arts, environment, education, social justice and historic preservation.
Community groups may submit sponsorship applications online starting May 1, through 5 p.m., May 31. Due to the application review process, applicants are advised to plan well in advance for their events. Once the application period closes, a 60-day period is needed before the proposed sponsorships can be considered by the Board of Harbor Commissioners for approval.
Sponsorships for the May call are generally for events and projects taking place Aug. 1 and later. For the September call later this year, sponsorships are generally for events and projects Dec. 1 and later.
Applications are judged on how effectively the proposed events and activities can help the port inform the community of its critical role as an economic engine and job creator. For more information on the Port’s Community Sponsorship Program and how to apply, go to www.polb.com/sponsorship.
For the last sponsorship call in January, Harbor Commissioners awarded 220 community sponsorships totaling $895,200, the second-largest award in a single call to date.
One year after the signing of the memorandum of understanding to establish a Green and Digital Shipping Corridor, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore or MPA, Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach have completed a comprehensive baselining study. It forecasts more green jobs, health improvements for local communities and economic benefits for participating countries, emphasizing the future demand for zero- and near-zero emission fuels and the benefits from decarbonizing the shipping routes between the nations.
The study, commissioned by C40 Cities and the ports, and conducted by the American Bureau of Shipping, analyzed maritime trade flows between Singapore, Los Angeles and Long Beach, and provided a baseline of activities and energy demand requirements for vessels operating on the corridor through to 2050. The conclusion of the study follows the unveiling of the corridor’s Partnership Strategy at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference in December 2023, which outlined the corridor’s goals, partnership structure and governance mechanism. The study estimates the quantity of near-zero and zero-emission fuels required for this traffic by modeling the adoption of zero and near-zero carbon alternative fuels by vessels operating on the corridor through to 2050, considering various parameters such as fuel production costs and fuel availability, and in view of the targets in the 2023 International Maritime Organization’s Strategy on Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ships. The study can be found here.
On a practical level, the study highlights the potential socioeconomic impact of transitioning to zero- and near-zero emission fuels and leveraging on digital solutions. Based on the study’s estimates, the corridor at full implementation could create over 700 new job opportunities in zero and near-zero emission fuel production and improve local air quality. These estimates support findings by C40 and other organizations that activities undertaken through green shipping corridors can accelerate wider decarbonization across the maritime industry and unlock health benefits for local communities and green economy opportunities for participating countries.
As leading global ports, Singapore, Los Angeles and Long Beach are vital nodes on the trans-Pacific shipping lane and are key stakeholders in the maritime sector’s green and digital transition. Alongside 20 leading ports and port cities, MPA, POLA, and POLB are members of C40’s Green Ports Forum, a prominent global platform for collaborative climate action that actively champions ambitious green shipping corridors, acknowledging their central role in the ports and shipping sectors’ green transition.
Key findings of the study include:
Vessels operating on the corridor represent 7% of the world’s container trade, which is about 1% of Singapore’s, 14.5% of Port of Long Beach’s, and 20% of Port of Los Angeles’ traffic.
The projected annual energy demand of vessels on the corridor is estimated to be approximately 60,000 terajoules, equivalent to approximately two months of Singapore’s national electricity generation.
Shipping demand on the corridor is estimated to be around 850,000 tons of methanol and 160,000 tons of ammonia annually by 2030, displacing the equivalent greenhouse gas emissions from almost 320,000 cars annually.
The transition to zero- and near-zero emission fuels could potentially create approximately 700 jobs in the production and supply chain of such fuels by 2030.
The partnership convened the first in-person stakeholder meeting of the corridor together with industry value-chain representatives, as a prelude to onboarding stakeholders to the corridor. The meeting was held during Singapore Maritime Week 2024 on April 18.
The meeting and subsequent working groups will focus on developing green and digital solutions to address the following focus areas within the corridor:
Enable the supply and adoption of zero and near-zero emissions fuels (e.g. green ammonia, green methanol) at scale, including safety, emergency response, mitigation and standards-setting.
Develop and scale-up the adoption of energy efficiency solutions, including through digital tools (e.g. route optimization, remote monitoring) and technologies that reduce fuel consumption (e.g. wind-assisted propulsion).
Develop and encourage the adoption of digital technologies to support the monitoring, reporting and verification of greenhouse gas emissions along the corridor.
All three ports will participate in the accelerating digitalization and decarbonization conference organized by MPA as part of Singapore Maritime Week 2024 and in a moderated discussion convened by C40 on the sidelines of the event entitled Navigating Collaboration: Governance of Green Shipping Corridor Partnerships, where C40 will unveil its new report and share insights into best practices for effective governance of the green corridor.
The Long Beach Public Library will unveil a dynamic array of events and programs in observance of Asian American and Pacific Islander or AAPI Heritage Month 2024, nationally recognized from May 1-31. This year’s local theme, A Bouquet of Cultures, celebrates the diversity and allure of Asian and Pacific Islander cultures through engaging experiences that mirror the vibrancy of the community. All residents are encouraged to participate in honoring and delving into the rich cultural legacy of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Kicking off the festivities for the third consecutive year is the Festival of AAPI Books or FAB,, May 4, at the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library. FAB promises a day brimming with literary delights, featuring engaging book discussions and author readings from over 15 esteemed AAPI authors, including Kaylin Melia George, author of “Aloha Everything,” and Jenny Liao, author of “Everyone Loves Lunchtime but Zia.” The highlight of the festival will be a keynote discussion featuring Pulitzer Prize winners Viet Thanh Nguyen and 2022 Rome Prize in Literature Gina Apostol, followed by a book signing session for attendees. Festival participants can browse and purchase books and treats from a variety of vendors, including Bel Canto Books, We Are Sunraised, and Kubo LB.
CALIFORNIA—After reaching a historic tentative agreement April 22, UFCW-represented cannabis delivery drivers and depot staff at 11 Eaze locations in California have overwhelmingly ratified their first statewide three-year contract. The employees are represented by UFCW locals 5, 135, 324, and 770, and their victory comes after months of difficult negotiations, including an authorization for an unprecedented statewide strike, ahead of 4/20.
The agreement represents a significant win for workers, with provisions including immediate wage increases of up to $2.50 an hour for retail and delivery workers, and up to $3.50 an hour for inventory and depot employees. The agreement includes a process to establish an equitable and transparent mileage reimbursement. The contract also guarantees health care benefits, work hours, appropriate advance notice for work scheduling, premium pay on holidays, and paid time off for part-time workers, among other wins.
These gains are a testament to the worker-led bargaining team’s determination, which has fought for justice and respect relentlessly since August 2023. This contract is effective April 20, 2024 through April 19, 2027, and is the largest contract covering cannabis delivery drivers in the country.
“University of Florida Eliminates all DEI-Related Positions,” read a March 2, 2024, New York Times headline. The article documented how Florida’s decision to terminate funds for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) related programs resulted in the University of Florida removing all DEI-related positions from their campus. This is but one of a series of stories about how states such as Alabama and Indiana are working to eliminate DEI programs and content in education. While the anti-DEI efforts have received much media coverage, little attention has been paid to how educational technologies (ed-tech) undermine the mission of DEI advocates.
DEI work is an outgrowth of affirmative action policies born of the 1961 Executive Order No. 10925, signed by President John F. Kennedy. The order and subsequent legislation resulted in schools largely voluntarily adopting affirmative action policies that, in education specifically, sought to increase the representation of historically underrepresented groups, such as women and people of color. Work done in the name of affirmative action never settled comfortably into the United States’ hyper-individualist culture. Since its passage, the courts wrestled with affirmative action, culminating in the 2023 Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which effectively outlawed affirmative action on the grounds that current policies “lack sufficiently focused and measurable objectives warranting the use of race, unavoidably employ race in a negative manner, involve racial stereotyping, and lack meaningful end points.”
Like affirmative action, DEI has been skewered by individuals who do not believe in its mission. What is rarely discussed is how DEI advocates are often bamboozled by the ed-tech rhetoric into adopting tools and platforms that undermine the mission of DEI. The biggested-techplatforms and companiesclaim that their products adhere to DEI principles, but in practice, they counter the mission of DEI.
Today, students and teachers are monitored — and monitor each other — by a complex set of surveillance tools found in common classroom software and hardware, such as Turnitin, ClassDojo, Illuminate Education and G Suite for Education, Chromebooks, and Apple tablets, that enable technology management, law enforcement, teachers, students, and families to monitor classrooms, school libraries, and reading lists. This, in addition to one’s personal devices which listen as well.
Rather than enhance education, these tools undermine the autonomy of students, teachers, and families and reduce them to data repositories to be mined by Big Tech corporations. Big Tech’s economic viability rests on tracking and surveilling users, then selling that data and its analysis to predict and modify human behavior. Entering classrooms, especially the classrooms of minors, enables unprecedented access to precious data. Despite this invasiveness, it is perfectly legal, thanks to 2012 changes to the student privacy rights bill, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), that allowed ed-tech companies to access the private information of enrolled students.
Because compulsory education makes the vast majority of young people in the United States a captive audience, the changes to FERPA transformed schools into a testing ground for new surveillance technologies. Often introduced under the guise of safety, surveillance technologies collect copious amounts of data beyond what might be needed for educational purposes. For example, Bark, a product specifically designed to monitor students’ communications, can read all student data, including emails, web searches, and social media posts made on their school-issued and personal devices.
In their pursuit of profit and access to data, ed-tech companies undermine equity, which refers to the campus commitment that all students receive the unique support needed to achieve student success. Due to algorithmic bias, the unfair and discriminatory outcomes that result from the bias coded into algorithms, ed-tech companies produce inequitable outcomes for historically marginalized communities. For example, research has shown algorithmic bias in ed-tech, such as admissions platforms incorrectly concluding that students of color and students with disabilities are more prone to criminality and diagnosing LGBTQ+ students with mental health problems. It is also worth noting that surveillance in schools is inequitable as poorer students’ economic challenges force them to depend on school-issued digital devices and platforms, while wealthy students can skirt school surveillance by purchasing personal devices.
In addition to being inequitable, ed-tech tools often undermine inclusivity. For example, school-issued devices can and do alert campuses to student web searches about sexuality and in the process, have outed students’ sexual preference. As a result, the school closed down one of the few spaces that could potentially be inclusive for these students to explore their identity. Similarly, when surveillance is a prerequisite for education, students whose migrant status is in question face the additional challenge of protecting their place of residence, including any relatives whose status may also be contested.
Despite their rhetoric, ed-tech companies seem disinterested in promoting diversity. For example, Proctorio, a browser extension used in remote learning situations to scan the room via facial and gaze detection to determine if a student is cheating, seems to have not been coded to account for students with disabilities. Indeed, there have been cases where a student with a disability is scanned, and the program inaccurately accuses them of cheating. This discriminatory accusation creates an extra challenge for students with disabilities, who not only have to complete their education but also clear their name for an offense they did not commit. Relatedly, school districts have used algorithms in an effort to diversify their student body. Still, research has revealed that algorithmic biases in these platforms promote homogeneity, especially in terms of class and race, in schools.
As critical scholars, we argue that it is imperative to analyze, assess, and evaluate ed-tech tools and acknowledge their complexity. We do not aim to eradicate digital technologies from schools. However, the research is clear: Ed-tech, in its current form, does not support DEI. As a result, in addition to combating the anti-DEI efforts, DEI advocates must reflect upon how their use and support for ed-tech contributes to anti-DEI outcomes.
NewFilmmakers Los Angeles’ Student Mentorship Program has two upcoming sessions on May 22 and 23 at NBCUniversal. About 24 spots are still available.
Below is a general overview of the program:
The Student Mentorship Program is open to current LA County high school students. Participants will be paired with a production mentor during their time on set and will learn about directing, cinematography, lighting, producing, sound mixing and more.
Time 2:45 pm to 5:30 pm
Location: NBCUniversal
Each student is only allowed to participate once.
Snacks will be provided to the students.
What you need to do:
Please ask the student to send their application via this link.
Please ask the student’s parent/guardian to sign the attached release forms and send them to NewFilmmakers Los Angeles by email.
Please make sure to inform the student to regularly check their email and respond to our invitation as soon as possible so we can reserve a spot for them.
Spots will be assigned on a first come, first served basis. A confirmation email will be sent to the student once they have been admitted to the program, so please remind them to check their inbox/spam folder regularly.
Update: See at the bottom of this story for for the museum’s Closing Reception Celebration festivities,
May 2
Artist and arts based researcher crafts traditions.
Aneesa Shami Zizzo: Reclamation, showing until May 9 at Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Museum, considers the process of constructing and reclaiming one’s identity by attending to shared memory.
Repurposing discarded materials, such as thrifted and gifted yarn, fabric samples and old magazines, Shami Zizzo creates weavings, appliqued tapestries, and paper collages that become embedded with cultural traditions and personal narrative. Her work echoes her experiences as a second-generation Arab American and expresses notions of the cyclical nature of life and self-reflection.
Zizzo, an artist and arts based researcher, was awarded a residency at the Arab American National Museum in May 2024; and she was a fellow for the Mildred’s Lane Attention Labs: Order of the Third Bird in 2015 (an experimental, cultural organization where interdisciplinary artists collaborate on novel forms of social engagement in art, ecology, science and history). She is also the co-owner and director ofStudio 203, an artist-run space in Los Angeles promoting fiber art, craft-based work and social practices.
Zizzo loves color, texture and mixing items that do not go together. In her “Tuesday Talk” at Kleefeld Contemporary, Shami Zizzo explained to her audience she once made an entire weaving out of fringe, which led her into a rug weaving piece, “a monumental feat,” she said.
Recreating From Original Objects
Collage as a medium always spoke to her, Zizzo said. She found her voice in finding imagery from found magazines, old crayons, reclaimed materials and textiles. Reusing was embedded into her when young; seeing history from objects that have a life of their own. “Materials speak to me first,” said Zizzo, who knows where all her materials come from. Recreating is special to her and she wants to share that with others.
Zizzo’s lush Proto is made of hand-knotted acrylic, wool and cotton yarn samples.
Within its multi-color intensity, texture and fullness she noted that pockets of color are bigger and bolder.
“It’s a sculptural, three dimensional piece made from a loom [it was] an unexpected result,” Zizzo said.
Measuring at 36 x 28 x 6 inches, close to the size of a large sham, Proto’s soft, richness draws you in, eliciting a grandmother’s lovingly made afghan, inviting you to fall into its luxuriance.
Paper Collage
Scheherazade (2017), collaged magazine images on unstretched canvas, 46 x 70 x 1, is a journey into how people perceive other cultures through the National Geographic lens. The artist tears up pieces of magazine paper, which she paints onto the canvas. But they aren’t flat. Torn paper shreds slant upwards, adding both textural and sculptural aspects to the composition.
Fragments of paper represent fragments of coverage of the Arab World from the periodical — andin fragmented stories from media.It is her process expressed as an Arab American artist. Zizzo utilizes the magazines, page by page, with her aim being for people to see the whole magazine at once.
A March post from Zizzo’s Instagram explains the artist “is launching a large series on National Geographic magazine, titledthe Scheherazade Project, her first art-as-research project incorporating various documentation practices in an effort to rewrite colonial perspectives in media. She will build on her series of abstract collages using 20th century National Geographic magazines [… using various media and written notes] while reclaiming Orientalism.”
In two other abstract collage pieces that are very meaningful to her, Zizzo is utilizing Architectural Digestmagazines and African fabric appliques. These are part of a larger series from after she visited Lebanon, where her father grew up, for the first time in 2018. Pieces in this series commemorate her family’s outings together from the trip, which Zizzo calledlife changing.
Aneesa Shami Zizzo, “Cathexis,” (L) and “Baba’s Goldmine” (R). Photo courtesy of Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Museum
Baba’s Goldmine, reclaimed textile fabric samples using hand stitched applique, from Zizzo’s Something Sacred series references a city in Lebanon and her fathers family legacy. Its imagery is inspired by the Baalbek Temple ruins in Lebanon. Baba’s Goldmine’s colors of sky blue, earthy brown, orange and golden brown, and fabric strips of patterns in blue marble and geometric patterns, all together, create a composition of depth and movement; memories past and present interweaving stories.
Zizzo also spoke about her Bedtime Stories for Yuri series of applique tapestries she’s creating for her son. The pieces, loosely inspired by vertical scrolls, Mughal paintings and Arabic calligraphy, recall her childhood stories and sharing them with her son through her art process. Zizzo explained she’s reclaiming generational trauma in order to not pass it on to her son.
In her artist statement, Zizzo says:
“I am interested in the innate human desire for storytelling, and much of my work revolves around regenerative themes of life journeys, transformation, and continual self reflection.
Making while meditating is an important part of my practice as an artist and arts-based researcher, embedding my subconscious thought process into each piece while methodically hand stitching or knotting. Using repurposed material allows me to breathe new life into otherwise disregarded media and craft traditions.”
In addition, you can join to celebrate the closing of the museum’s spring exhibitions and honor 50 years of community building at the Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum. Spring exhibitions tell personal stories from artists expressed through photography, video, sculpture, paper collage, and textile and fiber art.
Enjoy art, music, dancing, art activities, lawn games, snacks, beverages and Aneesa Shami Zizzo will hold Collage art activities for all ages inspired by her artworks.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — As Californians celebrate Earth Day, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) April 22 announced that he secured $249,800,000 for California’s Solar for All project to help deliver residential solar for low-income and disadvantaged communities across the state. The funding, announced by the Environmental Protection Agency or EPA, comes from the Inflation Reduction Act’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund as part of the EPA’s Solar for All grant competition.
California’s Solar for All program will bring together a coalition of state entities to help reach homes and businesses across the state that are most in need of affordable, reliable clean energy. The coalition will leverage the state’s leadership on solar energy and this new funding to build new programmatic capacity and expand current efforts to lower energy costs, increase access to residential solar energy and advance strategies to address future market conditions amid California’s decarbonization efforts.
The Solar for All funding will help California add at least 247 megawatts of solar and 425 megawatt-hours of associated storage in low-income and disadvantaged communities. This will double the amount of solar energy in low-income multifamily complexes and contribute an annual average of 29.2 percent in household bill savings for over 158,000 participating households.
The California Department of Transportation or Caltrans has begun the public comment period for the Vincent Thomas Bridge or State Route 47 deck replacement project’s Draft Environmental Impact Report and Environmental Assessment or Draft EIR/EA, which includes results from technical and environmental studies, staff recommendations, and construction staging options, among other information and data. The public is invited to attend one of three upcoming public hearings on May 1, May 30 and June 13, or to submit comments between now and July 15, 2024.
The African-American Leaders for Tomorrow or AALT Program seeks to prepare the next generation of community, business, governmental and non-profit organizational leaders in the African-American community. AALT is for 10th, 11th and 12th grade students who are interested in an on-campus, immersion experience at the California State University at Dominguez Hills or CSUDH. Students will meet with state leaders, learn from professionals, participate in a variety of workshops and enjoy social activities with their peers from across the state. They will also gain the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of civic engagement by participating in mock legislative activities and procedures.
The AALT application deadline is Tuesday, April 30
