“Speak up, be scared but do it anyways,” – Soleil Verse
The expertise of well-known sociologist and author Dr. Anthony Christian Ocampo was shared at a recent event on campus. The longtime activist offered key insights on immigration, race, and LGBTQ+ related issues in a video shared with members of the Sinclair community.
The event was hosted by Lajmar Anderson, an Archives and Reference Librarian at Sinclair Community College. By video, Ocampo offered important commentary on topics such as educational inequality with attendees.
The Ocampo’s video featured quotes by children that came out to their parents. Many were from Ocampo’s book, “Being Brown and Gay in LA: The Lives of Immigrants’ Sons.” The Northeast Los Angeles native drew on his years of experience in the education sector to talk about the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ students today. Previously, Ocampo was the Academic Director of the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity as well as the co-host of the podcast “Professor-ing”.
After the video portion concluded, guest speakers were invited to share their experiences. One person who stepped forward was Soleil Verse, a Digital Product Manager at CareSource and member of the LGBTQ+ community. Professor Heather Johnson-Taylor, who lectures in Sinclair’s English department, also joined to talk about her journey.
The guest speakers all agreed that it was much more difficult to come out in the ‘80s and ‘90s, a time when it was common for members of the LGBTQ+ community to face discrimination and ostracization by their loved ones. Many detailed their own experiences combating the prejudicial attitudes they encountered at the time.
Verse urged attendees to speak and support others that experience bullying as a result of their sexual or gender orientation.
Valencia Bruno
Intern