Introduction
More than 100 collaborators have shared their talents and insights. Among them, distinguished Latino professors from San Diego State University, UC San Diego, the University of San Diego, and our community colleges, who guide us through the chapter eras.
The stories of San Diego’s Latino community—our challenges, our triumphs, and lasting contributions—have too often been forgotten, overlooked or left untold. Yet from the beginning, we have been an essential part of our American history. Some of us lived these moments. Others carry the memories of parents, grandparents, and friends who sacrificed so we could inherit lives filled with greater opportunity and hope. It is an honor to bring these stories to life through the power of multimedia storytelling—to build knowledge, deepen understanding, and bring us together. That vision inspired the Latino Legacy Foundation’s online project, San Diego Latino Legacy: Timeline – Milestones – Stories, made possible by the generosity of major donors the San Diego Union-Tribune and the State of California/State Library. San Diego Latino Legacy highlights our journey: from the aftermath of the 1848 Mexican-American War, through the nation’s civil rights struggles that gave rise to the 1960s Chicano Movement, momentous events that changed our lives, and to our proud tradition of military service to the United States. These chapters come alive through first-person video storytelling —the voices of those who made history, those who carry the torch forward, and the descendants who keep their legacies alive.
San Diego Latino Legacy is a living, ever evolving multimedia project —and freely accessible to the public on the Foundation’s website.
I am deeply grateful to the founding members of the Latino Legacy Foundation—Maria Nieto Senour, Ph.D., Richard Ybarra, George Saldamando, Ricardo Flores, Joe Martinez, and Edward Lopez—whose passion and dedication, together with the generosity of our sponsors, turned this vision into a reality.
It is our collective gift to the community.
As ever, our mission is both simple and profound: to remember, to honor, and to celebrate the enduring accomplishments of our community.
With deep gratitude,
Maria Velasquez President & Chair Latino Legacy Foundation
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San Diego Latino Legacy – Timeline • Milestones • Stories
Introduction
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