The Community Development Graduate Group honors Professor Emeritus Isao Fujimoto, who passed away peacefully on February 25, 2022, at the age of 88 at his home in Davis, California surrounded by family and friends. Isao worked at the University of California, Davis, for over 50 years, inspiring a network of students, faculty and community leaders who carry his legacy onward.
As Isao Fujimoto noted, “It is said that if we are going to make any sense of what we are doing, we have to know what story we are in.”
We are in his story, and he is in ours.
Isao joined UC Davis in 1967. At the time, the university struggled with balancing its reputation for cutting edge technological advances (including breakthroughs like the mechanical tomato harvester) with the need to consider its own role in empowering disenfranchised farm laborers.
As Isao’s former student, Daniel O’Connell notes in his newly published biography of Central Valley scholar activists, Isao’s irrepressible joy and determination stemmed from his lived experiences. Raised on the Yakima Indian reservation, and incarcerated as a child with his family at a Japanese internment camp during World War II, Isao trained at Howard University, a historically Black research institution, and Cornell University. The UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences sought out this brilliant young scholar to lead new initiatives focused on ethnic studies, sustainable agriculture and social justice.
The effort to shift campus culture was not easy. What is now “Community Development'' began as a program called “Applied Behavioral Sciences” (ABS), cofounded by Isao Fujimoto and Orville Thompson. This department was home to the first Native American and Asian American faculty on campus, and included programs like Design, Landscape Architecture, Community Studies, International Agricultural Development, Human Development, Child Development, Ethnic Studies, Native American Studies, and Asian American Studies. Together with Ed Blakely, an African American Associate Dean who went on to become a Vice President of the University of California, and by Bruce Hackett, then Professor and Chair of Sociology, Isao also initiated the Graduate Group in Community Development and designed its cornerstone courses. Later, Isao provided a model for the engaged scholar and helped guide the creation of the Center for Regional Change, a scholarship and practice center focused on addressing social justice.
Beyond the university, Isao cultivated rural and social justice movements. This work took time, and Isao deferred defending his dissertation and earning his Ph.D. until near the end of his career. His many accomplishments and working papers are preserved at the UC Davis library and tell the story of the many people, organizations and places that were uplifted by his work and collectively mourn his loss.
I am a faculty member in the undergraduate program Isao helped found; the current chair of the graduate program he advocated into existence; and the director of a research center focused on community-engaged scholarship which he modeled. I also teach the community development course Isao designed, and I teach it in a similar way as Isao because much of what he sought to do is still very relevant and radical.
According to Isao:
Rather than say, “Here is a course on research or theory.” I asked, “What kind of questions do we want people to be able to answer by the time they get out of here?” These were the questions behind each of the courses:
1. How can I make sense of the world and explain what is going on around me? You do that by studying theory, but also learning research methodology. Good theory helps you to make sense of what is going on.
2. Another was, “How can I get people to work together to solve problems?” That is the essence of community development.
3. The third one was, “How do I find out what works? Where and how?” You do that by going out in the field, by being an intern with both grasstips and grassroots. There is a big difference between those two, as well as different agencies.
4. We also wanted everyone to be confident about their skills and their passions. We encouraged people to pick courses that would help them pursue their own interests. You could specialize through doing a thesis. The question was, “What can I contribute that draws on my particular skills, passions and interests?”
5. The last one was about skills. Any work with people needs more than knowledge. It is also, how to get along; how to inspire people; how to conduct meetings. The other thing was, how do you keep your sanity? You are going to be under a lot of pressure. I know a lot about that stuff after my first several years here. How do you do work that allows you go home energized? A lot of people go home from work and they are pooped out. This other work is where you feel high.
If you can answer these questions, you can get your degree next week. This was the idea behind the graduate courses in community development. (Connell and Scott, 2021, p 225-6).
These questions still guide the community development master’s degree.
Students engage in real world change making with intentionality and social equity at the heart of their efforts. The Davis bicycle paths (first in California), farmers market (first in California), cooperative grocery store, early Capay Valley organic farming movement, passive solar home design, free clinic, drama programs in retirement living facilities, and so much more all began as undergraduate student projects; created by students who had been through Isao’s courses in a program designed and co-founded by him.
Isao left a legacy of change through his efforts, and that legacy will continue to live on through the education of our students as well as outreach and research efforts. I will remain forever grateful for his bravery, persistence and cultivation of joy.
Below are additional reflections from fellow faculty, staff and former students.
Dr. Fujimoto’s memorial service will take place on Thursday, April 21, 2022, on the Davis campus to celebrate his life in community.
- Catherine Brinkley, Associate Professor of Human Ecology/ Community and Regional Development; Community Development Graduate Group Chair; Faculty Director of the Center for Regional Change
“I was an undergraduate researcher working for Frank Hirtz, and ended up sharing an office with Isao on the second floor of Hart Hall. I was so intimidated to be sharing space with such a well-known leader of our department, but he really welcomed me. He used to love asking questions, and would always welcome questions in return. Even in his older age, with all of his accomplishments, Isao radiated a youthful energy, curiosity and joy. It's something I strive to hold on to in his memory.” - Katie Valenzuela, M.S. Community Development (2010), Sacramento City Councilmember, District 4, Environmental Justice Policy Consultant
“From the 15 years I’ve been at UC Davis, I have many warm memories of Isao. Most of all what struck me was his warm, unpretentious, down-to-earth nature and his deep commitment to social justice. From the first minute I met him, Isao was fully present, directly focused on the interaction, and eager to do what he could to help. He cared deeply about the community development degree programs and wanted to do whatever he could to help them succeed. He also cared deeply about students and wanted to connect with them and understand their needs. I hope we can all learn from his example. “ - Stephen Wheeler, Professor of Human Ecology in Landscape Architecture and Environmental Design
“As I completed the Community Development graduate program (1992-1994), I felt exceedingly fortunate to work as a teaching assistant with Professor Isao Fujimoto, who sponsored Applied Behavioral Science-47—the intensive four-day field trips to San Francisco during UC Davis’ winter and spring breaks. Word of ABS-47 spread as students returning from the trips raved about their experiences. Some two hundred students attended seminars to qualify for the next trip; for each trip we had to devise a lottery system to pick only thirty lucky winners.
To prepare students, Isao introduced himself at each seminar, “Good evening, students, my name is Isao Fujimoto. I was raised in California in a concentration camp.” Students turned to each other in utter disbelief. What did he mean—in California? Immediately, we understood their limited knowledge of California and U.S. history.
Always a fighter for the underdog, for under-served communities, Isao made it his mission for ABS-47 to provide students—as few universities did—opportunities to experience educational service trips—in lieu of carousing on beaches at Fort Lauderdale or Acapulco. Isao empowered students to act as investigative journalists, to interview social service agencies and directors throughout San Francisco. He charged students to “look for root problems underlying social issues,” to share and discuss their findings at our evening seminars at the U.N. Plaza Hotel. We visited foundations, jails and resource centers—Glide Memorial Church Foundation, Delancey Street Foundation, the YMCA, Act Up San Francisco, the Haight-Ashbury Medical Clinic, Instituto Familiar de la Raza, St. Anthony Foundation, the Guardian Angels, the San Francisco Night Ministry, etc.
As Isao made efforts on each field trip to speak with every participant, he got to know them individually, holding post-trip potlucks at his home, asking students about their interests in potential career paths that their UC Davis coursework and experiences through ABS-47 may have inspired them to pursue.” —Marilú Carter, M.S. Community Development (1996), volunteer for Healthcare for All-California.
“I feel like I have been walking in Isao’s footsteps my entire career, albeit without his seemingly effortless grace. I first met Isao over 20 years ago when the non-profit youth-led action research organization, Youth In Focus, was part of the Central Valley Partnership for Immigrant Civic Participation that Isao facilitated. Isao’s boundless enthusiasm brought this diverse group of advocates together for common purpose. I enjoyed many drives through the Central Valley over the years as Isao narrated the “dynamic mosaic” of the region (the title of his dissertation about the diverse population of the valley, which he completed long after his official “retirement”). Isao’s pathway, tracing the twisting boundary between research and advocacy has also been a guide for my own journey as an activist scholar since coming to UC Davis. His values on grounding learning in mutually beneficial and respectful relationships with marginalized people continues to inspire my own and many colleagues’ praxis in the Community and Regional Development major and Community Development graduate group. The binational learning exchange that my wife Nancy Erbstein and I run in Nepal also draws inspiration from Isao’s long-standing program in Japan. Thank you for this and so much more, Isao!” - Jonathan K London, Professor of Human Ecology/ Community and Regional Development; Co-Director: Community Engagement Core: UC Davis Environmental Health Science Center
“I met Isao during my 1-year exchange program at UC Davis. His mentorship continued through my master’s in Community Development, youth engagement and evaluation work in India, and my current Ph.D. program in Singapore. I am grateful for his tireless encouragement and support through countless of meetings and emails, and trips to Japan. At the end of every meeting and email, he always said, "Please keep me informed!" I cannot imagine how many students he mentored over half a century. Somehow, he managed to keep up with all the stories sent from across the globe. Perhaps, that's how he stayed the most energetic and curious person in the world. I remember his string of questions never ended, even to strangers on the street, even in Japan! I am far from mastering that skill. But ,one day, I hope to gain a fraction of Isao’s quality, and contribute to the world he admired so much.” -Yohei Kato, M.S. Community Development (2015)
“Quite simply, Isao changed my life. When I felt lost in my major, Consumer Food Science, in meeting Isao, I felt energy, strength, power and purpose to create the world I wanted to see. Even though my beliefs in a sustainable food and agriculture system were not widely shared at the time, through Isao, I met people who shared a desire for social change. While not a formal student of his, I was a “work study” student on the Alternative Agricultural Resources Project he led, about 1974-75.
From that came a collection of sources for a social and ecologically accountable agriculture, and such practical institutions as the Davis Food Co-op and Davis Farmers Market. I had attended a conference he organized at UCD called Redirecting Research Priorities in the College of Agriculture in June 1973. I knew various students who lived at Isao’s house and attended Friday night potluck suppers in the living room there. Meeting Isao, I felt I had “come home”.
This helped me finish my degree, and likely prompted me with others to co-found the Davis Food Co-op (1974) and the Davis Farmers Market (1975-76). Isao’s energy, positivity, humor, concern for others and never give up attitude never left him. Over the years, I continued to consult Isao and collaborate with him on various common interests. I interviewed him for my book, The Davis Farmers Market Cookbook, Story of the Davis Farmers Market (2012). Most recently, beginning in 2009, we created the Northern California Food Movement Collection within the Archives and Special Collections Department of the UC Davis Library, University of California, Davis. Isao’s papers are now a keystone collection within the archives, documenting his legacy for decades to come and hopefully, continuing to inspire students, as Isao did.” - Ann Evans, former Mayor of Davis; co-founder of the Davis Food Cooperative and Davis Farmers’ Market
“Isao will be deeply missed and fondly remembered in multiple communities, locally, regionally, nationally and globally, for his thoughtful and insightful perspective, leadership and activism, warm and infectious smile, and numerous legacies. I have been fortunate to know Isao and benefit from his experiences and wisdom for over 40 years. In 2009 when my VP office published a book highlighting the 100+ UC Davis faculty who had taught abroad, the volume concluded with a page that read, “Thank you for doing what matters.” It featured a picture of Isao who had taught a study abroad course in Japan until he was 79. That same year, our office published a newsletter celebrating UC Davis’ 100th anniversary and 100 of our faculty who had made key contributions to society. Isao was recognized for his significant work aiding immigrants in low-income areas of the Central Valley and promoting diversity and social justice in the region. For me, the campus theme at that time of “Doing What Matters” characterized Isao’s entire career. He will always have a special place for me.” - Bill Lacy, Professor Emeritus, Department of Human Ecology, College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences
“Isao’s storytelling had a rare quality. Over the years I heard him repeat the same stories over and over again, yet I never once grew tired of the telling. Partly it was the richness of the stories themselves, what they had to say about our world and our responsibility to one another. But beyond that was the joy of the teller, the pure delight he took in using stories to educate. A vital force of life-affirming animation radiated from deep within Isao. “ - Dave Campbell, Professor Emeritus, Department of Human Ecology, College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences
“I met Isao in 1997 when I started the Community Develop Graduate Program and immediately fell in love with his bright spirit. Over the years that followed he chaired my thesis committee, we organized alongside one another with the Central Valley Partnership for Citizenship, and spent time on and off the stage together through events and happenings with Imagining America at Davis. Those of us who knew and loved Isao can likely quickly call forth his exuberant smile, sparkling eyes, generous questions, and quick focused gait, rolling suitcase in tow. His positive spirit, teachings and memory will continue to bless us for years to come." -Erica Kohl-Arenas, M.S. Community Development (1999); Associate Professor of American Studies; Faculty Director of Imagining America
“At first, a house full of community newsletters, a yard full of chickens and bees. Isao welcomed our rural community leaders, anchoring our month-long Rural Development Institutes at the university, sharing knowledge, guidance and wisdom, impressing participants with the difference between a town’s “front” and its “back,” riding his bike everywhere, saving energy while showing so much energy. Across nations and continents, he created connections and happiness, and his memory continues to do so.” -Starry Krueger, director Rural Development Leadership Network
“Isao and I were in the same cohort of newcomers who came to UC Davis in the late sixties/early seventies. It's a bit challenging to recall the academic and social atmosphere that existed at that time. We had to gradually learn the values, style, and philosophy of a traditional Land Grant University. We were, for a long time, swimming upstream--against the tide.
Fortunately, the ethos and movements of the sixties and seventies gave us some momentum and provided some cover so we could ride a tide of change.
Isao and a number of us were in a study group on Sustainability in the mid-seventies. What we learned changed how we taught our classes and how we viewed technical and social interventions, whether in agriculture or in social systems. We supported each other. Isao left a legacy worth celebrating.” -Desmond Jolly, Professor Emeritus of Cooperative Extension; former Chair of the Community Development Graduate Group; inaugural director of the statewide UC Small Farm Program and Small Farm Center