RAMA Blueprints

RAMA Blueprints presents their latest Tres Generacíones/3 Voices live podcast Past, Present, and Future - The Mission District's Cultural Artivism and Resistencía on Thursday, August 27 at 6:30 PM at the Brava Women for the Arts' Cabaret in San Francisco's Mission District.

Framed as a “living archive” of Mission District artivism, the program traces key roots from the 1968 Third World Strike and the 1969 Los Siete de La Raza trial through institutions like Galería de la Raza, Mission Cultural Center, Mission Grafica, Precita Eyes, and BRAVA, plus mural, media, danza, music, and theater lineages. Panelists Alejandro Murguía, José Carrasco, and Naima Blanco Norberg connect these histories to their own work—from building cultural centers and anti-war organizing that led to Loco Bloco, to confronting tech-driven gentrification and designing community space. Audience Q&A addresses youth gathering spaces, and closing reflections urge continued relationship-building, artistic action, and resilience.

Featured Panelists:

• Alejandro Murguía (Author & San Francisco Poet Laureate Emeritus)
• Jose Carrasco (Co-Founder of Loco Bloco)
• Naima Blanco Norberg (Teacher, designer, and visionary emerging leader.)

This live production brings together community elders, cultural workers, and emerging leaders to reflect on the historic and ongoing cultural arts movement within San Francisco's Mission District. Anchored in the spirit of "Past, Present, and Future," the evening explores how historical artivism and community-based organizations laid the groundwork for today's grassroots movements, non-profit sustainability, and cultural preservation efforts.

Join us for a lively intergenerational dialogue among local movement leaders, artists, and organizers who have navigated treacherous fiscal challenges, shifting political climates, and complex external pressures.

Bios of Panelists

Alejandro Murguia is the author of Southern Front and This War Called Love (both winners of the American Book Award). His non-fiction book The Medicine of Memory highlights the Mission District in the 1970s during the Nicaraguan Solidarity movement. He is a founding member and the first director of The Mission Cultural Center. He was a founder of The Roque Dalton Cultural Brigade, and co-editor of Volcán: Poetry From Central America. Currently he is a professor in Latina Latino Studies at San Francisco State University. He is the author of the short story “The Other Barrio” which first appeared in the anthology San Francisco Noir and recently filmed in the street of the Mission District. In poetry he has published Spare Poems, and this year a new collection Native Tongue. He is the Sixth San Francisco Poet Laureate and the first Latino poet to hold the position.

Jose Carrasco is a co-founder and original Executive Director of Loco Bloco. He has devoted over 30 years to serving Brown and Black youth and their families through cultural arts and wellness programs. Before returning to lead Loco Bloco in 2020, Jose also served in leadership positions at community serving organizations around the Bay - Good Samaritan Family Resource Center, Be the Change Consulting, Central American Resource Center and Youth in Arts.

Naima Blanco Norberg

Naima Blanco-Norberg is a designer, artist / muralist, ceremonial runner / dancer and community organizer. Born and raised in Frisco to a revolutionary multiethnic family. Her work centers on community based design, architecture, and empowering intergenerational spaces through culture and arts. She's grown up in and has worked with many local community organizations such as PODER, Loco Bloco, Bicis del Pueblo, Precita Eyes, Danza Xitlali, Excelsior Syndicate and Lovers Lane on affordable housing, environmental justice, and latine / indigenous sovereignty. Naima is an Architecture + Design teaching artist at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts and a design fellow at Native Roots Network. She graduated in 2025 from Yale University with a Bachelors in Architecture.

RAMA BLUEPRINTS

Founded in 2021, RAMA Blueprints is the premier podcast documenting the history of the Real Alternatives Program (RAP) in San Francisco (1967–2003) and its ongoing impact on community empowerment. Please join us to celebrate RAP’s historical legacy project and participate in this vital community gathering.

Please consider donating to the RAMA Blueprints podcast by visiting CARECENSF.org. This episode was made possible through a California Arts Council Impact Grant.

This episode was written, produced and edited by Darren J. de Leon and Socorro Gamboa.

We present an eXtra commentary from Dr. Salvador “Sal” Nuñez on the 5/28/26 live RAMA Blueprints episode “Nuestra Sagrada Salud: Community Mental Health,” recorded at Brava Women for the Arts in San Francisco’s Mission District. Dr. Nuñez, a licensed psychologist and founding director of City College of San Francisco’s Community Mental Health Certificate Program, praises the panel’s focus on La Cultura Cura, and criticizes the governmental systems that overlook culture as healing. He contrasts collectivistic, culturally grounded practices—ceremony, prayer, medicinas and altares—with Eurocentric individualism, shares formative teachings from Puerto Rico, and describes creating a long-running drumming circle at Instituto Familiar de La Raza. Discussing major public health budget cuts, he emphasizes social activism, solidarity, and community support, and offers guidance for new providers on emotional regulation, networks, self-care, leadership, policy awareness, and staying connected to elders and ancestral practices. Dr. Nuñez is interviewed by host Socorro Gamboa.

Please consider donating to the RAMA Blueprints podcast by visiting CARECENSF.org. This episode was made possible through a California Arts Council Impact Grant.

This episode is produced, written and edited by Darren J. de Leon and Socorro Gamboa.

RAMA Blueprints hosts its 6th episode of their live series "Tres Generaciones/Three Voices.” The episode titled “Nuestro Sagrado Salud - Community Mental Health" will take place on Thursday, May 28th at 7:00pm at Brava Theater's Cabaret.

Supported by a Project Impact Grant from the California Arts Council and sponsored by BRAVA for Women in the Arts, this live event brings together three generations of community leaders, healers, and advocates. Our discussion will focus on the evolution and intersection of community mental health, centering on the sacred nature of wellness within our collective experience. We will explore how cultural roots, spiritual health, and community promising practices and support systems act as vital pillars for our overall well-being, and how reclaiming these roots serves as a form of healing and resistance to traditional clinical models.

Our panelists are:

Michelle Alvarez-Campos, LCSW is a bilingual and multicultural licensed clinical social worker and clinical consultant with Instituto Familiar de la Raza.

Metzi Henriquez, M.A., MFTI who holds a Masters in Clinical Psychology and has been a practicing therapist for over 15 years for immigrant youth and families in San Francisco.

Dra. Lizbett Calleros, MSW, PPSC, EdD who serves as a therapist and school social worker in San Francisco Unified School District.

Click here for FREE Tickets, https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tres-generacionesthree-voices-6-community-mental-health-tickets-1990049162616?aff=oddtdtcreator

or listen live here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1595022105963619/

Live from Community Roots Garden in Oxnard, California, this joint RAMA Blueprints/Que Madre podcaast. Co-hosts Socorro and Ana Rosa-Rizo Centino reflect on a February 28 stakeholder meeting about the garden’s transition and future. Guests include Fatima Chavez Lopez, a first-generation Chicana doula and traditional Mexican medicine practitioner, and Angela Flores, a third-generation Chicana activist-artist and land steward. Angela shares how Zapatista women’s organizing shaped her understanding of rematriation and environmentalism; Fatima connects returning to land with returning to self, intuition, trauma healing, and birth sovereignty. They discuss partnerships, a proposal to the United Methodist Church, building a community land trust with Chumash Bear Circle, and hopes for future generations grounded in transparency, reciprocity, imagination, and collective care.

For more info visit Community Roots Oxnard's Instagram page.

Under the Avocado Tree is produced by RAMA Blueprints and Que Madre podcasts. This episode was engineered and edited by Darren J. de Leon.

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Sai Letutufu Burch, founder of SLB Strategies, to reflect on the discussion “From Invisibility to Visibility: the Rise of the Vasa, the Pacific Islander people of San Francisco.” Burch shares her experience growing up Black and Samoan, including early anti-Blackness in her Samoan household, exclusion tied to being “afakasi,” and later learning culture through elders and a 2015 trip to Samoa. She describes building pride despite not speaking Samoan, excelling academically, and educating others about Pacific Islander contributions and colonization. Birch highlights Pacific Islanders’ undercounting and major disparities, linking them to disinvestment in Black communities and calling for sustained Black–Pacific Islander solidarity amid threatened resource cuts. Grounding self-determination in radical love, dignity, respect, and activism, she endorses the Fa a'Samoan Initiative and advises youth to honor ancestors, claim freedom and prosperity as birthrights, and move in solidarity.

This episode was produced and edited by Darren J. de Leon and Socorro Gamboa. Please consider giving to the RAMA Blueprints podcast by donating at CARECEN SF, where you can listen to our archive of shows.

Theme music was written and performed by Orlando Torriente y su Orquesta Lolo.

CALL TO ACTION

Join us to defend that spirit at the Community Roots Garden in Oxnard Saturday, February 28th at 11am: 1801 Joliet Place, Oxnard, CA.

Welcome to this episode that brims with joy and growth! Today, we’re celebrating the untold stories of 2 Community Roots gardeners—those tireless caretakers of earth and beauty. United by passion and persistence, they create bountiful havens for flora and fauna alike.

Gardeners are the unsung heroes transforming barren lands into blossoming sanctuaries, teaching us resilience and patience. Yet, their challenges are real—from battling climate change to nurturing biodiversity amidst urban sprawl. Now the Community Roots garden is under threat of closing down as the landowners ponder the future of the property.

Together, let's applaud their triumphs and stand in solidarity with Community Roots' struggles. In our shared quest for equality and environmental harmony, we recognize these green-thumb warriors as architects of a sustainable future. Join us in this jubilant celebration of growth, nurturing not just our gardens, but our global community. In this episode, we invite you to embrace the vibrant world where feminism and gardening unite, forging pathways to change and renewal. Dive into stories of resilience, connection, and the undying spirit of gardeners everywhere.

This episode is produced by Socorro Gamboa and Ana Rosa Rizo-Centino. Darren J. de Leon Engineered and edited this episode.

For additional information: https://www.communityrootsgarden.org/ or Instagram: @communityrootsoxnard or Facebook: www.facebook.com/CommunityRootsGarden.JardindeRaicesComunitarias

This is Rama Blueprints Podcast's 5th live discussion live in their Tres Generacíones/Three Voices series from the Brava Women for the Arts Theater Cabaret in San Francisco's Mission District. This episode, From Invisibility to Visibility: The Rise of the Vasa People of SF, highlights the journey of the Pacific Islander Vasa community towards visibility and empowerment. Key community leaders, including activists, social workers, and educators, share their stories and strategies in tackling systemic underrepresentation and disparities in housing, education, and health. The conversation, moderated by Socorro Gamboa, delves into the historical and socio-political contexts that have shaped the Pacific Islander community's resilience and achievements. From the establishment of the first Pacific Islander nonprofit in 1972 to the creation of the Pacific Islander Cultural District, the episode honors the ongoing efforts and successes of this vibrant community. Hear firsthand experiences from esteemed panelists who reveal the challenges and triumphs of advocating for their people and envisioning a future where equity and visibility are realized for all generations. This conversation is a tribute to the ancestors and a call to action for continued solidarity and support.

Be part of history and join the live podcast which includes a lively conversation between 3 local community leaders who have built a vision and future for the Pacific Islander community.

The Tres Generaciones/3 Voices live podcast series at Brava Cabaret features 3 guests from diverse communities and generations throughout San Francisco. The panelist consists of community leaders who have experience working towards building community through activism, art, community organizing and empowerment.

Always framed through the Principles of RAP, the discussion will seek solutions and future action steps that will hopefully build upon the findings of previous discussions to elevate the level of discussion and details for future action steps and conversations.

Founded in 2021, RAMA Blueprints is the 1st podcast documenting the history of the Real Alternatives Program (RAP) within the City and County of San Francisco between 1967 - 2003 along with its current impact on community empowerment in San Francisco and the country.

Please join us for this exciting event that will celebrate SF's Pacific Islander community, RAMA Blueprints Podcast.

This episode was produced and edited by Darren J. de Leon and Socorro Gamboa.

En este episodio del podcast, conversamos con el Sr. Ricardo Calderón, uno de los fundadores de CARECEN, una organización clave para la comunidad inmigrante en San Francisco. Ricardo nos cuenta su llegada a los Estados Unidos hace 39 años y su exilio forzado desde El Salvador. Nos habla sobre la creación de CARECEN en San Francisco, las necesidades prioritarias de la comunidad inmigrante y cómo han abordado temas como el trabajo, la educación, la vivienda y la inmigración.

Ricardo describe el apoyo de diversas organizaciones y personalidades, incluyendo a César Chávez y Dolores Huerta, así como la cooperación con grupos religiosos y comunitarios. Detalla su trayectoria dentro de CARECEN, desde el trabajo inicial orientado a los asilos hasta la expansión de servicios legales y humanitarios.

Además, discute las similitudes entre las necesidades de los inmigrantes de los años 80 y las de hoy, enfatizando que muchas de las condiciones y problemáticas se mantienen vigentes. La entrevista, platica  concluye con reflexiones personales de Señor Calderón  sobre su trayectoria, el crecimiento de CARECEN y su dedicación continua a la causa inmigrante. ¡No te pierdas esta interesante y emotiva conversación!

En este episodio del podcast, conversamos con el Sr. Ricardo Calderón, uno de los fundadores de CARECEN, una organización clave para la comunidad inmigrante en San Francisco. Ricardo nos cuenta su llegada a los Estados Unidos hace 39 años y su exilio forzado desde El Salvador. Nos habla sobre la creación de CARECEN en San Francisco, las necesidades prioritarias de la comunidad inmigrante y cómo han abordado temas como el trabajo, la educación, la vivienda y la inmigración.

Ricardo describe el apoyo de diversas organizaciones y personalidades, incluyendo a César Chávez y Dolores Huerta, así como la cooperación con grupos religiosos y comunitarios. Detalla su trayectoria dentro de CARECEN, desde el trabajo inicial orientado a los asilos hasta la expansión de servicios legales y humanitarios.

Además, discute las similitudes entre las necesidades de los inmigrantes de los años 80 y las de hoy, enfatizando que muchas de las condiciones y problemáticas se mantienen vigentes. La entrevista, platica  concluye con reflexiones personales de Señor Calderón  sobre su trayectoria, el crecimiento de CARECEN y su dedicación continua a la causa inmigrante. ¡No te pierdas esta interesante y emotiva conversación!

In this eXtra Commentary, we delve deep into the creation and intentions behind 'The Last Harvest' episode. Join CARECEN SF's Juan Rivera as he interviews co-producers Darren J. de Leon and Socorro Gamboa about the making of this pivotal episode. Discover the rich history and impactful legacy of the Real Alternatives Program (RAP), a revolutionary community initiative born in San Francisco's Mission District. This episode sheds light on the rise and fall of RAP, the significance of Mitch Salazar's leadership, and the program's lasting influence on community-based youth empowerment. Hear firsthand accounts, heartfelt discussions, and insightful reflections on how RAP transformed countless lives and continued to inspire new generations.

Please consider donating to the RAMA Blueprints at the CARECENSF.org website.This eXtra was produced by Darren J. de Leon and Socorro Gamboa. 

Principle people:

Juan Rivera, Interviewer

Darren J. de Leon, co-producer

Socorro Gamboa, co-producer