Meet Our Faculty Team
-
Larry McDaniel Jr. Dept. Chair/Professor African American/Black Studies he/him/his
Biography
Language(s) spoken: English & African American Vernacular English
First Generation College Student: Yes
Colleges Attended: Berkeley City College, UC Berkeley, University of Pennsylvania, UCLA
Family From: Oakland, CA
Fun Fact: I am a huge gamer. I play it all and play every console
Fav. Cultural Food/Dish: Peach Cobbler
Fav. Quote: "Love is an action, never simply a feeling." -bell hooks -
Aaron Salinger Professor Latinx/Chicanx American Studies he/him/el
Biography
Language(s) spoken: English & Spanish
First Generation College Student: No
Colleges Attended: Riverside Community College, UC Riverside, Cal State LA, University of New Mexico
Family From: Los Angeles, CA, Pale of Settlement, Sonora, Mx, Chihuahua, Mx
Fun Fact: I have ridden my bicycle from Tijuana to Guadalajara
Fav. Cultural Food/Dish: Ceviche
Fav. Quote: "Feed the hand that feeds you." -Lyla June, Diné, Ph.D. -
Dr. Mica Stewart Professor African American/Black Studies she/her/hers
Biography
-
Prahas Rudraraju Professor Asian American & Pacific Islander Studies they/them
Biography
Language(s) spoken: English & Telugu
First Generation College Student: No
Colleges Attended: The College of William & Mary, UCLA
Family From: Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu
Fun Fact: I love anime
Fav. Cultural Food/Dish: Mysore Masala Dosa
Fav. Quote: "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. -
Dr. Silvia Toscano Professor Native American Studies & Chicanx American Studies (she/her/ella)
Biography
Language(s) spoken: English, Spanish, Pochismos, Spanglish, Calo, basic Nahuatl
First Generation College Student: Yes & No ~1.5 generation ~ (it's complicated)
Colleges Attended: Mt SAC; CSU, Los Angeles; UC, Santa Barbara
Family From: Ancestrally rooted to Michoacán, Durango & Chihuahua, Mexico
Fun Fact: I love having my hands in the soil and my feet in the ocean.
Fav. Cultural Food/Dish: Nopalitos con salsita y limón
Fav. Quote: "When we realize that our souls and spirits need as much attention as our bodies, minds, and feelings, we experience supreme equilibrium. We are whole again. I have learned to honor my own soul by not denying who I am." -Maestra Elena Avila, Woman Who Glows in the Dark -
Dr. Michael Vazquez Professor Ethnic Studies & Latinx American Studies (he/him/el)
Biography
Languages spoken: Spanish, English, SpanglishFirst Generation College Student: Yes!
Colleges Attended: University of Southern California, UC San Diego, Harvard UniversityFamily from: Mexico (Aguascalientes and Jalisco)Fun fact: I've been to all 50 states as well as DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Next stops are Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa. Some day...Favorite cultural food: Chilaquiles verdesFavorite quote: "Life is not what you alone make it. Life is the input of everyone who touched your life and every experience that entered it. We are all part of one another." -Yuri Kochiyama
-
Dr. Demeturie Toso-Lafaele Gogue Professor Asian American & Pacific Islander Studies he/him/his
Biography
-
Dr. Pōmaika'i Gushiken Professor Asian American & Pacific Islander Studies they/he
Biography
Language(s) spoken: English, Hawaiian Creole English ("Hawaiian Pidgin"), Japanese, ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Language)
First Generation College Student: Yes
Colleges Attended: Leeward Community College (coursework, no degree), University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (BA in English and Political Science - Indigenous Politics), Kaho'iwai Teacher Education Program (Social Science and English Language Arts Teaching Credential), and UC San Diego (MA and PhD in Ethnic Studies)
Family From: Nānākuli, Hawaiʻi
Fun Fact: I taught Hawaiian-culture-based middle school and high school back home before coming back to Southern California.
Fav. Cultural Food/Dish: Paʻiʻai
Fav. Quote: "Resistance is its own reward" - Dr. Haunani-Kay Trask -
Dr. Robert "Xach" Williams Professor African American/Black Studies he/him/his
Biography
Language(s) spoken: English
First Generation College Student: No, I am second generation. My dad went to college on track scholarship – he and my mom paved the way for my sister and me. But I am the first gen. to earn a PhD.
Colleges Attended: Washington State University (Go Cougs!) and University of California San Diego
Family From: I am from the Central District, Seattle. My people are from South Carolina and rural Washington state before me.
Fun Fact: I was a basketball player growing up – my senior year in high school I was captain on the 4A State Championship team.
Fav. Cultural Food/Dish: My Nana's pecan pie.
Fav. Quote: "You are moving in the direction of freedom, and the function of freedom is to free someone else." - Toni Morrison, 1979
-
April Tellez Professor Ethnic Studies & Native American Studies she/her/ella)
Biography
-
DeDe DeDe Adjunct Professor Black Studies & Ethnic Studies he/him/his
Biography
-
Dr. Joshua Redwine Adjunct Professor Latinx/Chicanx American Studies he/him/his
Biography
Language(s) spoken: English and Spanish
First Generation College Student: Yes
Colleges Attended: BA from Rice University, MA from Claremont Graduate University, PhD from UC Davis
Family From: Texas/Northern Mexico
Fun Fact: I have 2 cats named Paloma and Torta
Fav. Cultural Food/Dish: Arroz con Pollo
Fav. Quote: “I have come to believe over and over again that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood.” ― Audre Lorde
-
Julissa Contreras Castanon Adjunct Professor Latinx/Chicanx American Studies they/them
Biography
-
J. Ali Adjunct Professor Ethnic Studies he/him/his
Biography
Colleges Attended: Mt. SAC; UC Berkeley; UCR
Fun Fact: I am a former Mt. SAC transfer student
Fav. Cultural Food/Dish: Masala Dosa
Fav. Quote: “Where cruelty and injustice are concerned, hopelessness is submission, which I believe is immoral.” -Edward Said -
Dr. Takahito Tanaka Adjunct Professor Ethnic Studies he/him/his
Biography
-
Dr. Nori Henk Adjunct Professor Ethnic Studies she/her/hers
Biography
Language(s) spoken: English
First Generation College Student: No
Colleges Attended: Azusa Pacific University, Boston University, Loyola University Chicago, and San Francisco State University
Family From: Denver, Colorado
Fun Fact: I have a Japanese first name and a German Last name, but I am neither. I am Korean.
Fav. Cultural Food/Dish: Kimchi Jjigae or Bingsu
Fav. Quote: "It is better to try and fail than to never try at all." -
Megan Pennings Adjunct Professor Ethnic Studies she/her/hers
Biography
