regulation. as we mentioned, we will finish out on golf channel. we will wind do

day is only two days away and so we'll talk about that also in just a bit, but i remember, cindy, before i was a news reporter, i was a campaign manager for someone running for city council, and you--they brought you in because i wasn't running, as a campaign manager, the things the way that it should be run and you came in and kind of rolled your eyes and said, "here is what you need to do." so you're going back a ways in your organizing efforts. cindy: no kidding, and you know, i graduated from san jose state in 1987 and after that i got involved in the community right away--as a matter of fact, one of the first things i did was register voters. hundreds, probably thousands, of voters actually over my lifetime, but voters all over san jose, really trying to get the east side and our communities to be much, much more engaged in politics.

and thank you for running a campaign because so few people do that, right? and so we need more and more people not just willing to run, but willing to help other good people run and get elected. damian: talk about that civic engagement because honestly, you know, as much as i've been pushing on this show for the last six months or so the importance of registering to vote, but i look at some of my close friends and i think to myself, "he's not gonna vote, she's not gonna vote," just because it's just, i can tell that it's not there, but talk about the importance of civic engagement and voting and getting involved and knowing who the president of your neighborhood association is and then on the line. cindy: well, let me give a really concrete example of something that's happening right now in this community, and that is that we were dealing with a closure of parts of a hospital, and that's regional medical center that's owned by the healthcare corporation of america. and what they were looking at doing was closing the trauma center, the level two trauma center, which they've now done.

they've closed labor and delivery, they closed a comprehensive stroke center there, and the county is now engaged with them to buy that center. why do i point that out? because having leaders who are going to be responsive to community need is really important, and having leaders who can manage our county's fiscal budget or our cities or the state in a way that gives us the flexibility to do important things when we need to do them because they're beneficial to the life and health safety of our community is really important. and i think what people don't always understand is that everything around us, somebody is making a decision about. where a hospital is located, how much affordable housing that we have in our community, how strong are the schools in your neighborhood, whether or not you have a stop sign on that corner, it is so pervasive, and so many people in our community say, "well, it doesn't matter who's in elected office." it really, really, really does. you know, we were the first city and the first county in the nation to offer every child under the age of 18 health

insurance, every kid. that's now become national policy, but that happened because we had local people here who were concerned about the health and well-being of our children in our community. we need good people to run and we need everybody to vote. it really, really matters, and i don't feel like--i feel like, for a lot of people, this feels really distant, damien, but it's not. it's the stop sign, it's whether or not police officers come and you have enough of them. you know, when you dial 911. damian: you mentioned something during the breaks that i wanna get to right away, and that is just getting our latino community to vote, because it hasn't been in the last couple of elections. and as you mentioned to me during the break is we're leaving these decisions up to other people to make. cindy: we really are, and i'll just use again regional medical center as an example. you know, that closure or the loss of those services is

happening in an area that really needs those services and yet, you know, another part of the community, the same corporation, gonna build up good samaritan hospital, and we want good samaritan hospital to be built up, but we want regional medical center to be lifted up and protected too. and so, without us at the table, people are making decisions about us without us over and over and over again, and it impacts everything. the quality of the school, how safe your neighborhood is, whether or not we have clean water and clean air. like, all of that happens because we get involved, we vote, we join boards and commissions, we run for office, we're part of our neighborhood association. and just one thing i'll remind people, like, during covid is such a good example. this county, again, we were managing our fiscal resources really well, but we spent money before we ever knew the federal government was going to pay us back to make sure that we had testing centers open and vaccination centers, and many of

you went to the fairgrounds or to the 49ers stadium or to the sap center or to the, you know, pal, all of that was done by local government investments and, again, it wouldn't have happened nearly so quickly. we saved many more lives than we could have, but that had to do with local leadership and investments that we make in our own communities. and so there's so much at stake, and i feel like you do, that we're talking to people saying, "please vote," and why does it matter? and it just really, really does. and i think it feels like a small gesture, but our voices matter, and when we don't vote, other people's voices are louder than ours.

damian: he wrote the new book, "compton in my soul." i got a copy right here, i've been reading it., professor ems at stanford university. we're fortunate to have dr. camarillo on our show here on "comunidad del valle." welcome to the show, sir.

dr. albert m. camarillo: thank you, damien. it's always a pleasure to spend time with you. damian: well, it's always great to spend time with a legend. we'll get into that in just a bit, sir, but if i can, being that you are an expert in the study of chicano history, do you have any assessment on the results of the election when it comes to immigrants, when it comes to latinos in this country? i know i'm just throwing this blindly out at you, but probably timely, given what has happened across the country. dr. camarillo: well, of course, i've been thinking a lot about this. it's complicated, but there are some messages that i think are really valuable for all of us out of this election. one is the latino electorate, latino population, is incredibly heterogeneous. it's so diverse, it's multi-generational, it's got-- it's become more national origin diverse over the course of the

last 40 and 50 years. but what i think is really important is to be able to step back and and try to understand whether you, regardless of where you--which direction you voted, for which party, for which candidate, is that there is lingering and traumatic inequality in our communities, latino communities everywhere, and trump and the gop took advantage of that and tried to pull away as best they could. in some cases, they were successful. a latino electorate that is still on the margins, suffering from the consequences of the pandemic, the nature of inequality, the rising price of goods for all of us. but those folks in our community that are on the margins weren't compelled enough to go with kamala harris and the democratic

party because they've not seen so many of them, not seen any difference in their daily lives, but that is really a problem for both the democrats and our larger society. that is, there has to be a way to reconnect these people to important values and to know that they are not forgotten and that there is an effort, there needs to be efforts, more efforts, especially by the democratic party, to reach out to latinos in general, but the working classes in particular who feel--i think they feel on the margins. i think they feel aggrieved and dispossessed, and i think it's important for leaders everywhere in our communities and elsewhere to realize that this is a group that must be brought into the center of society so they could begin to see progress for

themselves and for their children. damian: your expertise is so valuable here. thank you for sharing that with us. you know, the latino concern is the american concern, and i think we're--a lot of us are realizing that. so you're a legend when it comes to chicano history. tell us what compelled you to write about your upbringings and growing up in compton. dr. camarillo: well, damien, first and foremost, i wrote this book for the younger generation, latino kids, young people, and anyone that would read it. any young american that would pick up this book and be able to see a history told through the eyes of an individual, right? a person that was able to be at the right place at the right time to access opportunity that had never been available to latino or mexican american people, in my case, before my generation.

so i wanted them to see how opportunity and especially education, higher education in particular. and, of course, for me it became chicano studies. that it was a way to connect to our history, to understand our situation today, and to look to the future. so i'm hoping that this book inspires--you know, one, if it inspired one young person to think about education and how it--how an education can change your life, it can change the outcome of your family, it has the potential--and i've seen it, i've lived it, to change the potential and progress for a community. and i'll go so as far as to say, to change the nature of a society, right? i've seen that. i've lived long enough to know that education and opportunity are core to what we are as a nation.

and i think--i'm hoping that those that read the book get a sense of that and hopefully a little inspiration. damian: all right, well, we have a lot to talk to you about. the one is including the book, it's called "compton in my soul." it's by stanford university press. we're gonna show you the website so you can log on and maybe read up on some of this great writing by dr. al camarillo. so we can show the website for the stanford university press. again, we're talking to dr. al camarillo, professor emeritus of history over at the stanford university. there is that website for more information. we'll be back with dr. al camarillo here on "comunidad del valle," stay with us. ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪

damian: he is the author of "compton in my soul."

dr. al camarillo is a historian by trade, educated out at ucla, he joins us here on "comunidad del valle," professor emeritus over at stanford university. talk about your involvement, creation maybe, your contribution to the study of chicano history. dr. camarillo: well, i'm gonna take you back a little bit to answer that question. so again, one of the reasons i wrote the book is to explain how, for the very first time in american history, mexican americans and other latinos and people of color in general, of my generation, that generation that were kids in the late 40s and 50s and came of age as teenagers and young adults in the 1960s. so, you absolutely know this, damian, but a lot of people don't realize that that opportunity to go to college for mexican american people in california and when i was

growing up in compton and los angeles area, we were the largest ethnic group in the state of california. still are, of course, by leaps and bounds now, but back then, still the majority ethnic group. when i started ucla in 1966, there were fewer than 50 mexican americans out of almost 28,000 students at that university. about a hundred african americans, maybe a couple hured asian americans, virtually no native american students at that time. but within a few years, when civil rights laws passed and educational opportunity policies opened up affirmative action, it began to change. so, long story short, i was struggling mightily as a student at ucla. i was coming from the compton unified school district. it was really difficult for me at ucla those first two years. i figured it out, but what led to the inspiration for me to

become a better student and would have an impact on the rest of my life and the development of chicano studies, so getting to the question that you asked, it was taking the first african american history course and the first chicano mexican american history course ever offered in the university of california system in 1968 and 69. and for me, it was like a light going on in my head. it inspired me to be a better student, it inspired me to think about eventually a career, once a couple of professors thought i had some possibilities to go on to graduate school and maybe be a professor someday. that was unheard of, pretty much, in my generation, but it was that ethnic studies course and the curriculum that followed that inspired me to want to know more about mexican american history because my generation had no opportunity whatsoever

growing up to learn about the history of latino people, of african american people, of asian american people, of immigrants, and so it changed the course of my life. from that point on, i wanted to be someone that would open up the history of mexican american, other latino people, people of color, immigrants living in cities in california and elsewhere, so i could tell the story to the next generation of students who would be fortunate enough to go to college and to read about their past. damian: that's beautiful. we are watching images of compton, california, right now, some of the community there. what are your thoughts then on efforts in some parts of the nation to eliminate ethnic studies programs? dr. camarillo: well, first and foremost, the reason why they're attempting to eliminate ethnic studies programs in different states, florida being one of them, but it's happening in

other states, it's because it's been successful, it's been impactful, it's changed the way people view our society. on the one hand, it's telling the simple truth about the american past and about the role of ethnic and racial, religious and cultural communities, in the history of the united states, which again, has never been told before, for the most part, right? and there are people that don't like it, right? there are people that say, "oh, it's just promoting more racism, it's promoting more division." but really the reason to get rid of it is because it's been successful. it's been successful so that young people are learning the truth. and the truth is powerful, right? and there are powers that be, political powers in the united states and in these different red states that would like to put a cap on it, right? or they demean it. it's woke, it's racist, which is absolutely the wrong way to

understand this. the way to understand it is, this is a full, florid history of the american past that gives us an understanding of our young people of the american present and maybe inspiration for a better society for the future. damian: and you know, and even the word "chicano," i wasn't allowed to use it at home growing up in the fields of the salinas valley because my mom thought it was a connotation to the cholos and the zoot suiters, and she called them the troublemakers, and so even--it wasn't until the ethnic studies classes at san josé state that you start learning and appreciating, "oh, this is why-- and this is why i'm proud, and this is where we're going." we're gonna carry this conversation, dr. camarillo, to the next segment, but we do want to show the website once again. he's the author of "compton in my soul." you gotta read this fabulous book. it's by stanford university press and there is the website

for more information. we'll be back and wrap it up with dr. al camarillo here on "comunidad del valle," stay with us. ♪♪♪ - i had health insurance before. (discouraged) so expensive. i mean, i'm helping my mom out, i don't have that kinda cash. - ugh, i know. but you can get financial help now through covered california. it's totally affordable. you'd be surprised. they've got this calculator thing that shows how much you'll pay. - for real? - yeah!

what are you doing not having health insurance, man? - hey, i know, i know... - here, let me show you... - we all have questions. covered california has answers and can find a health plan that's right for you. covered california. this way to health insurance. damian: he's the author of "compton in my soul" by stanford university press. dr. al camarillo is my guest on "comunidad del valle," and the apple sure doesn't fall far from the tree, right, sir?lth plan that's right for you. you have jeff, who is an educatator. you mentioned him in the book. lauren was teacher of the year for the entire state of california, and your other son was a superstar with the miami dolphins. dr. camarillo: right, well, they're all in education in one sort or another, we call it the familia business, right? all of us are in education in one part of the field or the other. damian: well, that is so great. well, give us your thoughts, sir. i'm gonna let you have free space. tell us anything you wanna say about the book or about the chicano studies, chicano history, anything like that. dr. camarillo: well, thank you, damian.

it's always a pleasure to see you and thank you for being on the program. i think if the single most important message is that progress is achievable, and if you read the book you'll see how a mexican kid from compton who was among the first cohort of mexican american kids that had the opportunity to go to educate and go to pursue a higher education. i went to ucla as an undergraduate, and that despite the difficulty of hardworking parents that tried to keep our family together and who did not have an opportunity for education in my mother and father's generation, my father never stepped foot in a classroom, my mother had to drop out of middle school in the 7th, 8th grade.

but that opportunity is available to our younger generation now and despite all the problems that we're gonna face, and we're gonna face some dark days, they have to know that there's opportunity out there, still opportunity. there are still scholarships available. there are college and university that want them to be students at their institutions of higher education. and those who can go on and prepare themselves with a college education and a career in whatever field, they are representatives of change. and i've seen it in my lifetime and i know it's possible and i hope, if anything, this book gives them a little bit of inspiration to keep going on, to pursue education, graduate from high school, think about community colleg think about a four-year university, think about the highest profession they could attain. and they, as i've said earlier, will change their lives, they'll

change the lives of their--the experiences of their family and have the potential to change the nature of their community. i've seen it, i know it works, and that's why i keep this inspiration inside of me. damian: very well said. we have about a minute left. you're, again, an icon when it comes to chicano history. a lot of years at the--tenured at stanford university, a professor emeritus there, but i still sense a passion. you should be--you have grandchildren, you should be out enjoying them. you still have a passion for education. dr. camarillo: i do. in fact, in addition to writing for the younger generation, i wrote this book initially for the grandchildren so they could see how their papa, you know, came from very humble background as--from mexican immigrant parent family, and through education was able to change his life and provide the basis for them to learn about their group history, right? about the history of mexican americans and other latino people in the united states.

so, the grandchildren were certainly front and center when i thought about doing this book. damian: well, i remember i would read about you, dr. camarillo. when i met you, it was such an honor of a lifetime. meeting your family was even better, and just having you on the show just makes things that much more better. thank you so much for being on the show. thank you for inspiring this next generation. dr. camarillo: thank you, damian, appreciate it. damian: thank you, dr. al camarillo there, professor emeritus at stanford university. "compton in my soul" is his latest publication by stanford university press. i'm gonna show you that website once again. if you'd like to download or look up this great book by dr. al camarillo, as our guest here on "comunidad del valle," there is the website on the screen. "compton in my soul" by dr. al camarillo. well, if you want to get a hold of us here on "comunidad del valle," you can follow me on instagram. my handle is @newsdamiantrujillo and we're gonna show you my email address, there it is right there

if you want to get a hold of us, have any show suggestions, so you can do it that way, as well. we thank you once again for sharing a part of your sunday with us here on "comunidad del valle." we hope that it was a very educational program today with the legendary dr. al camarillo, professor emeritus at stanford university, author of "compton in my soul." we'll see you next week.

tonight, the blizzard blasasting multiple states right now. the mess on major roads, with more than 1,000 flights canceled across the country