Professor Emeritus, John E. Valdez, has taught Chicano in the United States History, Chicano in the United States Political System, and Chicano Literature in the Multicultural Studies Department for 43 years at Palomar Community College in San Marcos, California. He was Chair for 30 years and advisor to the student organization called MEChA throughout his career at Palomar College. John earned three Master's degree 1) Master's Equivalency in Comparative Literature from the University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 2) Master's degree from San Diego State University in Language and Policy Studies and 3) Master's degree from the University of San Diego in International Relations.
As a member of the Oxford Roundtable from 2006 to 2009, he has presented papers on Multiculturalism in America and American Foreign Policy, the oral history of the Mexican American pioneer community from the Mexican Revolution to World War II in Lemon Grove, California, and Cesar Chavez' life and his fight for social justice.
John is inspired by his son Joaquín (Kino), daughter Mica, daughter-in-law Jessica, and his three grandchildren Julian (12 years old), Jordin (9 years old), and Jayden (5 years old), and all his loved relatives including nephews, grandniece, great great grandnieces, and cousins Maria Luisa Padilla (101 years old) and Judy Smith (103 years old). Maria Luisa and Judy's heroic lives of love and courage inspire our lives to be filled with hope and joy.
They are all John's shining inspiration of Love and Light!
In 2017, he began the Archival Preservation Project dedicated to preserving all relevant educational documents from his archives by donating them to San Diego State University's Special Collections. All archival documents of M.E.Ch.A de Palomar student history and all educational and relevant materials of the Multicultural Studies Department from Palomar College formed in 1974.
Archival Preservation Project:
We are asking for your donational support to assist the archival process which will be coordinated by our archiving team of M.E.Ch.A alumni student leaders from local universities to prepare all documents which will be processed and housed at the San Diego State University Special Collection in Chicanz/o Studies.
Your economic support will make it possible to identify each item which will be identified belonging to Professor Valdez, M.E.Ch.A, and the Multicultural Studies Department to be preserved as our historical legacy.
Palomar College Foundation is the focus of community support for Palomar's students and faculty funds, grants, donor-designated funds, and special projects. Over the years, thousands of caring citizens have given time and money to the Foundation, thus ensuring that quality education is available for everyone in our community
In 2000, Professor John Valdez introduced the idea of a mural project for the Multicultural Studies Department home room in the Student Union Building SU-17 at Palomar College, San Marcos, California. The mural was named "Adelante MEChA Adelante" by John to capture the sea of students in protest for justice. When the new Multicultural building opened, the mural was placed in the new home room MD-328 where it resides today. The mural features retired faculty from left to right: Anthony Guerra, Jose Rangel, Dr. Luz Garzon and John E. Valdez
Professor Valdez is currently working on a documentary highlighting the first successful desegregation court case in the United States, which was won in March 1931 in Lemon Grove, California. He is capturing the experiences of the pioneering Mexican and Mexican-American community of Lemon Grove, who took legal action against the Lemon Grove School Trustees. The trustees had segregated Mexican American children and intended to send them to a separate school within the Mexican American neighborhood of Lemon Grove. Their legal challenge proved successful, marking the nation's inaugural desegregation victory in March 1931. Professor Valdez includes the Lemon Grove experience, his life growing up in Lemon Grove, and his path of seeking an education. Lemon Grove Oral History Project interviews Mexican American pioneers who settled in Lemon Grove, and sued Lemon Grove School Board in 1931 to stop racial segregation. A special tribute to honor Lemon Grove residents fighting for educational equality for their children. The parents of the Lemon Grove segregated children did not have great social economic status or influence, however, they were aware of the value and importance of education, and wanted their children to be educated and have a better life, economically, as citizens in American society. March 2011 marked the 80th anniversary of the first successful desegregation case in the U.S., the Lemon Grove Court Case. Also, Professor Valdez is planning a photo exhibit of the Valdez family from Mexico during the Mexican Revolution from 1910 to 1929 and family photos of settling in Lemon Grove in the early 1920s.
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