del valle." i'm damian trujillo, and today, a local vocal leader in our community, father jon pedigo. he's on our show this morning and the topics are many on your "comunidad del valle." male announcer: nbc bay area presents "comunidad del valle" with damian trujillo. damian: we begin today with a partnership between the american heart association and the mexican consulate of san jose. the go red team is here in our studio today talking about the heart and exercise. with the american heart association is mike gonzalez and cristal suazo is a health enthusiast, trainer, jack of all trades. [speaking foreign language] damian: yes. well, mike, tell us about the importance of wearing red, what month this is, and what we're honoring, and what the effort is. mike gonzalez: yeah, first i wanna say thank you for inviting us over here. heart month is actually one month out of the year,

and it's actually an opportunity for us to recognize the number one cause of death in our country, which is heart disease. a lot of folks don't know about heart disease. actually me, being a latino myself, and my mom having high blood pressure, and having it in our family, a lot of folks don't know about it, so this is actually one month out of the year we all can talk about it and find out what we can do to prevent it. so, that's why we wear red, to pay recognition to really identifying this huge issue in our community which kills a lot of folks in our community. and if it doesn't kill you, it actually provides a lot of opportunities for prevention, to prevent disability, which also is a big risk factor for having heart disease and stroke. damian: and you do a lot in helping prevent that, cristal, with a lot of the work that you do. we do have video of some zumba classes. you'll be teaching some zumba on this very important event over at eastridge mall in san jose. cristal: yes, yes, i will be there with more instructors are gonna be helping me. and i think this is gonna be, like, something--it's gonna be different because we gonna have zumbathon event. like, everyone--everybody's gonna dance. they're gonna, like, laugh, enjoy. like, this is for all the family, so.

damian: but at the same time while they're having fun, and dancing, y que no, they're helping their health, they're helping their heart and what not. cristal: yes, of course, yes. if you do cardio, it's really help for your health, because, i mean, this--sorry-- damian: no, it's all right. because i mean, it helps. when you're doing cardio, it helps pump your heart and it helps-- mike: yes, yes, cardio's good for everything. i think a lot of folks forget that cardio--they think cardio's such a hard thing to do, right? it doesn't mean you have to run 5-10 miles. anything that really gets your blood moving is cardio, really, and you really wanna get that blood moving for a good reason. you wanna bring oxygen throughout all your organs. you wanna feel good. you wanna exercise that muscle you have which is your heart. again, that's an important muscle to really exercise. so, and that's what i think cristal is really great at doing, to get people to do the dance. i think that's what zumbathon's all about is to have fun. damian: 'cause i think that what zumba has done is it has made exercise fun. i mean, where before some people who maybe thought, "well--" cristal: everybody loves zumba. come on, everyone. damian: yeah, and talk about the difference maybe that

you've seen in some of the people who you've trained and who have gone through zumba classes. what difference have you seen? cristal: a lot of people feel, like, different because they lose a lot of weight and health--for their health, because they--sometimes, like, a lot of people do exercise just because i wanna--they wanna look great, but no, they wanna, like, feel better inside, you know? damian: and this is what--the event you're having is a health fair? mike: it is and if i could mention, it's a three-part event. it's actually pretty big, damian, and i'm really happy to get support from the consulado, but also from telemundo for helping us out here to promote it. it's at eastridge mall. three-part event. so, we're gonna have a health expo, which incorporates health screenings, a zumbathon, and also a big health fair. but we also will have guest speakers sharing sort of educational seminars, from doctors talking about, you know, cardiology, from neurology. even we have chef anna zulaica, who's gonna be talking about how to eat healthy, you know, on a fast and easy way to go. so, it's a bunch of everything all in one, at the eastridge mall, and it starts at 10 a.m. and we're gonna go until 2 p.m. and again, free for everybody, so i really want everyone to

come with your friends, family, visitors from out of town. it's just a great event. and rain or shine, we're in the mall, so it doesn't really matter. damian: so, yoga pants, or what's the attire when you're doing zumba, for those of us who may be interested? cristal: yes, definitely you have to wear something comfortable. tennis shoes for sure, and just put your leggings, and that's it. damian: okay, now, i mean, when we talk about heart disease and high blood pressure, i'm taking meds for high blood pressure, a lot of people do that. mike: a lot of people, yeah. damian: but it's important to get checked, and that's why you're gonna have health services there and what not. mike: we know that in order to control your high blood pressure, you gotta know your numbers, right? just like losing weight, you wanna lose weight, you gotta know where you're at, right? you gotta know what numbers you're on high blood pressure. so, in this event, we're working with our partner foothill community health center. they're coming on out. they're gonna be providing free blood pressure, free glucose, free cholesterol, free dental checks and appointments. and again, if you don't have any insurance, don't worry. we got you covered. we'll get you an appointment with foothill or any other sort of agency that you're at, 'cause you might not be from the area and you might need help connecting with another organization to get healthcare. so, again, healthcare access is so important to controlling your numbers, so we need to help you there too.

damian: so, it's a zumbathon to get you started there on that morning. there is the information, february 4 at 10 a.m. is when it starts at eastridge mall in san jose. you go in through the 24 hour fitness? mike: entrance, yeah. the 24 hour entrance. you see 24 hour, just park near it and just walk right in. damian: all right, well, good luck and thank you for what you're doing. mike: of course, thank you, damian. damian: and up next here on "comunidad del valle," father jon pedigo. stay with us.

comes to social justice issues. father jon pedigo is on our show. he's with the diocese of san jose. welcome to the show. father jon pedigo: hey, thanks. damian: well, talk about your new role. you have a new title. you're at the diocese now. you're moving on up. jon: well, i don't think it's moving on up. moving on out. i'm moving into a different kind of position, a different kind of role. so, i'll be doing advocacy and justice work full-time. damian: who was doing that before for the diocese? jon: no one was really doing it. i was doing it part-time here and there, but right now, so it's really deliberate collaborations with labor, deliberate collaborations with community leaders,

different projects, and different issues that are coming up and affecting the community. damian: well, let's get right into it. do you think we need that more than ever now? jon: yes, let's just say that i had a plan, a work plan, for one scenario, and then on november 9, i realized i didn't have an alternative work plan. and so, now it's really like everybody else in social action and social justice. damian: now, you were out there with the women's march in san jose and you were very vocal about your thoughts on where this country might be headed. who do you think stands to lose the most in the next 4 years? jon: well, i think who stands to lose the most as we can see are the poor. the poor, the people that are in the cabinet are all billionaires. most of them are billionaires. and we've--in fact, the collected wealth of the people in the cabinet is more than a good percentage of the population of the united states. so, you're dealing with people that are not dealing, have never dealt with, or perhaps have a very tenuous grasp on the reality of what it takes for a family of 4 to spend

$5 a day on food for all those people. it's very, very difficult to deal with that reality and communicate that in terms of policy to this administration. damian: let me play devil's advocate and say, "it's been a week. give him a chance." or have you seen enough? jon: well, i think, here's the thing is that, you know, when you look at the candidates and the process in which those candidates are being confirmed, we look at the--we look at his rhetoric, campaign rhetoric, and we look at what happened at the inaugural address, we look at the meetings that have been had between members of his supportive staff and other advocates, and it's very, very clear that it's not going to be a great day for immigrants, it's not gonna be a great day for muslims, it's not gonna be a great day for the very poor. damian: i mean, you kinda touched on this, but he--the president now has zero latino members of his cabinet. jon: that is correct, and that is a bit of a deficit in representation.

the cabinet does not look like the community, does not look like america. it doesn't reflect the reality of the complexity and diversity of america. so--and it doesn't affect the agenda of concerns, the heart concerns of people in america. so, i think that there are some--we see why we need to prepared. there's a saying that says, "pray for rain, but dig a well." so, we're digging a big well. damian: now, there's video that we have of, you know, one of the mayday rallies. are we gonna be seeing more of these types of rallies up and down the country do you think, especially now? jon: oh yeah, i think you're gonna see--is this the women's rally or the mayday rally? damian: no, this is a mayday rally. jon: oh yeah, i think that we're gonna see a real big uptick in social engagement. people ask, you know, how i feel about everything going on, do i feel oppressed, and all that. i tell 'em, no, i feel great. why? because as an organizer, you're trying to agitate people to get

them active and get them engaged in a solution. people are already agitated and they want a solution right now, so i've had calls, and people come to visit me, letters, people really want to get engaged and they're asking to be part of the movement, and i haven't had that before. and so, i've seen just, you know, an immense amount of interest, and i think the saturday turnout for the women's march was an indication that that's just kind of like a bellwether, as it were, of things that are happening. we've had three marches this past week. those are big events. so, i really--i do feel that we're moving into a whole new age of activism, and it's not gonna look like previous ages of activism, but it's gonna be looking at bringing latinos together with women's issues, bringing them together with concerns of the african american community, with concerns of students. you're looking at all sectors of society working together,

those that have not heard. they've been kind of herding into one box. damian: because, i mean, the bishop is very visible in taking photographs and meeting personally with the american muslim community. jon: well, yeah, i was part of that event and we are gonna be having a long-term engagement with the muslim community. and actually, a lot of those ideas came out of the immigrant community--mexican immigrant community. people were asking, "what should we do? what should we do?" and the response of the immigrant--mexican immigrant persons, they said, "we first--let's not ask what we should do. let's ask them what they need." and so, they were very particular, because, you know, they feel that it's most important is that we listen to what's happening to these people and listen to where their stories are, what are their concerns, and then respond out of their concerns rather than us coming in with a solution, saying we're gonna march or we're gonna do that, because i think that there are some security concerns for them and their own families, and so we're looking at finding ways to stand in solidarity as a church institution,

to find ways to stand in solidarity with existing movements of people that are trying to fight for economic justice, social justice, and representation. damian: all right, well, he's got a new title with the diocese of san jose. it involves a lot of social justice issues. there is the web address for more information. we'll be back with father jon pedigo. stay with us.

of san jose here on "comunidad del valle." father, miguel hidalgo y costilla was successful in rallying the mexicans during that day and time in-- jon: yeah, el grito. damian: el grito. so, when people might think, "well, he's a man of the cloth, he shouldn't be getting that involved in political issues," but the cloth has been getting involved for a long time, right? jon: in fact, social justice movements in this country and in mexico have really been initiated out of the faith community. san cristobal de las casas was a great promoter for indigenous

rights in chiapas, and he was strong about, you know, saying that indians do not just have souls but they have actual civil rights as everybody else. and so, he was a great advocate for that. san martin de porres was a great advocate for rights, racial justice and rights for all people. so, it goes all the way through the different individuals, you know, oscar romero, cesar chavez more locally. he came out of a church movement, the cursillo movement, and saw the tie between people. dr. king out of a religious movement. so, all these movements have always had religious figures and institutional religion has always been part of these liberation movements. if nothing, we're not the instigators, but they're certainly the promoters. and the whole abolition movement for slavery was out of the church movements. damian: is it visionary of the diocese to implement this new position, this new title? jon: i'm not sure if it's visionary. i think it was something that they thought was needed.

they thought it was needed. they thought that they could, you know, place me in a place that i would do some good. i mean, i'm, you know, kind of--i'm actually down in the basement of the diocese. damian: you gotta work your way up, father jon. jon: like mulder and scully, i have this poster that says, "i want to believe" with a ufo in the back, which has a lot of level of meaning, but it is rather funny. i am down in the basement, but i'm in there, and i'm working, and i have different folks, laypeople that are working on the team, supporters that are making this happen. and i'm going out to different churches and going out beyond the institutional catholic church, but also working with agencies and other faiths to bring us together to look at these issues on a deeper level. damian: every time i interview daca students, undocumented students, there's never a dry eye when we're doing the interview. you've probably heard a lot more than i've heard in confidence. how worried are you about the daca students? jon: to be honest, i'm actually--i am worried.

i don't know if there's anything about, you know, deporting those kids or not, but i am worried about work authorization, that many of these daca students are the primary breadwinners for their family. they have the college degrees, high school degrees, they're out there working the workforce, they have a good job, many of them are in management positions, many of them are working in our movement, hired by other agencies and organizations. so, they're doing integral work in this valley, and if you were to take away that work authorization, it will be--have a serious effect, obviously on their economic well-being, but certainly on the movement as well. what do we do with all these students that california has, one-third of the daca recipients in the nation? you know, tens of thousands if not a hundred thousand are in this region, so it is gonna have a very big effect. damian: you were pastor at the our lady of guadalupe parish, and we know that's where cesar attended mass.

and now, you were instrumental also in having mcdonnell hall, the old guadalupe church, being enshrined into a national monument. your thoughts on the fact that it's gone that far? jon: well, i think that's it's really important, first of all-- damian: or landmark, i should say. jon: well, you know, i think that historic landmark is important because what it is is it's basically saying that we were here. our story happened and our story will continue to be told generations from now. much of san jose has been paved over, demolished. a lot of the story--the places where events happened for latinos, those buildings and those places have disappeared. mcdonnell hall's central and important because it was a gathering space for the initial labor rights movement in santa clara county for people of color and especially the very poor in that area, the east side, which was unincorporated at that time. it was important that cesar chavez received some kind of i

call a divine inspiration at that particular church to engage and to leave his life of working with his hands to become a person working in organization and working with people, to organize them, to talk about their rights. it was at that place in that building where he received what i call as a divine call to serve humanity. and his life and that call changed not just himself but changed the entire way of doing business, you know, between farm workers and the patrones or the owners. i think it created a certain dream of equity, a certain dream of collaboration, rather than exploitation. and so, he changed all of that, and it happened, you know, at that one place where he was in prayer, involved with a certain amount of--certain types of folks, and mcdonnell hall represents that movement and the seed of a movement based in the life of a particular individual who has had an amazing effect worldwide.

damian: should he be a saint? jon: well, i believe that cesar chavez has a lot of qualities of sainthood, and i have actually been part of a group that have been exploring trying to make that happen, and we believe that--at least the group of us that have been gathering together, and the late sal alvarez was part of that, we believe that there is something that we should be looking at, and that we should look, not just because of what he did, but who he was as a human being. damian: well, you have a progressive pope at the vatican, so maybe he will-- jon: well, we'll see what happens, but the cause for sainthood takes many, many, many years. in some cases, centuries. damian: well, again, father jon pedigo, a new role at the diocese of san jose. and there's the web address for more information. thank you, father jon, for your work, and continue doing that in the way that you're doing it, 'cause it's inspiring a lot of people. does this absolve me of mass for the next month i think? jon: no, it doesn't. there was no collection envelope. damian: ha ha ha! thank you, father. up next here on "comunidad del valle," los guys.

stay with us.

comunidad on "que pasa." [music] [music] [music] damian: and our saludos for those celebrating a special day, felicidades. [music] damian: and here is our contact information. you can follow me on twitter. my handle is @newsdamian.

also, pick up a copy of "el observador" newspaper and support your bilingual weeklies all across the bay area. you can also watch us en espanol on telemundo canal 48. your "comunidad del valle" every sunday, one hour from now. every sunday at 11 a.m. on telemundo canal 48. thank you for sharing a part of your sunday with us. we leave you now with los guys. buenos dias. [music] [music] [singing in foreign language] [singing in foreign language]

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