April 2026 Newsletter

Join the College of Ethnic Studies in celebrating the accomplishments of scholarship recipients on May 13th, in EP 116, 3:00pm - 4:30pm.  We will be honoring departmental and college-wide scholarship recipients. Light refreshments will be served.

College of Ethnic Studies Graduation Reception May 20th 11am - 1pm

The College of Ethnic Studies will celebrate and honor students achievements and accomplishments for the graduating class of 2026. 

For more information please email Ethnicst@sfsu.edu 

Ethnic Studies & Psychology Building Coordinator John Cleary retired at the end of March 2026. John has worked at San Francisco State for over 2 decades, working with facilities, faculty and staff as a building coordinator. We celebrated their years of services with a surprise Retirement Party.

Celebrating Excellence in Teaching: Dr. Bárbara Abadía-Rexach and Dr. Tiffany Caesar

The College of Ethnic Studies proudly congratulates Dr. Bárbara Abadía-Rexach (LTNS) and Dr. Tiffany Caesar (AFRS) on receiving the CEETL 2026 Exemplary Teaching Award.

Professor Abadía-Rexach’s teaching exemplifies transformative, student-centered pedagogy rooted in cultural knowledge, critical consciousness, and care. Through her integration of the Puerto Rican Bomba tradition and the use of oral histories, she creates an embodied, collaborative learning environment where students connect personal experience to broader histories and see themselves as knowledge producers.

Photo above, Professor Bárbara Abadía-Rexach

Professor Caesar’s pedagogy is grounded in Black Womanist theory and centers equity, rigor, and community engagement. Through oral histories, archival work, and her “borderless classroom” approach, she empowers students to connect Africana histories to their lived experiences while developing critical consciousness and a sense of agency.

Together, they model the transformative power of Ethnic Studies education. Please join us in celebrating their outstanding contributions to teaching and student success.

Photo above, Professor Tiffany Caesar

Celebrating Excellence in Service: Dr. Mai-Nhung Le

The College of Ethnic Studies proudly congratulates Professor Mai-Nhung Le (AAS) on receiving the 2026 Academic Senate Distinguished Faculty Award for Excellence in Service. This distinguished recognition honors her outstanding contributions of service to the campus community. Professor Le has been a faculty member for over 33 years. During her many years at State, she has served as the Chair of Asian American Studies, Executive Director of AAPI Cares,  Assistant Dean, Interim Associate Dean, Coordinator/Advisor for the Race, Ethnicity and Health major and has  served on numerous campus-wide committees. Please join us in celebrating Professor Le’s remarkable accomplishments and this well-deserved honor.

Photo above Professor Mai-Nhung Le

Celebrating Extramural Funding: Dr.  Rama Kased (RRS) for receiving an a 5 year $829,000 grant for her proposal, SF BRIDGE: Building Research Insiders to Dissipate Gaps in Equity, from the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP).  Professor Kased is the principal investigator on this grant that  provides a unique opportunity for San Francisco State University (SFSU) students interested in  health research. Please join us in celebrating Professor Kased’s award of this extramural grant.

Photo above, Professor Rama Kased

Celebrating the Exceptional Assigned Time Awards: Dr. Larry Salomon

The College of Ethnic Studies proudly congratulates Dr. Larry Salomon (RRS) on receiving the 2026 Exceptional Assigned Time Award. Dr. Salomon received this assigned time award for his exceptional level of service to students. Please join us in celebrating Professor Salomon’s award for exceptional service to students.

Photo above, Professor Larry Salomon 

Departmental and Faculty Updates

Author's Talk with Judy Juanita
Judy Juanita is an SFSU Alumni, and inaugural Black Studies professor. Her work highlights the black experience in the bay, women's issues and relevant political themes. In addition to participating in the SFSU 1968 Black Student Union/Third World Liberation Front Strike, she was also editor for the Black Panther Newspaper. Judy is a renowned author, educator and humanitarian highly sought out for her books and intellectual prowess. 

The author talk will be held on Tuesday April 21, 2026 2pm-3:15pm, at SFSU Burk Hall 247. 
 

This event is organized by Communicating Realness: Mind the Gap Course taught by Professor Tiffany Caesar and Hal Saga. 
In support with ARC and Africana Studies @ SFSU. 

Above: Faculty Tiffany Caesar and Terrilyn Woodfin represented the department and greeted prospective students at the 2026 Explore SF State.

Departmental and Faculty Updates

Congratulations to Professor Robert Collins who will serve a 3-year term as the incoming Chair of American Indian Studies. Thank you to Chair Joanne Barker for her 10+ years of service as Chair.

Image below: Professor Robert Collins

The American Indian Studies Rights of Passage (graduation) is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, 2026, 4:00-7:00 pm, LIB 121

Departmental and Faculty Updates

Congratulations to Professor Valerie Soe who will serve a  3-year term as the incoming Chair of Asian American Studies. Thank you to Chair Wesley Ueunten for his 3 years of service as Chair.

photo below: Professor Valerie Soe

Professor Russell Jeung is Brooklyn College’s 2025 – 2026 Robert L. Hess Scholar-in-Residence. He participated in numerous talks and panel discussions, including the Robert L. Hess Memorial Lecture on “Asian American Movements for Racial Justice: Resistance and Solidarity” on March 19. In addition, an exhibit in the Brooklyn College Library highlighted Jeung’s works and legacy.

Many of the AAS faculty and students went to the Association for Asian American Studies Annual Conference in Honolulu from April 2 to 4. On April 3, we had a joint party with the University of Hawai’i Ethnic Studies Department. (Flyer ) It was an “Inter-university Talk Story Reception” Co-sponsored by the University of Hawai’i at Manoa Ethnic Studies Department and SFSU AAS Dept. Over 50 or more people showed up including SFSU AAS faculty,  students, and alumni, UH ES faculty and students, etc.

Above: Students, faculty and alumni from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa Ethnic Studies Department and SFSU AAS Dept. sit in on the "Inter-university Talk Story Reception" event.

Asian American Studies hosted a guest performance by Mao Sakurada in Professor Cassie Miura’s AAS 330 Nikkei in the U.S. class on April 14. Ms. Sakurada performed traditional Japanese folk music as well as hole hole bushi, which are songs that were sung by Japanese laborers in the sugar cane fields in Hawai’i.

Departmental and Faculty Updates

The Latina/Latino Studies department is proud to announce the two recipients of our Latina/Latino Studies Scholarship.

Gisselle Solis is an SF State Scholars student pursuing a BA in Latina/Latino Studies, an MA in Public Administration, and a minor in Sociology. As a first-generation Latina student, Gisselle said she keeps her family in mind with "every achievement and opportunity that comes my way." She added "I strive to enrich my community by embodying the Ethnic Studies values I have learned from my SFSU experience as a student. Que viva el movimiento estudiantil!"

Lucy Rios is double majoring in History and Political Science with a double minor in Latina/Latino Studies and Feminist Health Justice. Upon receiving the scholarship, Lucy said: "Being Latina is a huge source of pride for me, and supporting my community feels like supporting family. I plan to become an attorney working with Latinas navigating gender-based violence, and I’m excited to use this scholarship to keep building that path!"

Mission District poetry series

Latina/Latino Studies major Neida Chavez Solorzano is assisting Professor Leticia Hernadez in launching the new Mission District-based poetry series Cantos de Kunakas (Ear Tree Songs) May 2 at 2:00 p.m. at Precita Eyes Mural Center. The series features former SFSU alumnas and students from the LTNS 305 Creative Writing class. 

Spring Latina/Latino Studies Speaker Series

The Department of Latina/Latino Studies hosts the last installment of its Spring Semester Latina/Latino Studies Speaker Series on Tuesday, April 14, 12:30 - 2:00 p.m., in Library 121. Analicia Hawkins will present their talk, “Pa’Fuera!: Equity in Birdwatching and the Outdoors.”  

Hawkins will discuss their experience in creating spaces for queer and trans people of color in the birding realm. Attendees will participate in a bird bingo activity. All are welcome!
 

Professor Bárbara Abadía-Rexach's newest book ¡Saludando al tambor! El nuevo movimiento de la bomba puertorriqueña was published by Editora Educación Emergente (2026). She also published a chapter titled "Afro Puerto Rican Studies: Transgressing Epistemological Narratives" in Interrogating the Future of Puerto Rican Studies: A Reader, A. Santiago Ortiz & J. Meléndez Badillo (Eds.), Duke University Press (2026). 

Professor Leticia Hernández will be reading at the Living Poets Society Saturday, April 18 (2:00 - 3:00 PM). This intergenerational reading, sponsored by Poet Laureate Genny Lim, also features youth poets. The community is invited to bring their own poems to share at the open mic that follows. Reservations recommended, by phone or in person only (415) 355-5638.

Professor Hernández's creative nonfiction piece, “El Salvadorca,” is featured in the new publication Central American Women in the Diaspora: Testimonios of Generations (University of Arizona Press, 2026).

The month of May will be busy for Professor Hernández! On May 1, she will be presenting poetry at the Migrant Realities of Work and Care Conference at Stanford sponsored by the Latin American Studies Consortium of Northern California (LASC-NorCal). For a third year in a row, she will MC the 2026 Carnaval San Francisco Parade (Sunday, May 24th, at 10:00 a.m.). And she will moderate Conjuring & Conjugating: Siguanabes in Future Tense at the Bay Area Book Festival on May 31 at 2:00 p.m.

Art Exhibit: Estar De Moda: Latina Immigrant Girl's and Women's Aesthetics

Join Professor Michelle Parra and her research team for Estar De Moda: Latina Immigrant Girl's and Women's Aesthetics, an art exhibit that celebrates the fashion aesthetics of low-income Latina immigrant girls and women. There will be various images displayed throughout the room, and the research team will give a presentation starting at 4:30pm to provide the audience with some background information on the art. The art exhibit will be on Monday, May 4 from 4-6pm at the Student Center’s U Club.

San Francisco Chronicle obituary

The life and work of Latina/Latino Studies Emeritus Professor José Cuellar was featured in a San Francisco Chronicle obituary. 

Latina/Latino Studies Professor Teresa Carrillo, who was mentored by Cuellar when she was a graduate student at Stanford University, is quoted in the article. "He was an incredibly impactful professor. The same way he could move his concert audiences, he could move his students," said Carrillo. "In addition to giving his students material that centered Latinos and people of color, he gave them the confidence and the conviction that they could be agents of social change and justice."

Image Credit Below: Deanne Fitzmaurice/S.F. Chronicle 

Departmental and Faculty Updates

Congratulations to incoming Chair, Professor Cesar Ché Rodriguez!

After 7 years of leadership, Professor Falu Bakrania will be stepping down as Chair of RRS. The department is excited to welcome Professor Cesar Ché Rodriguez who will be starting his 3-year term at the start of Fall 2026. You can learn more about Professor Rodriguez and his research, writing, and community work, here. Please join us in congratulating him!

Photo above, Prof. Cesar Ché Rodriguez

Abolition In These Times: Political Prisoners & Prison/Immigration Detention Conditions
 

Cesar Rodriguez served as a moderator and presenter on the panel titled "Abolition In These Times", for the 2026 CFA Equity Conference. He was joined on this panel by Thandisizwe Chimurenga, an award-winning multi-media freelance journalist and activist based in Los Angeles, CA, who spoke on the incarceration of political prisons. Pedro Rios, director of the American Friends Service Committee’s U.S./Mexico Border Program, presented as well, and spoke on anti-migrant border violence. Che spoke on the CFA campaign to shut down empty state prison capacity, and redirect the savings to fund direct instruction and student wellness in the CSUs, a proposal that is aligned with social movement unionism and abolitionism. You can learn more about that campaign, and support on this link.  In addition, Professor Rodriquez presented, " Closing Prisons, Funding Futures: The CFA Campaign and the Political Economy of Austerity," at the 97th Annual Pacific Sociological Association Conference. This presentation examines the California Faculty Association’s (CFA) campaign to shut down five state prisons amid a continued decline in the incarcerated population and to redirect the resulting savings toward funding the California State University (CSU)—the People’s University. 

Terms of Servitude Book Launch

Professor Omar Zahzah spoke about his book, Terms of Servitude Zionism, Silicon Valley, and Digital/Settler Colonialism in the Palestinian Liberation Struggle at San Francisco State on February 25, 2026. He elaborated on the concept of digital settler colonialism and its utility as a framework for understanding the scope and scale of American Big Tech's facilitation of the Zionist settler-colonial project, from social media censorship to Al-powered genocide.

Photo above, Professor Zahzah signing Terms of Servitude at his book talk at SF State this semester.

Photo below, Professor Zahzah with students who attended his book talk.

RRS 2026 Graduation Ceremony and Celebration

There will be food, music & inspiring speakers!
We will be recognizing graduating RRS majors and minors in RRS, QTES, AMED, and CPIOS.
This event is FREE for graduates and their families.

Wednesday May 20th, 2026 4:00pm - 6:30pm, Seven Hills Conference Center SFSU

Departmental and Faculty Updates

The Metro team has been hard at work supporting our current students to register for their classes next semester. We hosted several registration workshops on April 8^th and 9^th in the library with support from the Undergraduate Advising Center and EOP. 

We are also working to get students into Metro for the next academic year. Our team has been hosting weekend information sessions over Zoom and have gotten to meet so many incredible high school students who are ready to come to SF State in the fall. 

We also had an amazing turn out at Explore SF on April 11th. Metro students leaders, Staff and faculty talked to families about the campus and got folks signed up for the Metro program. 

Finally, we want to wish a big congratulations to Metro Coordinator, Arianna Vargas, who successfully defended her dissertation last week. Professor Vargas, we are so very proud of you!

ORSP invites proposals to a limited submission opportunity (wherein the sponsor limits the number of proposals that an institution may submit to a funding opportunity). Three proposals will be selected to move forward to submission to the sponsor. Please send required materials to Susan Pelton, spelton@sfsu.edu, and Thien Lam, ttlam@sfsu.edu by the deadline specified.

Sponsor: California State University (CSU) Chancellor’s Office

Funding Opportunity: Growth in Undergraduate Innovation, Discovery and Engagement (GUIDE)

Overview
The CSU Chancellor’s Office is launching a new GUIDE funding initiative to enhance undergraduate student engagement across the system and promote innovative, inter-campus faculty collaboration. This program is designed to foster promising one-year research, scholarly or creative activity (RSCA) projects that can lead directly to the preparation of a proposal for major extramural funding.

Funding and Duration
$40,000 or $80,000 for one year

Eligibility

Faculty (permanent or temporary) at any CSU campus. The principal investigator must be a CSU tenured or tenure-track faculty member.

Faculty may only submit one application to ORSP (whether as principal investigator or team member).

Required Materials for ORSP Submission

Any pages over the limit will not be reviewed

1. One-page project summary describing (1) which track you will apply under; (2) project goal and objectives; (3) student engagement plan; and (4) which extramural grant you will apply for
2. Budget, using attached budget template
3. Two-page CV for each applicant

Selection Criteria

1. Merit and feasibility of project
2. Quality of student engagement plan
3. Potential for extramural funding
4. Qualifications of team and impact of project

Deadlines

1. Submit materials to ORSP and committee for review: April 10, 5pm PT
2. ORSP and committee to choose three applications to move forward: April 17
3. Sponsor application deadline: June 1

For more information and guidelines, see the attached request for proposals. 

From CEETL's homepage: The Center for Equity and Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CEETL) is the heart of the University’s commitment to a culture that values and rewards teaching. From our ABC's of equity-minded teaching and learning to our Pedagogies for Inclusive Excellence (PIE) institutes and certificates, our faculty development programming is dedicated to providing a caring environment for the campus community to engage in conversations and activities that promote social justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in teaching and learning. 

CEETL offers a number of workshops and development programs for teachers on campus, please see link for opportunities and offerings this semester. 

See their calendar for more events.