SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — A Chicano Park staple is about to roll back in for the summer. The Turning Wheel Program's "Barrio Bus" will start its summer of programs for kids and families this weekend.
"We're wanting to bring life back to Chicano Park," said Dr. Alberto Pulido - an ethnic studies professor at the University of San Diego and director of Turning Wheel.
The "Barrio Bus" is Pulido's brainchild. But it certainly isn't meant to just be his.
"The idea was to really just [to] kind of bring a classroom and knowledge from a university into the community and vice versa," he said.
The bus is an effort by USD's Ethnic Studies program to bring a classroom environment, cultural center and resources like WiFi to Chicano Park and the Logan Heights neighborhood.
In the past, the bus has brought cultural dance performances, events for kids to learn about the culture and, during the pandemic, COVID vaccines to those who otherwise would've gone without them.
"We went in about three or four times and we ended up vaccinating close to 1,000 people," Pulido said.
Valerie Jaimes was Pulido's student at USD and now serves as an organizer for the Turning Wheel Project.
"None of us thought we would live in a pandemic," she said. "I think it's very important that we are here for our community holding each other up during these times.
And that's the plan starting Saturday when the bus will roll back into Chicano Park for an open house.
Events talking about the culture of lowriders, dances and music are scheduled through August.
And Pulido said that's not the end of it.
"I'd like to equip this with computers, with flat screens, with cutting edge technology," he said. "We'd also like to show films so actually set up some way to put out a screen here. I see this as a space for the community."
Since the program is run out of the bus, Pulido said it's pretty mobile and he plans to take it across the county and maybe even into Mexico.