Latino Legacy Foundation

This Memorial Day, we remember veterans who served with honor — one of them is 93-year-old U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Alfred Gonzalez, a Korean War veteran, who continues to travel througout California with the 82nd Airborne Association Color guard to ensure that veterans are laid to rest with dignity. He wil be one of the speakers at the Annual Memorial Day celebration at the Logan Heights Veterans Memorial Monument this Monday, May 25 at 11 a.m. in the 1900 block of Logan Avenue across from Chicano Park. The story of the founding of the memorial monument is also part of on the online digital book, San Diego Latino Legacy by the Latino Legacy Foundation.

This Mother's Day, we also honor Latinas who didn't just raise families — they built community.
From the late Laura Rodriguez, founder of the Logan Heights Family Health Center (1970), to Carmen Martinez, one of the founders of San Ysidro Health (1969), these women fought for access to health care for low-income families. Their sacrifice and strength shaped the city we live in today. Their stories are told in our San Diego Latino Legacy online multimedia book- Chapter 4. Feliz Día de las Madres.
Learn more about our community's legacy at latinolegacyfoundation.org

Photo Credits:

Mothers Founding San Ysidro Health Clinic – 1969
Photo courtesy©San Ysidro Health

Laura Rodriguez – 1994
Logan Heights Family Health Center Founder
Photo courtesy©Latino Legacy Foundation

Every child deserves to know where they come from. 🌱
Día de los Niños is a celebration of children, family, and the power of learning — values that have always been at the center of our community. From the students who stood up against school segregation in Lemon Grove in 1931, to the young Chicanos who fought for equal access to higher education in the 1990s, our children have never stopped leading the way.
Today we celebrate them — and the future they represent.
📖 Their history is in San Diego Latino Legacy: Timeline · Milestones · Stories — Learn more via our website https://latinolegacyfoundation.org/

56 years ago, the community of Barrio Logan fought back.

On April 22, 1970, when construction crews moved in to bulldoze land that had been promised as a park — replacing it with a parking lot for a Highway Patrol station. Mario Solis saw it and alerted his friends who were in a Chicano Studies class at City College. The students, families, and children formed a human chain and stopped the bulldozers.

That act of resistance became Chicano Park.

This Saturday, April 25, the community celebrates — murals, culture, history, and a legacy of self-determination that lives on under the Coronado Bridge.

📖 Read the full story in Chapter 4 of San Diego Latino Legacy: Timeline · Milestones · Stories via our website https://latinolegacyfoundation.org/

On February 28 at the Mt. Soledad Veterans National Memorial, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Miguel Alatorre (Retired) and his foundation, Plaques for Warriors, raised the funds to posthumously honor U.S. Army Capt. Jennifer Moreno with a memorial plaque.
Jennifer’s story of courage continues to be told, along with Miguel’s story, both featured in our multimedia book, Latino Legacy: Timeline, Milestones & Stories.

In that same spirit, the Latino Legacy Foundation is seeking nominations for Proudly We Served, our oral history video project honoring Latino veterans. Know a veteran? Nominate them today.

https://latinolegacyfoundation.org/latino-veterans-oral-history-video-project/

Proudly We Served is San Diego’s first-ever Latino Veterans Oral History Video Project by the Latino Legacy Foundation (LLF) to preserve, celebrate, and share the stories of Latinos who shaped our region and our nation through service and leadership.

Information about our Latino Veterans Oral History Video Project is now on our website, including the electronic nomination form.

The deadline for submissions is February 20th. We look forward to your nominations!

https://latinolegacyfoundation.org/latino-veterans-oral-history-video-project/

Wishing peace, health, and connection to all during the New Year. Thank you to everyone who shared stories, photos, and history with us this year—together, we are preserving San Diego’s Latino legacy for future generations.

Special thanks to our supporters: California State Library; The San Diego Union-Tribune; SDG&E; Banc of California; AT&T; Port of San Diego; LISC San Diego; Philanthropist Barry M. Soper; Philanthropist Lynn Stedd-White; Jim Estrada Consulting Group; Trust & Will; Ann Parode Dynes; The County of San Diego; and Academic Advisors :UC San Diego; San Diego Community College District; and San Diego State University

Congratulations to Mascara Magica’s Co-founder William A. Virchis for a sold-out event of the 37th Annual La Pastorela, beloved Christmas tradition across Mexico and the borderlands. La Pastorela follows shepherds on a journey to the Nativity—blending humor, music, and community spirit for all ages.

This first play was presented at the Old Globe Theatre in 1988 and this year more than 1200 are set to enjoy it at San Ysidro’s Salon Center and Chula Vista’s Southwestern College Theatre.

William Virchis is” profiled “in our San Diego Latino Legacy: Timeline – Milestones & Stories.

See his video story in our online book via our website https://latinolegacyfoundation.org/

In this season of giving, help keep our storytelling alive by considering supporting the Latino Legacy Foundation. Help us preserve and share San Diego’s Latino history—upcoming projects in 2026 Veterans Oral History Project and the digitization of 100 Portraits: Pioneers, Visionaries & Role Models (1994).

Our story archives are free and accessible for students, families, and researchers. If our work has informed, inspired, or connected you, we invite you to give today and help keep our storytelling alive.

Donate via our website at https://latinolegacyfoundation.org/donate/

Special thanks to our continuing Sponsors — We are grateful for their support that advances oral histories and digital archives.

This Thanksgiving season, we’re grateful to continue preserving our history through stories that matter. We’re launching the Veterans Oral History Project, capturing the voices and service of Latino veterans in our community, and bringing the landmark 1994 photographic book 100 Portraits: Pioneers, Visionaries & Role Models to life online through full digitization.

Follow along as we record, preserve, and share these legacies with the next generation. Explore our ongoing work at https://latinolegacyfoundation.org/

Photos: Laura Rodriguez Founder Logan Heights Family Health Center, Book Cover - 100 Portraits, William Virchis Co-founder Teatro Mascara Magica