LIFE

“When you are deciding on next steps, next jobs, next careers, further education, you should rather find purpose than a job or a career. Purpose crosses disciplines. Purpose is an essential element of you. It is the reason you are on the planet at this particular time in history.” - Chadwick Boseman LIFE September 17, 2020 Inspirational actor dies of cancer

Country remembers ‘Black Panther’ star Chadwick Boseman

JENNIFER TORRES

STAFF REPORTER

The days of COVID-19 have been a roller coaster where every day we seem to lose another legend. Chadwick Boseman, the actor who played Black American icons ranging from Jackie Robinson to Marvel’s inspirational Black Panther, died Aug. 28 of colon cancer. He was 43.

Boseman battled colon cancer since 2016 and died at home with his wife and family by his side, according to a statement posted on his twitter account that night.

With his role as King T’Challa in the off the charts film “Black Panther,” he became a global icon and an inspiring symbol of Black power. Boseman brought the character to life, the Twitter statement said.

“As Black Panther, he was also a superhero to many,” Martin Luther King III tweeted Aug. 28. “Despite his 4 year long battle with cancer, he kept fighting and he kept inspiring us. He will be missed.”

Even the possible future president of the United States has joined in praising the late icon.

“He inspired generations and showed them they can be anything they want — even super heroes” , Joe Biden tweeted Aug 28.

Boseman is considered a great

ALYSSA ALDRETE STAFF REPORTER

In the old days, the start of the fall semester at Riverside City College meant Terracina Drive would be lined with white canopies, colorful posters, and pop-up tables covered in flyers and sign-up sheets.

Curious mingling freshmen and returning students would surround these tables, all with one question in common: “Which club should I join?”

Club Rush is a days-long event during which members of several campus clubs set up information booths and sit for a few hours, eager to talk to anyone interested about what their club has to offer. Since the fall semester brings lots of first-time college students, it is an important time for these clubs, as it can impact them for the duration of the semester.

Joining a club is an integral part of the college experience for many students. If college is where students come to further their education and declare a major, joining a campus club can offer the

PHOTO BY GAGE SKIDMORE | WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Chadwick Boseman, star of the 2018 Marvel film “Black Panther,” died of colon cancer Aug. 28. Boseman was a vocal proponent of young people exercising their voting rights and creating positive change.

role model by people of color in the community.

Keyana Michaels, 21, a history major at San Bernardino Valley College, said her heart was shattered when she heard the news of Boseman’s death. opportunity of community within that major, or perhaps even just an interest.

“I like to think of these clubs as a community within the community,” Kwokwai Siu, applied media and digital arts instructor and advisor to the Graphix Club, said in a Zoom meeting Sept. 7. “We have the larger community of RCC, then we have the departments, and then the clubs. They give the students a sense of regularity; something to expect.” But just like so many other activities and resources on campus, both Club Rush and the club meetings that follow, have been met with the challenge of how to move forward while staying physically apart.

Pre-pandemic, most clubs met in classrooms on a weekly basis. Club members also hosted guest speakers, attended workshops and planned social events that engaged the public in their goals.

Some of these events can be reimagined with a virtual alternative. But for others, clubs will have to get creative.

“I think every club is going to

“He really was such a legend and inspiration to children and adults,” Michaels said. “He really brought his character to life and motivated others to be whatever they wanted to be.”

Tyler Mayberry, 25, of Upland, have to scramble,” Tim Gutierrez, sociology instructor and advisor to the Animal Alliance and Sociology clubs, said during a Zoom meeting Sept. 7. “Without those opportunities and the ability to get together, I’m not exactly sure what their projects are going described Boseman as the inspiration needed by the African American community.

“When Black Panther first came out that was really great news for all of us because we (had) never seen anything like this,” FILE PHOTO BY TYLER REESE | VIEWPOINTS to be. They are going to have to try and hustle to find things that work for their mission that are going to be feasible under these circumstances.”

Gutierrez said that as far as recruitment goes, many clubs are getting proactive via any means Mayberry said. “It made me feel like the media was finally catering to me and my kind of people.”

Mayberry said older people were intrigued and children had a superhero to look up to.

“He was for the people and our culture,” Mayberry said. “He had the kids dressing up as him for halloween in 2018. It was something that really made me happy because representation is super important to children of color and he really did something for them.”

Boseman was outspoken on the importance of young people showing up during elections.

“All that 70 million group of young people who will come out and vote— I believe in you,” Boseman said during a public service announcement in November 2018. “ I think you can turn our nation around. You can make it live up to what it is supposed to do.”

Boseman argued that the youth are not only the future, but the present as well and that they represent what the country should be. He encouraged young people to vote for whoever they want to and for what they believe in.

“I believe the majority of you can see what’s actually happening and you want things to change,” Boseman said. “So I say all that to say, you know, thank you in advance for your input and the

RCC clubs seek ways to survive, flourish Student groups meet new challenges as pandemic pushes them online

Students and canopies line Terracina Drive for Club Rush in March 2016. Club Rush may be gone for at least another year.

victory that is to come.” they have in order to ensure that the opportunity to join their club is heard about. The social media accounts for these clubs are being encouraged to stay active and advisors are taking some time at the beginning of Zoom class meetings to inform their students about their clubs. Members of the clubs are also being encouraged to ask permission from their other instructors to try to promote their club during a brief moment of Zoom airtime.

However, for some clubs this is a make-or-break moment in time, being that each club needs to have a certain number of active members in order to be recognized by the college.

“I would imagine a larger number than usual will lose their official status,” Gutierrez said.

D e s p i t e t h e i n e v i t a b l e challenges, both Gutierrez and Siu expressed hope for the continuation of the sense of community that these clubs will bring.

“When we’re together, we should be doing great,” Siu said. “When we’re apart, we should be doing even better.”

6September 17, 2020 Life Recreating Remy’s world famous ratatouille Disclaimer: No animals were harmed in the production of this meal

STEPHANIE ARENAS

STAFF REPORTER

The 2007 animation film “Ratatouille” left a lasting impression on my childhood. It’s story-driven, cleverly imaginative and most importantly — visually appealing. The scene that stuck with me most was when Anton Ego, a brutal food critic, tastes chef rat Remy’s ratatouille dish, which then transports Ego back to a childhood memory.

I have always craved real life ratatouille since then. But I just never had the opportunity.

While under quarantine, it hit me one day that I could just cook the dish myself. I took the recipe from YouTube’s “Binging with Babish.” The recipe begins with blanching three tomatoes for 30 seconds each, then peeling and letting them rest in some ice water. While the tomatoes rest, you roast a red pepper, yellow pepper and orange pepper over your stove until blackened (peel the black until it’s gone). Then, get your blender ready, as you are going to blend your three tomatoes, the peppers, two garlic cloves, a quarter of a white onion and some vegetable stock. Once the sauce looks smooth, you are good to go.

JUSTIN YOTH

LIFE ASSISTANT EDITOR

Netflix just debuted a controversial French film despite heavy public backlash and calls for the streaming service to be canceled. “Cuties,” released Sept. 9, received immense criticism from many across social media from the start. The film’s trailer features an 11-year-old Muslim girl, Amy (Fathia Youssouf, 14), who defies the wishes of her conservative family and joins a dance group that performs suggestive dance moves associated with adult entertainment. The backlash against the movie’s content and Netflix’s willingness to go through with its release came mainly from adults from a variety of backgrounds. Some perceived the film in a liberal approach, calling it “free-spirited.” But the backlash to the film’s content and Netflix’s willingness to go through with its release came mainly from adults from a variety of backgrounds. They argued the mature-rated movie directly objectifies children, specifically young girls. A coming-of-age narrative,

ILLUSTRATION BY JULIAN NAVARRO | VIEWPOINTS Ratatouille is a French dish that can be baked or stewed. It was featured in the 2007 film “Ratatouille.”

Now it’s time for everyone’s favorite part. Grab one yellow squash, one green squash, one eggplant and a few tomatoes and begin slicing them into thin circles.

Side note, I do not own a but directed towards mature audiences, “Cuties” caused much alarm on social media. The concerned public inferred that child exploitation and objectification are agendas that are targeting children’s innocence and allowing for pedophilia. Petitions have arisen, mostly on the fundraiser and petition website Change.org. They have received up to hundreds of thousands of signatures calling for the removal of the film entirely. While the movie’s initial motive differed from what was perceived, Netflix exacerbated its debut and continued the controversy as it has done with several films in the recent past. Netflix has since apologized for the description of the movie as well as its original provocative poster, which sexualized the main female characters. “Amy, 11, becomes fascinated with a twerking dance crew,” Netflix’s original description stated. “Hoping to join them, she starts to explore her femininity, defying her family’s traditions.” However, the posters used for the debuts of both the French and the American versions of the film have contributed to the controversy. Maïmouna Doucouré, the mandolin so I had to cut the vegetables by hand. If you are interested in making this dish, I recommend buying a mandolin as it will give you the thinnest slices possible. Once you are all done, grab a baking pan and pour in a thin layer of your sauce from earlier. Then begin layering the vegetable circles on top of one another, alternating between vegetables. When that’s all done, chop up some fresh rosemary to sprinkle on top, along with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Set the oven to 225 F, top the dish with a layer of parchment paper and leave in the oven for 90 minutes. When I took the dish out of the oven, it smelled heavenly. The rosemary along with the smell of the cooked vegetables created such a cozy and warm atmosphere.

The true test of this dish, however, was the flavor. Does it live up to the hype from the film?

To answer that, yes. Yes it does. One may believe the dish in itself seems bland and boring because all it is is vegetables.

H o w e v e r , w h e n t h e vegetables are baked in the homemade sauce, it creates a mind-blowingly magical flavor. The sweetness from the tomatoes compliment the spice from the sauce well. The eggplant and squash adds a rich taste when seasoned generously with the rosemary.

The dish is a rollercoaster of emotions. You are hit with flavor after flavor — sweet, spicy, tangy, you name it. When I took my first bite, it felt as though I was actually in the movie being served by Remy himself. Although the process is long, it is totally worth the flavorful

The Netflix show causing all the drama Controversial coming-of-age narrative causes alarm on social media

wonder in the end.

ILLUSTRATION BY KYIESHA CHAVEZ | VIEWPOINTS The poster for “Cuties,” which features young girls in provocative positions. is causing outrage and calls for Netflix to be canceled. The majority of critics argued that the film also promotes stereotypes about religious persons and families. “I received numerous attacks on my character from people who had not seen the film, who thought I was actually making a film that was apologetic about hyper-sexualisation of children,” Doucouré said in an interview with Deadline. In a recent interview on YouTube by the Netflix Film Club, Doucouré stated that she aimed to educate on the issue of social media and other cultural influences having a degenerating effect on children. While opposed to this, Doucoure fed into the culture that boasts freedom and liberation while at the same time blurring the line between what is and is not appropriate for children and adults alike.

“Cuties” is ineffective at dealing with the problem and the way it uses children is contrary to the protection of their innocence.

T h e o b j e c t i v e o f t h e movie was to enlighten us on a recurrent social issue, but the actual depiction became counterproductive to the very values it claimed to educate the public on.

7 Machine Gun Kelly wins his first VMA ‘Rap Devil’ in a pink suit defies the odds after over a decade in music

KYIESHA CHAVEZ

STAFF REPORTER

“Still in mental shock that we might get a Moon Man,” rapper and actor Colson Baker, otherwise known as Machine Gun Kelly, tweeted July 30 about MTV announcing this year’s Video Music Awards nominees.

What made his nomination even more special was that it was for “Best Alternative Video,” a category that hasn’t been included in the awards show for 22 years.

The nominated video, “Bloody Valentine,” is the first single off of his new album “Tickets To My Downfall,” set to release Sept. 25. The music video reached high popularity not only for its catchy theme, but for the appearance of actress Megan Fox. The video’s reminiscence of “Jennifer’s Body,” a 2009 film that Fox was the star of, creates a sense of nostalgia. It’s garnered over 37 million views and 713,000 likes in the three months since its upload on YouTube.

There is no wondering why it was nominated.

The Cleveland rapper’s career officially started in 2006 with the release of his first mixtape, “Stamp of Approval.” His reputation grew because of it and he began performing at local Cleveland venues.

Baker was approached by Sean Combs and offered a recording contract with Bad Boy Records in 2011. He has since released seven mixtapes, two extended plays and four studio

ILLUSTRATION BY KYIESHA CHAVEZ | VIEWPOINTS Machine Gun Kelly’s award-winning music video for “Bloody Valentine” features actress Megan Fox. The song is the first single off his upcoming album “Tickets to My Downfall,” which will be released Sept. 25.

albums.

Baker was one of the few artists dissed on Eminem’s 2018 album “Kamikaze” to fire back, retaliating against the selfproclaimed “Rap God” with “Rap

Devil.” Eminem then released “Killshot” in response and this set off a debate between the fan bases.

MGK fans remained hopeful.

“Manifesting with everything in me that Machine Gun Kelly wins the VMA,” one fan tweeted a few days before the award show.

Baker won the first Moon Man of the night Aug. 30. He later performed “Bloody Valentine” with drummer Travis Barker and his newest single “My Ex’s Best Friend” with fellow artist Blackbear.

Baker showed up to the red carpet and performances dressed for success. One outfit in particular, a hot pink suit, received some homophobic backlash from outside of the fanbase. But Baker laughed off the absurdity.

“You’re still scared of pink in 2020,” he asked during an Instagram video response to the criticism. “You mad? Just say it, you’re mad.”

Many other celebrities, such as Jaden Smith and Nyjah Huston, backed his video with praise for the bold and stylish outfit choice.

While Eminem stans claim the rapper ended Machine Gun Kelly’s career, this big win for a resurrected category proved Baker should not be underestimated any further. His staying power does not seem to be fading and, flawed as he is, he has shown he can use the hate to fuel his craft with new and exciting content.

“This journey’s been so long,” he tweeted after winning the coveted award. “I’m so grateful no one let me give up.”

Fans, like myself, are also grateful and excited to see where he goes next in his career.