It is with great sadness and a sense of loss that we share the news of the passing of Dr. Julian Nava this past Friday. Julian served as the Honorary Chair / Padrino de Honor for our LEAD Summit 2014.
Nava was a recognized Latino leader and role model in the United States. The son of Mexican immigrants, he was raised in East L.A. and said even through junior high, he was still learning English as Spanish was spoken at home. He struggled in high school and joined the Navy as soon as he legally could at age 17 during World War II.
After his service, he attended East Los Angeles Community College before transferring to Pomona as a junior. He graduated with a degree in history and then earned his doctorate in Latin American history from Harvard University.
Nava was a civil rights activist during the height of the Chicano Movement. He was the first Mexican-American to be elected to the school board of the L.A. Unified School District in 1967.
In 1993, Nava was one of the pallbearers selected for the funeral of the labor leader Cesar Chavez. Nava worked with Chavez since his time with the Community Service Organization in Los Angeles immediately after the Second World War.
He taught history at California State University at Northridge from 1957 to 2000.
In the 2006 HBO film Walkout, the role of Dr. Julian Nava was played by director Edward James Olmos.
Most notably, in 1980 Nava was the first Mexican-American to be appointed the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico by then President Jimmy Carter. He is the author of several history books, as well as a memoir, Julian Nava: My Mexican-American Journey (2002).
He was retired and lived in San Diego County with his wife, Patricia. He held the title of professor emeritus of history at CSUN. Nava lectured widely about multicultural education and served on the board of directors of Encuentros, which promotes education among young Hispanic males. In 2011, a school was named for him.
A Celebration of Life for Julian Nava is forthcoming, and we will share updates as they come.