Tom Fudge : The people who first brought European culture to San Diego were the Spanish, and for a while, this was part of Mexico. The Mexican presence and influence never left our community, or course. That would be difficult to do, seeing that we're only a few miles from the Mexican border. Yet a lot of San Diegans seem to not even be aware of our proximity to Mexico. It can be tempting to view our city as middle American as Indianapolis or Minneapolis. Some members of the Chicano Studies department have collaborated on a book that seeks to explain the importance of our Mexican heritage and how it continues, evolves, and grows. The book is called Chicano San Diego: Cultural Space and the Struggle for Justice.
Guests
- Richard Griswold Del Castillo , professor emeritus of Chicana and Chicano Studies at San Diego State University . He is editor of Chicano San Diego: Cultural Space and the Struggle for Justice.
- Maria Ibarra, associate professor of Chicano/Chicana Studies at SDSU.
- Isidro Ortiz, professor of Chicano/Chicana Studies at SDSU.
- Rita Sanchez, professor of English at SDSU.
