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.

Sociologist Podcast With Emeritus Professor Jose Calderon and Professor James McKeever

Thank you to Professor James McKeever for this interview and his podcast that is advancing new and innovative scholarly roads. Please connect in to this podcast for an informative discussion on the significance of community-based scholarship and the possibilities for creating new models of racial equity and quality of life that are emerging in the contemporary period and for the future. 

From Professor James McKeever Tomorrow (February 15)  on https://www.sociologiststalkingrealshit.com/podcast. I sit down with activist intellectual Dr. Jose Zapata Calderon. We discuss the roots of migration and Biden’s proposed Immigration policies, community engaged scholarship, multiracial coalitions, and in the end some actual solutions for inequality.   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 San Gabriel and Pomona Valley. He received an A. A. from Northeastern Jr. College, a B. A. from the University of Colorado and a PhD in Sociology from UCLA. As the son of immigrant farm workers from Mexico, he has had a long history of connecting his organizing and academic work with community-based teaching, participatory action research, critical pedagogy, and engagement. He was a national founder of the URBAN-Based Research Action Network and the American Sociology Association Latino and Latina Studies Section. From 2013 – 2015, he served a two-year term as a board member of the Los Angeles County Board of Education. He was recently honored with the prestigious National Association for Chicano and Chicana Studies Scholar Lifetime Achievement Award and has received numerous awards including: the Ambassador Nathaniel and Elizabeth Davis Civil Rights Legacy Award; the “Dreamkeeper Award” from the California Alliance of African American Educators; the California Campus Compact Richard E. Cone Award for Excellence and Leadership in Cultivating Community Partnerships in Higher Education; the Goddess of Pomona Award from the City of Pomona, the Michi and Walter Weglyn Chair in Multicultural Studies at Cal Poly University, Pomona; and the United Farm Worker’s Union “Si Se Puede” award for his life-long contributions to the farm worker movement. A recent TedX video, Finding Cesar Chavez: A Transformative Moment,” was chosen as an Editor’s Pick nationally. As a community-based public intellectual, he has published over sixty articles (with the most recent one “The Same Struggle: Immigrant Rights and Educational Justice” in the book Lift Us Up, Don’t Push Us Out: Voices from the Front Lines of the Educational Justice Movement) and including the books: Lessons from an Activist Intellectual: Teaching, Research, and Organizing for Social Change, and Race, Poverty, and Social Justice: Multidisciplinary Perspectives Through Service Learning.

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

Request to Support the LRT for Annual Cesar Chavez Breakfast Fundraiser

This is to let you know that our Latino and Latina Roundtable will be holding its annual Cesar Chavez breakfast fundraiser once again on Friday, March 26, 2021 (Cesar Chavez Day).  I know that some of you may get tired of our requests, but we are persistent in reaching out to you because we know that you know of our work and how, for years, it has been based on volunteers.  Now, for the first time, we have a director and an office and a vision of developing a staff.  Hence, to further advance our organizing efforts and our vision, we are asking for your support once again. As you know, our annual fundraiser is not just about sustaining our education, immigrant rights, college pipeline, environmental, and community economic development organizing – but is also aimed at bringing to center stage and honoring leaders and social justice scholarship students in our region who best exemplify the principles and values of Cesar Chavez.  On March 26th, the LRT will present scholarships to students who are exemplary in connecting their studies with community engagement.   Please help us in sharing the attached scholarship application with others (that has a due date of March 5th). 

It is with that spirit that I invite you to save the date of March 26th and to donate at the level that you or your organization can afford. Please see the attached sponsorship levels that include e-tickets for the virtual event and name listing in the program. You can also purchase individual ticket(s) at $50 per ticket, $25 for paid LRT members, and/or $10 for students and low-income individuals or retirees.   

 

You can go through Eventbrite to pay by credit card at- 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/latino-and-latina-roundtables-17th-annual-cesar-chavez-breakfast-tickets-139338853261 

or Mail RSVP & payment to Latino and Latina Roundtable 1460 E Holt Ave, Mailbox 144, Pomona, CA 91767 (make checks payable to Latino/a Roundtable).  For information please call (909) 480-6267 or visit our website www.latinolatinaroundtable.org 

Here is also the video created by Olga Rojas on our Latino and Latina Roundtable:

https://www.youtube.com/watch

 

Jose Zapata Calderon

President of the Latino and Latina Roundtable of the San Gabriel and Pomona Valley

Copy of Cesar Chavez Breakfast RSVP 2021-4

Request for help by Doubletree Workers

There may be an outbreak at the hotel. Workers report at least 9 coworkers have had COVID over the last few months. There are only about 30 workers in the hotel.
Workers report management has not been following COVID safety measure. They have not supplied enough PPE to workers.  Workers say that when their coworkers have gotten COVID, management had not told them or asked them to quarantine.  Housekeepers report that Management does not give them the additional time and resources that they need to properly clean and disinfect guest rooms.  Management asks house keepers to clean 15-16 rooms a day-the same number of rooms they told them to clean BEFORE the pandemic. As a result housekeepers frequently skip breaks, including meals, and report being exhausted by all the work.
The outbreak and managements’ alleged failure to protect workers and guests threatens the health of the community.  Until recently, the County was contracting with the hotel to prepare food for home bound seniors.  Several airlines from ONT airport contract with the hotel to house their flight crews.  
Workers feel all these factors have contributed to the outbreak and put their health and the guests’ health at risk.
Workers went to management several time to ask for information about sick coworkers and more time and resources to clean and disinfect guest rooms, but they feel management has not listened.
Workers filed complaints with San Bernardino and CalOSHA.
Ask #1:
Call: (909) 418-4815 ask to speak to Bassam Shahin, General Manager
Demands:
1. The hotel lower the room quota by 3 rooms, equivalent to the 90 additional minutes needed to do additional cleaning required to keep guests and coworkers safe.
2. The hotel bring back additional housekeepers to work to allow for the reduction of the room quota.
Ask #2:
Call: Zulfiquar Merchant, District Manager for Cal/OSHA, 626-239-0369
Share background of the current situation.

Demands: Inspect the COVID safety violations at the Ontario Doubletree and help protect the health of the workers and the community

Latino and Latina Roundtable 17th Annual Cesar Chavez Breakfast 3.26.2021

Buenas Tardes Latino and Latina Roundtable Familia,

First and foremost, I hope you are doing well and feeling healthy. We have some exciting news for you! We are pleased to announce that we will be celebrating virtually the legacy of Cesar Chavez this year on Friday 3.26.2021 at 9 am. Please save the date and share widely. More information will be made available in the coming weeks.
This is our main fundraiser and beloved event that brings our community together. Although the COVID-19  pandemic has prevented us from gathering, we are hopeful that we have your support and this event will be successful.  Most importantly, we are excited to continue this tradition and celebrate our students and community leaders that embody the values of Cesar Chavez.
For sponsorship opportunities or to make a donation please contact me or visit our website www.latinolatinaroundtable.org or call (909) 480-6267.
Si Se Puede!!!!
Lina

Invitation to Parent Seminar on College Readiness support

You are invited to join in on the Parent Living the Dream Webinar  on February 3 (with one session from 8:30 am -10 am and another from 5:30 pm – 7 pm) – Sponsored by the Latino and Latina Roundtable, Pomona Unified School District, representatives from area colleges, parents, and students – (as part of College for All Coalition readiness/pipeline efforts).  As a follow-up to a seminar run by students that drew over 300 participants, Parents in this seminar will speak on their experiences of how they have helped to support their young students in preparing for college, applying, being admitted, and the support they have given after.  You must register and the link is on the flyer.  Please get it out to your contacts and parents who are interested.  Thank you. 

Jose Calderon

President of the Latino and Latina Roundtable

 

Soni Gianchandani

Community Services Clerk/Secretary

Pupil and Community Services

Pomona Unified School District

(909)397-4800 ext. 23944

 

Living the Dream Webinar flyer 2-3-21 Living the Dream Webinar flyer 2-3-21 SPANISH Living the Dream Webinar flyer 2-3-21 CHINESE

Latino and Latina Roundtable – members’ retreat Sat. January 23rd at 1 pm

“Mini-Retreat” meeting online for Saturday, January 23 at 1 P. M. (the zoom link is here and below:https://pitzer.zoom.us/j/85240936285)
1.Reflection on the contemporary conditions for our work
2. summary of our work this last year
3. the LRT Priorities for 2021
4. planning for our Cesar Chavez Annual Breakfast Fundraiser
5. Membership drive annual campaign
 Please also invite others that want to join the LRT and our efforts.
Lina