Injustice breeds social change
By Denis Perez, Creative Director
December 5, 2018
Filed under Spotlight
California and the Bay Area, specifically, is the birthplace to an infinite of number of activist movements and figures representing various causes. Through time, consistent injustices between government officials and their constituencies have persisted, beginning with the removal of Native American...
Environment slowly dies
By Michael Santone, Editor-In-Chief
December 5, 2018
Filed under Spotlight
From the conservation efforts set in the forested foothills to the pollution police in the lowlands by the bay, the San Francisco Bay Area is steep in environmental activism history. Since the early 1960s, concerns over air, sea and land pollution from the newly coined environmentalists spearheaded...
Communal actions heal
By Joel Umanzor, Sports Editor
December 5, 2018
Filed under Spotlight
Many people view community activism as a term that solely focuses on the political movement that occurs within a community. Many view advocacy through a lens that often colors actions as “radical” or “unconventional.” Ultimately, what community activism entails is the tying of unique individuals...
Political organizers express democracy
By Jose Arebalo, Scene Editor
December 5, 2018
Filed under Spotlight
The strength of a democracy lies in how the masses utilize their voice and presence to keep those in power accountable. Societies across the globe have varying degrees of freedom of speech and in many places, authoritarian regimes simply strip that power away from the public. Political activism is a...
Civil engineer discusses STEM
By Jose Arebalo, Scene Editor
November 14, 2018
Filed under Spotlight
Students with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) majors gathered in GE-225 on Friday afternoon to listen to an informational seminar from civil engineer Tawfic Halaby. Halaby has 17 years of experience as a civil engineer and is currently the senior civil engineer for the city of...
Fortunate circumstances direct journey, passions
By Xavier Johnson, Web Editor
October 24, 2018
Filed under Spotlight
On the final day of the drama department’s production “Vengeance: A Ghost Story” in the Knox Center Sunday, Silvia Sobal got the opportunity to perform on stage with her son Oz Herrera-Sobal for the first time. Herrera-Sobal was filling in for an absent cast member and the character he was playing,...
Undocumented existence
By Denis Perez, Creative Director
October 24, 2018
Filed under Showcase, Spotlight
Contra Costa College’s undocumented immigrant community is prideful about its heritage, its history and its people. The Advocate recognizes the efforts of the multitudes of groups who work to effect change on campus and outside of it. Many in the campus community participated in a week-long event...
Coaching enables personal growth
By Efrain Valdez, Sports Editor
October 24, 2018
Filed under Showcase, Sports, Spotlight
In the span of a student-athlete’s career, almost every single one will tell you about an instance when they found themselves changing their outlook on the field and in life. After coming to Contra Costa College over the summer, 20-year-old linebacker R.J. Ma’ae found himself changing the way he...
Nursing major, wife finds inspiration in helping others
By Jessica Suico, News Editor
October 17, 2018
Filed under Showcase, Spotlight
Few women can bear the burden of being a student and mom while a military spouse is on duty. Maintaining normalcy through uncertainty becomes second nature, especially with family support as a backbone. Nursing major Lalina Binaley believes her passion in life is to help people in need. She loves hearing...
STD cases in the U.S. exacerbate health crisis
October 14, 2018
Filed under Showcase, Spotlight
From the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah to the sexual revolution of the 1960s, sex has been an intoxicating, yet risky, source of pleasure. Naked bodies immersed in fits of passion and ecstasy have long been chronicled in folklore, history books and religious manuscripts as different cultures cultivate...
Program helps clear criminal records, renews confidence
By Michael Santone, Editor-In-Chief
October 3, 2018
Filed under Showcase, Spotlight
RICHMOND — When Joe Williams arrived at the Richmond Memorial Auditorium he had hope in his heart and determination in his eyes. Williams, like many others who showed up for Contra Costa County’s Clean Slate Day on Saturday, had one goal in mind — to have their criminal record cleared. “I’m...