The members of the La Palma-Cerritos Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) learned more about Dr. Frances Marquez, a teacher of deaf students at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., at their Branch meeting at 7:00 p.m., on Thursday, January 18, 2024, at the ABC Adult School Auditorium at 20122 Cabrillo Lane, in Cerritos.
Gallaudet University is a private federally funded chartered university in Washington, D.C., for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 by President Lincoln as a grammar school for both deaf and blind children. It is now a bilingual, diverse, multicultural institution of higher education that ensures the intellectual and professional advancement of deaf and hard of hearing individuals.
After Co-Administrator Joan Pylman called the meeting to order and led the Pledge of Allegiance, she introduced Faith Herschler as the Facilitator of the program for the evening. Faith introduced Dr. Frances Marquez as the guest speaker for the evening. Faith said that Dr. Marquez began teaching at Gallaudet University in 2004. While at Gallaudet, Dr. Marquez came to the startling conclusion that she had never met a deaf person working in politics. Dr. Marquez then set a goal to get more young deaf people involved in government.
Faith said Dr. Marquez got her students involved in government by encouraging her students to sign up for conferences, attend seminars, and seek internships in public offices. She wrote letters of recommendation, served as a reference on student job applications, and tapped her networks of organizations and officials for openings and opportunities for her students in public offices including members of the House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and the White House. She also incorporated current events into her courses to engage students. During election years, Dr. Marquez required her students to pick presidential and congressional candidates and track their campaigns.
When Dr. Marquez began speaking, she described how she inherited a legacy to get educated and work hard every day from both her grandparents and parents. Her grandparents and her father came from Mexico to the United States as immigrants in 1917, when her father was 11 years old. He worked hard as a Truck Farmer and started Frank Marquez and Sons, a family business, on their farm in Santa Fe Springs. Her mother Sally was the bookkeeper for the business.
Schools in California were segregated until 1947, when people fought for the right to equality in educational opportunity. Dr. Marquez said that her family prepared her to fight for equal rights for people who are marginalized in society. Her parents attended segregated schools in Whittier and Pico Rivera until the Mendez vs. Westminster Unified School District case enabled them to attend integrated schools in 1947 at Whittier High School. A coalition of Mexican-American, Asian, Jewish, and African-American communities fought for the right to equality of educational opportunity.
Dr. Marquez was born in Montebello, and she saw how hard her parents worked to raise their family of ?ve girls and one boy. Her parents saw how important education was to succeed in life and they encouraged and supported her and her siblings so that all of them went to college. All of the six siblings received their Bachelor’s degrees. There were also seven Master’s degrees, and two doctorates earned by the siblings.
With her family’s support and encouragement, Dr. Marquez attended Vessels Elementary, Lexington Jr. High School and Cypress High School in California. She received her Bachelor of Arts in History from U.C.L.A., her Master of Arts in Public Policy from Claremont Graduate University, and her Ph.D. in Political Science from Claremont Graduate University. As a 19- year- old, she received an opportunity to do an internship in Washington D.C. for Congressman Edward R. Roybal. She also campaigned and worked for California leaders such as Senator Diane Feinstein and Congressman Alan Lowenthal.
After receiving her Ph.D., she was hired to work as a teacher of deaf students at Gallaudet University, the only liberal arts university in the world for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. She worked at Gallaudet University from 2004 to 2018, when her father became ill. She returned to Cypress, California, at that time to help take care of him, until he passed away in July of 2020.
Dr. Marquez said that her father and other mentors told her that she needed to speak up for people who could not speak or hear, help people who need help, and make sure that everyone is treated equally. She said
that she did speak on behalf of others, helped those who needed help, and worked for equality for everyone in all the communities in which she has worked. Dr. Marquez said that she does what she can to help her deaf students and is happy to help others who ask for her help.
At the conclusion of her speech, Dr. Marquez received a Certificate of Appreciation from the La Palma- Cerritos Branch of the AAUW which was presented by Branch Facilitator Faith Herschler.
Dr. Marquez is currently serving as a member of the City of Cypress City Council in California. She also serves as an Associate Professor of Government at Gallaudet University in Washington D.C. Her goal continues to be to get more young deaf people to become involved in government.
For more information about the La Palma-Cerritos Branch of the AAUW, contact Co-Administrator Gail Ross at 562-926-7187, or e-mail: Gailross1947@gmail.com.