Manuel Alejandro Pérez

Dr. Manuel Alejandro Pérez received his EdD in international and multicultural education from the University of San Francisco. He is one of the original founders and co-director for Grupo Folklórico Los Alteños, a traditional Mexican folklórico company in Sacramento.

With 25 years of experience in traditional danza, Manuel enjoys connecting his research on identity, artful resistance, and radical imagination to social justice spaces of performance. In recent years, he has traveled to various parts of México (e.g., Chiapas, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí, Yucatan) to learn new repertoire and explore research related to the cultural heritage and legacy of México, its people, and its traditions. Manuel brings his years of experience as a performer, maestro, and scholar in the field to USF. When he’s not dancing, Manuel serves as the Vice President of Student Services at Cañada College in Redwood City.

• Traditional Mexican Folklórico
• Queer People of Color
• Community Organizing

• Testimonio & Latinx Critical Race Theory
• Social Justice Cultural Performance
• Identity Development & Community Engagement

• Statewide Delegate, Asociación Nacional de Maestros de Danza Popular Mexicana
• National Advisory Council Member, National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in Higher Education (NCORE)
• Board Member, SF Pride

• University of San Francisco, EdD in International & Multicultural Education, 2017
• San Diego State University, MA in Communication Studies, 2006
• Santa Clara University, BA in Communication Studies/Ethnic Studies, 2004

• Vice President of Student Services, Cañada College
• Co-Artistic Director, Grupo Folklórico Los Alteños
• Interim Assistant Vice President for Equity & Community Inclusion, San Francisco State University
• Dean of Equity Programs & Pathways, American River College
• Assistant Director, UC Davis Cross Cultural Center

• UndocuAlly (staff) of the Year, San Francisco State University, 2019

• Pérez, M. A. (2019). Testimonio as a queer puente for healing. In L. H. Hernandez & R. Gutierrez-Perez (Eds.), This bridge we call communication: Anzaldúan approaches to theory, method, and praxis. Lexington Books.
• Fuentes, E. H., & Pérez, M. A. (2016). Our stories are our sanctuary: Testimonio as a sacred space of belonging. Association of Mexican American educators journal, 10 (2), 6-13.
• Pérez, M. A. (2016). Receta del testimonio mole: A value-rich recipe for folklórico resilience testimonio. Association of Mexican American educators journal, 10 (2), 33-48.
• Fuentes, E. H., & Pérez, M. A. (Eds.). (2016). Testimonio as radical story-telling and creative resistance. Association of Mexican American educators journal, 10 (2).