El Podcast de El Profe Palacios

In this episode of El Podcast de el Profe Palacios, I share an interview I did recently with John Marquez. At 87 years old, he is a long time politicians and community leader here in Contra Costa County. I sat down with John and asked him to share a little of his life story. He shared about growing up on his grandfather’s sheep farm in Taos, New Mexico, about being recruited to a seminary in post-war Barcelona, Spain (that did not work out). He later became a paratrooper in the military. We talked about his participation in the Chicano Student movement and his role in the creation of Chicano Studies at Contra Costa College. I also asked him about being the first Chicano City Council member in Richmond, and about his time as a board member at the Contra Costa Community College District. He was full of stories and it was pleasure talking to him. So if you care about Contra Costa County Latino history, this is an interview you need to listen to. So, let’s get started.

Music

Jazzaddict’s Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-fogg Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro Music promoted by Audio Library

In this episode, I sit down with former San Pablo Mayor Genoveva Calloway—the first Latina elected to the San Pablo City Council, where she served for 16 years.

We talked about her journey, starting with her move from El Paso, Texas, in 1968 to attend Contra Costa College. Genoveva shares stories from her time as a student activist, the 1970 takeover of the college president’s office to demand the creation of the Chicano Studies Department, her path to earning an MSW from UC Berkeley, and her early work with the United Council of Spanish-Speaking Organizations (El Concílio).

The second half of our plática centeres around Las Fiestas Patrias festivities, and about the first official Cinco de Mayo parade in 2005.

We also discuss the importance of organizing, and why building community power and taking care of one another always comes back to politics in the truest sense.

Music

Jazzaddict’s Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-fogg Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro Music promoted by Audio Library

In this episode I share an interview with Sophie Khouri. Sophie is a remarkable 18 year-old Palestinian American leader, community organizer, and recent graduate of Middle College High School and Contra Costa College who is now on her way to San Francisco State University to study international relations. And I have to say that if you have ever met Sophie, you have been impressed by her.

Sophie is the founder of the Middle Eastern North African Student Union (MENA) at CCC and the former Contra Costa Community College District student trustee representing students from all three colleges in our district. In this interview I asked Sophie to share about her life, her upbringing as a Palestinian in the Bay Area, her activism, and also to reflect on her time at CCC.

Music

Jazzaddict’s Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-fogg Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro Music promoted by Audio Library

"Hola mi gente, bienvenidos to another episode of El Podcast de el Profe Palacios, I am your host, El Profe Palacios. Today, I am honored to share this plática I had recently with Mx. Joy Diaz-Noriega, she is an elementary dual language immersion teacher. Mx Joy, as her students call her, is also a doctoral student at the University of San Francisco. I invited Mx Joy to be a guest in the show because she is the type of educators who brings her full authentic self into the classroom. She is consistent in her words and action; she models in her work the same values she teaches. Which is not always easy. And so I wanted to know her story. In this interview we talk about her immigrant journey from Jalisco to San Pablo, her education as an undocumented student with DACA, the work and activism of her elementary school students through Rainbow Gems, a student-led club where students find their voice and their identity, and we talked about teaching. This was a great conversation, and I know you will enjoy listening to it.

Music

Jazzaddict’s Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-fogg Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro Music promoted by Audio Library

In this episode of El Podcast de El Profe Palacios, community organizers from Safe Return Project, United Latino Voices and the Concord Immigrant Protections Network, and Reimagine Richmond discuss their pathways into activism and organizing. The panel explores immigrant rights, educational equity, youth mentorship, trauma healing, police accountability, and community empowerment. Through personal stories and reflections, the speakers highlight the importance of collective action, community leadership, and imagining new possibilities for social change.

This panel discussion took place on April 8, 2026. Marvin Galdamez and Dro with the Safe Return Project; Raul, Community Engagement Coordinator with United Latino Voices of Contra Costa; and Natalia, a member organizer with Reimagine Richmond.

Jazzaddict’s Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-foggCreative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-introMusic promoted by Audio Library

How do our earliest memories and family roots shape our academic and professional lives? In this episode, I sit down with the brilliant Profesora Lilia Soto for a thoughtful conversation on migration, identity, memory, and the complexities of navigating academia. Lilia reflects on her early childhood growing up between Napa and Zinapécuaro, Michoacán, and how those experiences have shaped her intellectual journey. We also discuss her time in graduate school and the personal and academic challenges she faced along the way. Finally, we explore the recent revelations surrounding Cesar Chavez’s sexual misconduct and how these discussions have influenced her work and the field of Chicana/o Studies.

Jazzaddict’s Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-fogg Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro Music promoted by Audio Library

In this episode I sit down with a former student of mine, Cinthya, who has an amazing story, we talked about her journey across the US-Mexico border, about going to school as an undocumented student. She recently receiving her Masters in Spanish from San Francisco State University. I think her story has a lot to teach us about perseverance and resilience, and I encourage you to share it specially with our undocumented students. I’m sure it will inspire them. It inspires me.

Music

Jazzaddict’s Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-fogg Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro Music promoted by Audio Library

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. David Martinez — licensed psychologist, associate professor at the University of San Francisco, and Director of Mental Health at ALAS (Ayudando Latinos a Soñar). David shares his journey from growing up in East Salinas to earning a PhD in clinical psychology.

We talk about growing up in Salinas and Michoacán, about losing his father at a young age and being raised by a single mother, being the first in his family to go to college, but then being placed on academic probation. We talk about coming out as a gay Latino, and ultimately finding his path in mental health and culturally-responsive care.

This is a conversation about resilience, the importance of mental health, and building healing spaces for our communities.

Music

Jazzaddict’s Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-fogg Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro Music promoted by Audio Library

In this episode, I sit down with my longtime friend Rudy Tovar, someone I’ve known since our middle school days in Salinas. We talk about growing up in a working-class immigrant family and eventually becoming a business owner. We also talk about his passion for running and his role as a youth coach. We talked about fatherhood and what it means to raise boys with compassion. Finally, Rudy reflects on how his definition of success has evolved through the years.

Music

Jazzaddict’s Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-fogg Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro Music promoted by Audio Library

Today I have the privilege of sharing with you an interview I did recently with Dr. Mayra Padilla—Mayra has an amazing story and I am very honored that she accepted to be a guest in the podcast.

In this plática we talked about her family’s migration from Jalisco, about growing up in Richmond, in a low-income barrio and having to deal with some of the gang violence and drugs in the neighborhood but also finding community. She shared that although no one in her high school expected her to go to college, she developed a strong love for math that kept her engaged, and even after getting pregnant in the 11th grade, getting married young, dropping out of community college the first time she tried, she never gave up, every time she felled she got up again, she continued her education, and eventually earned her PhD in Neuroscience from UC Berkeley. After a career in science doing research, she decided to come back to Contra Costa College where she has served in various positions.

Key Points

* Roots in Richmond: Childhood, Migration, and Survival

* Education, Pregnancy, and Finding Her Way Back to School

* Science, Neuroscience, and Understanding Trauma

* Coming Home: Community, Mentorship, and Social Justice

Music

Jazzaddict’s Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) https://soundcloud.com/cosimo-fogg Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/jazzaddicts-intro Music promoted by Audio Library