A high school dropout and former migrant farm worker, Alfredo Rodriguez Santos c/s was an active participant in the Chicano Movement and a member of the Mexican American Youth Organization (MAYO) in Uvalde, Texas. In 1970, he made the switch from the agricultural fields to the academic fields when he decided going to Vietnam was not an option. He entered San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, California and after extensive retooling and many hours spent with tutors graduated with an Associate of Arts Degree. With his sights set on attending Sacracmento State University wihere all his friends had been accepted, Santos was informed that he would have to pay out of state tutition since he was from Texas. Unable to convince the registrar that he had established California residency, he enrolled in the University of California at Berkeley. While a student, he was was involved with the United Farm Workers Union Support Committee, Teatro Chicano (Hijos del Sol) and the Frente Foundation. In 1974, Santos graduated from UC Berkeley with a bachelors degree in economics.
After a two year stint as a labor organizer for Cesar Chavez's United Farm Workers of America in Watsonville, California, Santos went on to do graduate work at the University of California at Los Angeles, the University of Notre Dame, Texas Southern University and the University of Delaware. In 2002, he earned a masters degree from Sul Ross State University-Rio Grande College.
Santos' varied work experiences as a labor organizer, locksmith, janitor, school teacher, waiter, program administrator, taxi cab driver, public policy advocate, journalist, newspaper publisher and community activist have helped him to develop a healthy and unique perspective on what is possible when you combine drive, determination and ganas.
With La Politiquera now going on its 20th year of publication, Santos continues to believe that information is power and that an informed citizenry is absolutely critical to a successful and functioning democracy.
