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Alvaro Huerta

Associate Professor (Joint Faculty) of the Urban & Regional Planning, and Ethnic & Women's Studies Departments, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

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About Alvaro

Huerta's research focuses on the intersecting domains of community & economic development, Chicana/o & Latina/o studies, immigration & Mexican diaspora, social movements, social networks, and the informal economy. Overarching themes in Huerta's writings include public policy, (re)framing and racial/class (in)equality. Huerta serves in many capacities regarding civic engagement activities, from being a public intellectual to working directly with grassroots groups.

In the News

Guest to discuss focus on themes raised by Roberto Lovato in his recently released, critically acclaimed book on A Conversation with Alvaro Huerta, Ph.D., & Roberto Lovato on Memory, Migration and Social Movements”, Alvaro Huerta (with Roberto Lovato), November 10, 2020.
"The Right to Ethnic Studies in Higher Education," Alvaro Huerta, Inside Higher Ed, May 15, 2020.
"A Chicano Mathematics Contender?," Alvaro Huerta, Inside Higher Ed - Conditionally Accepted, April 15, 2019.
"A Call for Latinx Faculty Members," Alvaro Huerta, Inside Higher Ed, December 21, 2018.
"Street Vending May Be Legal in Los Angeles by Summer's End," Alvaro Huerta, Interview with Aaron Schrank, NPR Marketplace, June 22, 2018.
"Viva the Scholar-Activist!," Alvaro Huerta, Conditionally Accepted, Inside Higher Ed, March 30, 2018.
"No Deal on 'Shithole' Border Wall," Alvaro Huerta, Latino Rebels, January 26, 2018.
"Demanding a Clean DACA Bill, Now!," Alvaro Huerta, Huffington Post, January 15, 2018.

Publications

"Formation of a Latino Grassroots Movement: The Association of Latin American Gardeners of Los Angeles Challenges City Hall" (with Alfonso Morales). Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies 39, no. 2 (2014): 65-93.

Discusses one of the most dynamic grassroots campaigns by Latino immigrants in recent history and the creation of the Association of Latin American Gardeners of Los Angeles.

"Looking Beyond "Mow, Blow, and Go": A Case Study of Mexican Immigrant Gardeners in Los Angeles" Berkeley Planning Journal 20 (2007): 1-23.

Seeks to provide a more holistic picture of the dynamic workforce of paid gardeners. Documents how this industry operates and its social organization. Demonstrates how a select group of self-employed, Mexican gardeners function as petty-entrepreneurs, benefiting in the informal economy by successfully utilizing their social capital.

People of Color in the United States: Contemporary Issues in Education, Work, Communities, Health, and Immigration (edited with Kofi Lomotey, Pamela Braboy Jackson, Muna Adem, Paulina X. Ruf, Valire Carr Copeland, Norma Iglesias-Prieto, and Donathan L. Brown) (ABC-CLIO, 2016).

Examines a wide range of issues that affect people of color in America today, covering education, employment, health, and immigration. Enables students to better understand the experiences of of racial and ethnic minorities as well as current social issues and policy.

"Reframing the Latino Immigration Debate: Towards a Humanistic Paradigm" (San Diego University Press, 2013).

Asks readers to reassess critical political and cultural issues unfolding along the U.S./Mexico border. Provides a ground-up view of the most pressing issues facing a nation of immigrants.

"South Gate, CA: Environmental Racism Defeated in a Blue-Collar Latino Suburb" Critical Planning 12 (2005): 92-102.

Details a successful fight for environmental justice in South Gate, which focuses on a proposed 550-megawatt power plant.