Juanita Tamayo Lott: Woman Warrior of the Golden State
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Juanita Tamayo-Lott (Source: San Francisco Chronicle)
I did not make her acquaintance that day as I was left with mixed feelings of intimidation, keen appreciation and curiosity about her. I really, really love folks who have integrity, and whose words are followed by meaningful action.
About one year later, we would meet again, when I discovered Juanita and I were co-contributors to the anthology, Beyond Lumpia, Pansit, and Seven Manangs Wild, edited by Evangeline Buell, et al. (Eastwind Books, 2014). Vangie had asked me to head up coordinating a series of book launches throughout 2015 and I had, with the great support and enthusiasm of fellow authors and community venues, lined up a good number of events. Then Juanita contacted me: “Lisa, I would love to coordinate the book launch at Mountain View Library.” It was that event that began the friendship we share today. Would that every co-creative effort be as smooth, full of clear communication, mutual respect, and fun.
So, I first knew Juanita Tamayo Lott, the creative writer, who had contributed three poems to Beyond Lumpia. She considers being able to write and publish poetry in addition to analytical pieces since the mid ‘70s one of her important major contributions in her broad activist roles.
At the time, I did not know of Juanita’s work as chair of the federal interagency working group that developed the racial and ethnic categories for the federal statistical system back in the ‘70s. I did not know that she had served as special assistant to Marty Riche, the Census Bureau Director for the 2000 Census. She is proud of the Library of Congress Collection she created, which documents the federal policy history of Asian Americans from the 1970s-2000s.
I did not know of her opportunity to be part of the American Statistical Association delegation to China in 2011, Israel in 2011, and Cuba in 2013.
And, I did not know that Juanita had been on the front lines of the San Francisco State Strike, which occurred from November 6, 1968 to March 20 1969. The Strike resulted in the establishment of the School of Ethnic Studies, the first academic department of its kind in the country. The other significant outcome was a commitment to recruiting and bringing more underrepresented groups (including minority, rural, first-in-family to attend college, and low income) to the university.
In her memoir, Golden Children: Legacy of Ethnic Studies at SF State (Eastwind Books, 2018), she pays tribute to “the thousands of unsung youth, men and women—working class and middle-class students, faculty, staff, and their supporters and their far-reaching legacy at an internationally-known public state university.”
Golden Children: Legacy of Ethnic Studies at SF State (Eastwind Books, 2018)
During a presentation at the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco in February this year, her talk was dedicated to naming those unsung heroes whose roles are described in detail in Golden Children. “Our faith leaders came in: Reverend Tony Ubalde, Reverend Cecil Williams, and Reverend Lloyd Wake came from the black and multicultural congregations of Glide Methodist Church in the Tenderloin. Philippine Consul General Samson Sabalones supported the PACE strikers. He came on the campus and he got the business community to help with bail bonds.”
Also among strong community supporters, Juanita mentioned her parents, Lazaro Lorenzo Tamayo and Anicia Lucas Tamayo.
“Our parents and our grandparents, well, you know, they were revolutionaries, right? They were in the labor movement, but like my dad, who was born in 1898, was taught by the guys who ran the revolution against Spain! And so did a lot of other friends of mine at SF State, like the Alunan Brothers. But they were the revolutionaries; they were also the strikers of Hawaii and Alaska.
Juanita also spoke of the three institutions she credits with solidifying the values social justice, empathy, and sacrifice in her community’s involvement: “So we have three institutions that taught us discipline: 1) the military because our dads served in the armed forces; 2) the labor movement, and 3) the Catholic Church.”
There have been many stories published on Juanita’s accomplishments, so I asked her, “What do you want folks to know about you the most?
“You can say, Juanita gives a damn—whether it be poetry, statistical literacy, public policy, family and friends, or playing. While I like bold thinking, I am more into courageous, timely action and putting your money where your mouth is.”
“And, I did not know that Juanita had been on the front lines of the San Francisco State Strike, which occurred from November 6, 1968 to March 20 1969.”
Yes. That is exactly what I had written that about her before she even said it.
In further ongoing support for her community, Juanita demonstrates a longtime engagement in strategic philanthropy. She was the founding donor for the James Akira Hirabayashi Person for All Seasons Scholarship at San Francisco State University (2011); the Major General (retired Army) Antonio M. Taguba Profiles in Courage and Leadership Scholarship, University of Maryland, College Park (2009), and the Distilled Demographics, video series, Population Reference Bureau, Washington, D.C. (2009).
Finally, behind the fierce, well-educated, action-oriented advocate Juanita Tamayo Lott, is the woman who revealed to me what she is most deeply grateful for: “Loving family, especially my grandchild Joanna Rae, and my community, friends, and colleagues on both coasts; and, mentors and physicians through every stage of my life, including my 8th decade, as I move on to Seattle and new adventures.”
Lisa Suguitan-Melnick
A third-generation Filipina American, Lisa Suguitan Melnick is a professor in the Kinesiology division at College of San Mateo, California and believes in being a student of something at all times herself. She serves on the board of directors of Philippine American Writers and Artists, Inc. (PAWA) and is part of the planning committee for the 5th Filipino American International Book Festival (Filbookfest5) coming to San Francisco October 11-13, 2019.
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