Photo from Little Manila Rising, littlemanila.org Filipina American, History, Historic Preservation, Activism, Education Dawn Mabalon (1972-2018) Dr. Dawn Mabalon was born in 1972 in Stockton, California, the daughter and granddaughter of Filipino American farmworkers. A passionate scholar who cared deeply about Filipino American history, Dawn Mabalon’s background and love for her roots shaped both her …
Photo from lifeinlegacy.com Filipina American, Film, Activism Linda Mabalot (1953-2003) Linda Mabalot was a community documentarian and activist committed to ensuring that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) control how they and their communities’ diverse stories are represented in visual media. A filmmaker herself, she supported the training, programming, and production of AAPI filmmakers while …
Photo from the Latino Legacy Foundation Chicano, Music, Activism Ramón (Chunky) Sánchez (1951-2016) Ramón “Chunky” Sánchez, charismatic elder musician and composer, mentor, educator, and activist, lent his talents and consejos (advice) to youth, adults and all interested. Chunky’s signature sound was committed to Mexican traditions with a Chicano style uniquely his own. He gave traditional …
Photo by Jesus Macarena-Avila of Instituto de Nuestra Cultura / Courtesy of the Negrete family. Chicano, Music, Activism, Education, Ethnomusicology Jesús (Chuy) Negrete (ca 1949-2021) Jesús “Chuy” Negrete was a musician, storyteller, broadcaster, activist, folk historian, humorist, and a defiant individual who promoted awareness of the plight of Mexicans in the U.S. through singing corridos, …
Photo courtesy of Chinese American, Documentary Photography, Activism Young Kwok (Corky) Lee (1947-2021) Young Kwok “Corky” Lee jokingly referred to himself as the “Undisputed, Unofficial Asian American Photographer Laureate.” In a career that spanned half a century, he indeed did do much to not only document the Asian American community but also helped shape it …
Photo courtesy of Musician and Community Activist Joaquín Rivera (1946- 2009) Joaquín Rivera was a musician and activist who revitalized Puertorriqueño traditions in his local Philadelphia community and shared them on national stages. Joaquin Rivera was born in the Puerto Rican mountain town of Cayey in 1946. The youngest of eleven children, he experienced hardship …
Photo from edmorales.net Puerto Rican, Sociology, Activism Juan Flores (1943-2014) Juan Flores, born John Martin Flores, in Richmond, Virginia, was a professor of social and cultural analysis and director of Latino studies at New York University. He earned his BA from Queens College New York, his MA and PhD in German Literature from Yale University, …
Photo from The Veterans of Hope Project African American, Autoethnography, Spirituality, Activism Rosemarie Freeney Harding (1931-2004) Rosemarie Freeney Harding offers a detailed autoethnographic memoir of African American women’s beliefs and traditions during the Great Migration from Georgia to Chicago and about her spiritual journey as she engaged study through interfaith traditions. As a Mennonite, she …
Father-and-son mariachi musicians Roberto and Lorenzo Martinez. Arlington, Virginia, 2003. photograph by Alan Govenar Nuevo Mexicano, Music, Activism Roberto Martínez, Sr. (1929-2013) Roberto Martínez influenced generations of musicians through his songwriting, performances, and recordings, offering constant support and encouragement to younger musicians. Surrounded by traditional northern Nuevo Mexicano music, Martínez went on to form the …
