Cesar Cruz facts for kids
Dr. César Cruz is a special leader who helps young people and communities. He is the co-founder of an organization called Homies Empowerment, which is based in Oakland, California. He also used to be a Dean at Harvard University.
Dr. Cruz was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, around 1974. He came to the United States when he was 9 years old. He studied history at UC Berkeley and later earned a special degree in educational leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education. His important research at Harvard was about finding new ways to help young people from challenging backgrounds. He was the first Mexican immigrant man to earn this kind of degree from Harvard's Education Leadership program.
In 1992, Dr. Cruz was part of a march on the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge. People were marching to protest a court decision that many felt was unfair. Later, Dr. Cruz learned that the southwestern parts of the U.S. are actually where his ancestors came from. He identifies as Mexica(n) with Huichol roots.
Dr. Cruz has also been involved in important protests. In 1995, he took part in a fifteen-day hunger strike at the University of California, Irvine. This strike was to help make sure everyone had a fair chance to go to college. He was also part of another hunger strike in 2004, which lasted 26 days. This strike helped the West Contra Costa Unified School District get better loans for their schools.
Dr. Cruz has been a main speaker at important events, like the Cesar Chavez Convocation at UC Santa Cruz in 2014 and the Hermanos Unidos National Conference at California State University, Fullerton in 2017.
Homies Empowerment is a big part of Dr. Cruz's work. This organization runs a "Freedom Farm," which helps provide fresh food. They also have a free food pantry and even their own high school called The Freedom School.
Dr. Cruz has received several awards for his dedication to helping others. In 1995, he was given the Orange County Human Rights Award. In 2005, the California State Senate honored him with the Peacemaker of the Year award. In 2011, he received a local Jefferson Award for Public Service for all the great work he does with the Homies Empowerment program.
