Santa Ana College’s Book of the Year events inspired by “The Help”

Rancho Santiago Community College District, Press Release
For Immediate Release: April 17, 2013
Contact: Judy Iannaccone, Director, Communications, (714) 480-7503, iannaccone_judy@rsccd.edu

Santa Ana College Book of the Year Events Feature Performance of Acclaimed NAACP Award-Winning One-Woman Show “Oh, Yes She Did!” on April 24

(Santa Ana)—During this academic year, students, staff, and faculty members at Santa Ana College (SAC) have read and discussed the 2012-2013 Book of the Year, The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Written in 2009, The Help is the story of African-American maids working in white households in Jackson, Mississippi, during the early 1960s.

SAC faculty have included the novel, its themes and civil rights-related topics in their coursework and class discussions. The year-long emphasis will culminate with the following four events slated for this spring:

• Oh, Yes She Did!: The college presents this critically acclaimed NAACP Award-winning one-woman show starring Sandy Brown on Wednesday, April 24 from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Phillips Hall, Santa Ana College, 1530 W. 17th St., Santa Ana, CA, 92706. A multi-talented performing artist, Brown, actress, writer, stand-up comedian, spokesmodel, and vocalist, is familiar to film and television audiences. She has starred or made guest appearances on primetime television, including Hannah Montana, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Tyler Perry’s House of Payne. She has performed stand-up comedy on HBO Def Comedy Jam and Comics Unleashed, plus participated in multiple comedy tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Kosovo. She has performed in live theater and performed as a vocalist/songwriter on songs featured on major TV/film soundtracks.
• As producer/performer/playwright of Oh, Yes She Did!, Brown will span two centuries of history highlighting the struggles and triumphs of five courageous African-American women who left an indelible mark on American history. They are Phillis Wheatley, Revolutionary War slave-poet; Harriet Tubman, abolitionist, humanitarian, and Union spy during the Civil War; Madam C.J. Walker, entrepreneur, philanthropist, suffragette, and the first female self-made millionaire in America; Josephine Baker, American-born French dancer, singer, and actress; and Rosa Parks, civil rights activist. This performance is free and open to the public.
• Through Friday, May 24, 2013, Integrating Ole Mississippi, A Photographic Exhibit:The fifteen images displayed document the extreme measures that were taken to integrate the University of Mississippi during the early 1960s. The display is located in the Nealley Library along the wall across from the reference collection.
• Through Friday, May 24, 2013, The Help: A Display. A display of civil rights books and collectible items related to historical, and literary references discussed in The Help is located in the display case in rear of the Nealley Library.
• Through Friday, May 24, 2013, Civil Rights Display. A display featuring library-owned books and video resources available for checkout is located inside the main reading area of the Nealley Library.

For more information about the Book of the Year events at Santa Ana College, contact Yolanda Garcia at (714) 564-6716 or visit www.sac.edu/bookoftheyear.

About the Rancho Santiago Community College District

The mission of the Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD) is to respond to the educational needs of an ever-changing community and to provide programs and services that reflect academic excellence. Santa Ana College and Santiago Canyon College are public community colleges of RSCCD, which serve the residents of Anaheim Hills, East Garden Grove, Irvine, Orange, Santa Ana, Tustin and Villa Park. Both colleges provide education for academic transfer and careers, courses for personal and professional development, customized training for business and industry, and programs to train nurses, firefighters and law enforcement personnel.

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