Author Archives: Jose Calderon

About Jose Calderon

Jose Zapata Calderon is Emeritus Professor in Sociology and Chicano/a Latino/a Studies at Pitzer College and President of the Latino and Latina Roundtable of the Pomona Valley and San Gabriel Valley.

Latino and Latina Roundtable- Board Elections on November 18th 2023

Hi LRT Members,

Here are the bios of the 8 candidates for the 7 board at large seats for the Latino and Latina Roundtable. This is a two-year term. Meet the candidates and vote at the next meeting. The meeting is in person and there will be a zoom option for those who cannot be present in person.
Address:
1460 E. Holt Avenue Room 5
Pomona, CA 91767
Thank you for being a paid member and supporting Latino/a Roundtable,
Lina
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85846850494Meeting ID: 858 4685 0494
Candidates

Karina Leon

I am Karina Leon, a married mom, daughter, sister, and friend born and raised in East LA with proud 1st generation Mexican roots—a long-time Pomona resident who believes in social and economic justice in our loving communities of working families. I have been a dedicated employee in the Labor Union Community for 25+ years with a passion for organizing, creating, laughing, and planning. I have worked professionally in the labor movement, organizing and mobilizing workers in all capacities. My career has flourished within the labor movement, and my passion for social justice shows in the top quality of my work and relationships. I tackle every day with a “Si Se Puede” attitude to accomplish the required objectives to meet our members’ needs, team objectives, and organizational goals. My work in the labor community fostered my participation as a Latino/Latina Roundtable member who has participated and volunteered in various meetings and events, bridging Union members to the social issues in our communities. During my free time, I enjoy traveling to the motherland with familia, relaxing with my husband, connecting with my children, and spending quality time with the rest of my family. They all have been integral to my work; I consistently strive to make them proud of our progress, advocacy, and presence in our communities.


Joshua Swodeck

I am an advocate for Culture through Arts, Education, and Community. I currently serve on the City of Pomona Cultural Arts Commission, School of Arts + Enterprise Board, and as a Member of the LA County Fair Association. For over 8 years, I served on the Pomona Council of PTAs over 23 Pomona schools. For over 6 years, I actively supported local artists through our gallery, Art Walk pop ups, curtain of exhibits, and continue to volunteer alongside my wife with the Alliance Cultural Center (Pomona4As). Earlier in his life, I spent over sixteen years, both professionally and as a volunteer, working with and mentoring young people in Miami, Brooklyn, South Central LA, Whittier, Covina, and Pomona. As a professional, I’ve spent over twenty years working with innovators, thought leaders, and community organizers, clarifying their marketing vision and developing specific strategies to forward their goals as a creative problem solver. My wife and I have two amazing children together.


Mike Suarez

First and foremost I am a Chicano, a person that will fight for Social Justice and is committed to improving the lives of all Latinos. Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta and Jose Calderon teach us these ideals. I have been on the Board of Directors of the Latino Roundtable for 3 and a half years and a member for 20 years.  The Latino Roundtable projects that I work on make a difference in the Latino community. We helped decrease the police checkpoints in Pomona and I helped sue the Pomona police department for raiding a Latino Roundtable community meeting at a local church. I’m now on the committee that will make Ethnic Studies a graduation requirement in Pomona , with college credit . A student that takes these classes are more likely not to be a truancy problem, not drop out and go on to college. Literacy is a passion of mine. I was appointed to the Pomona Library Board of Trustees from 2006 to 2017 and I was reappointed in 2021. I worked very hard to force the city to create a citizens police review commission. I am committed to bringing social change to our community! Thank You


David Estrada

David Estrada is a member of the Board of Directors of the Latino & Latina Roundtable. His passion is standing up for social justice issues related to working families. His career with the Service Employees International Union led to leadership positions as a Local Union’s Hospital Division Director and then as a National Coordinator to the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions AFL-CIO, headquartered in Washington DC. David has remained active in the labor movement and beyond. He serves as a Board Member of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement for San Gabriel Valley & Inland Empire.  He is a delegate to the L.A. County Federation of Labor, and the Inland Empire Labor Council for San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. He is Co-Chair of the California Association of Retired Americans for San Gabriel Valley. He serves as a good government observer for the League of Women Voters.


John Nolte

John Nolte served on the board of the PEOC (Day Labor Center), was active in Pomona Habla, has been elected twice to the Pomona City Council, and has been on the LRT Board since 2017. He is an attorney who represents students with disabilities and their families in special education matters. John heads up the LRT’s New Economy Committee, and helped this year to secure a $600K grant from the City of Pomona, in partnership with EcoCiv, to implement the Pomona Jobs Program. The PJP is a first step toward achieving LRT’s vision for a wellbeing economy that leverages the purchasing power of regional anchor institutions to build community wealth by investing in Pomona’s most vulnerable residents. John believes in all LRT does and that it is poised to grow and lead the region toward a quality of life for all that is healthier, freer, more equal, and more just.


Maria Galvan

My name is Maria Galvan and I live in Ontario, CA. I am a student at Mt San Antonio Community College, returning after 30 plus years. My goal is to graduate and earn a degree in child development. I joined the Latino /latina Roundtable after learning about their work on immigrant rights. I advocate on how to support the immigrant community especially those in fear of deportation and how they can defend themselves. I believe education is for all and especially for those who are systematically from disadvantaged groups. I enjoy watching documentaries, taking walks in the park and traveling.


Oscar Segovia

Growing up in the 1960’s and early ‘70s, my father, an educator, politician and civil rights activist, played a tremendous role in my civic, cultural and academic development. My mother had a profound impact on my moral and cultural development, both parents instilling pride in our Mexicano/Chicano identity.

Today, I am a husband to a high school administrator and father of three amazing children. This is my 25th year as a Social Science educator at Chaffey H.S. where I teach Newcomer U.S. History, Chicano/Latinx Studies (a class I created) and I am on a district Ethnic Studies committee.  I am also Co Advisor for our English Learner Program.

Last year, I was appointed to the LRT board where I served on legislative and Ethnic Studies committees and represented our organization at various community events.  I will continue to work helping our students and our community.  As Dr. King would often say, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”  With your support, I would like to serve another term as LRT board member bending that arc.

Sincerely,

Oscar Segovia


Karen May

Karen May has a unique background that bridges community economic development; labor, community, and coalition organizing. Her current position as Political & Community Organizer with SEIU Local 1000 enables her to forge labor-community coalitions and hold civic leaders accountable. Karen’s early career was shaped by the United Farm Workers of America, working alongside iconic figures Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. Wherever she has lived and worked, she has engaged in local organizing to promote justice and dignity for immigrants and community voices. Throughout her career, Karen has navigated diverse work environments – in private and public sectors, non-profit organizations, and hybrid structures. She is currently involved in the new “CA Jobs First ” economic development collaborative in the Inland Empire (called “Thrive Inland SoCal”). Karen holds two Master’s Degrees, in Community Economic Development, and in International Economics. She has championed innovative community development strategies and hybrid ownership structures that empower communities to create economic engines that drive change. Karen lives in Ontario and is very involved politically, serving as a delegate to the California Democratic Party, and a member of the San Bernardino County Central Committee. She is committed to helping develop local leaders with training and mentoring so that our communities can be self-determined by local residents. She believes in the mission and amazing work of the Latina/Latino Roundtable and looks forward to staying involved!


2023 LRT Candidate Bios.updated11.9.23 final

Invitation to LRT Dia de Muertos Celebration – November 4th 2023

We invite you to the Latino and Latina Roundtable Annual Dia de Muertos Celebration on November 4th at Lopez Urban Farm (1034 W. Mission Blvd. in Pomona) from 1 – 5 PM.  A distinction of this Annual celebration is that we attempt to celebrate it, not out of any commercial or profit benefit (like some Dia de Muertos events have become), but is an effort to create a space where we can celebrate the cultural meaning of remembering and celebrating our loved ones and those who have contributed to our communities.
Jose Calderon
President of the Latino and Latina Roundtable
From the Director Lina Mira:
Hello LRT Members and Friends,
We are excited for our event that is right around the corner. Please save the date for the 9th Annual Dia de Muertos Celebration. Join us for cultura, comunidad, music, arts and crafts, tamales, and our beautiful OFRENDA at the Lopez Urban Farm. Bring pictures of your loved ones. Everyone is welcome to attend. Bring your abuelitos, kids, neighbors and anyone who loves being in community. There is no cost to attend this event. 
 
There will be information tables with resources from a few of our local community partners working on health and immigration. 
 
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 4TH 2023
Doors open at 1:00 pm @ Lopez Urban Farm in Pomona CA. 
We also need volunteers to help us get ready- volunteer work days are-
November 3rd and November 4th (call 909-480-6267 to inquire about times).

Latino and Latina Roundtable upcoming events – October 13th-November 4th

Hello Everyone,

You are invited to join us for the following events. These events are in partnership with other local organizations and groups. Fliers are attached to this email.
Noche de Familia – October 13th from 4- 6pm – Tri-City Wellness Center (Pomona) Come and celebrate the end of Latino/Hispanic Heritage Month,Bring your family and invite your friends and extended family.
Cesar Chavez Park Clean Up and Gardening Day- October 14th from 10-12 (noon) at Cesar Chavez Park (Pomona).
Kindness Carnival – October 14th from 2-5 pm at Civic Center Plaza (Pomona) Stop by and learn about the groups working together to bring a wellbeing economy to Pomona and the Pomona Valley.
Dia de Muertos Celebration – November 4th from 1-5 pm at Lopez Urban Farm (Pomona). Bring pictures and items for the large community ofrenda. Everyone is welcome to join the celebration of culture, education, and community.

Latino and Latina Roundtable- Membership Meeting this Saturday 9/23/23

Hello LRT Members,

Please read the message below from Board President Jose Calderon.

To:Members of the Latino and Latina Roundtable 

As per our by-laws, the Latino and Latina Roundtable will be electing seven at-large positions at its membership meeting on Saturday, November 18th to serve on the board for the next two years.

Nominationswill take place at the next General Membership Meeting on Saturday, September 23 at 1 PM at the Solidarity Center (1460 E. Holt Ave., Entrance #3 – Room 6 in Pomona) or join us via zoom.

Zoom Option 

Time: Sep 23, 2023 01:00 PM Pacific Time

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88307951976

Meeting ID: 883 0795 1976

If you are interested in running for one of the seven positions or if you want tonominate someone, please join us at the membership meeting.

To be able to vote in the election set for November 18th (or to run for one of the at-large positions), you have to be a paid member in good standing 30 days prior to the election.Hence, you have until October 19th to fill out an application and pay your dues if you have not done so already.

If you have any questions, please contact:  Alicia Rodriguez at mariaaliciar2@gmail.com; Jose Calderon at Jose_Calderon@pitzer.edu; or Angela Sanbrano at Angela_Sanbrano@pitzer.edu

Complete application online or you can fill out the PDF application. 

https://www.latinolatinaroundtable.org/member-sign-up

Invitation to “Ethnic Solidarity in the Fields: 50th Anniversary of Filipino and Mexican Immigrant Farm Worker Unity for the Agbayani Village” at Library (hybrid)

This is your invitation to a (at Cal Poly Pomona University Library Building 15, Grand Reading Room 3rd floor on Thursday, September 21 from 1 – 2:30 PM) on the significance of the unity that took place between Filipino grape workers belonging to the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee and the National Farmworkers Association (September 1965) that eventually led to the formation of the United Farmworkers Union and the winning of numerous contracts.  At the same time, as part of the 50-year anniversary of Agbayani Village, the panel will discuss the  the historic conditions that developed the Paulo Agbayani Filipino Retirement Village in the early 1970s, and the lessons applicable for contemporary social movements.  The panelists include: Marissa Pulido, co-founder of the Agbayani Village Pilgrimage Organizing Committee; Kent Wong, Director of the UCLA Labor Center; and Jose Calderon, Emeritus Professor at Pitzer College and organizer of an annual class visit by students with the UFW and to Agbayani Village in Delano.
“Ethnic Solidarity in the Fields: 50th Anniversary of Filipino and Mexican Immigrant Farm Worker Unity for the Agbayani Village” at Library (hybrid)

https://cpp.libcal.com/event/11125768 

Cordially,

alvaro

Álvaro Huerta (Ph.D., UC Berkeley) 
Religion and Public Life Organizing Fellow, Harvard Divinity School
Associate Professor, Cal Poly Pomona | Diss. | Article | TEDx Talk | CV+
Book--Jardineros: Cultivating Los Angeles’ Green Landscapes with Brown Hands, Migrant Networks and Technology (Forthcoming, The MIT Press)
Western Regional Representative, Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) (effective 10.20.23)
Scholars for Social Justice | URBAN Research Network | Ford Foundation Fellow

Latino and Latina Roundtable- Meeting 9/23/23 1-3 pm

To:  Members of the Latino and Latina Roundtable 

As per our by-laws, the Latino and Latina Roundtable will be electing seven at-large positions at its membership meeting on Saturday, November 18th to serve on the board for the next two years.   

Nominations will take place at the next General Membership Meeting scheduled for Saturday, September 23 at 1 PM at the Solidarity Center (1460 E. Holt Ave., Entrance #3 – Room 6 in Pomona). 

Continue reading

Latino and Latina Roundtable – At-Large Elections for the Board

Hello LRT Members and Friends, 

Please read the message below from Board President Jose Calderon. 

Thank you, 

Lina

To:  Members of the Latino and Latina Roundtable 

As per our by-laws, the Latino and Latina Roundtable will be electing seven at-large positions at its membership meeting on Saturday, November 18th to serve on the board for the next two years.   

Nominations will take place at the next General Membership Meeting scheduled for Saturday, September 23 at 1 PM at the Solidarity Center (1460 E. Holt Ave., Entrance #3 – Room 6 in Pomona). 

Zoom Option 

Time: Sep 23, 2023 01:00 PM Pacific Time

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88307951976

Meeting ID: 883 0795 1976

If you are interested in running for one of the seven positions or if you want to nominate someone, please attend the membership meeting on Saturday, September 23.   

To be able to vote in the election set for November 18th (or to run for one of the at-large positions), you have to be a paid member in good standing 30 days prior to the election. Hence, you have until October 19th to fill out an application and pay your dues if you have not done so already.   

If you have any questions, please contact:  Alicia Rodriguez at mariaaliciar2@gmail.com; Jose Calderon at Jose_Calderon@pitzer.edu; or Angela Sanbrano at Angela_Sanbrano@pitzer.edu 

 Complete application online or you can fill out the PDF application. 

https://www.latinolatinaroundtable.org/member-sign-up

Copy of 2023LRTMembershipapplication(version5).docx

 

Community Schools LAEP Job Opportunities

The Latino and Latina Roundtable has been partnering with Pomona Unified since the first establishment of three community schools at the school district.  Now, the school district is in the process of developing eight more community schools.  Here is the link to the community schools job opportunities at PUSD.  Please send out to anyone whom you think would be a good candidate for any of these positions:

Hello,

The following link will take you to the LAEP website with the various Community Schools job opportunities.

https://recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/jobs/All/f56e438d-aad1-4a65-b8c6-0a7f021bd829/Los-Angeles-Education-Partnership

Thank you in advance for sharing this.

Respectfully,

Jesse Altamirano

Principal On Assignment
Pupil & Community Services
(909) 397-4800 Ext. 23857
Pomona Unified School District
800 South Garey Avenue
Pomona, CA 9176

Latino and Latina Roundtable – August 10th 2023

Here are some community events where we will be sharing information about the Latino and Latina Roundtable. We need some members interested in helping us staff the booth in Los Angeles on August 26th, starting at 9:00 am. Also, please contact me to confirm that you are up to date on your membership dues for 2023. Memberships are a way to support the organization and the work.
Hola Miembros de Latino y Latina Roundtable
Aquí están unos eventos donde estaremos compartiendo información sobre Latino y Latina Roundtable. Por favor comuníquese con nosotros para renovar su membresía. Necesitamos personas que nos quieran ayudar el 26 de agosto en Los Ángeles a partir de las 9:00 am. 
WESTMONT PARK with Just Us 4 Youth 
Friday August 11th starting at 3:30-7:30 pm 
Viernes 11 de Agosto a partir de las 3:30 pm

Lopez Urban Farm with the Pomona Pride Center 
Saturday August 12th
Sabado 12 de agosto
11:30 am-3:00 pm

 


Belvedere Park -53rd Annual Commemoration of Chicano Moratorium 
August 26th from 11:00 am- 4:00 pm, (volunteers needed) 
26 de agosto de 11:00 am-4:00 pm