SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Dec. 5, 2023) – Dr. César A. Cruz, co-founder and caretaker of the Homies Empowerment Program, will join the Equity Avengers as their featured guest on #EquityChat on Wednesday, December 6, 2023.
From marching 76 straight miles, to hunger striking for 26 days, Cruz has dedicated his life to justice. Born in México and raised in Jalisco later migrated to the U.S. with his single mother, and was raised in South Central Los Angeles, Calif. He later studied at the University of California, Berkeley, earning a Bachelor of Arts in History.
He has now been a resident of East Oakland for 30 years. A 27-year veteran in education, Cruz is the co-founder of the Homies Empowerment Program, which is now in its 14th year. The grassroots organization is evolving to become a community-based independent high school for “youth who have been given up on.” The Homies Empowerment’s mission is to help youth channel the healer, warrior, scholar and hustler within on their journey towards individual and community emancipation. They recently launched a new independent high school, the FREEdom School. The program also operates a FREEdom Store, Care Center, Learning Center and FREEdom Farm.
Cruz is also the author of Revenge of The Illegal Alien and Bang for Freedom. He received his Doctorate in Educational Leadership (Ed.L.D.) at Harvard University. He is considered one of America’s top 30 education thought leaders by the Christian Science Monitor. However, he is proudest to be a husband, and father of three children: Olin, Amaru and Quetzali.
#EquityChat is held weekly on Wednesday evenings from 5 – 6 p.m. on the X platform from September through June. Follow the Equity Avengers on X @EquityAvengers or Linkedin at linkedin.com/company/equity-
To learn more about the Equity Avengers, visit equityavengers.com.
About the Equity Avengers
The Equity Avengers are community college presidents Dr. Keith Curry, of Compton College and Dr. Tammeil Gilkerson, of Evergreen Valley College, and President Emerita Dr. Pamela Luster of San Diego Mesa College. The Equity Avengers have made it their mission to lead the charge for a more equitable higher education landscape, increasing access for those historically marginalized by academia.
The Equity Avengers host the popular #EquityChat on Wednesday evenings on Twitter and are regularly invited to speak at state and national conferences to share their vision. The College Futures Foundation has generously supported the Equity Avengers’ mission through a grant, allowing them to support and develop leaders who act and drive large-scale change toward achieving racial equity in higher education nationwide.