About Me
My name is Tomás Summers Sandoval. I'm Chicano from southern Californian, a GenXer, and a fan of the Dodgers and Elvis. I am a husband, a father of three, and in my spare time I'm an asociate professor of Chicana/o~Latina/o Studies and History at Pomona College.Twitter
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Category Archives: History
MLK: 45 years later
As we commemorate the 45th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., I think it’s important for us–as a nation–to grapple with the incisive radicalism of MLK writings, analysis, and vision. And so I offer to you his … Continue reading
Posted in Education, History
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¡Viva Quinn! 60 years later…
Today marks a milestone of some significance for both Hollywood and Chicana/o histories. Sixty years ago today, on March 19, 1953, the 25th annual Academy Awards was held. It was the first Oscars even to be televised to a national … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment, History
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45 years of the Chicano Movement
Today marks the 45th anniversary of the East L.A. walkouts. Generally regarded as one of the foundational events of the Chicano student movement, the walkouts represented one of the first mass actions of Chicano (Mexican American) youth in U.S. history. … Continue reading
Posted in Education, History, Politics
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Historical Atonement
I read this LA Times article on African American reactions to Quentin Taratino’s “Django Unchained.” While I haven’t seen the movie, it started to confirm some things I had thought about the movie as a concept. If you don’t already … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment, History
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The Sleeping Giant Awakens!
A dozen years ago, historian and geographer Mike Davis wrote a thoughtful examination of the role of Latinos in the making and remaking of Los Angeles. Called Magical Urbanism: Latinos Reinvent the U.S. Big City, the book made an important … Continue reading
Hero Worship & Human History
Last week, when I read Peter Richardson’s review of Seth Rosenfeld’s book on the FBI and Ronald Regan I was shocked to learn that Richard Aoki–a legend in Bay Area activist circles–may have been an FBI informant. I teach about … Continue reading
Posted in Academia, History, News
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WALKOUT!!
In March 1968 thousands of Chicana and Chicano students boycotted their schools in protest of racism and educational inequity. Shouting “Walkout! Walkout!” more than ten thousand students disrupted the normal business of their school day by physically leaving and gathering … Continue reading
Gingrich the Grey
In the last 20 years of Presidential elections, the younger of the two major party candidates has won the national popular vote every single time. Of course, winning the national popular vote doesn’t necessarily translate into an electoral victory, as 2000′s … Continue reading
Posted in History, Politics
Tagged 2012 election, democrats, gingrich, obama, republicans, romney, ron paul, santorum
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100 Years of California’s Voter Initiative
I wrote an op-ed piece that is running in the local county paper, the San Bernardino Sun. In it I use the centennial of the California voter initiative (which is today, October 10th) as a platform to advocate for greater … Continue reading
