I am a photo-writer who creates stories through a combination of images and text narratives.

It is an honor to have received accolades for my work as a photo-writer and oral historian including California State Assembly Woman of the Year for contributions to the arts; Alameda County Supervisors’ Award for Community Service for public history; Hayward Area Historical Society-John Sandoval Award for outstanding research and documentation of local history; Creative Work Fund Artist Grant; multiple Ford Foundation Research Fellowships; National Women’s Studies Association dissertation prize; UC Humanities Research Institute Fellow in Residence.

A native of California, my experiences as a Chicana living in the East Bay have greatly influenced my imagination. All of my work, academic and creative, incorporate elements of visual art and written expression. I earned a doctorate working under the supervision of University of California Santa Cruz DIstinguished Professor Emerita Angela Y. Davis. I am humbled to have been awarded the title of San José State University Professor Emerita-Interdisciplinary Social Sciences.