A native of San Diego, Larry T. Baza was greatly influenced as a teenager by the Chicano and African American civil rights movements as well as by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar Chavez. That influence carried through in his participation in civic life and his work for the fulfillment of the rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution to all citizens.
From the early days of the United Farm Workers strikes to the Grape Boycott, Mr. Baza participated by collecting non-perishable foods for the farm workers families to collecting donations for the work of Luis Valdez’s Teatro Campesino to the establishment of Chicano Park.
Mr. Baza’s career as a professional arts administrator and advocate has been driven by the belief that access to the arts “is vitally important to a civilized society.” His work has included directorships of many local nonprofits including the Centro Cultural de la Raza, Sushi Performance and Visual Art, California Pacific Theatre and others.
He has also participated as a consultant, grant panelist, site visitor or board member for: National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, Arizona Arts Commission, City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, California Association of Local Arts Agencies and more.
Currently, Baza serves as executive president of the predominantly gay and lesbian San Diego Democratic Club, a board member of Honor Pac (a Statewide Latino LGBT Political Action Committee), an advisory Committee member of the Women’s History Museum, a member of the San Diego LGBT Center’s Latino Services Advisory Council, and as a member of the grant making committee of the San Diego Foundation for Change.
In 2011 Baza was one of 12 local activists and community leaders that were honored by LAMBDA Archives San Diego for their work to advance LGBT civil rights and culture.”
Larry Baza is on Facebook.
