The annual Latino Education Summit was held on March 22, 2025, at the San Diego County Office of Education. The Summit, organized by SD Concilio member Alberto Ochoa and his dedicated planning committee, brought together over 200 educators, parents, and students to discuss the status of education in San Diego’s Chicano/Latino community.
The Summit’s keynote speaker, Norma Chavez Peterson, director of the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties, gave an impassioned presentation about the current climate for Chicano/Latino communities and the need for social justice struggle. California Assembly Member David Alvarez also attended the Summit and spoke about the need for continuing attention to the community’s educational needs.
Several SD Concilio members attended the Summit and facilitated the higher education breakout session to discuss local priorities such as institutional support for Chicana & Chicano Studies, Undocumented Student Centers, and the Puente Program. The participants of the summit generated several recommendations for both the K-12 education system and higher education in San Diego.
On October 10, 2024, the San Diego State University’s Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Advisory Committee met at SDSU. The advisory group, which includes several subcommittees, reviewed its collective efforts during the past year and charted a course for the 2024-25 academic year. The SDSU HSI Advisory Committee provides analysis and input to the SDSU Office of HSI Affairs. That office is administered by SDSU Associate Chief Diversity Officer Emilio Ulloa, and HSI Program Lead, Abdel Amador.
Members of the San Diego Chicano/Latino Concilio on Higher Education serve on the SDSU HSI Advisory Committee, including Saúl Maldonado, Julio Soto, and Patrick Velasquez. Their service helps to ensure SDSU’s accountability to the local Chicano/Latino community, including SDSU’s efforts to achieve authentic “servingness” for Raza students.
On September 2, 2024, the SD Concilio was represented at a community meeting held by the Parent Institute or Quality Education (PIQE) and MANA de San Diego, two valuable organizations in the San Diego Chicano/Latino community. The San Diego Foundation was another co-sponsor of the meeting.
The meeting focused on providing participants the space for a substantive dialogue on the educational needs of local Chicanos/Latinos. Dr. Alberto Ochoa, faculty emeritus of San Diego State University and a member of the SD Concilio, presented a historic overview of equity issues in education for Chicanos/Latinos, including legal rights for English language learners. Ms. Eva Pacheco of EJE Academies, bilingual/bicultural charter schools in East San Diego County, provided a moving account of the struggle by local, Spanish-speaking parents to maintain bilingual education programs for their students. California Assembly Member David Alvarez presented on state legislation designed to increase equity in education throughout California.
The participants, representing local colleges and universities, school districts, and community organizations, held extensive discussions regarding alternative solutions to the institutional racism that limits equity throughout San Diego’s schools and postsecondary institutions. Dr. Patrick Velasquez, Co-Chair of the SD Concilio, participated in the discussion.
This link provides a short video on the meeting and its process:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjCHTxx8Hqk
At the meeting’s conclusion, Dr. Ochoa suggested to participants that a follow-up discussion could take place at the San Diego Latinx Education Summit on March 22, 2025, at the San Diego County Office of Education.