# data[].attributes.headline
Are you interested in collaborating on a larger project to link your campus community to another? If so please identify yourself with contact information for us and/or others to connect.

# data[].attributes.subject
Are you interested in collaborating on a larger project to link your campus community to another? If so please identify yourself with contact information for us and/or others to connect.

# data[].attributes.headline
We're happy to answer questions about our process, results, or anything arts related! At the end of the session as there's time we'll check back here for questions, and even after as well. Leave contact info if you'd like us to reach out directly. 

# data[].attributes.subject
We're happy to answer questions about our process, results, or anything arts related! At the end of the session as there's time we'll check back here for questions, and even after as well. Leave contact info if you'd like us to reach out directly. 

# data[].attributes.headline
We'd love to know who was in attendance today. Please drop your name, role, and institution below.

# data[].attributes.subject
We'd love to know who was in attendance today. Please drop your name, role, and institution below.

# data[].attributes.headline
LCC Recognized in the Community College Daily

# data[].attributes.subject
LCC Recognized in the Community College Daily

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A group of dancers sways to the gentle strains of a violin, the word "stay" illuminating the floor at their feet. Amid the hypnotic rhythm of moving bodies, a voice implores viewers to "Please stay. This is just a blip in time. You are breath. You are life. You are beauty. If you leave, you'll never see the brilliance you created just by your existence."

This 30-minute video is the multidisciplinary brainchild of Lansing Community College (Michigan), produced by faculty, students and staff to increase awareness of depression and suicide through the common ground of the arts. The program, which uses poetry, music, drama, dialogue and dance to explore common mental health struggles, is viewed by its creators as a connector for the campus and the community beyond.

This article is an excerpt from the current issue of the Community College Journal, the flagship publication of the American Association of Community Colleges since 1930.

"The fundamental factor (of the program) is bringing us together so we're working toward a common goal," says Melissa Kaplan, LCC academic and arts outreach coordinator. "It's also bringing out unique individual expression. The power of the group is there, but the group can't exist without the individual. Each individual voice matters and is unique."

Sparking and developing conversations

While campus activism dates back decades, today's community colleges are generating additional dialogue via interdisciplinary arts programming. LCC's suicide prevention effort is joined on campus by "We Shall Overcome," a project that merges history, diversity and the performing arts in considering racism and social justice.

Like LCC's suicide awareness video, "We Shall Overcome" marked a collaboration among departments - in this case, performing arts, the office of DEI and various history, English and media services staff. A new version of the classic protest song was performed virtually by a choir comprised of students, faculty and board members.

A better reading experience: There's a new look to Community College Journal online! It's easier to read and to browse articles. Take a moment to check it out.

"'We Shall Overcome' is not always an in-your-face kind of protest song, but it's rallied people together over the ages," Kaplan says. "To sing this anthem of hope and bring our campus community together to do that, it really felt like we were following in those footsteps."

The program coalesced around the Black Lives Matter protests of summer 2020, sparked by the murder of George Floyd and other extrajudicial killings of Black Americans. Common cause - not to mention a campus searching for healing at the start of the pandemic - mobilized disparate departments alongside students eager for connection.

"Opening the choir to anyone on campus helped build that community," says Kaplan. "We brought people together to create these programs, while exploring different ideas through the arts in a variety of settings."

Improving the student experience via art

A grassroots model of arts programming is a common theme among institutions interviewed by Community College Journal. At Cabrillo College (California), a group of staff, faculty and students reviewed an ensemble of artists prior to commissioning a mural on the Aptos campus.

Local artists Francisco Alonso and Jeronimo Sanchez were chosen to create the 30-foot-high painting placed on an upper campus elevator tower. According to President Matthew Wetstein, the mural recognizes Cabrillo's varied enrollment and celebrates its federal Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) status.

With about half of the college's spring 2022 graduates of Hispanic heritage, authorizing a wall painting that reflects the different ethnicities on campus was an easy decision, says Wetstein.

Other colleges featured in the CC Journal article:
- "One Book, One College, One Community" reading project at De Anza College (California).
- Northeast Community College (Nebraska) wanted to create an inviting culture through art.

Entitled "Unity," the colorful creation was unveiled before the start of the 2021 school year. The mural integrates symbols of indigenous ancestral wisdom, from Chinese and African culture to Native inhabitants of California's Central Coast.

Funding for the mural came from the student senate and the Cabrillo College Foundation. Last September's unveiling served as a campus celebration, complete with dance performances, poetry readings and free Mexican food on the quad.

The unveiling of the "Unity" mural at Cabrillo College in 2021. (Photo: Cabrillo College)

The event was also Cabrillo's first official commemoration of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Week, a national effort to recognize higher-education entities that aid a primarily Hispanic population. As defined by the U.S. Department of Education, a college is deemed an HSI if more than 25% of its students are Hispanic. Today, these learners represent about 46% of Cabrillo's student body.

Cabrillo's enrollment also presents a challenging contradiction compared to the wealthy white retirement community surrounding it, Wetstein notes. Although Santa Cruz County is 87% white - per figures from the U.S. Census Bureau - the region also has its share of migrant agriculture workers and struggling first-generation students. About 80% of Cabrillo's enrollment subsists on free school meal programs prior to arriving on campus.

Considering these circumstances, Cabrillo leaders are striving to make its majority population feel as welcome as possible. College officials are hoping to set aside $20,000 in annual general funding to commission more locally generated art, whether from Hispanic artists or the region's Native population.

Although art is but one small facet of a larger whole around inclusivity, Wetstein sees a clear value in such creative representation.

"Students feel like they're represented when they see their likeness on campus," says Wetstein. "We're creating a more welcoming environment for them to thrive in. Too often, people in my role don't spend time thinking about how the physical space of a campus can be a retention asset or barrier. The way we present ourselves to students matters. It's about making their experience better."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A campus of expression and creativity - Community College Daily

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A group of dancers sways to the gentle strains of a violin, the word "stay" illuminating the floor at their feet. Amid the hypnotic rhythm of moving bodies, a voice implores viewers to "Please stay. This is just a blip in time. You are breath. You are life. You are beauty.

# data[].attributes.headline
Here's a handout version of the activity

# data[].attributes.subject
Here's a handout version of the activity

# data[].attributes.headline
What are some possible themes that resonate? Examples: housing insecurity, racial injustice, health care worker shortage, mental health issues, honoring legacies, climate change.

# data[].attributes.subject
What are some possible themes that resonate? Examples: housing insecurity, racial injustice, health care worker shortage, mental health issues, honoring legacies, climate change.

# data[].attributes.headline
Do you have existing or potential community connections? Examples: human services agencies, non-profits, arts organizations, municipal offices, secondary schools, faith-based organizations.

# data[].attributes.subject
Do you have existing or potential community connections? Examples: human services agencies, non-profits, arts organizations, municipal offices, secondary schools, faith-based organizations.

# data[].attributes.headline
How will this program be delivered and used? Examples: a live performance or video, a single event/performance or a series, in-person and/or virtual. Other considerations: part of a course(s) or learning outside the classroom; one-time occurrence or repeatedly accessed.

# data[].attributes.subject
How will this program be delivered and used? Examples: a live performance or video, a single event/performance or a series, in-person and/or virtual. Other considerations: part of a course(s) or learning outside the classroom; one-time occurrence or repeatedly accessed.

# data[].attributes.headline
Identify your barriers and brainstorm possible ways to overcome.

# data[].attributes.subject
Identify your barriers and brainstorm possible ways to overcome.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
We Shall Overcome: Raising Our Voices Together explores the meaning of the classic protest song through music and mindful history, personal insights, poetry and performance. Using a combination of documentary, creative expression and reflection, the program delves into the power of this song in the past and its lasting power as an anthem for today and for the future.

As the pandemic and protest continue to impact the entire world, the song's messages resonate - unity, determination, racial justice, hope, overcoming adversity - speaking to our common struggles and inspiring us to work together to overcome.

This program is available to the entire community at no charge. Enjoy it on your own, share with your family and faith-based communities, and/or use it in discussions, meetings or trainings.

We Shall Overcome: Raising Our Voices Together - Video Program

We Shall Overcome: Raising Our Voices Together premiered February 24, 2021, an interdisciplinary collaboration between LCC Performing Arts, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the History and English programs, and Media Services faculty and staff, with participation of students and staff from across the college. A new version of "We Shall Overcome" was commissioned for this program, composed by Anthony Feimster Jr. and performed by the LCC Virtual Choir made up of LCC students, faculty, staff and board members. The program was honored with a 2021 Gold Telly Award in the Social Justice category.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We Shall Overcome: Raising Our Voices Together explores the meaning of the classic protest song through music and mindful history, personal insights, poetry and performance. Using a combination of documentary, creative expression and reflection, the program delves into the power of this song in the past and its lasting power as an anthem for today and for the future.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Resources
If you are in crisis or immediate danger: Call 911
Community Mental Health
1-517-346-8460 or toll free 1-800-372-8460
Free, confidential, 24-hour crisis line serving Clinton, Eaton, & Ingham Counties.
Other resources if you or someone you know is considering suicide or self-harm:
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call 988
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Crisis Textline
Text HOME to 741741 for free, 24/7 crisis support in the U.S.

The Trevor Project, Trevor Lifeline and Trevor Text
1-866-488-7386 for Trevor Lifeline
Text "START" to 678678 for TrevorText
The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25. The TrevorLifeline is a crisis intervention and suicide prevention phone service available 24/7.
TrevorSpace is an online international peer-to-peer community for LGBTQ young people and their friends.

National Alliance on Mental Illness HelpLine
1-800-950-NAMI (6264)
The NAMI HelpLine is a free, nationwide peer-support service providing information, resource referrals and support to people living with a mental health condition, their family members and caregivers, mental health providers and the public.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Helpline
1-800-626-HELP (4357)
SAMHSA's National Helpline is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations. Callers can also order free publications and other information.

Trans Lifeline
1-877-565-8860
Trans Lifeline is a national trans-led 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to improving the quality of trans lives by responding to the critical needs of our community with direct service, material support, advocacy, and education. Fighting the epidemic of trans suicide and improving overall life-outcomes of trans people the Trans Lifeline facilitates justice-oriented, collective community aid. Their peer support hotline is run by and for trans people. Trans Lifeline is available daily from 7 a.m.-1 a.m. PST / 9 a.m.-3 a.m. CST / 10 a.m.-4 a.m. EST. Volunteers may be available during off hours.

Veterans Crisis Line
1-800-273-8255, press 1
Text 838255
The Veterans Crisis Line is a free, confidential resource available 24/7 to anyone, even if not registered with VA or enrolled in VA health care. The caring, qualified responders are specially trained and experienced in helping veterans of all ages and circumstances, and many are veterans themselves.

LCC Counseling Services offers free, short-term counseling to currently enrolled LCC students
Center for Student Support
StarZone ~ Gannon Building
Lansing Community College
517-483-1924

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you are in crisis or immediate danger: Call 911 Community Mental Health 1-517-346-8460 or toll free 1-800-372-8460Free, confidential, 24-hour crisis line serving Clinton, Eaton, & Ingham Counties.

# data[].attributes.headline
What resources are available? Examples: staff, guest artists/speakers, money, technical support and facilities. 

# data[].attributes.subject
What resources are available? Examples: staff, guest artists/speakers, money, technical support and facilities. 

# data[].attributes.body
You’ll find a PDF of our presentation slides here