Trust-based philanthropy is paying off big for MANA

Posted on October 9, 2024 by zezinez

By INEZ GONZALEZ PEREZCHICA and KWOFI REED

Originally published in the San Diego Union Tribute, October 9, 2024.

Bank of America’s Neighborhood Builders is celebrating 20 years of community investment. It is the largest philanthropic program in the nation in the size of grants awarded and the support of leadership development for CEOs and emergent leaders throughout the nation.

In the past 20 years, Bank of America has made neighborhoods and communities stronger by investing heavily in nonprofits around the nation. San Diego is no exception. Dozens of local organizations have been selected for this award throughout the years.

San Diego Habitat for Humanity and MANA de San Diego were selected last year. We each received a $200,000 unrestricted grant and leadership development for ourselves and an emerging leader in our organization. In June, we traveled to Bank of America’s campus in Plano, Texas, to meet our counterparts throughout the nation. Scores of nonprofit leaders who most likely would never meet, were able to share challenges and opportunities. What an incredible investment in the nonprofit community. To say it’s an honor to be selected for this prestigious award is an understatement.

Bank of America’s Neighborhood Builders has adopted trust-based philanthropy in its approach. This approach focuses on shifting power from donors to grantees by fostering trust, open dialogue and meaningful relationships. A central tenet of trust-based philanthropy is minimizing the grantee’s burden, such as by simplifying the application process.

It emphasizes an inclusive selection process to ensure that funding is not skewed towards more established or well-funded organizations but rather supports those that effectively serve their communities. The essence of trust-based philanthropy is to encourage donors to support organizations based on their potential for impact and effective leadership, rather than on personal comfort or familiarity. Multi-year, unrestricted grants — often seen as the golden ticket — demonstrate trust in the organization’s leadership and its ability to allocate funds where they are most needed, including overhead and indirect costs.

For MANA de San Diego receiving the Neighborhood Builders grants was transformational. We were able to hire an experienced grant writer. Adding a new position, at the management level, is not an easy task for a smaller nonprofit. Many donors do not want to cover overhead or staff positions.

Planning for growth and sustainability is not possible without multi-year grants. Oftentimes, nonprofits find themselves in a Catch-22. You need an internal, experienced grant writer, but you don’t have the funds to hire for this position. It was only through trust-based philanthropy that MANA de San Diego was able to make this investment. Already this position is paying dividends.

The transformative impact of the Neighborhood Builders grant on San Diego Habitat for Humanity has been equally profound. As a homebuilder, mortgage originator and provider of homeownership education, Bank of America’s flexible, multi-year support has empowered us to significantly enhance our service offerings.

This funding has allowed us to explore and expand our capabilities in critical areas that directly benefit working San Diegans — areas that are increasingly vital as the cost of homes continues to rise in our region. With these resources, we refined our partnership strategies and adapted our business model to more effectively address the real-time challenges of the affordable housing sector.

This strategic shift has placed our organization on a more sustainable trajectory, ensuring that we can continue to meet the evolving needs of our community.

Together, these resources have not only supported our growth but have also reinforced our commitment to making homeownership accessible and affordable. We join in celebrating the 20th anniversary of Neighborhood Builders in San Diego. Thank you for investment in stronger neighborhoods and communities.

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We don’t often hear about community mentors, but they’re vital. Let me tell you about mine.

Posted on January 13, 2023 by zezinez

Originally published in the San Diego Union Tribune, January 13, 2023.

January is national mentoring month. It is a month to celebrate mentors and create awareness for the value they bring in a person’s life. There are many types of mentorships. When it’s a good match, a mentor and mentee will make a positive impact on each other’s life. Mentorship, in the most basic sense, is a person willing to share their time, their experience and knowledge with someone less experienced. Mentorship is not about age. I have seen the value of peer mentorship, which many times is overlooked and undervalued.

I have been blessed with many great career mentors — people who made a huge impact in my life. I’ve also been blessed with community mentors. We don’t hear about them often, but they are essential for a community to grow its leaders.

When I was in my late 20s, I met Luis “Louie” Natividad. Louie is a legend in the San Diego Latino community. A longtime National City resident, he just turned 80. He is retired now and is the most positive dialysis patient I’ve met.

In 1969, he ran unsuccessfully for a National City Council seat. But he ran again and won in 1977, then did so again in 2002, going on to become vice mayor. He also worked for several San Diego City Council members, from Jim Bates to Myrtle Cole. For 11 years, he worked with Councilmember George Stevens. It was Stevens who encouraged him to run again, this time successfully, for a seat in the National City Council.

Louie has had a long and storied past. He grew up very poor in Tijuana. As a young boy, he shined shoes and sold gum and newspapers at the Tijuana-San Diego border. His single mother eventually brought him to National City. As a young man, he admits to being a troublemaker, always in fights and at some point in his life he used illicit drugs. He started a limousine business that eventually failed but drove some famous people around and has some hilarious stories about those times. He admits to not being a good businessman — knowing him, he probably gave lots of free rides. Many of us know him as a community leader and the former executive director at the Chicano Federation who marched alongside Cesar Chavez to support the grape strike and boycott, in solidarity with farmworkers who were fighting for better working conditions. For many years, he brought together the Latino community through the Latino/a Unity Coalition breakfast, which was a beautiful and powerful monthly gathering of people at iconic Chuey’s Cafe in Barrio Logan. Candidates running for office would always make a stop there. The community showed up for breakfast, and it was Louie who brought us together.

I’m not sure how I met him, but I quickly identified him as a community leader. Surprisingly, he paid attention to me. On day out of the blue in the early 1990s, he invited me and another fellow from the Chicano Federation Leadership Training Institute to breakfast at Chuey’s. David Valladolid, another iconic local leader, was there as well. Valladolid worked for Assemblymember Peter Chacon, the first Latino to represent San Diego in the California Assembly, and became Chacon’s chief of staff. I had no idea why two community leaders would invite two young professionals to breakfast. Unbeknownst to me, Louie did this with many other young people he identified as potential leaders. He took us under his wing and let us know we were part of the community, and with his guidance we found our place in the community. There are many local activists and leaders doing valuable work who claim Louie as a mentor.

I have held an old Latina/o Unity Coalition holiday card that Louie designed for almost three decades. It’s been a source of inspiration for my community service. It is a photo of two young parents crossing the river from Tijuana to San Diego. They are barefoot, the mother is carrying a child, and the father is carrying a plastic bag with all of their belongings. The caption says, “Never forget those who are less fortunate.”

Community mentorship is vital. I am grateful that Louie Natividad mentored so many. My breakfasts with Louie are full of memories, laughter and appreciation. Mentorship can be very gratifying for both mentor and mentee. There is no cost associated with mentorship, other than time. The return on investment is enormous: a longtime friendship and knowing you made a positive impact in someone’s life.

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Mary Casillas Salas is ending her career in public office, but she continues to inspire

Posted on October 26, 2022 by zezinez

Originally published in the San Diego Union Tribute, October 26, 2022.

After 31 years of public service, Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas Salas is retiring. Recently, the Chula Vista Democratic Club hosted a retirement party for the mayor. A who’s who of leaders in the county attended, including Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins and San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Nathan Fletcher and Vice Chair Nora Vargas. They spoke with respect and appreciation for Salas’ leadership. Vice Chair Vargas, the first Latina elected to the County Board of Supervisors, talked about Salas being the first Latina mayor in the region who inspired other Latinas to campaign and win. When it was the mayor’s turn to speak, she mentioned the key role that the nonprofit organization MANA de San Diego played in her leadership trajectory. Not only did she make lifelong friendships through MANA, but those women propelled her to become a leader and eventually an elected official. Salas is a case study on how to increase the number of Latinas and women of color in elected positions.

Salas’ story is inspirational to many. Finding herself a single mother at the age of 37, overcoming fear and self–doubt, she made the life–changing decision to enroll at Southwestern College, then transferring to San Diego State University and graduating with honors. During her years studying social work atSDSU, she became involved with MANA de San Diego. Once Salas joined the organization, she jumped right into it. “I felt an immediate passion for what they were trying to do,” Salas said. “I identified a lot with the problems that Latinas were encountering.” Established in 1986, MANA de San Diego’s mission is to empower Latinas through education, leadership development, community service and advocacy.

In 1993, the MANA de San Diego Board President announced her departure from San Diego and asked Salas, who was the vice president at the time, to step into the president’s role. Salas was terrified at the thought of leading this nascent organization. She thought, “no one is going to listen to me.” But other leaders at MANA recognized Salas’ potential and encouraged her to become board president. Salas states that many Latinas are reluctant leaders that say, “let the other person shine, I’ll work in the background.” This highlights the importance of encouraging women to believe in themselves, their power and their potential.

Encouraged and supported by MANA de San Diego members, Salas became board president in 1993 and blossomed as a leader of the organization. Through MANA de San Diego, Salas attended a workshop on the importance of serving on boards and commissions. With the encouragement and support of MANA members, Salas applied to serve on the Civil Service Commission. In 1993, Salas was appointed to the Chula Vista Planning Commission. In 1996, she was elected to the Chula Vista City Council. Then, in 2000, Salas was elected to a second term in the City Council with 66 percent of the votes. In 2006, she was elected to the California Assembly. There were also lost races along the way, but Salas persisted to become the first Latina mayor not just in the city, but in the region.

An American University study found that a key predictor of whether a woman will run for office is whether they have been encouraged or recruited to run. Men are twice as likely as women to have definite goals to run for office. MANA de San Diego has a long history of encouraging and recruiting Latinas to reach high in their leadership trajectory. The Latina Success Leadership Program, a partnership between MANA de San Diego and the Center for Creative Leadership, was established in 2015 not only to increase the number of Latinas in the C Suite, but also in public office. Even before the program existed, MANA de San Diego created leadership opportunities for Latinas. Vice Chair Nora Vargas states that the first board she ever served on was the MANA de San Diego board.

Salas also learned the importance of succession planning at MANA de San Diego. She shares that early MANA member leaders gladly handed the reigns to the newer generation.

That’s important to keep any organization alive and thriving with new people coming up and given the opportunity to lead. It’s refreshing to have someone like Salas understand the importance of mentoring the next generation of leaders. On October 22 at the Latina Success Conference this year in SDSU, MANA de San Diego recognized Mayor Mary Salas with a lifetime achievement award for her countless achievements, but also for inspiring women of color and Latinas to run for office.

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We should demand that every high school graduate be able to apply to a CSU or UC campus

Posted on June 10, 2022 by zezinez

Originally published in the San Diego Union Tribute, June 10, 2022.

“The devil is in the details.” It’s a phrase I use when discussing policy issues. It also applies to data. When I read a March article in The San Diego Union-Tribune about the San Diego Unified School District’s 95 percent high school graduation rate, I knew as an educator and community advocate focused on educational inequities that there was much more to this feel-good story. With data, one can frame almost anything in a positive way, and we certainly can use some good news these days.

A few weeks after reading that article, I attended the Classroom of the Future Foundation College and Career Pathways Summit where I found the missing piece to this story — college readiness. In San Diego schools Latinos face the lowest college readiness rates of all demographic groups at 38 percent. Students are graduating from high school without the necessary requirements to be able to apply to a California State University or University of California campus. I’m on board with the concept that not everyone will attend college, but as San Diego County Superintendent of Schools Paul Gothold has noted, we should leave that choice to the student.

In other words, we should prepare them for college. 

Preparing all students for college means equipping them for a better future.

Parents have the unspoken expectation that their children’s high school will prepare them for college. I’m guessing many parents don’t know about the state of California’s A-G requirements, especially immigrant parents and low-income parents who work two jobs and can’t find time to attend most parent/teacher meetings.

Here’s the gist on the graduation rates. The California Education Code establishes a minimum set of requirements to graduate from high school. Separately, the four-year public higher education systems in California — the CSU and UC systems — have established a uniform minimum set of courses required for admission as a freshman: the A-G requirements.

Students can graduate from high school without completing the A-G requirements, but they are ineligible to apply to the UC and CSU system. EdSource has an interactive map showing A-G completion rates. It shows this data by school district: Sweetwater Union 52.1 percent, San Diego Unified 68 percent, Grossmont Union High 43.5 percent, Carlsbad Unified 72 percent, and Oceanside Unified 40.9 percent. That means 60 percent of Oceanside high school graduates are ineligible to apply to UC or CSU campuses immediately after they graduate from high school.

Which brings me to community colleges, which play a very important role in our higher educational system. They are the preferred pathway for most Latinos pursuing higher education. Many community college students transfer to a four-year university, but statistics show that it can take six years or more for many community college students to transfer to a four-year university. This is why I tell students if you are able to go straight to a CSU or UC school, choose that path.

I’ve been paying attention to the investment that well-resourced parents make in their children’s education. For an extreme example, I need only mention the college admission bribery scandal from a few years back. More common is that well-resourced parents select their neighborhoods based on the quality of that neighborhood’s public schools. Meanwhile, low-income parents face limited choices about where they can afford to live and, hence, where their children go to school. It’s not just the limited choices and limited resources, it’s also the lack of information. What if all parents could easily find out the A-G completion rates for each high school? There is a California Department of Education dashboard, but it only includes graduation rates.

The devil is in the details.

I’ve adopted this quote from philosopher John Dewey as my mantra: “What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must the community want for all of its children.”

It’s time to make a change for our children and our future. All high schools should be expected to work towards raising A-G completion rates. High school A-G completion rates should be easily accessible to the public. Our community should want — should demand — that every high school graduate be able to apply to a CSU or UC campus immediately after graduating high school. The choice should be the students’, not the system’s, choice.

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I’m a big advocate of mentorship. Here’s a sample of things I tell college students.

Posted on April 5, 2022 by zezinez

Originally published in the San Diego Union Tribune, April 5, 2022.

Education is the path toward upward social mobility. Yet, it is education plus social class that may determine the type of job a person is able to get after graduating from college. Obtaining a college degree is simply not enough to ensure that first-generation college students are able to find professional success and achieve upward social mobility. First-generation college students face additional barriers to career success, including limited social capital.

Pierre Bourdieu, whose work focused on social stratification and social reproduction, was one of the first sociologists to write about social capital. He explained social capital as social, resourceful relationships based on mutual group recognition. In other words, social capital is a social network of helpful connections that we are able to access depending on group membership. These connections can lead to valuable resources and helpful information, hence social capital.

I am a big advocate of mentorship. I have seen the difference my conversations have had with college students, especially first-generation college students whose parents are not able to coach them on applying to college, landing their first career-relevant job or navigating their professional careers. Being the first is not easy, that is why mentoring is so important to first-generation college students. Mentoring can be enhanced by understanding that first-generation college students have information gaps. Mentors can provide the missing information that parents of first-generation college students are not able to provide to their children. I have been astonished how students have told me how a short conversation with me made a difference in their education. Granted, I have been mentoring college students for a while, so I have learned what to say to them.

Here is a sample of things I tell college students.

Working more than 20 hours a week can be detrimental to one’s education because students need to find time to build that social capital (network) while they are in college.

Some students hesitate to get student loans, and I tell them about good debt and bad debt, explaining that student loans may fall into the good debt category depending on where they are going to college.

Building social capital while at college is essential because those relationships can help land a career-relevant internship.

Students must make it a point to speak to their college professors during office hours, even if it is just to introduce themselves. College professors can refer them to internships or jobs.

Getting career-relevant experience is a must, while at college. That restaurant or retail job helps pay the bills, but eventually, students need to figure out how to get career-relevant experience, even if it is as a volunteer or an unpaid internship.

Network with peers, get involved in clubs. Maximize the use of on-campus resources that tuition covers. Go to the career center. Find that mentor on campus who wants to help you succeed. They are there. Look for them.

I am also a big advocate of paid internships because I know that low-income students cannot afford to work for free. When students take an unpaid internship, they still need to work at a paid job because someone needs to pay the bills. Unpaid internships, even when they provide good experience, are a hardship to low-income students. In my job as the executive director at MANA de San Diego, I have made it a point to build relationships with top employers such as San Diego Gas & Electric who are willing to meet first-generation college students where they are at and are willing to mentor them. More employers seeking to improve diversity efforts will see positive results when they take the time to mentor first-generation college students.

Corporations looking to enhance their diversity pipeline should take the time to create paid internship programs that include a mentoring component. The talent is out there and smart employers who take the time to train first-generation college students will reap the rewards of a more diverse workforce, at a time when everyone is struggling to find talent. For an altruistic person such as myself, there is no greater reward than to know that I have helped make someone’s future better by just sharing what I know. When you help first-generation college students find a path toward upward social mobility, not only do they benefit, but their family benefits, and the entire economy benefits.

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College leadership must be diverse. Here’s why.

Posted on November 30, 2021 by zezinez

Originally published in the San Diego Union Tribune, November 30, 2021.

While the U.S. college student population has become more diverse, college and university leadership has remained primarily White and male. In 2016, according to the American Council of Education, 70 percent of college presidents were men, and less than 20 percent of college presidents were a racial minority. The representation of women among presidents has steadily increased, but it also remains primarily White.

Meanwhile, in California, approximately 44 percent of the community college student population is Latino, yet Latinos represent only about 15 percent of the faculty and senior leadership in California community colleges.

There needs to be a concerted effort to diversify the leadership ranks in higher education, and developing a leadership pipeline includes identifying the pathway to the presidency. Most presidents — 85 percent — came from within higher education.

This is an important consideration because it indicates the need to diversify the faculty ranks as well. A diverse faculty will lead to more diversity in senior administrative positions as the faculty moves up to administrative positions. I was shocked at the lack of faculty diversity when I started working at Cal State University Fullerton (CSUF) though the university is doing a great job at serving the underserved.

Sadly, this is the norm. CSUF is no outlier.

I’ve witnessed talented adjunct faculty drive from campus to campus to teach a class here and there, struggling with no pathway to tenure-track. A common response to the lack of diversity in the faculty and staff ranks is that the pool of qualified racial/ethnic candidates is small or non-existent. Nevertheless, it is worth pointing out that faculty hiring committees tend to be primarily White. To a homogeneous White group, the right “fit” may not include a person of color.

Dr. Ted Martinez Jr. of San Diego has built a Latino pipeline for the nation’s community college presidency. The National Community College Hispanic Council (NCCHC) Leadership Fellows Program, which he founded and has led, was recently renamed ”The Dr. Ted Martinez, Jr. NCCHC Leadership Fellows Program.”

Housed at San Diego State University, the program is designed for Latino community college administrators who are interested in upper-level administrative positions, with the ultimate goal of becoming president of a community college. There are now 287 NCCHC fellows in 24 states. The fellowship, which entails culturally-tailored seminars, curriculum and mentorship, has helped make a significant dent in the equity gap.

Dr. Martinez’s legacy in building the pipeline for future Latino college presidents is inspiring, especially considering his humble beginnings. He was born and raised in Asherton, Texas, the oldest of seven, and neither of his parents spoke English. The family lived in a one-bedroom house with a dirt floor kitchen.

At 9 years old, he began working with his father in the fields picking cotton, onions, corn, melons and carrots. At 14, he started driving his family to Michigan to work in the fields for the summer months. The family would follow the farmworker stream to California, North Dakota and Colorado. His parents were committed to their children’s education, so the kids never missed school. Only after the school year ended did they head to work in the fields across the country, and they always came back the day before the new school year started.

Dr. Martinez remembers certain teachers, primarily Latino teachers, mentoring and guiding him towards college. There, he was inspired by a professor who taught in community college and had earned his Ph.D. before he was 30. 

Dr. Martinez was committed to following this role model’s path, and he earned his own Ph.D. at the age of 29. Now he inspires others to get their doctoral degree. I am one of those he inspired.

In San Diego County, we can be proud of our track record of hiring college presidents of color. Dr. Constance M. Carroll, who recently retired, a prominent African American, was the chancellor of San Diego Community College for 17 years. Her successor is Dr. Carlos O. Cortez. The City College president is Dr. Ricky Shabazz, and the new Grossmont College president is Denise Whisenhunt. Both are African American. Southwestern College is now led by Superintendent/President Dr. Mark Sanchez, an NCCHC mentor who grew up in Barrio Logan. Palomar College also has a new superintendent/president, Dr. Star Rivera-Lacey, a 2018 NCCHC fellow), and Cuyamaca College is being led by Dr. Julianna Barnes. Both are Latinas. Then there is Dr. Adela de la Torre, the first woman and first Latina to serve as a permanently appointed president of San Diego State University. And the chancellor at UC San Diego, Pradeep K. Khosla.

Universities and colleges genuinely interested in diversifying their leadership to reflect the Latino students they serve, should reach out to The Dr. Ted Martinez, Jr. NCCHC Leadership Fellows Program, based in San Diego. Visit ncchc.com for more information.

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MANA de San Diego has empowered local Latinas for 35 years

Posted on September 29, 2021 by zezinez

Originally published in the San Diego Union Tribune, September 29, 2021.

There is value in knowing our history. MANA de San Diego, a local community organization of mostly Latinas, is celebrating its 35th anniversary this week. Nuestra historia, our history, is the theme of our 23rd brindis gala. MANA is a national organization of Latinas founded in 1974. Its mission is to empower Latinas through leadership development, community service and advocacy, and MANA de San Diego is the largest chapter. It was Josie Silva, a MANA member in Texas, who had the idea to create a MANA chapter in San Diego. After Josie arrived in San Diego from El Paso, she went to “look for the Chicanas.” Through her work, Josie would find a handful of Latinas to start the chapter with. One of them was Mary Cruz Campo.

In the beginning, wanting to make a difference in the community, MANA members volunteered at community events. They would show up at the Spirit of the Barrio luncheon to serve food and sell raffle tickets. MANA also volunteered for KPBS pledge drives. During that time, the chapter didn’t have specific goals. This made it difficult to keep members engaged. Josie and Mary remember often being the only two members who showed up to member meetings.

It took tenacity to build the chapter. One day Josie would be disappointed and sad. Mary would encourage her. Then it was Mary’s turn to be down, and Josie encouraged Mary. As fate would have it, Elisa Sanchez, a founding member of MANA National, moved to San Diego. Through MANA National and her career, Elisa had developed strong leadership skills and played a pivotal role in mentoring several of the chapter leaders.

After a MANA National conference in Washington, D.C., in 1988, the San Diego chapter decided to start an Hermanitas Program. It would start in middle school, as it would be a more effective intervention than waiting until high school. At that time, research showed young Latinas were at risk of getting pregnant and dropping out of school. The goal was to work with the “total” family but focus on the young women. Local educators suggested Hermanitas start at Pacific Beach Middle School because students were being bused there and the integration programs were not working. The students were recruited at Pacific Beach Middle School, and the program facilitated its seminars at the Sherman Heights Community Center. Later National City Junior High was selected as the second school site.

The early chapter’s mission statement read: “MANA of San Diego County’s main objective is to lower adolescent pregnancy and encourage more young women to complete high school and continue their higher education. We have an Hermanitas Project focusing on mentoring components. We also support and work with many community organizations that work with these and other concerns that relate to Hispanic women.”

MANA de San Diego, comprised mostly of Latina professionals, understood the importance of higher education and its challenges. They had discussed raising funds for scholarships when Sylvia Chavez, a devoted chapter member unexpectedly passed away. Her family donated funds that would become the seed funds for the Sylvia Chavez Scholarship Fund. One scholarship for $1,000 was given in 1990 to a San Diego State University health science student. With the mentorship and scholarship programs developing, the small group of members knew they needed to recruit more members. It was a gift when Julie Rocha, editor and publisher of El Sol newspaper, agreed to publish regular MANA articles. The newspaper would post membership meeting announcements. El Sol became an important resource to spread MANA de San Diego news. In 1990, the first brindis would take place at the Kingston Hotel in Downtown San Diego. The brindis then looked very different from the brindis now. It was much smaller and Hermanitas and their families would also attend. With the Hermanitas and Scholarship programs established, the members were more committed than ever to their chapter and its mission.

By its fifth anniversary, the chapter had grown in numbers, leadership and vision. The women understood the importance of representation and they encouraged MANA members to apply for local boards and commissions. That year, Mary Salas was appointed to the Chula Vista Civil Service Commission. Mary credits this as an appointment that pushed her into politics. Mary would become the first Latina to serve in the Chula Vista City Council and the first Latina to serve as mayor in that city. She also served in the state Assembly.

The early MANA de San Diego women were active in advocacy. They took a stand against Proposition 187 in 1994 and worked with other organizations to defeat it, but were unsuccessful. By 1995, the chapter had grown to 140 members, thanks in part to Olivia Puentes-Reynolds, who was an amazing recruiter.

MANA de San Diego members are committed to addressing the inequities facing Latinas in San Diego County. Sisterhood created the organization. The early members built such a strong foundation that 35 years later the organization now has six full-time employees and close to a $1 million budget. MANA de San Diego has served thousands of Latinas, creating a pathway to a better future — empowering local Latinas at every stage of their lives.

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It’s time to teach San Diego students about an uncelebrated local school desegregation case

Posted on July 14, 2021 by zezinez

Originally published in the San Diego Union Tribune, July 14, 2021.

“History is written by the victors” is a quote mistakenly attributed to Winston Churchill. As a critical thinker, I’m well aware that history is rewritten all the time. I recently read an article in Time magazine about the Alamo story needing to be corrected. I grew up in Mexico, I know a different story about the Alamo. I learned that Mexico had the right to fight for its territory. Because I went to school in Mexico, I know that parts of California, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and even Wyoming were at one time Mexican territory. Latinos rightly proclaim, “We didn’t cross the border, the border crossed us.” Some in the U.S. may be surprised to know that the U.S was the aggressor in the Mexican-American War that ended in 1848. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo included provisions protecting the property and civil rights of Mexicans living within the new boundaries of the United States. U.S. Latinos are part of U.S. history.

History is written by the victors or sometimes it’s not written at all, because the reality is too dark for some to want to remember. It took 100 years for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre to receive the national attention it deserves. President Joe Biden was the first president to travel to Tulsa, Okla., and commemorate the massacre. He said he traveled to Tulsa to “fill the silence.” Biden remarked, “[f]or much too long, the history of what took place here was told in silence, cloaked in darkness. But just because history is silent, it doesn’t mean that it did not take place. And while darkness can hide much, it erases nothing.”

There is another type of historic erasure that has denied Latinos the right to claim their contributions to U.S. history. Filmmaker Ken Burns, for example, had to rewrite parts of his film “The War,” after an uproar by the Latino community which felt unjustly excluded in the documentary on war veterans. When the history of school desegregation is discussed, it is the landmark Brown v. the Board of Education that most people think about. It is after all the case that desegregated schools across the nation in 1954. However, California has its own rich school desegregation history. Mendez v. Westminster was the case that desegregated schools in California in 1946. It was Latino parents who demanded an equitable education for their children. In San Diego County, before Mendez v. Westminster, there was Roberto Alvarez v. the Board of Trustees of the Lemon Grove School District. Thanks to filmmaker Paul Espinosa, some of us are familiar with “The Lemon Grove Incident” in 1931. The film tells the local story of how Latino parents organized and fought for their mostly U.S. born children’s rights to an equal education. Twelve year old Roberto Alvarez was selected as the plaintiff in the case, due to his strong academic record. The Alvarez case has been incorrectly mentioned as the first successful school desegregation case in the U.S., but it was not. Francisco Maestas  et al. v. George H. Shone et al. was a school desegregation case decided in 1914 in Colorado, followed by Del Rio ISD v. Salvatierra decided in 1930 in Texas. All these cases reflect the stories of Latino parents fighting for their children’s right to an equitable education.

Most San Diegans have never heard of Roberto Alvarez. I had the honor to know this man, he was the founder of Coast Citrus Distributors — which still exists. My dad worked there and became friends with Roberto. Some of my sisters worked there as well. The erasure of the Roberto Alvarez case and his contributions to our region is personal. As we celebrate the 90th anniversary of Roberto Alvarez v. Board of Trustees of the Lemon Grove School District, I implore the San Diego Unified School District and the county of San Diego to find a way to memorialize the legacy of Roberto Alvarez. This is part of San Diego’s history. Roberto Alvarez became one of the most successful U.S. Latinos in the country. Everyone in San Diego County, and beyond, should know about Roberto Alvarez’s legacy.  

The contributions of Latinos in the U.S have been ignored for far too long. It’s time to demand to be included in the history books. Before Brown v. Board of Education, before Mendez v. Westminster, there was Roberto Alvarez vs. Board of Trustees of the Lemon Grove School District. All San Diegans should know about this uncelebrated local school desegregation case.

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How to build effective alliances between corporate America and the nonprofit sector

Posted on December 23, 2020 by zezinez

Originally Published in the San Diego Union Tribune, December 23, 2020.

According to Charity Navigator, in 2017 corporate America donated $20.77 billion to nonprofits, not counting foundation giving. This investment is a testament to the important role that nonprofits play in our society. Working most of my career in the nonprofit sector, I’ve been privy to this generosity. One of the corporations I’ve become very familiar with in terms of its generosity is Southwest Airlines. In my Master’s program in organizational management, I became acquainted with Southwest Airlines’ origins, culture and the iconic Herb Kelleher’s leadership style. Southwest Airlines is a case study in strategic management and employee engagement. Years later, I would meet Lidia S. Martinez and learn so much more about Southwest Airlines’ heart and about nurturing philanthropy.

You may not know Lidia Martinez, Southwest Airlines’ community outreach manager, but thousands of people have been touched by the nurturing philanthropy she developed at Southwest Airlines during her 30-year career. People who know Lidia will attest that she represents Southwest Airlines in a standout manner. She epitomizes the fun, loving culture that Kelleher created. A strategic, caring and bold leader, Lidia has worked hard to figure out how to make the most impact in the regions she represents. By taking the time to build authentic relationships with nonprofit organizations, she has effectively turned what often are transactional encounters into nurturing relationships. In her job, Lidia took the time to develop relationships with nonprofit leaders, learning their needs and strategizing the best way to connect them with resources and collaborators. When a nonprofit leader left an organization, it wasn’t necessarily a given that Lidia would continue that alliance because the relationship was not only founded on the organization’s mission, but it was also based on the nonprofit leaders themselves. It makes sense, the nonprofit leader is key in whether the organization is effective or not.

Nurturing philanthropy is not a new idea. Timothy J. McClimon, president of the American Express Foundation writes on the importance of the nonprofit sector in the U.S. economy and the need to support the sector’s emerging leaders. He suggests four ways to do this: encourage staff volunteerism, give grants that support leadership development, share a corporation’s leadership on-demand content and facilitate professional development and networking. In other words, sharing talent, time and treasure also applies to corporations.

As a nonprofit leader, I know that corporate America is an essential ally to nonprofits, not just in the regular sense of financial sponsorship, but in being a thought partner with the nonprofit sector. Together we can resolve more of society’s challenges. I’m not naive, I realize this type of alliance is not possible with all corporations. There are often conflicting interests. However, the nonprofit is an essential sector in our society and corporate America can help it get stronger but smarter.

A 2009 report by the University of San Diego’s Nonprofit Institute found that while public trust in institutions has gone down, trust in the nonprofit sector is strong. The report shows that San Diegans have the greatest overall confidence in nonprofits at 87 percent, compared to 66 percent for corporations and 53 percent for government. San Diegans had more confidence in the nonprofit sector to improve quality of life by providing quality services, promoting positive social change and acting on the public’s behalf. The nonprofit sector also received the highest marks on being trustworthy and effective.

Comparing the three sectors, nonprofits received the highest percentage in these three categories: act ethically, spend money wisely, work efficiently. If the nonprofit sector has earned the public’s confidence and trust, then it makes sense that corporate America not only continue its financial support but also start thinking creatively about how to help develop nonprofit leadership and create more opportunities for nurturing philanthropy. The nonprofit sector is not only important because of the work it does, but also because it is the third-largest sector in the U.S. economy, representing 10 percent of the U.S. workforce in 2017.

San Diegans are lucky that Lidia and her husband Ted chose San Diego as their home some 20 years ago. San Diego benefited greatly from Lidia Martinez’s nurturing philanthropy. Countless nonprofits were impacted by Southwest Airlines’ generosity and Lidia’s vision to look beyond the financial investment, and truly become a friend to nonprofit leaders. Congratulations to Lidia S. Martinez on her 30-year career at Southwest Airlines — you’ll be dearly missed.

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I gave a kidney to a stranger in 2020

Posted on December 14, 2020 by zezinez

Originally Published in the San Diego Union Tribune, December 24, 2020.

The year 2020 will be remembered as the year of the pandemic. I will also remember it as the year I gave my kidney to a stranger.

Years ago, I heard a story on the radio about a living donor, a teacher who donated a kidney to a student’s parent. Or was it the one about a Starbucks customer responding to a flier on the store’s community bulletin board requesting a kidney for a loved one? Either way, I thought it would be an awesome thing to do — some day. But thinking and doing are two very different things.

Last year, my sister Alberta started dialysis, and I learned so much about dialysis and how it keeps people alive but also the harm it does to the body. I also learned about the need for organ donations. I don’t believe Alberta asked for a kidney, not directly. How does a person do that? Who do you ask? I’m pretty lucky to be part of a large, loving family. My sister Norma didn’t wait to be asked; instead, she asked Alberta what she needed and Alberta said she needed a kidney. Norma agreed immediately, but she would still need to be a match. I thought about it myself and must confess that, by then, I had completely forgotten about my aspirational goal to become a living donor. In thinking about giving a kidney, I went through some of the stages of grief. After grieving a bit for my kidney, the acceptance stage came.

In October 2019, Norma and I gave blood to find out if we were a match. We also joined Alberta in a living donor orientation, and we learned that in California, kidney transplant candidates can wait up to 10 years for a kidney transplant from a deceased donor.

After the UC San Diego Health orientation, there was no turning back for me. I was fully back on board with that longtime idea of becoming a living donor. If Norma was a match, I would give my kidney to a stranger. In June, Norma gave her kidney to Alberta. They are both doing great. Alberta’s recuperation will take a year or longer, but she is still doing great. In November, I gave my kidney to a stranger. It’s been two weeks since my surgery, and I feel great. The medical advances are incredible. I have very small scars. I am not going to idealize my kidney donation. I don’t need to meet the person who received my kidney. I’m just happy I finally became a living donor.

2020 turned me into a living donor advocate. Being a living donor is a very personal decision. No one should feel pressured to do it, and not everyone has the privilege to be a living donor. Although there is no financial cost to the donor, paid time off is essential for the many appointments and the recuperation. You need to be in good health, be physically and mentally strong.

As the surgery date approached, there was a bit of anxiety and emotion. I did not want to think about it or talk about it. I just wanted to get it done. It was reassuring to know I would be at one of the top hospitals in the nation, UC San Diego Health. I avoided talking to many people about this journey because some would never understand it. A friend asked, why would God give us two kidneys if we don’t need them both? Maybe it’s to give us the opportunity to save someone’s life.

In the future, I can share that in the midst of a pandemic when so many lives were lost, my sister and I donated one of our kidneys; as a result, two lives were extended. I always look for the silver lining.

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