Third Annual Feminist Lecture Series to Follow
By Brent E. Beltrán
On Thursday, March 20 the Mesa College Chicana/o Studies Department will unveil and dedicate the Gracia Molina de Pick Glass Gallery and present their third annual Gracia Molina de Pick Feminist Lecture Series. The glass gallery and lecture series are named after the co-founder of Mesa’s Chicana/o Studies Department.
In 2013 Mrs. Molina de Pick donated $80,000 to Mesa to create the Gracia Molina de Pick Endowment Fund in support of advancing the campus’ Chicana/o Studies Department. Since then the department has created the lecture series in her honor and will now dedicate the glass gallery in the G-Building Rotunda in her name.
Chicana/o Studies Chair, Dr. César López, says:
For more than 60 years, Gracia Molina Enriquez de Pick has been an educator, feminist, mentor of students and community activist for women’s equality, indigenous communities, labor and immigrants’ rights. As an early champion for bi-lingual education, Molina de Pick helped to develop an academic program at Mesa College that gave birth to one of the first Chicano Studies Department[s] in the nation. In the ‘60s and ‘70s, with Gracia’s leadership and vision, San Diego Mesa College planted the seed for Chicana/o Studies, and created one of the first academic program dedicated to its study.
This tribute is a community celebration of Gracia’s legacy as our department founder, life-long educator, human rights activist and feminist. Generations of San Diego community college students will learn about Gracia and her life of leadership in community-based struggles through the glass gallery and will directly benefit from the Chicana/o Studies Department endowment she established to provide scholarships to Mesa students and sponsor an annual feminist lecture series on campus.
After the dedication long time activists Linda and Carlos LeGerrette will present as part of the feminist lecture series. The LeGerrette’s have a long history of following the teachings and guidance of United Farmworker leader César Chavez. In 2001, they established the Cesar Chavez Service Clubs which was founded on community service and the values promoted by Chavez. There are now more than forty clubs with more than 400 members in grades K-12 throughout San Diego public schools.
The Third Annual Gracia Molina de Pick Feminist Lecture Series and Unveiling/Dedication of the Gracia Molina de Pick Glass Gallery takes place on March 20 from 11AM to 12:35PM in Mesa’s G-Building Rotunda. It is free and open to the public. For more information contact César López.
Brent E. Beltrán
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