In the spring of 2018, the 50th anniversary of the East L.A. high school walkouts coincided with the rise of a new nationwide student movement against gun violence. Time Travel was a free public event at Pasadena Central Library in Pasadena, CA that brought together participants from the movements of the 1960s in a discussion about high school activism of the 60s and today.
Panelists were: Starla Lewis
Starla Lewis, CEO of C.E.L.L. (Celebration of Everlasting Life & Love), is an expert in the area of Women’s Studies, African American Studies and Ethnic Studies. As a teacher, life coach and diversity coach, Starla creates an "edu-taining" environment through her experiential presentations, workshops and trainings. Starla is a seven-time recipient of the Mesa College Teacher of the Year Award; and was honored by inductions into the Women’s Hall of Fame and John Muir Alumni Hall of Fame. She was also recognized as a KPBS local hero. Starla is the author and illustrator of Sunkisses, a multicultural/ multilingual coloring book for children and adults. She is the Co-Creator and Facilitator of "Woman’s Worth: Reclaiming Our Divinity & Our Destiny", and Co-Author of “I Am: My Own Self-Validation”.For over forty years Starla Lewis has taught love and life skills, and affirms that all people are: Brilliant, Powerful, Limitless, Love.
Roberta H. Martínez
Roberta H. Martínez has been the volunteer Director of Latino Heritage and has invested huge amounts of energy and dedication to promoting knowledge of the Latino experience and history, in Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley, through cultural and educational programs. She was a founder and led the successful Latino Heritage parade and jamaica for 15 years. Roberta is the author of the well-received book, IMAGES OF AMERICA: LATINOS IN PASADENA (2009). She will be among the authors featured in HOMETOWN PASADENA (Fall 2018). Roberta has spoken to historical groups, children's groups, and others in her effort to share her meticulous scholarly knowledge. She is a history scholar and lecturer and also holds a master's degree in music history, her major foci has been Latinx, Women, and Workers.
Carlos M. Montes
Carlos Montes is a nationally respected leader in the Chicano, immigrant rights, and anti-war movements. As a student, Carlos fought to get one of the first Chicano Studies Departments established at East Los Angeles College. He was one of the founders of the Brown Berets in East Los Angeles from 1967 to 1970, and one of the leaders of the 1968 East Los Angeles High School Walkouts to protest against racism and inequality in Los Angeles-area high schools. Carlos was also involved in the Poor People’s Campaign, the national Chicano Youth Liberation Conference and the Chicano Moratorium. Carlos continues to organize against police brutality and ICE raids, for worker and immigrant rights, community empowerment and public education through his involvement with Centro CSO, the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council and other grassroots organizations and as a writer for Fight Back News.org.
Raúl Ruiz
As a student at CSULA the 1960s, Raúl founded the Inside Eastside and the Chicano Student Movement newspapers and was a co-editor of the influential Chicano grassroots community journal La Raza. A lifelong Chicano activist, he was a key figure in organizing the 1968 East LA High School Walkouts and a leader of Catolicos por la Raza. Raúl went on to become a leader of La Raza Unida Party, running for state assembly and mayor. He was also one of the California representatives for the RUP delegation that travelled to Cuba to gather information about developing programs for education, housing, healthcare, and agriculture in the United States.Raúl earned his Master’s and Doctorate degrees at Harvard University and is an Emeritus Professor of Chicano/a Studies at California State University, Northridge.
TIME TRAVEL PANEL DISCUSSION is part of Time Travel, a series of public art engagements created by Deborah Aschheim to celebrate 50 years of student activism in Pasadena and East L.A.The project included Aschheim’s posters on Pasadena Transit buses and at bus stops in 2018.
This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit calhum.org. “Any views expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of California Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.”
This project is made possible in part by the Pasadena Arts & Culture Commission and the City of Pasadena Cultural Affairs Division.
More information at: pasadenatimetravel.com
Thank you to George Nakayama for filming the event!
