The community of San José, California, is a national model for social justice and community activism. This legacy has been hard earned. In the twentieth century, the activists of the city’s Mexican American community fought for equality in education and pay, better conditions in the workplace, better health care, and much more. Sociologist and activist Josie Méndez-Negrete has returned to her hometown to document and record the stories of those who made contributions to the cultural and civic life of San José. Through interview excerpts, biographical and historical information, and analysis, Méndez-Negrete shows the contributions of this singular community throughout the twentieth century and the diversity of motivations across the generations. Activists share with Méndez-Negrete how they became conscious about their communities and how they became involved in grassroots organizing, protest, and social action. Spanning generations, we hear about the motivations of activists in the 1930s to the end of the twentieth century. We hear firsthand stories of victories and struggles, successes and failures from those who participated. Activist Leaders of San José narrates how parents—both mothers and fathers—were inspired to work for the rights of their people. Workers’ and education rights were at the core, but they also took on the elimination of at-large elections to open city politics, labor rights, domestic abuse, and health care. This book is an important record of the contributions of San José in improving conditions for the Mexican American community.

In these brief and accessible case studies, Costa Rican millennial leaders draw from global solutions to address local problems, inviting students of these emerging social movements to apply similar strategies to their communities at home.

La Gente traces the rise of the Chicana/o Movement in Sacramento and the role of everyday people in galvanizing a collective to seek lasting and transformative change during the 1960s and 1970s. In their efforts to be self-determined, la gente contested multiple forms of oppression at school, at work sites, and in their communities. Though diverse in their cultural and generational backgrounds, la gente were constantly negotiating acts of resistance, especially when their lives, the lives of their children, their livelihoods, or their households were at risk. Historian Lorena V. Márquez documents early community interventions to challenge the prevailing notions of desegregation by barrio residents, providing a look at one of the first cases of outright resistance to desegregation efforts by ethnic Mexicans. She also shares the story of workers in the Sacramento area who initiated and won the first legal victory against canneries for discriminating against brown and black workers and women, and demonstrates how the community crossed ethnic barriers when it established the first accredited Chicana/o and Native American community college in the nation. Márquez shows that the Chicana/o Movement was not solely limited to a handful of organizations or charismatic leaders. Rather, it encouraged those that were the most marginalized—the working poor, immigrants and/or the undocumented, and the undereducated—to fight for their rights on the premise that they too were contributing and deserving members of society.

"Through social movements that are both grassroots and global, young leaders in San José, Costa Rica, have sought to create positive social change in their communities. Using social media, art, local organizations, corporations, and government entities, these leaders have found creative ways to connect with and support one another's efforts to promote change and tackle growing concerns, including environmental sustainability, freedom from sexual assault, food security, LGBTQ+ rights, and more. Presenting case studies of Costa Rican millennial leaders, Millennial Movements shows how youth activists in San José draw from global solutions to address the local problems inhabiting their city. Identifying with the youths that they encounter in each chapter, students will be inspired by the strategies and skills used by these leaders and adapt them to their own schools and communities."--

A Diamond in the Rough is a continuation of Timothy K. Fitzgerald's trilogy begun with Wawona Brotherhood, outlining student activism during the Vietnam War and his campus' fight for racial equality. In his second historical volume outlining the subsequent redevelopment of downtown San Jose, the real-life characters of volume one enter mainstream society in the '70s and '80s to fight urban renewal. Fitzgerald and his friends join the working class of Silicon Valley to implement low income housing and jobs for the working poor, assisting people who lived in San Jose's inner city for decades. The story follows Fitzgerald's efforts to represent district residents on the San Jose City Council. Tim Fitzgerald participated in the transformation of San Jose from an agricultural market town to the Capital of Silicon Valley ...neighborhood groups transformed city politics by replacing citywide council elections with election by district - in the process defeating the pro-growth political machine.- Terry Christianson, former chair, San Jose State University Political Science Department, and leader of Redistricting of San Jose Fitzgerald is able to 'bring to life' the hidden forces that create economic inequality in big cities in this volume ...how a rapidly growing city's ambitious urban planning policy creates 'economic apartheid.' - Scott Wagers, founder, Student Homeless Alliance, Senior Paster, CHAM Deliverance Ministry About the Author: Timothy Fitzgerald has taught social science at community colleges in California. He graduated from SJSU in the '70s, majoring in U.S. history and economics. He is now completing a third master's degree in philosophy and is working on this series' third volume about his Green Years. Publisher's website: http: //www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/ADiamondInTheRough.html

The quiet Eisenhower years followed by the radical anti-war years of the 1960s brought the formation of numerous activist groups across the nation's college campuses. Surrounded by a town dominated by machine politics, red-necked bigotry and segregated off-campus housing, San Jose State University was no exception. The conservative, almost all-white campus was then home campus to Olympic boycotter Tommie Smith - and it had its share of black activists and white anti-war protesters. As students became inexorably drawn into the common cause of campus radicals, a new society fueled by hope for the future became a rallying point for thousands of Bay area youths and their dreams. Author Timothy K. Fitzgerald records this surprising 'coming of age' story set in San Francisco's Bay Area, and his experiences and those of other key figures during this pivotal time in history when color barriers were finally broken and the formation of a new brotherhood of comrades was underway. This is their story. The story of the civil rights and anti-war activism that engulfed San Jose State University during the 1960s is still relevant in today's world. Tim K.Fitzgerald's work reminds all of us that the basic issues which divided our nation then - a questionable war in a foreign land and the fight for equality at home - continue to haunt our society. -Jim Beall, Jr., California State Assembly, District 24 Timothy K. Fitzgerald played an important, one might even say key, role. His account of the changes and of his participation in them is fascinating. -George E. Moore, Former Chair, SJSU Academic Senate, Chair Emeritus History Dept. SJSU Timothy K. Fitzgerald is an accomplished writer and Silicon Valley activist who has taught history, politics, and economics in community colleges in California. He graduated from San Jose State University in 1971 and is now completing a third Master's Degree in related subjects. Tim was also an expert Yosemite rock climber, and likewise includes those adventures herein. This volume is the first of a trilogy of his memoirs - The Quest: Revolution, Revelation, Redemption - relating to America's social history. Tim is currently working on the third installment of his Cold War era memoirs entitled, Pursuit of the Dragon Fly. http: //sbpra.com/TimothyKFitzgeral