Itinerary Cesar A. Cruz

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Itinerary
8:15
AM
TO
10:00
9:00
AM
TO
9:55
10:00
AM
AM
AM TO 10:55 AM
R E G I S T R AT I O N
COOPERAGE
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
COOPERAGE
E D U C AT I O N A L
SALAZAR &
STEVENSON
WORKSHOP SESSION I
11 : 0 0
12:00
1:30
AM
PM
PM
TO
11 : 5 5
AM
ISSUES CAUCUS:
I M M I G R AT I O N
LAKES &
QUAD
TO
1:25
PM
L U N C H / E N T E R TA I N M E N T
QUAD
TO
2:25
PM
E D U C AT I O N A L
WORKSHOP SESSION II
SALAZAR &
STEVENSON
2:30
PM
TO
3:30
PM
I M M I G R A T I O N R A L LY
QUAD
3:45
PM
TO
4:00
PM
B U S E S D E PA R T
IVES LOT
Cesar A. Cruz
Cesar A. Cruz is a human rights freedom fighter and
educator from Juchitlan Jalisco, Mexico. Currently,
Cesar serves as the Executive Director for the Avenues
Project, a visionary non-profit out of East Oakland
Community High School. Cesar prefers his role as a
counselor and teacher for the youth and is trying to get
youth who gang bang to do so for freedom.
Cesar has served in various roles in
recreating education for the last fourteen
years. He served as a member of Pacifica
Radio’s Program Council at KPFA, a
Healthy Start coordinator, a coach, teacher,
writer for Rap Pages, 4080 and other mags,
but most importantly as a mentor for the
youth in Richmond, Oakland and
Norwalk, CA.
He is the co-founder and adviser
for the Making Changes
Freedom School in Richmond,
CA a place not connected to the
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U.S. Government where volunteers don’t work for free,
they work for freedom.
www.MakingChangesCenter.com
As a poet, Cesar is the co-founder of the
ENDdependence Collective and has released a spoken
word demo CD entitled “Lyrical Demonstration.”
In 2004, Cesar helped the community of San
Pablo fight to gain a new school and the
community will be receiving $25 million for a
brand new Downer Elementary. He helped
organize a 70-mile march from San Pablo to
Sacramento and was one of 9 individuals who
fasted for 26 days to restore funds to the youth of
California. This was Cesar’s third fast. He has
fasted for 3 days, 16 days and now 26 days.
He sees his roles as a simple one; “to
comfort the disturbed, and to disturb
the comfortable.” (MLK).
M O V I M I E N T O
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headRush
Rosa Esperanza González is a teacher, writer, and visuał performing artist. Teaching middle school in East
Oakland, her commitment is to nurturing young leaders and
new voices. Outside of teaching, Rosa is a member of headRush, a guerrilla performance crew dedicated to inspiring
working class communities through a blend of spoken word
and teatro-style political satire. She is also a founding member
of Las Man@s, an all-women’s writing and performance group
and belongs to the End-dependence Poet’s Collective. In 2002,
she wrote and directed her first play, “My Camino Real,” produced by Los Del Pueblos Actors’ Lab and staged at MACLA
in San Jose. She writes to evoke spirit, inspire young people
and honor her ancestors. Rosa has a Masters in Latin American
Studies from Stanford and a Masters in Teaching from USF.
Simón Hanukai has been performing theater, which focuses on different social and political
issues, since 1994, and has been teaching theater in middle and high schools since 2000 in
Mountain View, San Jose, East Palo Alto, the Bronx and Oakland. He has written, performed
and directed productions with Rainbow Theater & JUICE, Santa Cruz-based performance
collectives. Simón is currently getting his masters degree in education and teaching
credential from the University of San Francisco¹s Center for Teaching Excellence and
Social Justice. He performs with the theater group, headRush, that uses theater to
educate people about issues that effect working class people nation wide, and cofounded the Naked Souls Artists Alliance, an artist collaborative that brings together
local visual, performance and literary artists to share their work with the community. He
is also currently the Program Director at Destiny Arts Center, a violence prevention and
arts education organization in Oakland, and the Co-Artistic Director of the Destiny Arts
Youth Performance Company.
Xago has been dedicated to teatro since first attending a Summer workshop at El Teatro
Campesino in 1990 and has been active in producing work for his community in East Salinas, starting with a one-man show, “Zero” and two Christmas plays, “A Christmas Carol Y
Que!” and “A Market Street Milagro” produced by the Alisal Center for the Fine Arts. Xago
has starred in numerous theatre productions with Teatro Campesino and Los del Pueblo
Actors Lab. In 1993 he co-founded a community-based performance troupe called Los
Illegals Comedy Clica. LICC has performed in venues in and around the state with an
emphasis on at-risk populations, including juvenile detention centers and public
schools. In 2002 LICC was featured in a series of events in New York City commemorating the 911 attack. From 1997 to present, Xago has been a member of Baktun 12, a
hip-hop theater crew from East Salinas. Xago now lives in East Oakland and leads
theatre workshops for middle and high school students. In addition to teaching, he
continues performing with headrush, an Oakland-based a spoken word teatro troupe.
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Educational Workshops
Rigoberta Menchú
Rigoberta Menchú was born on January 9, 1959 to a poor Indian peasant
family and raised in the Quiche
branch of the Mayan culture. In her
early years she helped with the family farm work, either in the northern
highlands where her family lived, or
on the Pacific coast, where both
adults and children went to pick
coffee on the big plantations.
In 1979, Rigoberta joined the Committee of the Peasant Union (CUC).
That year her brother was arrested,
tortured and killed by the army. The
following year, her father was killed
when security forces in the capital
stormed the Spanish Embassy where
he and some other peasants were
staying. Shortly afterwards, her
mother also died after having been
arrested, tortured and raped. Rigoberta became increasingly active in
the CUC, and taught herself Spanish
as well as other Mayan languages
than her native Quiche. In 1980, she
figured prominently in a strike the
CUC organized for better conditions
for farm workers on the Pacific coast,
and on May 1, 1981, she was active
in large demonstrations in the capital.
Over the years, Rigoberta Menchú
has become widely known as a
leading advocate of Indian rights and
ethno-cultural reconciliation, not only
in Guatemala but in the Western
Hemisphere generally, and her work
has earned her several international
awards.
Conciencia Mestiza: Chicanas Remaking Activism
PRESENTER:
LOCATION:
Dr. Patricia Kim-Rajal, Assistant Professor,
Chicano and Latino Studies, SSU
Stevenson 2049 SESSION: I WORKSHOP #: 4
DESCRIPTION: In this workshop we will begin by discussing the everyday experiences
of Chicanas as people of color and as women in cultures that value neither. How does this
affect the way women of color view themselves and the world? Can these world views
enrich social justice activism?
Who’s Dogging Who? Xican@ Nation Dealing with the Desperation
PRESENTER:
LOCATION:
Omar Malfavon, Criminal Justice Major, SSU
Alfredo Sanchez, CRLA
Stevenson 3028 SESSION: I & II WORKSHOP #: 10
DESCRIPTION: XICAN@ Identity; What Is It? With all of the outcry going on through
out the country we will put into perspective the Xican@ Movement here in Sonoma
County, and the Barrios. Through censorship and data binding the media has the Nation
running in fear. Fear from which the Prison & War Industrial Complex’, have capitalized
on by criminalizing survival, and disenfranchising our Brothers and Sisters. Knowing que
la cultura cura we will focus on breaking the ideologies or stereotypes that hold us down
such as: gang association, incarceration, and dropout rates.
From Warriors to Slaves
PRESENTER:
LOCATION:
Rafael Vásquez, EOPS Specialist, SRJC
Stevenson 3038 SESSION: I & II
WORKSHOP #: 12
DESCRIPTION: This presentation will take you through a brief tour of our past Maya,
Aztec, and Inca cultures. While not the only ones, these are the ones everyone knows a bit
about. You will then learn about the changes in this culture and why it is that most of us
“Latinos” do not remember where we come from. Gang involvement becomes important
for those youth who have no history. Kapitalistic Shoppers is what many of us have become and thereby SLAVES to a culture that does not fully accept us.
De Colores
PRESENTERS: Jessica Ruiz, Business Major, SSU
Carmelo Miranda, Pre-Nursing Major, SSU
LOCATION:
Satevenson 2091 SESSION: II WORKSHOP #: 20
DESCRIPTION: Raza Comes in different colors, shapes, sizes personalities, and orientations. This workshop will address historical, cultural, sociological and psychological aspects of Queer Raza. The purpose of this workshop is to initiate dialogue, to create understanding and respect amongst all Raza. We are Raza fighting in the same struggle To
gain Respect and Dignity as Human Beings.
“. . . instead of giving a rifle to somebody, build a school; instead of giving a rifle, build
a community with adequate services. Instead of giving a rifle, develop an educational
system that is not about conflict and violence, but one that promotes respect for values,
for life, and respect for one’s elders.” ~ Rigoberta Menchú
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Mujer Loca: Married, Pregnant, and in College
PRESENTER:
LOCATION:
Dr. Ofelia R. Arellano
Dean of Santa Rosa Junior College Petaluma Campus
Stevenson 2049 SESSION: II WORKSHOP #: 16
DESCRIPTION: The purpose of this workshop is to share real life experiences of surviving college while married and pregnant. Participants will discuss challenges women
face in trying to achieve college degrees while balancing school, family, work and other
responsibilities. In addition, first hand tips will be shared on how to fully utilize college
resources to succeed in college.
Gates Millenium Scholars: The Gate to Education
PRESENTERS: Cirilo Cortez, Sociology Major, SSU
LOCATION:
Salazar 2021 SESSION: I
WORKSHOP #: 1
DESCRIPTION: A workshop designed to motivate, inform, and provide awareness to
Raza students about scholarships. The purpose is to inform Raza high school students
about the GMS, a scholarship that if granted gives students a full-ride to a B.A. education,
M.A. education, and PhD in six areas of study.
Mis Derechos Humanos y Linguisticos/ My Human and Linguistic Rights
PRESENTER: LOCATION:
Ellie Galvez-Hard, Teacher Diversity Project, SSU
Salazar 2024 SESSION: I WORKSHOP #: 2
DESCRIPTION: Too many educators are not reading the research that states taking away
mother tongues takes away identity. Debemos unirnos para luchar y mantener nuestra
identidad cultural.
Immigration Myths and Realities
MODERATOR:
PRESENTERS:
LOCATION:
Theresa Alfaro-Velcamp, Assistant Professor,
Department of History, SSU
Alfredo Coria, Communication Studies Major, SSU
Rob McLaughlin, Lawyer, JD and Anthropologist, PhD
Stevenson 2083 SESSION: II WORKSHOP #: 19
DESCRIPTION: SSU Student Alfredo Coria and Rob McLaughlin, a lawyer and anthropologist from the University of Chicago, will discuss immigration processes, covering
family and employment based immigration, asylum and refugee status, and the diversity
lottery program.
Emiliano Zapata
El General Emiliano Zapata was
Mexican revolutionary leader and
agrarian reformer, born in San
Miguel Anenecuilco, Morelos. An
illiterate tenant farmer of almost
pure indigenous blood, he recruited an army of indigenous
peasants from villages and haciendas in Morelos and, under the
rallying cry “Tierra y Libertad”
joined the Mexican revolutionary
Francisco I. Madero in the 1910
revolt against the Mexican dictator
Porfirio Díaz.
Having lost faith in Madero, who
assumed the presidency in 1911,
Zapata formulated his agrarian
reform plan; known as the Plan of
Ayala, it called for the land to be
redistributed among the people.
During the provisional presidencies of the Mexican soldierpolitician Victoriano Huerta and,
later, the Mexican statesman Venustiano Carranza, Zapata continued his resistance to the government. By this time Zapata had
extended his power throughout
southern Mexico.
Zapata joined forces with the
Mexican revolutionary general
Francisco “Pancho” Villa and
marched on Mexico City, entering
it the first of three times in 1914.
The following year Zapata withdrew to Morelos where, still resisting, he later was murdered by
an agent of Carranza.
Chicano Movements
PRESENTER:
LOCATION:
Ron Lopez, Assistant Professor,
Department of Chicano and Latino Studies, SSU
Salazar 2025 SESSION: I WORKSHOP #: 3
DESCRIPTION: Historical background of Chicano Movements of the 60s and 70s to the
present and a discussion of what shape the movement is taking / should take here in the
northern Califas region. Emphasis on what to do here and now. How can you participate?
What is happening at your school?
“¡Mejor morir de pie que vivir de rodillas!” ~ Emiliano Zapata
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Educational Workshops
Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo was born Magdalena
Carmen Frieda Kahlo y Calderon on
July 6, 1907, in her parents’ house in
Coyoacan, Mexico a suburb of Mexico City. In about 1935 she dropped
the “e” in her first name.
Frida was a painter whose work
fascinated prominent and diverse
artists around the world. The wife of
world-renowned Mexican muralist
Diego Rivera, Kahlo forged a place in
the art world that was completely of
her own.
She lived between 1907 and 1954 in a
time of incredible worldwide movements and changes. The Mexican
Revolution occurred just three years
after she was born, a development
that triggered dramatic social and
economic change in Mexico. A new
sense of nationalism surged throughout Mexico as the people rejected
dictator Porfirio Diaz and his policies,
and a renaissance of cultural renewal
glorifying Mexico’s native roots took
place.
Kahlo was an active participant in the
social, economic and political landscape that characterized that life.
Her last public appearance was at a
demonstration
protesting
C.I.A.
intervention in the overthrow of
leftist President Jacobo Arbenz of
Guatemala. She died seven days
later on July
13, 1954, at
the age of
47.
The Qué, Cómo and Cuándo of Financial Aid Information
PRESENTER:
LOCATION:
Héctor V. Delgado, Financial Aid Technician, SRJC
Salazar 2021 SESSION: II WORKSHOP #: 13
DESCRIPTION: As the title implies, this workshop is designed to address all components
of obtaining financial aid. We will cover important deadlines, federal grants, state grants
and Scholarships. We will address review statistics of Raza in relation to financial aid and
the lack of a single comprehensive source of financial aid information for Latinos.
Money-Smart Education: On your Way to Financial Independence
PRESENTERS: Efren Carrillo, Redwood Credit Union
LOCATION:
Stevenson 3030 SESSION: I & II
WORKSHOP #: 11
DESCRIPTION: This seminar will focus on learning to set financial goals, and the importance of savings and checking. It will touch on the basic fundamentals of credit and
investing.
Continuing Chavez’s Legacy: Fighting for Benefits and Respect on the Job
PRESENTER:
LOCATION:
Christina Zapata, CAMP Director (Collage Assistance Migrant Program)
Stevenson 2075 SESSION: I WORKSHOP #: 5
DESCRIPTION: Workshop participants will analyze their experience as workers and will
explore way to improve conditions for working class peoples. We will look at corporate
hegemony and answer questions such as, why doesn’t my family have health insurance? & If
both of my parents are working, why can we barely make ends meet?
Identity
PRESENTER:
LOCATION:
Ron Lopez, Assistant Professor,
Department of Chicano and Latino Studies, SSU
Salazar 2025 SESSION: II WORKSHOP #: 15
DESCRIPTION: Exploration of the historical roots of Chicana/o, Mexicana/o, and
Latina/o identity. Discussion of why separate cultural and social identities exist and how
they evolve in a society like the United States, where race and class separates and defines
our life chances and opportunities, what consequences to the choices we make (when we
have them) have on our lives and our families lives? Workshop on how can we use our
identity / identities as an organizing tool to empower ourselves and our communities?
Youth Organizing
PRESENTER:
LOCATION:
Mariana Garcia, B.A. Spanish and Chicano and Latino Studies, SSU
Davin C. Cardenas, B.A. Hutchins Liberal Studies, SSU
Vicente Lara, B.A. Sociology, U.C. Berkeley
Stevenson 3015 SESSION: I & II WORKSHOP #: 9
DESCRIPTION: This workshop will focus on developing strategies to organize students
on your campus. We will look at leadership development and organizing around issues to
make effective change to benefit students.
“I am not sick. I am broken. But I am happy as
long as I can paint.” ~ Frida Kahlo
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Colonization, Globalization and the Environment
PRESENTER:
LOCATION:
Ana Carrillo, Environmental Studies Major, SSU
Salazar 2024 SESSION: II WORKSHOP #: 14
DESCRIPTION: For hundreds of years since colonization, the environment has been
greatly affected by humans and their greed. This workshop will look into the factors that
have led to the destruction of the environment and what we can do to help.
Admissions Requirements to the California State University
PRESENTER:
LOCATION:
Gustavo Flores, Director of Admissions, SSU
Stevenson 2079 SESSION: I WORKSHOP #: 6
DESCRIPTION: This workshop will inform students about the required classes needed
to enroll at universities such as Sonoma State University.
Raza and Higher Education
PRESENTER:
LOCATION:
Marlene Figueroa, Undergraduate, SSU
Stevenson 2079 SESSION: II WORKSHOP #: 18
DESCRIPTION: The workshop will discuss Raza in higher education and the numerous
obstacles Raza students have to forgo to stay in school. The workshop will touch on
dropout rates among Raza high school students and who those effects the number of Raza
students that pursue higher education.
Raza in the Military
PRESENTER:
LOCATION:
Genoveva Zesati
Stevenson 2091 SESSION:
I
WORKSHOP #: 8
DESCRIPTION: This workshop will provide an inside look athe experince of a Raza
woman in the military. The workshop will discuss the pros and cons, while getting at the
truth through the experience of una mujer.
Raza and Health Issues
PRESENTER:
LOCATION:
Guadalupe Heredia, MSW, UC Berkeley
Stevenson 2083 SESSION: I WORKSHOP #: 7
Ernesto “Che”
Guevara
El Comandante Che Guevara was
Latin American guerrilla leader and
revolutionary theorist, who became a
hero of the people during the 1960’s.
Born into a middle-class family in
Rosario, Argentina, Guevara received
a medical degree from the University
of Buenos Aires in 1953.
Convinced that revolution was the
only remedy for Latin America’s
social inequities, in 1954 he went to
Mexico, where he joined exiled Cuban revolutionaries under Fidel Castro.
In the late 1950s, he played an important role in Castro’s guerrilla war
against Cuban dictator Fulgencio
Batista, and when Castro came to
power, he served as Cuba’s minister
of industry (1961-1965). A strong
opponent of U.S. influence in the
Third World, he helped guide the
Castro regime on its path. The author
of two books on guerrilla warfare,
Guevara advocated peasant-based
revolutionary movements in the
developing countries.
He disappeared from Cuba in 1965,
reappearing the following year as an
insurgent leader in Bolivia. He was
captured by the Bolivian army and
executed near Vallegrande on October 8, 1967.
DESCRIPTION: This workshop will discuss health risk factors associated with our culture: immigration status, poverty, health insurance, homophobia, machismo, sexuał
familial silence. Statistics on HIV and Raza with and emphasis on La Mujer will also be
discussed.
Danza Mexica
PRESENTER:
LOCATION:
Luis Gutierrez, Danza Mexica Coyolxauqui
Stevenson 2075 SESSION: II WORKSHOP #: 17
DESCRIPTION: This workshop will provide a basic history and description of Danza
Mexica (“Aztec Dancing”). Along with an introduction to Mexica philosophy and Spirituality. Students will be encouraged to get involved and dance.
“I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The
people liberate themselves.” ~ Che Guevara
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