On Feb. 21, Cal State Fullerton students in public health and human services participated in a health and social justice walking tour in Little India in Artesia. The Little India tour was collaboratively designed by CSUF faculty members Mojgan Sami and Sapna Chopra, CSUF alum Carol Ogbedeagu, South Asian Network community organizers Leena Mumtaz and Hina Ahmed, community educators Linn Lee and Mike Rodriguez of “A People’s History of OC,” and Paul Hoang from the Moving Forward Psychological Institute in Little Saigon.
The day began with a traditional Bangladeshi breakfast and chai tea at Little Dhaka Restaurant, as students learned about South Asian American immigration history, culture, and social and structural determinants of health. Students also learned from a panel of elders and community organizers about social change and the ongoing movement for liberation for all people through cross‑community solidarity.
During the half-day tour, students walked through the neighborhood together, met local community members and vendors, and visited places that hold cultural and historical significance for the community. Students experienced the community’s hospitality, as they were fed throughout the day with Indian sweets from Ambala Sweets, mango lassi from Ashoka the Great, and lunch at Nanking, a Nepali-owned Indo-Chinese restaurant. By engaging directly with community histories, cultural practices and lived experiences, students encountered firsthand how culture, intergenerational trauma, and colonization impact physical and mental health.
This was the first health and social justice walking tour in Little India. Previous tours with CSUF students include Little Saigon in Westminster, Calle Cuatro and Little Texas in Santa Ana, Little Arabia in Anaheim, and Koreatown in Buena Park. These tours were developed by Sami in partnership with Lee and Rodriguez. The tours have evolved into a dynamic model of community-engaged inter-professional health education at CSUF. Grounded in cultural humility, the walking tours serve as a foundation for preparing students to engage meaningfully in community health promotion and human services. The tours are funded in part by Instructionally Related Activities, Academic Senate awards and the Department of Public Health.