Searching for My Mom, and the History of La Puente’s ‘Little Watts’

Greenberry, Where She Taught for Decades, Helped Forge Today’s Multi-Racial San Gabriel Valley

I lost my mom to COVID in February 2021. She died alone, after spending 10 excruciating days in the hospital. A year after her death, a white envelope with no return address arrived in my Pomona College mailbox. Inside was a photo of my mom from the early 1970s.

In the photo, she is standing between two corridors of Sparks Middle School’s brick campus in La Puente, where she taught until she retired in 2008. She smiles gently, with her arms by her side. Her hair is long and straight, and …

More In: Essays

What Is a 21st-Century ‘Writer’s Home’?

Twain Had a Billiard Room. Hemingway Had a Cuban Abode. St. Vincent Millay Had Pool Parties. But Nowadays Poetry Won’t Pay the Mortgage

In my many pilgrimages to writers’ homes, I’ve felt two responses, often simultaneously. There’s excitement about my proximity to creation. About the whiff of genius that lingers—like lavender, like music—beyond …

Why Journalists Shouldn’t Be Neutral on Climate Change

Calls to Keep Politics Out of Science Reporting Ignore a Core Responsibility: Minimize Harm

Can we, and should we, ever really be neutral? In a new series, Zócalo explores the idea of neutrality—in politics, sports, gender, journalism, and …

The Unheralded Bronx Teens Behind Breaking | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

The True Story Behind Olympic Breakdancing

The Sport Debuting in Paris Erases an American Urban Dance Legacy

The Olympians competing in the inaugural breaking exhibition event at the Paris Games are sure to perform incredible feats of acrobatics while music plays. But you won’t catch them doing …

Parenting Beyond the Gender Binary

Neutrality Guided Me Through Their Childhood. But Did I Prepare My Trans Kid for Life Outside Our Family’s Orbit?

Can we, and should we, ever really be neutral? In a new series, Zócalo explores the idea of neutrality—in politics, sports, gender, journalism, international …

How We Won a Historic Contract for Hotel Workers

I Work at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. My First Strike Was Scary, Empowering, Sad, and Beautiful

This piece was published as part of the Zócalo/The James Irvine Foundation public program and editorial series, “What Is a Good Job Now?” which investigates …