A second special edition episode with Guadalupe Carrasco Cardona. Guadalupe is the daughter of migrant farm-workers and hails from Oxnard, California, among other communities in the Southwest. She has been an Ethnic Studies, English, Social Studies and Journalism educator for 24 years and has taught in California, Arizona and Texas. She is currently an Ethnic Studies Teacher at Roybal Learning Center just outside of downtown Los Angeles as well as the chair of the Association of Raza Educators (Los Angeles chapter), co-founder of XOCHITL Los Angeles, a member of Ethnic Studies Now Coalition’s Coordinating Committee, and a founding member of the Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Coalition.
(1:21) Lupe Carrasco Cardona
(2:42) Lupe’s 24 year career as a teacher and educator
(3:23) Inspiration to become a teacher
(4:59) A serendipitous connection to the late, great mayor of San Fernando, Cindy Montañez
(6:18) Connection to farm-workers, including Cesar Chavez in the Central Valley
(8:40) Coming from Oxnard, California, where farm-workers pick through strawberry fields
(12:11) Lupe’s role in passing California Assembly Bills 2016, 101, and 1460, which together require ethnic studies be taught at California high schools
(14:01) Organizing with students, parents and teachers at the grassroots level for ethnic studies
(14:45) Organizing after Tucson, Arizona’s 2010 ban of Mexican-American studies
(17:28) The lawsuit filed against Lupe and her colleague for teaching ethnic studies
(24:45) Lupe’s reaction to the lawsuit’s filing in 2022
(28:42) The irony of accusing an indigenous teacher of being antisemetic
(31:09) How to support Lupe and Theresa this upcoming Thursday, December 14th
(32:04) Educational rally outside of the Federal courthouse at 1st Street in DTLA
(34:17) Lawfare against communities of color is likely to continue, yet we (have to) persist
(35:40) What Lupe would like to get out of beating this case
You can also learn more or keep up with Lupe’s Cuento on Instagram: @lupe_teaches_ethnic_studies.
To make a one-time donation to my fundraiser for the 9th anniversary of JIMBO TIMES, please do so through jmbtms.com. To support the production of J.T. the L.A. Storyteller Podcast, please check out my PATREON.
J.T.
