My birthday is just around the corner on January 8th and, in lieu of gifts or cards for my birthday, I would like to ask friends and allies to give the gift of becoming a member (or to renew your membership) of the Latino and Latina Roundtable of the San Gabriel and Pomona Valley. This would be the highest gift of respect that you could give for all our work that we carry out daily in the interests of our communities. The application is attached with this request. The membership dues for one year are $25.00 for individuals and $10.00 for students, retirees, and low income individuals. Your dues help to sustain our organizing and advocacy efforts. As you know, our organization has always been a volunteer organization that is primarily sustained through membership dues and a yearly fundraiser. Only until recently, have we rented an office and hired an executive director which brings forward new fundraising challenges. All the work of our community development, cultural, college for all, immigrant rights, annual breakfast, and scholarship committees are carried out by community-based organizers who have committed their lives to ensure justice and equity for our communities. We are continually motivated through our practice of an “abundance mentality” where we continue to see the outcomes of our efforts in training and developing new leaders through our organization. In supporting our organization through your membership, you are helping to sustain the inspiration and efforts of our members in organizing an annual Cesar Chavez breakfast and Pilgrimage march that provide scholarships and honor community-based leaders in our region; in sustaining the beauty of our culture through Dia de Los Muertos and “mural/sacred space” preservation in places like Cesar Chavez Park; in advancing our collaboration with area schools and colleges through the College4All Coalition in implementing a school-to-college pipeline; in implementing educational forums and workshops through a Roundtable Academy on key issues facing our communities; in carrying out voter, ballot, driver’s license, health for all, immigrant rights initiatives; in advancing our efforts to support workers and unions in our region; and in ensuring our ongoing participation in numerous coalitions on social justice and quality of life issues. If you have questions or need me to send you the application by email, please contact me at Jose_Calderon@Pitzer.edu
Jose Zapata Calderon Emeritus Professor of Sociology and Chicano/a and Latino/a Studies 1050 North Mills Avenue Claremont, CA 91711-6101 (909) 952-1640 Jose_Calderon@pitzer.edu Website: www.josezcalderon.com
