Overview

Lessons and inspiration from a lifetime of teaching about race and ethnic relations When Al Camarillo grew up in Compton, California, racial segregation was the rule. His relatives were among the first Mexican immigrants to settle there-in the only neighborhood where Mexicans were allowed to live. The city's majority was then White, and Compton would shift to a predominantly Black community over Al's youth. Compton in My Soulweaves Al's personal story with histories of this now-infamous place and illuminates a changing US society-the progress and backslides over half a century for racial equality and educational opportunity. Entering UCLA in the mid 1960s, Camarillo was among the first students of color, and one of only forty-four Mexican Americans on a campus of thousands. He became the first Mexican American in the country to earn a PhD in Chicano/Mexican American history, and established himself as a preeminent US historian with a prestigious appointment at Stanford University. Through this memoir, his career offers a mirror for viewing the evolution of ethnic studies, and he reflects on intergenerational struggles to achieve racial equality through the eyes of an historian. Camarillo's story is a quintessential American chronicle and speaks to the best and worst of who we are as a people and as a nation. He unmasks fundamental contradictions in American life-racial injustice and interracial cooperation, inequality and equal opportunity, racial strife and racial harmony. Even as legacies of inequality still haunt American society, Camarillo writes with a message of hope for a better, more inclusive America-and the aspiration that his life's journey can inspire others as they start down their own path.

Full Product Details

Author:   Albert M. Camarillo
Publisher:   Stanford University Press
Imprint:   Stanford University Press
ISBN:  

9781503638198

ISBN 10:   1503638197
Pages:   312
Publication Date:   02 July 2024
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order  
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

Prologue 1. My Barrio Playground 2. El Norte, a New Beginning 3. Growing Up, Chicano Style 4. Chasing California Dreams 5. Barrio Boy's New Neighborhood 6. Changing Westside Colors 7. A Different Westside Story 8. Eastside Racial Tensions 9. Early UCLA Days 10. Awakening to Social Activism 11. Authentic Freedom 12. A New Lens on Compton 13. Uncovering a Hidden Past 14. Affirmative Action Baby 15. Opening the Higher Ed Door Wider 16. Building Families 17. Challenges to Equality 18. Compton on My Mind 19. Detour to Homecoming 20. Our Town, Our Kids 21. Generations of Changemakers

Reviews

"""Albert Camarillo is one of the nation's most distinguished historians.Compton in My Soul shares a raw, intimate portrait of his extraordinary life—and rewrites the American story through his insights as a Brown boy from Compton. A breathtaking tale of love, struggle, and community.""—Kelly Lytle Hernández, author of Bad Mexicans: Race, Empire, and Revolution in the Borderlands ""A rare, behind-the-scenes view into a lifelong commitment to social justiceand path to academic excellence. Al Camarillo shares his passion and tells a stunning life story of emerging from a multiracial working-class Compton barrio and becoming one of the most influential Chicano historians of his generation.""—George J. Sanchez, author of Boyle Heights: How a Los Angeles Neighborhood Became the Future of American Democracy ""Al Camarillo has been a mentor, role model, and inspiring educator to thousands of students over decades. His life's journey reminds us of the wonderful progress America has made toward racial equality and also inspires us to keep working hard to close the gaps that still exist.""—Julián Castro, Former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development ""This profound memoir showcases Al Camarillo's great heart and extraordinary ability to find common cause amid diversity. His compelling storytelling seamlessly weaves threads of racial and ethnic history into the rich tapestry of our shared human experience.""—Natalia Molina, author of A Place at the Nayarit: How a Mexican Restaurant Nourished a Community"

"""Albert Camarillo is one of the nation's most distinguished historians.Compton in My Soul shares a raw, intimate portrait of his extraordinary life—and rewrites the American story through his insights as a Brown boy from Compton. A breathtaking tale of love, struggle, and community.""—Kelly Lytle Hernández, author of Bad Mexicans: Race, Empire, and Revolution in the Borderlands ""A rare, behind-the-scenes view into a lifelong commitment to social justice and path to academic excellence. Al Camarillo shares his passion and tells a stunning life story of emerging from a multiracial working-class Compton barrio and becoming one of the most influential Chicano historians of his generation.""—George J. Sánchez, author of Boyle Heights: How a Los Angeles Neighborhood Became the Future of American Democracy ""Al Camarillo has been a mentor, role model, and inspiring educator to thousands of students over decades. His life's journey reminds us of the wonderful progress America has made toward racial equality and also inspires us to keep working hard to close the gaps that still exist.""—Julián Castro, Former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development ""This profound memoir showcases Al Camarillo's great heart and extraordinary ability to find common cause amid diversity. His compelling storytelling seamlessly weaves threads of racial and ethnic history into the rich tapestry of our shared human experience.""—Natalia Molina, author of A Place at the Nayarit: How a Mexican Restaurant Nourished a Community ""[T]he book imparts a wealth of information about the effects of segregation and the struggle for racial equality in America. Its stories highlight the importance of family and community solidarity; the pivotal events of the transformative, turbulent 1960s and beyond; and the successful efforts of forward-thinking minority educators to see ethnic studies included among university programs. [A]n inspirational memoir.""—Kristine Morris, Foreword"

"""Albert Camarillo is one of the nation's most distinguished historians.Compton in My Soul shares a raw, intimate portrait of his extraordinary life—and rewrites the American story through his insights as a Brown boy from Compton. A breathtaking tale of love, struggle, and community.""—Kelly Lytle Hernández, author of Bad Mexicans: Race, Empire, and Revolution in the Borderlands ""A rare, behind-the-scenes view into a lifelong commitment to social justice and path to academic excellence. Al Camarillo shares his passion and tells a stunning life story of emerging from a multiracial working-class Compton barrio and becoming one of the most influential Chicano historians of his generation.""—George J. Sánchez, author of Boyle Heights: How a Los Angeles Neighborhood Became the Future of American Democracy ""Al Camarillo has been a mentor, role model, and inspiring educator to thousands of students over decades. His life's journey reminds us of the wonderful progress America has made toward racial equality and also inspires us to keep working hard to close the gaps that still exist.""—Julián Castro, Former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development ""This profound memoir showcases Al Camarillo's great heart and extraordinary ability to find common cause amid diversity. His compelling storytelling seamlessly weaves threads of racial and ethnic history into the rich tapestry of our shared human experience.""—Natalia Molina, author of A Place at the Nayarit: How a Mexican Restaurant Nourished a Community"

Author Information

Albert M. Camarillo is widely regarded as one of the founding scholars of the field of Mexican American history and Chicano Studies. He has been a member of the Stanford University history faculty since 1975, and has served as the President of the Organization of American Historians. Camarillo has published numerous books and essays that examine the experiences of Mexican Americans and other racial and immigrant groups in American cities.

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