La Raza Athletic Association Podcast

A tribute to Leroy Gallegos, longtime head of the La Raza Athletic Association in the 1970s and 80s, with panel consisting of Veronica, Leroy's daughter, Ted, his brother, and Brian, who worked with Leroy for over 25 years. LRAA Podcast for June 8, 2024

The La Raza Athletic Association Podcast documents the history of the LRAA which organized sports activities for the local communities of the East Bay/Oakland/Hayward/Richmond area of Northern California. This podcast has former players discussing what the LRAA is all about and what it meant. Rich Castellanos, Fred Sanchez, and Dave Gonzalez, and your host Steve Lovato.

The La Raza Athletic Association started in 1971 when Chicano youth found an old gym and started playing basketball. Those small pickup games blossomed into an organization that at its height had 42 teams across 4 divisions.  Stevan Alvarado and Robert Moncado were there from the start and discuss the early days of the LRAA. Ed Robles was a 9th grader in 1972 and played in some of the first games of the league.  Hosted by Augie Arteaga, this episode presents some of the history of the LRAA.

We interview some former participants the the LRAA Youth Basketball League. They discuss the early days of the youth league and talk about playing around various gyms in East Oakland and about what the LRAA meant for them personally and for the community.