LEAD Summit XV, set for Friday at SMSU South, puts culture in motion

At Cal State San Bernardino, cultural traditions will become part of the broader conversation when LEAD Summit XV brings students, educators, artists and community leaders together Friday, Oct. 16.

The summit, themed “15ñera for Justice: Divina Juventud: From Innocence to Resistance,” will take place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Santos Manuel Student Union South Events Center. Registration and parking are complimentary, and attendees may register onsite.

Among the summit’s featured exhibits will be the Tlamanalli Community Altar, or Ofrenda prehispánica Miccailhuitl, curated by Makuill Ollin Ocelotl – Mitotl Calpulli, a Circulo de Danza Azteca. Additional photographs and displays will be curated by the Consulado de México in San Bernardino.

The community altar will connect the sky, earth and underworld while providing an interactive space to share Indigenous cultural identity, ancestral knowledge and communal work. Attendees are invited to bring items, foods and flowers for the altar, which will recenter Día de los Muertos as a tradition honoring the dead.

The exhibit also will include a digital memorial screen, decorated calaveras from the Association of Latino Faculty, Staff and Students at CSUSB, and displays featuring artwork, photography and historical materials related to Día de los Muertos and José Guadalupe Posada.

Summit attendees can submit photos to the virtual ofrenda at the Day of the Dead Altar webpage. Select a clear, high-resolution portrait photo from your device's photo gallery. There is also an option to add a text post.

A new lowrider car show will extend the summit’s cultural programming outside the east door of Student Union South. The Imperials, Groupe, Dukes and Viejitos car clubs – internationally renowned and among the original and oldest lowrider clubs – will each showcase one vehicle.

The cars will highlight the craftsmanship, cultural pride and community spirit of lowriding, a tradition rooted in Chicano, Latino and Mexican American communities after World War II. Custom paint, upholstery, chrome detailing and hydraulic systems transformed automobiles into expressions of identity, heritage and belonging.

The exhibition also reflects the summit’s focus on how cultural expression can inspire learning, strengthen intergenerational relationships and empower young people. Lowrider craftsmanship connects art, design, engineering, history and community leadership, recognizing that learning takes place in families, garages, car clubs and neighborhoods.

In addition to the exhibits, the summit will feature panel discussions, presentations, cultural performances, and community-centered activities exploring education’s role in civic engagement, leadership and positive community change.

The summit will also recognize its honorary co-chairs/padrinos de honor: Jerry Tello, an internationally recognized authority on culturally based health and healing, trauma-informed practices and Indigenous-centered pedagogy; and Josefina E. Canchola, director of Secondary Programs and Partnerships for the University of California’s Puente Project and vice president of the Whittier Union High School District Board of Trustees.

The summit welcomes teaching professionals, researchers, academics, administrators, students, families, civic leaders, policy specialists, artists and advocates committed to improving educational outcomes and expanding opportunities for Latino students.