On April 9, Bakersfield College once again hosted the Renegade Talks event. Inspired by TED talks, Renegade Talks is a variety of 10-minute presentations with positive messages. This event consisted of six BC faculty members who shared their insights and research on multiple topics.

Lisa Harding, a faculty member of BC since 2008, was the first speaker of the night. Harding’s talk centered on why being a Renegade matters. She related this to her past experience in Romania, walking in public with a child from an orphanage with cerebral palsy.

After seeing how the child was affected by cruel and kind gestures of strangers directed toward him, Harding noticed the kind gestures made the child feel like he mattered.

Harding said that as Renegades, “We wear armor as a set of principles.” She then encouraged the audience to have a positive attitude because negative words and attitudes can hurt others and make them feel like they don’t matter.

BC Information Services director Todd Coston then took the stage to speak about the benefits of laughter. Coston explained that studies show a person’s arteries dilate during and after laughter, increasing blood flow, and the opposite happens when a person is under mental stress.

Some suggestions Coston gave for laughing are surrounding yourself with positive people and watching funny movies and reading funny books.

Oliver Rosales, an associate history professor at BC, spoke about the importance of history and remembering the Civil Rights movement. He explained how he researched his personal history, as well as Bakersfield’s history and its movement for social justice.

According to Rosales, “history only matters if you can see yourself in historical records.” He then ended with “I encourage you to take it one step further and find yourself and family in public records.”

Talita Pruett, a communications professor at BC, spoke about resilience and culture. She gave a demonstration with a rock, an eggshell, and a stress ball. Pruett used these items to explain how emotional resilience, like the stress-ball, doesn’t deflect emotional conflict like the rock, or crush under emotional stress like the eggshell.

Pruett than brought up recent incidents where cultures and individuals exemplified emotional resilience and left with saying, “I challenge you to practice this mindset.”

BC biology professor Joe Saldivar discussed obesity and the possible causes. Saldivar mentioned some statistics, such as one in five children and one in three adults in the U.S. suffer from obesity. He than went through the possible causes of obesity, including fast food restaurants and unhealthy additives. Saldivar concluded they were not the cause and that our society should remember moderation when it comes to eating.

Andrea Thorson ended the event speaking about the importance of positive language. She began with the phrase “Hey, you guys” and said it marginalizes women. She went on, “If women aren’t even deserving of being involved in language, how can women expect to be treated equally in life?”

The next phrase she discussed that is commonly used is “boys will be boys.” Thorson said this is an oversimplification and an unconscious bias toward boys. She said it encourages a dismissal of often violent or rude behavior. Thorson continued and said our society teaches boys to be ashamed of being sensitive, emotional, nurturing, and tender and she said this could be why suicide is the leading cause of death among young men.

She ended with encouraging the audience to be aware of our language and said, “Language is the most powerful tool we will ever possess, it is stronger than guns.”

To find more information on Renegade Talks and when the next event will be, search www.bakersfieldcollege.edu/employees/renegade-talks.