SAN DIEGO (Nov. 4, 2010) — As part of its ongoing commitment to cultural diversity and to celebrate Hispanic Heritage and American Indian Heritage months, Union Bank has partnered with KPBS to honor four extraordinary San Diegans during its 13th Annual Local Heroes Awards program. Recognized for exemplary leadership and dedication to serving their communities, these Heroes join eight other dedicated community members in the year-long celebration.
The Hispanic Heritage month honorees are Gracia Molina Enriquez de Pick, founder and professor of Chicano/a Studies and International Activist for Women’s Rights; and Carolina Alcoser Ramos, Latino Services Coordinator for the San Diego LGBT Community Center. The American Indian Heritage month honorees are: Harry Paul Cuero, Jr., council member of the Campo Band of Kumeyaay Indians and Dwight Kala Lomayesva, III, executive director of American Indian Recruitment Programs.
Pick Gracia Molina Enriquez de Pick is simultaneously a member of the Jewish and Hispanic communities. She has been an educator, feminist, student mentor and community activist for women’s equality, indigenous communities, labor and immigrants’ rights for over 60 years. As a faculty member at Mesa College, she founded and wrote the curricula for the first associate’s degree in Chicano/a Studies. At UC San Diego, she was one of the founders and a faculty member for the university’s Third College (now named Thurgood Marshall College). She is a founder of IMPACT and the Comision Femenil Mexicana Nacional, the first national feminist Chicana Association. She has served as the Chicana Caucus Chair of the National Women’s Political Caucus and on the National Council of La Raza. Her book, “Mujeres en la Historia & Historias de Mujeres,” published in 2008, highlights women in Mexican history, covering the indigenous period prior to 1492 through the first half of the 20th century. She also has been active in Latino-Jewish dialogue groups, joking that she can sit on either side of the table.
“Our Union Bank Local Heroes program began in San Diego in 1998, and we are proud of this expanded partnership with KPBS,” said Union Bank Executive Vice President George Ramirez. “We honor and thank these community leaders, who have committed themselves to improving the lives of others who live within the vibrant and rich cultural mosaic of San Diego. Their contributions are vital as they advocate for, support and provide inspiration to members of our communities who are often underserved.”
KPBS General Manager Tom Karlosaid, “KPBS is excited to again partner with Union Bank to celebrate this year’s Local Heroes. These heroes embody a strong, ongoing commitment to community service, and we are pleased to showcase their work through our video profiles which are currently airing on KPBS TV and KPBS.org. We want residents of San Diego to have an opportunity to learn more about and appreciate the extraordinary contributions these dedicated individuals provide to our community.”
Other San Diego’s Hispanic Heritage month and American Indian Heritage month honorees are:
Carolina Alcoser Ramos is the coordinator of Latino/a Services for the San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center. Ramos is a co-founder of the Black/Brown Coalition, a national organization to bring together African American and Latino/a people. She has served as a San Diego Human Relations Commissioner; is a member of the San Diego Unified School District Superintendent’s Commission on LGBT issues in Education and is a sensitivity trainer for the San Diego City Social Services Department. She speaks at schools, universities and military bases throughout San Diego on issues of LGBT equality and immigrant rights. Ramos has served as the Regional Director of Bienestar Human Services and as a domestic violence advocate for the Palomar Pomerado Health Family Violence Program and on the Board of Directors of PACTO Latino Aids Organization.
Harry Paul Cuero, Jr. is a tribal advocate, curator of tribal history and master singer of Bird Songs. He has served as treasurer, cultural director and chairman of the Campo Band of the Kumeyaay Nation and is currently a member of Campo’s Executive Committee. As the cultural director for Campo, Cuero worked with tribal youth, teaching them native song and dance and encouraging them to participate in tribal ceremonies. A traditional Bird Singer for over 30 years, Cuero and a group of Kumeyaay youth performed cultural Bird Songs with the San Diego Symphony. He has also performed traditional Bird Songs during the pre-game ceremony of the 1998 Super Bowl game in San Diego and performed at the opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. He and other Bird Singers also performed at the White House for President Bill Clinton.
Dwight Kala Lomayesva, III, a member of the Hopi tribe of Arizona, has tirelessly served the San Diego American Indian Community for over 20 years. As Executive Director of the American Indian Recruitment Programs (AIR), his primary focus has been the expansion and improvement of educational opportunities for American Indian youth. AIR was created by Lomayesva as an afterschool program and adopted by the American Indian Advisory Committee under the SDSU department of American Indian Studies in late 1993. In addition to promoting higher educational opportunities for participants, who are tutored and mentored by college students, AIR also offers a culturally relevant component that instills a sense of pride and increased self-esteem among the students. The AIR programs have expanded to the University of San Diego, the University of California, San Diego and Palomar College.
These outstanding citizens will join eight other Local Heroes, including Marjorie Kaplan, President and CEO of the Jewish Community Foundation, and Dr. Ellen Beck, co-director of the UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic Project, in this year-long celebration of cultural diversity. All 12 honorees will be honored at the 2010 Local Heroes Awards on Tuesday, November 16, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The awards ceremony is being held in the Sherwood Auditorium at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, 700 Prospect Street, La Jolla.
Other honorees include:
- Randy Jones, Esq., Assistant U.S. attorney, San Diego
- Ahmed Sahid, president and CEO of Somali Family Service of San Diego
- Irma Cota, president and CEO of North County Health Services
- Shahri Estakhry, chairman and founder of the Dollar-a-Month Fund
- Divya Kakaiya, Ph.D., president and clinical director of the Healthy Within Foundation
- Lee Ann Kim, executive director of the San Diego Asian Film Foundation
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Preceding provided by KPBS