Caltechlive! presents a Behind the Book conversation about Roberta Martínez's work, "Latinos in Pasadena." It is one of the books from the Arcadia Publishing /Images of America series that focuses on local and regional history.
On Wednesday, January 26 at 5 p.m., Martínez will discuss her work with Dr. Tashiana
Bryant-Myrick, who leads Caltech's Center for Inclusion and Diversity (CCID). There will be a short period at the end of the presentation for audience members to ask questions of both Martínez and Bryant-Myrick. This virtual event is free and open to the public - registration is required to attend.
Histories of Pasadena are rich in details about important citizens, time-honored traditions, and storied enclaves such as Millionaires Row and Lamanda Park. But the legacies of Mexican Americans and other Latino men and women who dominated Pasadena's population prior to statehood have been sparsely preserved through the generations - even though these citizens made remarkable contributions to this community.
A fuller story of the Pasadena area can be provided from these vintage images and the accompanying information culled from anecdotes, master's theses, newspaper articles, formal and informal oral histories, and the Ethnic History Research Project compiled for the City of Pasadena in 1995.
The book can be purchased at Pasadena's local cultural arts gift shop, Mercadito Monarca, located at: 696 E. Colorado Blvd., Ste. 19, Pasadena, CA 91101.
https://mercaditomonarca.com/.
Roberta H. Martínez was born and raised in East Los Angeles and received her BA in Music and MA in Music History from the University of California, Riverside. She is an actor, historian, writer. She is an expert on the history of the Latino Community in Pasadena. Her book, "Latinos in Pasadena," was published in 2009 by Arcadia Publishing.
Martínez is a Reader at the Huntington library and has presented her research in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, as well as the Huntington itself. Presentations have included a discussion on the roots Craftsman style homes (with the late Dr. Robert Winter and Theodore Bosley). Other presentations have included: "Beyond Jackie, Rosa, and Martin: Black Pioneers with Pasadena Connections", "Community Migration", "Altadena: Homesteaders, Squatters, and Other Pioneers". In 2021 she presented "Sites, Scenes and Stories: Intersections of Architecture and the Pasadena Latino Community in the 20th Century" for Pasadena Heritage. She shared rare archival images of schools, businesses, churches, and a pivotal Greene and Greene project that hold significant cultural and historical for our city and for Los Angeles County. She is an expert on the history of the Latino Community in Pasadena. In 2019 she was interviewed by CSPAN on the history of Latinos in the San Gabriel Valley.
Ms. Martínez has served as Executive Director of Latino Heritage and as Chair of the Arts Commission and Library Commission for the City of Pasadena and on the boards of the Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena Community Access Corporation, and the Pasadena Senior Center.
A higher-education professional with more than a decade of experience with campus-based organizations that promote and support inclusive communities, Dr. Tashiana Bryant-Myrick "uses research to bridge theory and practice, and to develop effective approaches that foster a sense of belonging for historically minoritized and marginalized students, staff, and faculty," said Lindsey Malcom-Piqueux, Caltech's assistant vice president for diversity, equity, inclusion, and assessment, as she announced Bryant's appointment. "Building on the longstanding success and versatility of the CCID's education, advocacy, and allyship efforts, Tashiana leads the development of programming and activities that build partnerships across campus, expand cultural awareness, and cultivate appreciation of, and capacity for, culturally affirming practices."
Bryant, who earned a doctorate in educational leadership from Cal State Long Beach with a research focus on STEM pathways for historically minoritized and marginalized students, has participated in campus-wide administrative and leadership committees as well as professional organizations focused on diversity and inclusion.
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