For Pastor Gerardo Menchaca, Casa de la Raza is more than a place. It’s part of his family’s story.
He first walked through its doors at just ten years old, during a time when community organizing and civil rights movements were shaping Santa Barbara’s Latino identity. He remembers participating in school walkouts and, at a young age, learning the importance of dignity, pride, and unity.
“Don’t be ashamed of who you are,” he recalls being taught. “Be proud of your heritage.”…