The Board of Trustees made the decision in a vote last week, where Valerie Greene, a board member representing the Tracy and Mountain House Districts, was also appointed.
The decision for the renaming came about in an effort to represent and honor the full spectrum of San Joaquin Delta’s community.
Jennet Stebbins, a member of the board of trustees, said, “We wanted to dignify and respect Native Americans, African Americans, Filipinos, and the people who have contributed to this college.”
The honorees include Tony Fitch, who worked for 47 years as a professor. He advocated for tutoring and mentoring programs for African American students. “He helped so many African Americans,” Stebbins said, “He represents me.”
Also honored was Dr. Dawn Mabalon, a Filipina and nationally acclaimed historian and author. Dr. Mabalon wrote “Little Manila Is in the Heart, The Making of the Filipina/o American Community in Stockton, California.” The Campesino Forum honors the labor activism of farmworkers, including Dolores Huerta – a co-founder of the United Farm Workers Association, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and a Delta College alumni.
