Carlos E. Cortés

Carlos E. Cortés (born April 6, 1934) is a historian, media specialist, and diversity consultant. He is currently the Edward A. Dickson Emeritus Professor of History and co-director of the Health Equity, Social Justice, and Anti-Racism curriculum of the School of Medicine at the University of California, Riverside. He has also been a consultant, speaker, and workshop presenter for hundreds of organisations, government agencies, higher education institutions, and school districts. In addition to having written or edited more than three hundred books, articles, media scripts, and theatrical pieces, he nationally performs his one-person autobiographical play, A Conversation with Alana: One Boy’s Multicultural Rite of Passage. He also consults for media entities like DreamWorks and Nickelodeon, serving as Creative/Cultural Advisor for such award-winning shows as Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go!
== Early life ==
Carlos Eliseo Cortés was born in Oakland, California, on April 6, 1934. He had three immigrant grandparents. His Jewish maternal grandparents immigrated from Austria (1890’s) and Ukraine (early 1900’s). They met in Kansas City, Missouri, and courted in Yiddish. 
Cortés’ Mexican Catholic paternal grandfather, also named Carlos Eliseo Cortés, became the first Latino graduate of Stanford University and later served as the Guadalajara, Mexico, jefe político of Mexican President Francisco Madero during the early years of the 1910 Mexican Revolution. Under threat of arrest by the Victoriano Huerta military dictatorship, he, with his family, fled to the United States in 1913. 
 
Both of Cortés’ parents (Carlos Federico Cortés and Florence Hoffman Cortés) graduated from the University of California, Berkeley. Marrying in 1933, they soon moved from California to Kansas City. After several years as a tire salesman, Carlos F. joined the small commercial construction firm that had been founded by his father-in-law, Morris Hoffman. The company ultimately became the Hoffman-Cortés Contracting Company. The family master plan called for Carlos E. and his younger brother Gary (born in 1939) to become part of the firm. Gary did (as did his daughter Rita years later), but Carlos’ life went in a different direction. 
Carlos spent most of his first eighteen years in Kansas City, attending J. C. Nichols Elementary School and Southwest High School before graduating from Pembroke Country Day School in 1952 as co-valedictorian. Due to his mixed background, he grew up marginally conversant in Spanish and Yiddish. Active in the Boy Scouts of America, he earned an Eagle Scout badge with three palms. 
 
From 1952 through 1956, Cortés attended his parents’ alma mater, the University of California, Berkeley, earning a degree in Communications and Public Policy. At Cal he joined Alpha Chi Rho fraternity, edited the school annual, the Blue and Gold, and chaired the Student Publications Board. Among his various honors were Phi Beta Kappa, while he participated actively in intramural sports, winning the university’s light middleweight boxing championship.
== Journalism interlude ==
Cortés’ planned to spend a few years in journalism and then attend law school to specialize in media law. In 1957 he received an M.S. from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. While at Columbia, he worked part time for the Frank Goodman theatrical public relations firm, being assigned to the American Shakespeare Festival. He spent the summer of 1957 in Stratford, Connecticut, handling press relations for the Festival, and received an offer to become assistant manager of the Shubert Theater in New Haven, Connecticut. However, he had to decline because of his induction into the U.S. Army in September, 1957.
For most of the next two years Cortés served as an Information Specialist for the U.S. Army Signal Corps Training Center at Fort Gordon in Augusta, Georgia. While there he also wrote a movie column for the Augusta Chronicle-Herald, participated in productions of the local amateur theatrical group, the Augusta Players, and covered the 1959 Masters Golf Tournament for Sport Magazine.
In late 1959, following military service, Cortés moved to Phoenix, Arizona, to become editor of the Phoenix Sunpapers, a weekly newspaper chain. One of his stories concerned William Lytle Schurz, director of area studies at the American Institute for Foreign Trade (later the Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management and now part of Arizona State University). 
This friendship led to his becoming Schurz’ assistant and an AIFT student, earning a 1962 Bachelor in Foreign Trade and being named recipient of the Barton Kyle Yount Award as the top student in his graduating class. That experience also convinced Cortés to pursue a Ph.D. concentrating on Latin America
== Academic career ==
Receiving a three-year National Defense Foreign Language Fellowship, Cortés began graduate study at the University of New Mexico in the summer of 1962. There he concurrently pursued an M.A. in Portuguese and Spanish and a Ph.D. in History, with a special interest in Brazil. He earned his M.A. in June, 1965, with a thesis on Brazilian novelist Graciliano Ramos, and completed his history doctoral orals in August, 1965. 
From early 1966 to November, 1967, Cortés conducted doctoral dissertation research in Brazil, first in Pôrto Alegre, the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, and then in Rio de Janeiro. In addition, he traveled widely throughout Brazil and the rest of South America. His dissertation focused on the twentieth-century political history of Rio Grande do Sul. 
In 1969, Cortés received his Ph.D. in history, his fifth higher education degree in five different subjects. His doctoral research also led to his 1974 book, Gaúcho Politics in Brazil: The Politics of Rio Grande do Sul, 1930-1964, which received the Hubert Herring Memorial Award of the Pacific Coast Council on Latin American Studies and was later published in Brazil as Política Gaúcha, 1930-1964. 
In January, 1968, Cortés joined the faculty of the University of California, Riverside. He remained at UCR for the rest of his academic career, taking early retirement as a full professor in June, 1994. Since retirement he has occasionally taught classes and held part-time administrative positions on campus.
Cortés joined UCR at a time of higher education turbulence, including the rise of student activism and demands for ethnic studies. As one of only two Mexican-descent faculty at UCR, Cortés was inevitably drawn into these issues. He helped organize the campus’ first Chicano student organization (United Mexican American Students) in 1968 and served on the committee that established UCR’s Mexican American Studies and Black Studies programs in 1969. Three years later, in 1972, he became Chair of Mexican American Studies (soon Chicano Studies), serving until 1979. He also introduced UCR’s first Chicano History class in January, 1970.
In the fall of 1971, the California Department of Education appointed Cortés to a statewide task force to evaluate social studies textbooks for their compliance with the state education code concerning the treatment of racial and ethnic groups. This experience drew Cortés into the nascent field of multicultural education, in which he soon became known both statewide and nationally. 
Within a handful of years, Cortés’ teaching, scholarly, and public service career had gone in multiple new directions. He continued to teach and write about Latin America. But his efforts also now embraced such areas as ethnic studies, multicultural education, and ultimately the field of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Within those areas, Cortés drew upon his communication background to develop a research specialty in the media treatment of diversity, culminating in his influential book, The Children Are Watching: How the Media Teach about Diversity (2000).
He also remained active on campus, serving as chair of Latin American Studies (1970-1972), Chicano Studies (1972-1979), and History (1982-1986). His campus contributions led to the receipt of two of UCR’s highest faculty honors: the Distinguished Teaching Award and the Distinguished Public Service Award. 
Cortés also received numerous state and national honors. These included the 1980 Distinguished California Humanist Award of the California Council for the Humanities, the 1989 Multicultural Trainer of the Year Award of the American Society for Training and Development, and the 1989 Distinguished Alumnus Award from his Kansas City, Missouri, high school. In 1993-1994 he served as a Smithsonian Institution Public Lecturer.
== Diversity lecturer ==
In 1994, at the age of 60, Cortés took early retirement from UCR in order to focus his attention on being a diversity consultant, scholar, lecturer, and workshop presenter. He was soon giving some 75-100 presentations a year throughout the United States, Latin America, Asia, Europe, Australia, and Canada, as well as lecturing on comparative culture on cruise ships. In the process, he presented to or consulted for more 150 government agencies, 250 K-12 school entities (districts, counties, states, and private), 350 institutions of higher education, and nearly 500 organizations and private businesses.
Cortés also joined the teaching faculties at a number of institutions, such as the Harvard Summer Institutes for Higher Education, the Federal Executive Institute, and the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication. He also edited the four-volume 2013 Multicultural America: A Multimedia Encyclopedia.
These efforts led to a number of honors. Among them are the 2001 Outstanding Contribution to Higher Education Award of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, UCR’s 2004 Emeritus Professor Award, and the 2005 Inspiration Award of the California Association for Bilingual Education. He also received two honorary doctorates, in 2007 from the College of Wooster (Ohio) and in 2010 from Chicago’s DePaul University. In 2019, the California Latino Legislative Caucus selected him for a Latino Spirit Award.
In 1999, the mayor of Riverside, California, asked Cortés to help him establish the Mayor’s Multicultural Forum to better address diversity in the community. Cortés continues to serve as facilitator of the Forum, a four-times-a-year public gathering, and coordinated the writing of the city’s Inclusive Community Statement and Anti-Racism Vision Statement. In 2016, the city established the Carlos E. Cortés Diversity and Inclusion Award, given annually to a Riverside resident who has made major local contributions to diversity.
== Media consultant ==
Cortés also became involved in various aspects of the media. While writing more than fifty media-related articles, he served as a columnist for the magazine Media & Values and as Scholar in Residence for Univision Communications. He has also consulted for myriad media organizations, including for the Hallmark series, Talking with TJ, and appeared as featured presenter for three episodes of the PBS series, Why in the World?
Then, in 2000, the publication of his book, The Children Are Watching: How the Media Teach about Diversity, drew Cortés even more deeply into media creation. He was asked to become a consultant for Nickelodeon’s pre-school animated show, Dora the Explorer, then in development. A few years later he was promoted to Creative/Cultural Advisor. For his contributions Cortés received a 2009 Image Award from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Cortés continues to work with other Nickelodeon shows, such as Go, Diego, Go!, Dora and Friends: Into the City, and Santiago of the Seas. He also consults with other media endeavors, such as the Dreamworks production of Puss in Boots 2.
== Creative endeavors ==
Cortés has also engaged in creative endeavors as both a writer and a performer. Since high school he had appeared in amateur stage productions in Kansas City, Augusta (Georgia), and Phoenix. At UCR he played both Bud Abbott and Shirley Temple in the campus’ faculty-staff follies to raise money for student scholarships. 
Then, in the early 2000s, Cortés began working on his memoir (ultimately published in 2012 as Rose Hill: An Intermarriage before Its Time –- a reference to his parent’s pioneering 1933 interethnic marriage). One evening, after a public reading of selections from the manuscript, a theatre director approached him and suggested that he adapt the book into a one-person play.
Taking that advice, Cortés wrote and began performing A Conversation with Alana: One Boy’s Multicultural Rite of Passage, a one-hour, one-person autobiographical play, in which he talks with his daughter, Alana, represented by an empty chair. In addition to sharing his reminiscences and answering her questions about ethnic, religious, and class tensions in his life, he also acts out personal vignettes while adopting the varied accents of his family members. Cortés has performed the play more than 150 times throughout the country. It was published in 2022 by Bad Knee Press, with a cover designed by his granddaughter, Amaya.
Cortés has also written a number of other performance pieces. These include a two-person narration-and-guitar story of the life of acclaimed novelist Tomás Rivera, a former UCR chancellor. He also co-wrote the book and lyrics for the produced musical, We Are Not Alone. In addition, Cortés and his wife, Laurel, wrote and present a performance piece about her friendship with novelist Raymond Chandler. 
Cortés also began writing fiction and poetry. His first novel, “Scouts’ Honor,” is currently being considered for publication. His 2016 book of poetry, Fourth Quarter: Reflections of a Cranky Old Man, received Honorable Mention in the 2017 International Latino Book Awards for Best Book of Poetry in English.
== Late career activities ==
In the late 2010’s, while Cortés was well into his 80’s, his career took two new directions. In 2018 he became an inaugural fellow of the University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement. His research focused on the fifty-year historical intersection of diversity and speech, leading to a book-in-progress entitled, “Speech vs. Diversity, Diversity vs. Speech.” He now writes a column on diversity and speech for the monthly ezine American Diversity Report. In 2021 he was appointed to the new Content Moderation Advisory Board of the educational materials platform, Teachers Pay Teachers.
Then, in the summer of 2020, at age 86, Cortés agreed to become the inaugural co-director of the UCR School of Medicine’s new Health Equity, Social Justice, and Anti-Racism curriculum. This new challenge drew on his decades of work in diversity, including giving lectures on health care cultural competence. He also began teaching classroom modules for medical students and speaking at national medical conferences on the challenges of conducting constructive classroom conversations about health equity.
In 2019, UCR selected Cortés to be an Edward A. Dickson Emeritus Professor. Two years later, in 2021, he received one of the University of California’s most prestigious systemwide honors, the Constantine Panunzio Award for outstanding achievements of a UC faculty retiree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.
== Personal ==
Cortés and his wife, Laurel Vermilyea Cortés, have been married since 1978. During those four-plus decades they have lived in the same home in Riverside, California. Several days a week they take a two-mile walk around nearby Lake Evans, where they commune with the abundant ducks, geese, and egrets. 
Cortés has one daughter from a previous marriage, Alana Madrugada Cortés, also a UC Berkeley graduate. She currently works for Los Angeles Unified School District, where she provides support services for English language learner students. She has two daughters, Amaya P.C. Lawton and Tessa G.C. Lawton. 
== Selected books and edited collections ==
* Mexican Americans and Educational Change, with Alfredo Castañeda, Manuel Ramírez III, and Mario Barrera. New York: Arno Press, 1974.
* Gaúcho Politics in Brazil: The Politics of Rio Grande do Sul, 1930-1964. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1974. 
* The Mexican American (21-volume series). New York: Arno Press, 1974.
* Three Perspectives on Ethnicity: Blacks, Chicanos, and Native Americans, with Arlin I. Ginsburg, Alan W. F. Green, and James A. Joseph. New York: Putnam's, 1976.
* The Chicano Heritage (55-volume series). New York: Arno Press, 1976. 
* Mexico in the Study of Mexican Americans: An Analysis of Transnational Linkages. Denver: Center for Teaching International Relations, University of Denver, 1976.
* Hispanics in the United States (30-volume series). New York: Arno Press, 1980.
* Beyond Language: Social and Cultural Factors in Schooling Language Minority Students (multiple authors). Los Angeles: Evaluation, Dissemination and Assessment Center, California State University, 1986.
* The Children Are Watching: How the Media Teach about Diversity. New York: Teachers College Press, 2000.
* The Making -- and Remaking -- of a Multiculturalist. New York: Teachers College Press, 2002.
* Rose Hill: An Intermarriage before Its Time. Berkeley, California: Heyday, 2012.
* Multicultural America: A Multimedia Encyclopedia (4 volumes). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage, 2013.
* Fourth Quarter: Reflections of a Cranky Old Man. Los Angeles: Bad Knee Press, 2016.
* A Conversation with Alana: One Boy’s Multicultural Rite of Passage. Los Angeles: Bad Knee Press, 2022.
== Selected awards ==
=== At the University of California, Berkeley (1952–1956) ===
* Phi Beta Kappa
* Vernon J. Scott Award
* Golden Bear Honor Society
* Senior Hall of Fame
* Fraternity Scholastic Honor Society
=== At the American Institute for Foreign Trade (1961–1962) ===
* Alfred Knight Scholarship Award
* Barton Kyle Yount Award
* Portuguese Valedictorian
=== At the University of New Mexico (1962–1965) ===
* Phi Kappa Phi
== At the University of California, Riverside (1968–2022) ==
* Distinguished Teaching Award (1976)
* Faculty Public Service Award (1992)
* Emeritus Faculty Award (2004)
* Edward A. Dickson Emeritus Professor (2019)
=== General ===
* 1974 Hubert Herring Memorial Award of the Pacific Coast Council on Latin American Studies (for Gaúcho Politics in Brazil: The Politics of Rio Grande do Sul, 1930-1964)
* 1977 Eleanor Fishburn Award of the Washington EdPress Association (for Curriculum Guidelines for Multiethnic Education)
* 1980 Distinguished California Humanist Award of the California Council for the Humanities
* 1982 Keys to the City, Kansas City, Missouri, and Kansas City, Kansas
* 1986 Boss of the Year, Inland Empire Charter Chapter, American Business Women's Association
* 1989 Distinguished Alumnus Award, Pembroke-Hill School, Kansas City, Missouri
* 1989-1990 Inland Empire Hispanic Teacher of the Year Award, Kiwanis Club of Greater San Bernardino
* 1989 Multicultural Trainer of the Year Award, American Society for Training and Development
* 1990 Hubert Herring Memorial Award of the Pacific Coast Council on Latin American Studies (for "To View a Neighbor: The Hollywood Textbook on Mexico")
* 1992 California Council for the Humanities Public Lecturer
* 1993-1994 Smithsonian Institution Public Lecturer
* 2001 Outstanding Contribution to Higher Education Award of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators
* 2002 Writer-in-Residence, Pembroke Hill School, Kansas City, Missouri
* 2004 Elected Fellow, International Academy of Intercultural Research
* 2005 Inspiration Award, California Association for Bilingual Education
* 2005 Educator of the Year, Hispanic Lifestyle Magazine 
* 2007 Honorary Doctor of Humanities, College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio
* 2009 Image Award, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People 
* 2010 Honorary Doctorate, Depaul University, Chicago, Illinois
* 2013 Local Shaker on the Global Scene, World Affairs Council of Inland Southern California 
* 2016 Carlos E. Cortés Diversity and Inclusion Award Established by the City of Riverside, California
* 2017 International Latino Book Awards Honorable Mention for the Best Book of Poetry in English (for Fourth Quarter: Reflections of a Cranky Old Man)	 
* 2019 Latino Spirit Award, California Latino Legislative Caucus 
* 2021 Constantine Panunzio Award, University of California
Category:1934 births
Category:Historians
Category:People from Oakland, California
Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni