I'm still hoping that the text message I got on Saturday was a cruel joke.  The message read: "Have you heard that John Delloro passed? I just wanted to confirm." My heart stopped and my head spun around trying to understand the words on my phone. I called John's cell phone, which didn't go straight to voicemail. After five rings, I heard John's voice in the voicemail message, a beep and silence...

John Delloro made me feel like I was truly a member of the UCLA community of Asian American activists and community scholars.  In the few years I knew him, he quickly became one of the first people I turned to when I was struggling through ideas and questions I had about progressive movement building and communities. He was my progressive community tsismis buddy, but our tsismis sessions were really confidential philosophical strategy discussions about navigating the internal politics of the left. We held each other accountable to our shared social justice values, and encouraged each other to assert our voices of change.

It's been two days, and I'm still trying to understand and come to terms with John's death.  My heart goes out to his wife Susan and his children Mina and Malcolm.

Below is a press release from the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, Asian American Studies Department, and Labor Center.

UCLA: John Delloro, UCLA Scholar Activist and Asian Pacific American Labor Leader Passes (1971-2010)

It is with deep sadness that the faculty, staff, and students of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center and Department and the UCLA Labor Center join with countless others in mourning the loss of John Delloro, an extraordinary labor and community leader, teacher, and activist. He passed away in the early morning of Saturday, June 5, 2010 from a heart attack. Delloro was a courageous, articulate, and passionate advocate for social justice in Los Angeles, the nation, and beyond.

A Bruin through and through, John received his Master of Arts degree in Asian American Studies with an interest in Asian Americans and the US labor movement and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Specialization in Asian American Studies at UCLA. He received his Associate of Arts in Social Science at College of the Canyons.  He worked as a lecturer with the UCLA Asian American Studies Department for nearly three years, where he taught "Asian American and Pacific Islander Leadership Development"; "Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Labor Organizing in Contemporary Society"; "Power of Story: Oral History, Leadership, and AAPI Communities"; "Public Narrative: Community Organizing, Power, and Identity"; and "Contemporary Asian
American Communities."  Lane Hirabayashi, Chair of the Asian American Studies Department recalled, "John was an amazing teacher who inspired many students to major and minor in Asian American Studies and become involved and active with the community.  John was dedicated to his students, and all of us in the Department remember seeing him spend countless hours in and around the office talking to them."

As a faculty member of the Los Angeles Trade-Technical College Labor Studies Center, he taught classes on "Asian Americans and Affirmative Action," "Asian Americans and the Garment Industry," "Labor In America," "Labor Leadership," "Politics and Labor," "Race and Gender in the Workplace," "Strategic Planning for Labor Unions," "Building More Effective Unions," and trainings and seminars on labor history, workplace issues and organizing at various trade unions and community organizations. "As a nationally recognized union leader, labor educator, organizer, teacher and mentor, John Delloro touched the lives of many and will be remembered for his compassion, his generosity of spirit, and for his visionary leadership," said Kent Wong, Director of the UCLA Labor Center.

In addition to his academic background, he is remembered as a longtime labor and community organizer, who served as manager of the southwest
California area of the 90,000 member SEIU Local 1000, the Union of California State Workers and as a staff director for the acute care hospital division of SEIU Local 399, the Healthcare Employees union. He has also worked as an organizer for the Culinary Union (HERE Local 226) in Las Vegas and AFSCME International organizing Los Angeles Superior Court clerical employees.

A Filipino American, his activism within and commitment to Asian, Latino, Black communities was unparalleled, both in the classroom and in the workplace. John Delloro was one of the co-founders of the Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California (PWC), and served as the National President of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO, which is the largest and only national organization of Asian Pacific American working families and union members. He was also the Executive Director of the Dolores Huerta Labor Institute, a member of the Board of Taxicab Commissioners for the City of Los Angeles and
served as an appointee on the California Assembly Speaker's Commission on Labor Education.

"John Delloro had a heart of a champion, with a dedication to social justice, respect, and equality for workers, immigrants, and people of color. His commitment to positive social change was contagious, inspirational, and had an indelible impact on a generation of students and activists across the nation, including myself," said Melany Dela Cruz-Viesca, Assistant Director of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center.

John Delloro is survived by his wife, Dr. Susan Suh, UCLA Sociology Ph.D. Alumna and community activist, and their two young children, Mina and Malcolm. A public viewing will be held the evenings of Thursday, June 10, 2010 and Friday, June 11, 2010, from 5-9pm at the Mission Hills Catholic Mortuary, located at 11160 Stranwood Ave, Mission Hills, CA 91345. Funeral services will be private. Per the wishes of the family, there may be a public memorial at a later date.

If you would like to make a donation or contribution in terms of funeral services or other needs, please make checks payable to "Susan Suh" and drop-off or mail to either:
UCLA Asian American Studies Department
Attention: Stacey Hirose
3336 Rolfe Hall, Box 957225
Los Angeles, CA 90095-7225
www.asianam.ucla.edu         

UCLA Asian American Studies Center
Attention: Meg Thornton
3230 Campbell Hall
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1546
www.aasc.ucla.edu

For inquiries, please contact Meg Thornton at (310) 825-2974 or Stacey Hirose at (310) 267-5593. Please visit our websites for further information.