Nemeth Narratives Season 2: Hidden Stories - Eva Pacheco

01/30/24 • 58 min

Eva Pacheco barely spoke English when she volunteered at her children’s school in El
Cajon, California. She and her husband were firm believers that being bilingual was
important; they enrolled their children in schools where they were assured they would
receive bilingual education. They soon found out that that was not true. Her children’s
education and self-esteem suffered. Pacheco found out there were many other families
in the same situation. She soon organized other parents, informed them of their parental rights, and together they advocated for quality education for their children. Today, she is the Founder, Trustee, and Director of Facilities Expansion of Excellence and Justice in Education Academies – a model charter school in El Cajon. Pacheco credits her husband, family, the other parents and families – as well as her 13-year experience as an elementary and middle school teacher in Leon, Guajanto, Mexico for success. Here is her story...
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Eva Pacheco, the founder of EJE Academies is an experienced educator of over 30 years who has been advocating to ensure all children have access to quality bilingual education. She was born and raised in Mexico. When she moved to the United States, she quickly recognized the challenges the American education system posed for bilingual learners like her own children, especially those with limited resources. She was the Executive Director of EJE Academies Charter School since its founding over 15 years ago. Starting with just 110 students in makeshift facilities, the academy has grown to serve over 800 students today. EJE Academies (EJEA) is a TK-8th grade school that provides high-quality dual-language (English & Spanish) educational instruction, a nurturing learning environment, and a supportive community to its students.

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Nemeth Narratives Season II: Hidden Stories are voices of communities and individuals who've had unique yet connected global, state, or local events, past and/or present. Most have impacted history in San Diego county in a positive manner but often unknown to the general public.

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Facilitating the conversations are award-winning filmmakers and SDFC co-founders Benito Bautista and Emma Francisco Bautista, and Alicia de Leon Torres, Deputy Director of the Nemeth Foundation and SDFC Board Member. Sound design and edit by SDFC Technical Director, Miko Aguilar. Key art design by SDFC Communications & Social Media Manager, Tiara Liz Deriquito.
Nemeth Narratives is presented by The Nemeth Foundation in partnership with San Diego Filipino Cinema and New Americans Museum
sdfilipinocinema.org

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Nemeth Narratives Season 2: Hidden Stories - Susan Hasegawa

Susan Hasegawa is a professor at San Diego City College and teaches U.S. history and Asian American history. She is also the past chairperson of the History and Political Science Department. Susan has researched and wrote on the Japanese American experience in San Diego for the past twenty-five years and curated numerous exhibits locally. Based on oral history interviews and archival photographs, her community history, Japanese Americans in San Diego, was published in 2008.
In 2021, Susan co-curated Call to Serve: Clara E. Breed & the Japanese American Incarceration for the San Diego Public Library. Susan serves as the resident historian for the Japanese American Historical Society of San Diego (JAHSSD) and is a former vice president of the organization. She has also written articles for the Japanese American National Museum and consulted on numerous projects concerning the Japanese American experience for Oxford Publishing, University Press of Colorado, and The Old Globe Theatre.
She has a master’s degree in history from SDSU and a master’s degree in International Affairs from UCSD. She grew-up in Hana, a small town in East Maui, but has called San Diego home since moving here for graduate school in 1989.
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Nemeth Narratives Season II: Hidden Stories are voices of communities and individuals who've had unique yet connected global, state, or local events, past and/or present. Most have impacted history in San Diego county in a positive manner but often unknown to the general public.
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Next Episode

Nemeth Narratives Season 2: Hidden Stories - Kathi Anderson

In 1997, Kathi co-founded Survivors of Torture, International (SURVIVORS). SURVIVORS’ mission is to facilitate the healing of torture survivors and their families; educate professionals and the public about torture and its consequences; and advocate for torture survivors and the abolition of torture. She served as SURVIVORS’ first board chair before becoming its first executive director. In 2022 she announced her retirement.
She had extensive experience in health care, human rights, refugee resettlement and higher education. She received from San Jose State University her M.A. in Counseling and from the University of the Pacific her B.A. in International Relations with an emphasis on Latin America. She studied in Mexico and worked in Costa Rica.
Kathi still serves as an elected member of the Denmark-based International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims’ governing board and was one of the co-founders and officers of the National Consortium of Torture Treatment Programs. She also currently serves on the advisory board for the Barbara Chester Award of The Hopi Foundation.
Previously, she founded Lutheran Social Services of Idaho as well as served on the national boards of directors of Amnesty International and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service as well as numerous local boards of directors. Kathi has twice testified in Congress, met with foreign ministry and United Nations officials, presented in national conferences and guest lectured locally, nationally and internationally. In 2020, she was inducted into the San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame.