Volume 136, Issue 5
City College Librarian Captures Inspiring Image of a Legendary Cultural Leader
By
Rob Cruz
Contributing Writer
Maria V. Pinedo purchased a camera and drove to the Coachella Valley in 1973, volunteering to keep a visual record of the United Farm Workers Association (UFWA) and its inspirational leader, Cesar Chavez.
Photo
by Vanessa Landone |
"I was just very struck with who Cesar Chavez was and what he was trying to put together," Pinedo said.
Thirty years later, her photos are on display at the Rosenberg Library in tribute to the legendary labor defender.
"He was very courageous; nothing fazed him," Pinedo said.
Pinedo, a librarian at City College's John Adams campus, feels her pictures document the beginnings of a new movement in civil rights, giving voice to the plight of the Latino field laborer.
"The Mexican farm worker would be something to rally around," she said, due in no small part to Chavez's leadership.
The time is right for her photos to be displayed, as October is Latino Heritage Month and Chavez will soon be getting his own U.S. Postal Stamp.
Though Pinedo continued with photography, the six months she spent taking pictures of the UFWA will always be memorable because of Chavez's soulful guidance.
"You could tell you were in the presence of a very spiritual person," Pinedo said .
Raising the roots to celebrate the arts
A tradition hailing from a timezone 8 hours away beckoned Bay Area locals to Golden Gate Park to celebrate the re-opening of the DeYoung Museum.
In Scandinavia, "topping off" a newly constructed building involves placing a tree on top of it. On October 18, a palm tree was raised to top off the newly rebuilt De Young.
Artists grabbed their sketch books and contortionists grabbed their ankles. Here are some of the scenes from the day's celebration.
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Agnes Yau, a student in the City College museum drawing class, takes time to review and critique her work. Student artists sketched costumed models for hours at a time. |