CLA: Department of Chicano Studies http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/ A blog for the Department of Chicano Studies. en Copyright 2013 Wed, 08 May 2013 12:53:57 -0600 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=4.31-en http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 8969=EDUCATE|37974=Featured News|8932=News And Announcements|8931=Recent Events|27981=Spotlight| 2013 Senior Paper Presentations- 5.10.13 @ 1:30 p.m.
Its that time of year again!

Come Join Us at the 2013 Senior Paper Presentations!

may 10, 2013
1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Walter Library 402


2013 senior papers.png

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2013/05/2013-senior-paper-presentation.html 395199 8932 Wed, 08 May 2013 12:53:57 -0600 Citizen of Community: The Dialectics of a Collective Citizenship 5-3-13

Join Us!

Citizen of Community: The Dialectics of a Collective Citizenship A brown bag lecture by Rodolfo Rosales, Ph.D.

Friday, May 3rd
Noon-1:30 p.m.
Scott Hall 2

rodolfo rosales talk.png

Rosales Talk.pdf

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2013/05/citizen-of-community-the-diale.html 394552 8932 Thu, 02 May 2013 10:02:06 -0600 2013 Un Paso al Futuro Graduation Event

On Sunday, May 19th from 6:30pm - 8pm a special event to commemorate graduating students & their families who major or minor in Chicano/Latino Studies or are Latino students

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2013/04/2013-un-paso-al-futuro-graduat.html 393452

will be held in the Mississippi Room of Coffman Union. Information on how to register is in the flyer. 2013-Paso-Invitation.pdf

27981 Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:16:19 -0600 New Summer Course in Latino Public Health

Health Issues of Latino Communities in the U.S., explores current health issues affecting Latino communities

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2013/04/new-summer-course-in-latino-pu.html 391485

in the U.S., including the role of social & cultural forces such as migration, demographic changes, acculturation, traditional practices, & language in shaping the distribution of disease & the health and illness profile of Latinos & Latinas in the U.S. The course will be taught by Zobeida Bonilla and is scheduled for 10am - 1pm on Mondays & Wednesdays June 17th - July 26th.

8932 Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:44:23 -0600 Apply for Department Scholarships

The Department of Chicano & Latino Studies has 3 scholarships. The Adelante Scholarship for

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2013/04/department-scholarships-applic.html 391483

newly declared majors, Best ChicanoStudies Essay Scholarship, & the Guillermo Rojas Scholarship for how Chicano Studies contributed to your intellectual growth. For more information click ScholarshipsApplication.pdf

27981 Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:37:29 -0600 Chicano & Latino Studies Summer-Fall Courses

For a complete list & description of Summer & Fall courses, please click

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2013/04/chicano-latino-studies-summer-.html 391482

SummerFallCourses2013.pdf.

8932 Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:32:54 -0600 National Farm Worker Awareness Week Events, March 26th-27th

To learn more about the week's educational activities, click the following link for a flyer and more information on the Fair Food Rally for farm workers at Wendy's Restaurant and the Cesar Chavez Blood Drive.

Flyer.pdf

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2013/03/national-farm-worker-awareness.html 389636 27981 Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:41:19 -0600 Chicano & Latino Studies Spring Gathering 3-26-13

Come meet Staff, Faculty and Instructors. learn about upcoming courses over a free lunch!

Tuesday March 26th, 12:00-1:30pm 105 Scott Hall
spring gathering 2013 chic.png
 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2013/03/chicano-latino-studies-spring.html 389040 8932 Fri, 15 Mar 2013 14:19:26 -0600 Chicano Studies & Casa Sol in the News

David Brauer recently wrote in MinnPost about his experiences in a Chicano and Latino Studies class with Casa Sol (a Latino Living/Learning community for 1st year students) students at the UMN.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2013/03/chicano-studies-casa-sol-in-th.html 388369

David Brauer recently wrote in MinnPost about his experiences in a Chicano and Latino Studies class with Casa Sol (a Latino Living/Learning community for 1st year students) students at the UMN. You can read his article here.

27981 Mon, 11 Mar 2013 12:22:21 -0600 Thank You Letter for a Successful Mira Mi Corazon

The staff and faculty of Chicano & Latino Studies and the staff of El Colegio would like to thank everyone who attended the recent 2nd Annual Mira Mi Corazon fundraiser in support of Latino educational success.

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2013/02/thank-you-letter-for-a-success.html 386692

The staff and faculty of Chicano & Latino Studies and the staff of El Colegio would like to thank everyone who attended the recent 2nd Annual Mira Mi Corazon fundraiser in support of Latino educational success. We had a phenomenal turnout--with good food, people, and some beautiful art that illustrated la mente, corazón, y talento de nuestra gente (the mind, heart, & talent of our people). We raised almost $4,000 to support scholarships in Chicano and Latino Studies and programming at El Colegio! This event could not have been the successful if it wasn't for our dedicated staff, Lisa Sass Zaragoza, Emmanuel Ortiz, Viviana Galindo, and the many people at El Colegio who made this event such fun, including Executive Director, Norma Garces, Mitch Roldan, Irina Barrera, and Iran Mejia. Obviously, the event could not have been what it was if not for the beautiful artistic contributions of all those students, faculty, friends, and community members who gave us a little piece of their creative hearts to make the event a success! We look forward to seeing you at next year's event!

İGracias a todos!

Louis Mendoza, Department Chair

27981 Tue, 26 Feb 2013 09:31:34 -0600 Thank You Picture for a Successful Mira Mi Corazon

Thumbnail image for MiraheartsPhoto.JPG

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2013/02/thank-you-for-a-successful-mir-1.html 386012 27981 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 11:02:23 -0600 Thank You for a Successful Mira Mi Corazon

MiraheartsPhoto.JPG

The staff and faculty of Chicano & Latino Studies and the staff of El Colegio would like to thank everyone who attended the recent 2nd Annual Mira Mi Corazon fundraiser in support of Latino educational success. We had a phenomenal turnout--with good food, people, and some beautiful art that illustrated la mente, corazón, y talento de nuestra gente (the mind, heart, & talent of our people). We raised almost $4,000 to support scholarships in Chicano and Latino Studies and programming at El Colegio! This event could not have been the successful if it wasn't for our dedicated staff, Lisa Sass Zaragoza, Emmanuel Ortiz, Viviana Galindo, and the many people at El Colegio who made this event such fun, including Executive Director, Norma Garces, Mitch Roldan, Irina Barrera, and Iran Mejia. Obviously, the event could not have been what it was if not for the beautiful artistic contributions of all those students, faculty, friends, and community members who gave us a little piece of their creative hearts to make the event a success!  We look forward to seeing you at next year's event!

İGracias a todos!
Louis Mendoza, Department Chair

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2013/02/thank-you-for-a-successful-mir.html 385981 27981 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:53:35 -0600 Thinking of Majoring or Minoring in Chicano/Latino Studies?

See major and minor requirements under the "Undergraduate" section of our website and speak with Ali Miesen.

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2013/02/thinking-of-majoring-or-minori.html 385980

See major and minor requirements under the "Undergraduate" section of our website and speak with Ali Miesen. In addition to academic advising, Ali's background includes student programming, career advising, and residence life experience. When she is not at the University, Ali enjoys yoga, coaching youth swimming, and spending time with her family. Ali holds an M.A.: Leadership in Student Affairs from the University of St. Thomas and a B.S. in Communications with an International Studies Minor from the University of Wisconsin - River Falls.  Her office hours and contact information can be found in the "People" section of our website.

8932 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:47:06 -0600 İBienvenidos!
Welcome to Chicano and Latino Studies at the University of Minnesota! We welcome you and hope you can find any information you need to learn more about the department's mission, our history, our courses, and our active relationship with the local Latin@ community. Check out the "About" section of our website to learn more about who we are and what we do. Please visit the "Oral History and Video Project" section on our homepage to watch The Making of Chicano Studies, a video on the department's founding featuring former students who helped to establish the department, current faculty, alumni, and students.


Last year, after extensive discussion about the department's mission, the ongoing demographic changes occurring in Minnesota and throughout the nation, and the importance of being enhancing awareness of our presence on campus, department faculty agreed that it was time to evolve into the Department of Chicano and Latino Studies. With this change we remain deeply committed to our focus on the lived experience of people of Mexican descent in the United States, but we acknowledge that a comparative and transnational approach that showcases the intra-cultural diversity of the Latina/o population is important in fulfilling our educational mission at the university to ensure that students are well-informed about the complexity of the Latina/o community. We welcome feedback and suggestion for making it more user-friendly. We look forward to seeing you in Scott Hall soon!

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2013/02/ibienvenidos-1.html 385979 37974 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:20:14 -0600 2nd Annual Mira Mi Corazón (He)Art Show and Fundraiser for Latino Educational Success

The art show opens at El Colegio Charter School on February 8th to see this beautiful art before the auction on February 15th. For more information, please click View image.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2013/02/2nd-annual-mira-mi-corazon-hea-2.html 384428 8969|8931 Wed, 06 Feb 2013 14:29:33 -0600 2nd Annual Mira Mi Corazón (He)Art Auction Fundraiser for Latino Educational Success

MiraMiCorazonTitle.png

Plan on attending the 2nd Annual Mira Mi Corazón (He)Art Auction Fundraiser for Latino Educational Success at 5:30pm on February 15th at El Colegio Charter School

The Department of Chicano & Latino Studies at the University of Minnesota & El Colegio Charter School proudly sponsor the 2nd Annual Mira Mi Corazón art exhibit and silent auction fundraiser for Latino student success. Plain wooden hearts will be turned into beautiful art by members of our community to symbolize the love and aspirations we have for our youth and will be treasured by others in their homes and offices across the state symbolizing la mente, corazón, y talento de nuestra gente (the mind, heart, & talent of our people).

Plain wooden hearts have been distributed to professional artists, school youth, teachers, and community members for painting and decorating. All hearts, each one is unique, will be sold at the silent auction. Proceeds from the heart sales will support scholarships for graduates of El Colegio to attend a higher education institution of their choice & activities to help prepare them for college. Funds will also support scholarships for students in the Department of Chicano Studies at the U of MN.

The Mira Mi Corazón auction will be held at El Colegio Charter School (4137 Bloomington Avenue) featuring food, drinks, & music by a DJ, followed by the silent auction at 6pm. Admission to the auction is $5.

Come celebrate & support the educational success of local Latino youth & the artistic talent of members of our community!


 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2013/02/2nd-annual-mira-mi-corazon-hea-1.html 384427 37974 Wed, 06 Feb 2013 14:07:02 -0600 Scholarship Fundraiser, Mira Mi Corazón

Create & donate an artistic heart to represent what education means to you OR buy these artistic hearts.

If you wish to make a heart, please fill out the form at the following link: Mira Mi Corazón.

OR

Go to the fundraiser at El Colegio Charter School, 5:30pm,  Friday, February 15th. The event features food, drinks, & music by a DJ, followed by the silent auction at 6pm. Admission is $5.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2013/01/scholarship-fundraiser-mira-mi.html 382567 27981 Sun, 20 Jan 2013 14:39:48 -0600 CHIC 3752 Chicanas and Chicanos in Contemporary Society
"Chicanas and Chicanos in Contemporary Society will focus on current social, cultural and political issues impacting Chicana/o and Latina/o communities nationally and within the Midwest. Through poetry, novels, films, performance/visual art and social science research we will direct our attention to five overarching themes: education, immigration, labor & economics, environmental justice, and reproductive rights & health care."
Tuesday & Thursday 1pm-2:15 pm

chic contemp society.jpg

Chicanas and Chicanos in Contemporary Society.pdf

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2013/01/chic-3752-chicanas-and-chicano.html 382317 Tue, 15 Jan 2013 14:45:13 -0600 2nd Annual Mira Mi Corazón (He)Art Auction & Scholarship Fundraiser
The Department of Chicano & Latino Studies at the University of Minnesota & El Colegio Charter School proudly sponsor the 2nd Annual Mira Mi Corazón (See My Heart) art exhibit & silent auction fundraiser for Latino student scholarships. Plain wooden hearts will be turned into beautiful art by members of our community to symbolize the love & aspirations we have for our youth & will be treasured by others in their homes & offices across the state symbolizing la mente, corazón, y talento de nuestra gente (the mind, heart, & talent of our people).


Like last year, we will distribute wooden hearts to professional artists, school youth, teachers, & community members for painting & decorating. All hearts will be sold in a silent auction on February 15th at El Colegio Charter School. Proceeds from the heart sales will support scholarships for graduates of El Colegio to attend a higher education institution of their choice & activities to help prepare them for college. Proceeds will also support scholarships for students in the Department of Chicano Studies at the U of MN.


We will begin distributing heart templates on January 14th at El Colegio Charter School & the Department of Chicano & Latino Studies. To reserve & pick up your (he)art canvas, please fill out the form at the end of this message & visit El Colegio at 42nd Avenue & Bloomington.


The Mira Mi Corazón auction will be held on Friday, February 15th at El Colegio Charter School. The event kicks off at 5:30pm featuring food, drinks, & music by a DJ, followed by the silent auction at 6pm. Admission to the auction is $5.


Though this event is intended to support students' ability to pay for education, the larger goal is to raise our collective awareness of the innate strength & beauty of our cultural assets that will enable us to persevere & succeed. Our corazones must reflect our aspirations for the future, our love for one another, our determination to overcome any obstacles we encounter, & our resilience to persevere. We ask that if you choose to create an art for this event, that you think of these qualities as you design your (he)art.


Come celebrate & support the educational success of local Latino youth & the artistic talent of members of our community. Should you wish to make a heart, we invite you to fill out the form Second Annual Mira Mi Corazón (He)Art Auction & Scholarship Fundraiser. To fill it out, visit the link: Mira Mi Corazón.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2013/01/2nd-annual-mira-mi-corazon-hea.html 382268 37974 Tue, 15 Jan 2013 03:32:47 -0600 Senior Seminar Presentations

Seniors in Chicano & Latino Studies will be presenting their senior research projects on Friday, December 7th, 11:30am - 12:30pm, in Scott Hall Room 2. For more information on the presenters and their research, please click SeniorSeminarsFall2012.pdf

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2012/12/senior-seminar-presentations.html 380355 8969 Mon, 10 Dec 2012 08:43:48 -0600 Recent Keynote on Latino Scholars

"Their America, Our América and Our Responsibility as Latina/o Scholars," Prof. Arturo Madrid at Trinity University gave this keynote address at the 20th Anniversary of the Biennial Conference of the Puerto Rican Studies Association. His speech draws upon Noam Chomsky's 1967, "Responsibility of Intellectuals," and Dwight McDonald's 1944, "Responsibility of People." He critically discusses the changing demographics of the U.S. and the historical implications for Latinos living in the U.S. He concludes with the responsibility of Latina/o intellectuals today. You can access the speech by clicking Their America, Our América.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2012/12/recent-keynote-on-latino-schol.html 379341 37974 Wed, 05 Dec 2012 17:16:20 -0600 2013 Spring Courses

For a list and brief description of our courses, please click one of the following links, Chicano-Latino Spring 2013 Courses.pdf or Chicano-Latino Spring 2013 Courses.xlsx.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2012/11/2013-spring-courses.html 377170 8969 Fri, 23 Nov 2012 15:31:02 -0600 Why Latinos Will Determine Who Wins The Presidency

With the Presidential election less than 3 weeks away, Chicanos and Latinos across the country are poised as the voting demographic that will determine who becomes the next President of the U.S.A. This milestone was nearly reached in the last presidential race when President Obama won 67%-69% of the Latino vote to Senator McCain's 28%-31%.


Today, with most states clearly leaning towards a particular presidential candidate, several states are labeled "battleground states" because voter support is so evenly divided between the two candidates. The next president must win the majority of these states to win the election. In the key battleground states of Florida, Colorado, and Nevada, Chicanos and Latinos are roughly 15% of all eligible, registered voters. While Chicanos and Latinos comprise nearly 5% of all registered voters in the battleground states of Virginia and North Carolina. In New Mexico, nearly 40% of the electorate is Chicano or Hispano. While Arizona is not seen as a battleground state by mainstream media and pollsters, the Chicano population is highly mobilized against anti-immigrant legislation and polling nearly 80% in favor of President Obama. Arizona's Chicano population is almost large enough to swing this state in Obama's favor by themselves.

Latino population growth and increased voter registration, has made the Latino vote pivotal in presidential elections. At the national and state levels, Latinos are polling 67%-73% in favor of President Obama. At these levels, if Latinos vote, we will be the deciding factor in who wins the presidency and future presidential candidates will not be able to ignore our voting power.

Michael Dueñes
Editor and Instructor
Department of Chicano and Latino Studies

[Note: Latino Decisions a non-partisan, Latino political opinion research firm provided much of the data for this editorial. For information about voting in Minnesota, please visit the non-partisan MN Latino Caucus.]

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2012/10/why-latinos-will-determine-who.html 372753 37974 Tue, 23 Oct 2012 14:08:01 -0600 İBienvenidos!

The Department of Chicano and Latino Studies at the University of Minnesota welcomes everyone to the 2012-13 academic year! Please watch The Making of Chicano Studies, a video on the department's founding featuring former students who helped to establish the department, current faculty, alumni, and students.

We hope you had a fantastic summer, be it enjoying some well-deserved rest and relaxation, working, or traveling to visit family or friends, or conducting research. After an ambitious and highly successful year-long calendar or activities to commemorate the establishment of the Department of Chicano Studies, we are excited to begin this year with a new name and a new website. After extensive discussion about the department's mission, the ongoing demographic changes occurring in Minnesota and throughout the nation, and the importance of being enhancing awareness of our presence on campus, Department faculty agreed that it was time to evolve into the Department of Chicano and Latino Studies. With this change we remain deeply committed to our focus on the lived experience of people of Mexican descent in the United States, but we acknowledge that a comparative and transnational approach that showcases the intra-cultural diversity of the Latina/o population is important in fulfilling our educational mission at the university to ensure that students are well-informed about the complexity of the Latina/o community. Our deep thanks to CLA's web team helping us design this beautifully designed site. Please take some time to explore the site. We welcome feedback and suggestion for making it more user-friendly. We hope you take the time to watch the video we created last year on the "Making of Chicano Studies." Our thanks to all involved in the project. I look forward to seeing you in Scott Hall soon!

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2012/08/ibienvenidos.html 363954
We're sorry, you need Javascript enabled to view this video.
37974|27981 Wed, 29 Aug 2012 15:14:32 -0600 Chicano Studies has a new academic advisor!

We're happy to welcome Alexandra (Ali) Miesen to the department. Ali will also serve as an advisor to American Indian Studies and the College of Liberal Arts Languages and Mathematics Student Community.

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2012/08/chicano-studies-has-a-new-acad.html 363952

Ali.jpg
Ali is excited for the opportunity to work with students interested in the diverse communities of Minnesota. In addition to academic advising, Ali's background includes student programming, career advising, and residence life experience. When she is not at the University, Ali enjoys yoga, coaching youth swimming, and spending time with her family. Ali holds an M.A.: Leadership in Student Affairs from the University of St. Thomas and a B.S. in Communications with an International Studies Minor from the University of Wisconsin - River Falls. While she joins us near the end of the academic year, we look forward to her being part of the Chicano-Latino Studies community. Her office hours and contact information can be found on our website.

8932 Wed, 29 Aug 2012 15:07:09 -0600 Reflexiones 2011-2012

Reflexiones: Looking back and planning forward

As the 2011-12 academic year comes to a close it's a good time to think about our accomplishments and challenges. And what a year it's been! In honor of our 40th anniversary as the Midwest's first and (still!) only full-fledged free-standing Department of Chicano Studies, faculty and staff in the department, with the assistance of students and alumni, scheduled an ambitious year of programming and events. Last summer we selected the theme of Celebrating Our Past, Haciendo Nuestro Futuro, 1971-2011 to frame our year-long celebration of activities. We kicked off the year at El Grito collaborating with La Raza Student Cultural Center, who was also celebrating its 40th year. In addition to a panel discussion with some of the department's key founders, we took time to honor their roles as brave visionaries in advocating for the department's establishment, and we also held a memorial tribute to longtime faculty and chair Guillermo Rojas who passed away in 2011.


http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2012/05/reflexiones-2011-2012.html 356464

While the lineup of activities throughout the year number too many to do justice to in a short summary, suffice it to say that each month we offered students and our community partners opportunities to reflect, learn, and expand their understanding of the impact that Chicana/os and Latina/os have made in Minnesota and the U.S. at large. Among the many topics we addressed in panels with local and national experts were, the history of Latinos in journalism, Xicanindio identity, cinematic representations of cultural genocide both at home and abroad, educational justice within the school systems, Latin@ demographic change, and the future of Chican@ Studies regionally and nationally. In addition to hosting numerous scholars from around the country, we also used poetry, visual art and teatro to build and expand our community, affirm our cultural and linguistic heritage, and assert important and insightful social critique about race, gender, and class relations in the U.S. As always, the recent 8th annual Un Paso al Futuro bilingual-bicultural graduation celebration was a beautiful way to end the year as it reminds us of why our presence at the University of Minnesota makes such a difference.

Looking forward, as a strategy for enhancing our visibility on campus, department faculty and faculty affiliates agreed to modify the name of the department and the title of our degree program from Chicano Studies, to Chicano and Latino Studies. We do so in hopes of making our department and curricular offerings more visible to those who may have more familiarity with the larger umbrella term of Latino than they do with Chicano. This change will also provide us some curricular flexibility to expand our course offering as well to be more inclusive of the broader Latino community even as we stay firmly grounded in the legacy of Chicano Studies. Though we opted for simplicity's sake not to revise our title to signal gender inclusiveness by using a/o or the @ to signify our commitment to keeping issues of gender and sexuality central to our curriculum, we all agreed that we must consistently ensure that our mission, curricular offerings, and syllabi must reflect the centrality of these concerns to the discipline as a whole.

As the department continues to evolve and expand our in-reach to the university and outreach to greater Minnesota, we have many challenges to address and many things to celebrate. Being 40 has been a time to think about where we've been, what we've achieved, as well as what we've yet to do. I believe I share a belief with many, many others that our best is yet to come! Let's work together to make that dream a reality.

Louis Mendoza, Department Chair

8932 Thu, 17 May 2012 12:58:27 -0600 Narratives of Undocumented Immigrants

La Raza Student Cultural Center and the Department of Chicano Studies present:

Narratives of Undocumented Immigrants-an interactive exhibit.

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2012/05/narratives-of-undocumented-imm.html 355296

Is immigration a security issue or a human rights issue? How have immigration policies impacted people who live in our community? Come listen, learn, interact on a topic so important to all communities and in particular focus at this presentation, to the Chican@/Latin@ community/communities.

Friday, May 11th, 2012
Great Hall, University of MN
300 Washington Avenue SE

Presentations at 12 and 3 , panel at 12:30

Narratives of Undocumented Immigrants.jpg

8932 Mon, 07 May 2012 20:13:47 -0600 Chicano Studies Seniors Paper Presentations

Graduating seniors complete a Senior Paper, which is a project that students spend significant time and energy completing.

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2012/05/chicano-studies-seniors-paper.html 354966

These papers represent a students' culminating work in their area of study and we hope you will join us for their presentations.

FRIDAY MAY 4, 2012 12:30-2:00PM SCOTT HALL 2

Senior paper presentations2012.jpg

8932 Thu, 03 May 2012 23:14:34 -0600 Department Alum's Play to Show at Neighborhood House May 4th

Join us Friday May 4th at the Wellstone Neighborhood House in St. Paul for the showing of Chicano Studies alumna Donna Peña's play, Sigan la Bandera-Guadalupe's Journey with Mexico. The play is a bilingual musical historical narrative. We are pleased to offer this as the May signature event for the Department's 40th Anniversary Commemoration.

Sigan La Bandera.jpg

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2012/04/department-alums-play-to-show.html 352825 8932 Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:52:05 -0600 Precious Knowledge Screening 4/20/12 at Bell Museum Auditorium

precious knowledge flyer.jpg

Free Public Screening on 4/20/12 at 7:20 pm at the Bell Museum Auditorium.

Facebook Even Page

UMN Precious Knowledge Poster.pdf

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2012/03/prescious-knowledge-screening.html 348567 8932 Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:27:13 -0600 A Very Busy Month of March!

In additional to two campus visit by 6-12th graders from El Colegio and Juventud Conectada, a CASA SOL and La Raza combined trip to Chicago for the National Association of Chicana and Chicano Studies, we will also be hosting a fabulous day-long symposium and THURSDAY MARCH 22ND focusing on the Future of Chicano Studies and highlighting top notch academicians and thinkers locally and nationally.

Symposium poster updated.jpg

Panelists include specialists in women's work and domestic labor, poverty and transnational migration of Mexicana workers; Chicano/a historical movements; queer Latinidades and the symposium will end with a dance performance and discussion. All events are free and open to the public--we hope you can join us and folks from around the country in our work of Envisioning the Future of Chicano Studies!

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2012/03/a-very-busy-month-of-march.html 343157 8932 Tue, 06 Mar 2012 11:20:50 -0600 Rogelio Saenz ppt on Latino Demographics

Look at this informative ppt delivered by R. Saenz at his recent visit to Chicano Studies:
Rogelio Saenz_U Minnesota_Jan 2012.ppsx

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2012/02/rogelio-saenz-ppt-on-latino-de.html 339856 27981 Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:49:54 -0600 Trader Joe's Signs With CIW. Pressure pivots to Publix

Congratulations to the Coalition of Immokolee Workers. Read more about the farmworkers tireless campaign: http://ciw-online.org/

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2012/02/trader-joes-sign-with-ciw-pres.html 338247 27981 Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:39:02 -0600 February's Messages from the Heart

Life has its ups and downs, its good days and bad days as well as its love affairs and its break ups. News and issues of importance to the Latino community certainly are no different.

This month's second Chicano Studies sponsored event, Mira Mi Corazon, will showcase Heart Art--40 wooden hearts that have been decorated by local artists, faculty, staff, students, youth, and community members. Grounded in Chicano Studies values of justice, cultural pride and political resistance, the hearts will be sold at a silent auction and the proceeds to go towards scholarships. Please join us Friday, February 24th from 5-7 pm at El Colgio Charter School, 4137 Bloomington Ave in s. MPLS.

We hope you can attend!

MiraMiCorazon flier.jpeg

Other important news-

Breaking Up With Trader Joe's:
After nearly two years of a nation-wide campaign, Trader Joe's still refuses to sign an agreement with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a group of farm workers in Florida who have successfully pressured corporate giants like Whole Foods and McDonald's to agree to ensure that farm workers in their supply chains get treated humanely and get paid at least one penny more per pound of tomatoes they pick. And now, Trader Joe's is opening it's first Florida store, only 30 miles away from Immokalee on Immokalee Road. The CIW is planning a huge action during the "Grand Opening" weekend of the new store and there will be a solidarity action here in the Twin Cities. The local CIW Support Committee including members of the Chicano Studies Migrant Farmworker class---one of many groups and collectives nationally that organizes in solidarity with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers- joins with Trader Joe's customers on Friday, February 10th at 5:00pm for the delegation to Trader Joe's in St. Paul. The meeting place will be P.J. Murphy's Bakery (1279 Randolph Ave.) at 5pm. Email Brian at brianpayneyvp@gmail.com if you can attend. The delegation will make some noise as takes break up letters to Trader Joe's.

***UPDATE: Friday February 10th, CIW Announcement: Trader Joes signs agreement for better wages and working conditions and now the focus is on Publix grocery store chain. (http://ciw-online.org/) More information to follow in support of farmworkers and their demand for better wages and working conditions.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2012/02/februarys-break-ups-and-messag.html 337382 8932 Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:50:44 -0600 Spring Semester 40th Commemoration to Begin Thurs. Jan 19th

Welcome back to all students, staff, faculty, families and community! We hope you are ready for 2012. While there have been indeed many gains and important work done to achieve community voice and agency, there still remains significant work and fundamental changes necessary to achieve a more just society and lives of dignity and respect for individuals, families and community.

As many of you know, Chicano Studies, along with La Raza Student Cultural Center here at the University of Minnesota, commemorate 40 years of struggle, community and academics during the 2011-2012 academic year. During the fall term, we heard from local and national experts on educational justice, xicanindio identity after beginning the year honoring those founders of Chicano Studies and La Raza Student Cultural Center (then called the Latin Liberation Front).

We hope you will join us for events and movement building during the spring term and beyond. Our first event for spring semester will occur THURSDAY JANUARY 19TH at the Mexican Consulate in St. Paul. (797 7th Street East, St. Paul, MN 55106) We will host the screening of Los Invisibles/The Invisibles--a film by Gael Garcia Bernal and Amnesty International on the men, women and children who travel from Central America through Mexico on their way north. Mexican Consul Ana Luisa Fajer will lead the post film discussion. It promises to be a great event.

Please see our full listing of events for the entire year at the Chicano Studies website:

Los Invisible2.jpg


 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2012/01/spring-semester-40th-commemora.html 329536 8932 Sun, 15 Jan 2012 14:18:29 -0600 National Scholar to Speak on Latinos and Educational Justice
Talk and Discussion: "Establishing High Expectations and Inclusiveness in the Curriculum and Classroom Culture"


As part of commemorating the 40th anniversary of Chicano Studies, for the months of November and December, we are focusing on Latinos and Education in our communications and events. Please see info below about an event next Thursday. There are supporting documents at the end of the write up.

Please join us on THURSDAY December 15TH AT 4:30 PM, at El Colegio Charter School for a lecture given by national scholar Marcos Pizarro.


Marco Pizarro wrote the book, Chicanas and Chicanos in School: Racial Profiling, Identity Battles and Empowerment.

Culturally relevant curriculum and culturally competent instruction and instructors matter. While many can agree with this point in theory, ensuring it to be a reality proves to be a different and more complicated story. We hope you can join us in this discussion-it promises to be a great event.

Please pass on the info to others you think might be interested-including and particularly for those who have, work with or can bring older youth to the event.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MN Statistics:
From the MN Minority Education Project (MMEP):
Most recent (2009) "State of Students of Color and American Indian Students"

A bit dated (2006), but provides significant info about Latino success (and lack thereof) in both the metro area and rural MN.
"Latino Students in Our Public Schools: A Closer Look"
Center for Rural Policy and Development. Click on "Education" and this report is the 2nd link.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the Pew Hispanic Research Center:

"Latinos and Education: Explaining the Attainment Gap" by Mark Hugo Lopez

Nearly nine-in-ten (89%) Latino young adults say that a college education is important for success in life, yet only about half that number-48%-say that they themselves plan to get a college degree, according to a new national survey of Latinos by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center.

The biggest reason for the gap between the high value Latinos place on education and their more modest aspirations to finish college...click to read full article

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2011/12/talk-and-discussion-establishi.html 326889 8932 Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:59:46 -0600 Film and discussion

Precious Knowledge Flier.pdf

Precious Knowledge-Arizona's battle over Ethnic Studies illustrates what motivates Tucson High School students and teachers to form the front line of an epic civil rights battle--the heart of which is the Mexican-American Studies program in Tuscon's high schools. An alumni from the Mexican-American Studies program and one of the film's editors will present the film and lead the discussion afterwards. Come hear why AZ lawmakers are trying to shut down the program and why culturally relevant curriculum and teachers matter.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2011/11/film-and-discussion.html 322208 27981 Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:10:20 -0600 Meditations on Latinoization, Citizenship, and Belonging

The following essay is taken from the conclusion of Louis Mendoza's forthcoming book, Conversations Across Our America: Talking About Immigration and Latinoization (UT Press, Spring 2012)

Conversations Across Our America is and is not my story, just as it is and is not your story wherever you position yourself within the debates on immigration. Latinoization refers to the ongoing process of cultural, social change occurring in the United States as a result of the profound demographic shifts of the last forty years. Latinoization is not a phenomenon that occurs with the United States as a passive actor, rather it is a consequence of the interconnectedness of imperialism and globalization, processes in which the U.S. plays a central role and is a primary beneficiary. Immigration policy is at the nexus of domestic and foreign policy.

As I prepared for my research trip in the Spring of 2007 the nation was in the midst of a heated debate about immigration reform. These debates went to the core of who "we" are as an immigrant nation, the cultural, philosophical and political qualities that define who "belongs" in the U.S.

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2011/11/meditations-on-latinoization-c.html 322173

Between the calls for amnesty, guest worker programs, border walls, and the repeal of birthright citizenship, a rampant xenophobia tinged, and continues to inform, the debate as many people expressed their fears that Spanish would supplant English as the national language, that a vast conspiracy was at work in which Mexico was planning to re-take the Southwestern states, that new immigrants were "dumbing-down" the nation or stealing jobs, social services, and education without paying taxes--to name but a few of the more salient issues.

Much of the anxiety regarding demographic change has been primarily projected onto the undocumented population of Latinos in the U.S.; this is true despite the fact that these trends would hold true even if the rate of entry into the U.S. by undocumented migrants was to be stopped completely. Inflammatory rhetoric notwithstanding, the facts of how undocumented immigrants contribute to the U.S. economy are often overlooked or mis-represented.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, undocumented workers contribute $8.5 billion to Social Security and Medicare annually--a contribution that supports maintaining the viability of these programs that they will never benefit from. Researchers have verified that at the federal level undocumented workers pay more in taxes than they receive in public benefits and proportionately use less state and local benefits than do other populations (See Owens, Meyerson, and Otteson pps 15-18). A 2007 report from the President's Economic Council of Advisers notes that "Wage gains from immigration are between thirty and eighty billion per year."

Recent reports assessing the impact of immigration on local economies, such as the Wilder Foundation's A New Age of Immigrants: Making Immigration Work for Minnesota, argue that concerns about the competition for jobs between U.S. citizens and undocumented migrants reveals that though it is true that there is likely a negative impact for those workers in direct competition for jobs and those in smaller communities, employers report great difficulty in finding native-born applicants for many jobs in agriculture, meat packing, poultry processing, and manufacturing. This is particularly true in rural areas across the country (Owens, et al, 22-28).

This, of course, has to be considered in relation to the settlement patterns of contemporary immigrants from Latin America into the U.S. Their settlement in regions of the United States that heretofore had little permanent presence of Latinos has changed the cultural geography of the country.

As a result of failed efforts to pass federal comprehensive immigration reform in the summer of 2007, the issue emerged as a heated topic in the 2008 presidential elections. This debate was not divided along traditional partisan lines as it was spurred, in part, by tensions between a normally conservative business sector that benefits from immigrant labor in the manufacturing, agricultural, and construction industries and social conservatives who decried that the fabric of American culture was being threatened by insurmountable linguistic and cultural differences that were incongruous with American values.

Not insignificantly, these concerns have been sparked by the emergence of Latinos as the nation's largest ethnic minority and the rapid demographic change in regions that had been heretofore either relatively culturally homogeneous, particularly in the Midwest and some parts of the Northeast, as well as in the South which had heretofore understood social relations through the lens of a traditional black-white paradigm. Perceptions of an intense workforce competition also emerged as social conservatives strove to argue that there was a one-to-one correspondence between unemployment among "legal" citizens and the presence of "illegal" workers.

Two phenomena further fanned the fires of the national debate following the December 2005 passage of H.R. 4437, the Border Protection, Anti-Terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005, by the U.S. House of Representatives. This controversial bill raised the stakes of the debate by requiring the construction of a border fence, modified the status of "unlawful presence" to a felony, and, among other harsh provisions, authorized state and local law enforcement agencies to enforce federal immigration laws. Though this bill stalled in the Senate, it was followed by the 2006 passage of the Illegal Immigration Relief Act, a local ordinance in Hazelton, Pennsylvania that declared English as its official language, fined employers for employing undocumented workers, made it illegal to rent housing to those without documentation of citizenship, and served as a model for more than 100 municipalities around the country.

Faced with an increasingly hostile national and local climate, immigrant right activists organized two massive multi-ethnic marches in the Spring of 2006 in multiple cities and towns across the country. The purpose of these campaigns was to make visible the large number of workers, families, and broad-based support that existed for immigrants as workers, family and community members.

As we consider the still emergent economic and political clout wielded by Latinos, whose population will double in a few short decades and who will continue to be the largest ethnic minority as the nation inevitably becomes majority-minority in less than three decades, it is also important to remember three important facts about our presence so we are not conceived solely as a new immigrant population: 1) our complex, albeit controversial, "indigenous" relationship to the land that precedes the establishment of the U.S. as a nation state, 2) the foundation of our presence in the U.S. results from our absorption into the state as a result of imperial conquest, and 3) the fact that large segments of the Latino population have entered the U.S. through legal means. This last point, in particular, deserves emphasis as immigration policy has historically played a crucial gate-keeping role in determining the cultural and ethnic composition of the U.S.

There is no question that Latinos played a pivotal role in determining the outcome of the 2008 election as approximately 67 percent of their votes favored the election of Barack Obama. Such political clout in the face of their ongoing rise in numbers of eligible voters also informs the immigration debate and has been shaped by previous immigration reform efforts. The contemporary trend towards increasing diversity of this country has its roots in the 1965 Hart-Celler Immigration Act.

As was noted in a recent Boston Globe article, the impact of this legislation "arguably rivals the Voting Rights Act, the creation of Medicare, or other legislative landmarks of the era. It transformed a nation 85 percent white in 1965 into one that's one-third minority today, and on track for a nonwhite majority by 2042" (Peter S. Canellos, November 11, 2008). In the four decades since 1968, when this law went into effect, the vast majority of new immigrants coming into this country have been from Asia and Latin America. The demise of the national origins quota system under the Hart-Celler Act favoring European immigrants has profoundly altered (for better or worse) our national sense of identity and commitment to the application of civil rights laws designed to promote equitable opportunities and protection under the law. Advocates of the Hart-Celler Act assured opponents that their intention was to eradicate bias in immigration laws as part of a larger civil rights platform to diminish systemic inequities; no one foresaw the dramatic impact this reform would have on the nation's demographics four decades later.

Information Trumps Ignorance: Hope for the Future?

Originally from Texas, my experience in Minnesota has taught me several things--most fundamentally, that experience and information trumps ignorance almost all the time. Just as this is true for those whose preconceptions have led them to believe that Latinos represent a threat to their way of life, safety, or standard of living, I, too, have learned that the only constant in culture and society is change and adaptation. As I traveled through small towns in West Texas where being stopped for being brown (or being "meskin") was all the probable cause needed in the 1960s, I was impressed and surprised at how much things have changed and how relationships were more complex and layered than these communities once were.

In these small communities where Friday night high school football is king and civil rights movements were once sparked by resistance to exclusion on the cheerleading squad, the local newspapers report on teams now comprised of a majority of Latinos. These newspaper stories reflecting profound everyday changes in the composition of local communities resonated with a story I heard about a basketball team in Melrose, Minnesota that refused to continue a game when an opposing player spat out a racial slur against their Latino teammate before an apology was made. This anecdote contrasts sharply with one shared by Rogelio Núñez in South Texas where local basketball fans taunted opponents by threatening to call la migra.

I returned from my research trip with an abundance of emotionally charged stories and insights and renewed by the positive possibilities for the future, even as I maintained d every reason to be pessimistic. A week after Obama's Presidential victory, even as his supporters were at their peak in believing that he would lead a comprehensive immigration reform legislation, national news was marred by the group killing of Marcello Lucero in Long Island. According to an Orlando Sentinel article on Lucero's murder (November 13, 2008), FBI statistics [reveal that] "there were 595 incidents of anti-Hispanic bias in 2007, with 830 victims reported by law enforcement agencies. That's a 40 percent rise from 2003, when there were 426 incidents involving 595 victims." These crimes have not lessened as the economic crisis has only intensified anti-immigrant sentiment. As we enter the fourth year of Obama's presidency, we are witnessing an increase of incidents of hate crimes against Latinos, rampant enforcement of immigration laws, intensification of border security, and zero action on immigration reform.

As I learned from the interviews completed for my book, in the debates raging in small town America, and in the opinion of residents and leaders alike, local leadership makes all the difference on whether a community develops a reputation for being inclusive or exclusive. Many communities have been defined by how they choose to respond to new arrivals. Across the country I have seen the dramatic difference between embracing diversity and acknowledging that it has always been a part of our social fabric or resisting it and cultivating an illusion of cultural homogeneity. However much accommodating difference and change is hard work--communities that embrace newcomers have found that they are made stronger.

Finally, communities that strive to be inclusive by respecting and embracing diversity have adopted a moral and ethical framework that views others as whole human beings with distinct histories, values, and qualities that complement their own and enrich their lives--not threaten it. Evidence of this way of viewing new immigrants is manifest in numerous ways, not the least of which are indicators revealing that people get along quite well, such as the fact that Latinos have the second highest intermarriage rate in the country, as noted by Rogelio Saenz (2004).

At the national level, leadership is needed more than ever. The ongoing economic crisis has ensured that immigration remains a controversial political issue. The 2008 election of Barack Obama and a Democrat majority in Congress did not yield a solution, as they were unable to utilize their power to pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform. However, the continuing emergence of Latinos as a political force to be reckoned with provides some basis for hope. This hope, however, has to be tempered by the harsh reality of the persistence of Anti-Latino, especially anti-Mexican, sentiment that drives hate crimes, the desire to create copy cat local and state laws aimed at driving away new immigrants, and the persistent denial that the U.S. economy is dependent on immigrant labor and thus the well-being of this country is intertwined with the well-being of those whom are too easily dismissed as dispensable outsiders.

Leaders must lead, and though one may understand why President Obama has been unable to tackle immigration reform in the face of a sustained and devastating financial crisis, unemployment, two wars, and so on, the extreme hateful rhetoric that emerges as a result of legislative efforts like Arizona's SB1070 may finally compel us to act as the world watches us once again forget our own history and the fascist rhetoric of anti-immigrants assumes a prominent place on the world stage and places us in company with nations we purport to be better than. Though the immigration debate is ostensibly about immigrants and the law, anyone who has experienced social marginalization knows that it's about much more. Notions of the law, legal status, and belonging are intimately intertwined and often pitted against one another. This is why this book is about the Latinoization of the country and not just about immigration. Latinos' pursuit of social justice and equity do not start and stop at the border. While it's not necessarily the case that if people just knew the interrelated history and facts about the economic interdependency between the U.S. and Latin America, then the immigration dilemma would be resolved, any honest assessment of why we have such difficulty with expanding our sense of who belongs has to begin with the identification of why so many fear demographic and cultural change. The rise in numbers as well as the new geography of Latino demographic change mandate different conversations about inclusion and exclusion.

Conversations Across Our America provides only a glimpse into the dynamics associated with an enormously complex and contentious issue--one that, if it is to be resolved, will require a diligent and protracted effort to lead us to a place where we gain new insight not only into our common ground but our mutual destiny with the occupants of not just the U.S. but the Americas. We sit at yet another important crossroads in U.S. history where we once again are confronted with the choice between being the very best we can imagine being, or continue being a nation willfully blind to its past and its future. Can our compassion for others be greater than our fear that "we" will change? Need we strive to maintain a fantasy that "we" are a mono-cultural nation incapable of changes we ourselves have wrought on the world? Are we once again confronting our inability to grasp that "they" are "us"?

8932 Tue, 15 Nov 2011 10:18:47 -0600 Dia de los Muertos, 2011

Thumbnail image for Scott Hall altar.JPG
This year marks the 6th anniversary of Chicano Studies, La Raza Student Cultural Center and Casa Sol celebrating Dia de los Muertos with altars, a procession, danzantes and ending with a community gathering at La Raza Student Cultural Center with food, good company and the first annual Calavera Contest! Our events occurred this past Friday, October 28th.

We celebrate El Día de los Muertos as a time-honored tradition in our community but also utilize this occasion as a somber reminder that we face many legal, political, and social challenges to securing a better future. In this spirit, dia de los muertos is a time to educate ourselves and others and renew our commitment to a meaningful life.

This year's theme was 40 Años de Lucha with each altar providing an opportunity to remember and honor loved ones who have passed, but also to educate people about issues impacting our community. The Chicano Studies altar focused on voices who rarely get mentioned or acknowledged in mainstream writings such as Gloria Anzaldua and Emma Tenayuca, for example. Thee was also a special spot for well known and respected Professor Guillermo Rojas, former chair of the Department for almost 20 years, who passed this last summer.

The Casa Sol altar was very full and vibrant with students' contributing personal cajitas, or boxes in memory of people and larger social-political issues such as immigration, border violence, and cultural pride interveaving them, and their families with life in the US.

The La Raza altar focused on immigration and recent laws impacting undocumented families, in particular, Alabama's current law HB56 which gives permission for police officers to question anyone they suspect of being undocumented and while currently blocked, the original law includes a provision that students in the K-12 must prove they have legal status to attend school. Also mentioned was CA's recent passing of their state's version of the DREAM Act, allowing undocumented students to apply for state funded financial aid.

A group fro Ketzal Coatlique danzaron in front of Coffman Union as those in the procession and others gathered around and heard from la Jefa as she talked about the dances and Dia de los Muertos.

Finally, the community gathering included good food, good company and the first annual Calaveras contest! This year's first place winner was Rodrigo Sanchez-
Chavarria for his poem, Muerte. Second place went to Gilberto Vasquez Valle with this calavera of Michelle Bachman.

In the evening, youth from Ketzal Coatlique presented to a larger group at La Raza on their experiences being part of danza and specifically Ketzal Coatlique. The youth showed such grace, clarity and articulation. It was an honor to have them present and we wish them many more years and lifetimes of danza.

What is Dia de los Muertos? Day of the Dead?

The Day of the Dead is a tradition that dates back to the ancient civilization of the Aztecs. This tradition was originally held during the Aztec month of Miccailhuitontli that falls during the months of July and August. After the arrival of the Spanish, the Christian church converted the tradition to fit a more Christian tradition the day of all saints El Dia de Todos los Santos. The change to the tradition is the reason for why now we celebrate the day of the dead on the first two days of November instead of in the months of July and August.

On the first day of November, we celebrate El Dia de los Angelitos the day of the little angels that refers to the children that have passed, who are under the age of twelve. The second day of November is for the day of the dead El Dia de los Muertos or the day of all saints El Dia de Todos los Santos. During these two days, it is custom to honor the people that have passed away with flowers called zenpazúchitles or marigold flowers. The dead are celebrated not only with flowers, but also with the cleaning of graves and altars that have ofrendas (offerings) for the dead. The offerings consist of el pan de muerto (the bread of the dead), sugar skulls, copal incense, velas (candles), favorite foods, and favorite things. The offerings are done so that the dead may once again rejoice on the things that they once loved.

El Dia de los Muertos is a day to remember our loved ones who have left the world of the living with stories and good things about them and by rejoicing in the idea that they will be enjoying their favorite things once again.


http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2011/11/dia-de-los-muertos-2011.html 318908 8932 Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:24:41 -0600 Programs and Outreach Update-Fall 2011

Happy fall and school year 2011-2012! While classes have been in session for just a few weeks, Chicano Studies has been busy, involved and active in many arenas! Certainly very high on the list and quite present in our daily work is the department's 40th Anniversary Commemoration. We started the year honoring the department's founders at La Raza Student Cultural Center's annual El Grito event. It was an honor and privilege to listen to the original members of the Latin Liberation Front-those who demanded the formation of the Chicano Studies Department in 1971- describe what it was like then and offer their perspective on today's organizing and educational empowerment. Also on that day, we honored and commemorated the life of Dr. Guillermo Rojas, long time department chair, who passed this last summer. We are honored that his family was able to join us.

For the 40th anniversary, there will be plenty of events to attend, things to think about and ways to get involved. Contact Outreach Coordinator Lisa Sass Zaragoza (sassz001@umn.edu) if you'd like to get involved either with 40th events or with other outreach efforts. See the poster and more complete details at www.chicano.umn.edu.

On campus, we are excited to welcome all new students to campus and particularly those involved in CASA SOL, our first year living learning community. All Soleros take a Chicano Studies class as well as have opportunities to connect with many opportunities on campus. In September, this fabulous group completed a day-long retreat at Camp Iduhapi- a local YMCA camp and there are many more activities and opportunities planned and in the works!

We continue our campus visits with K-12 community partners Academia Cesar Chavez (E. Side St. Paul), El Colegio/Juventud Conectada (S. MPLS) and Centro Campesino-particularly their Latino College Access Program. As students and families come to campus, they become more familiar with not only the college/university setting, but with the idea of higher education, more knowledgeable about the college process and resources available to indeed make higher education a possibility.

Finally, we continue our work with the Oral History and Video Projects. Both efforts grow from the desire to document issues of importance to our community, to record community members and provide an arena for authentic voice. Check out our website (add link) to see some or our first efforts. Both projects continue to grow and more and more videos will soon be added to the site.

Join us!

Sinceramente,

Lisa Sass Zaragoza

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2011/10/programs-and-outreach-update-f.html 314481 8932 Mon, 10 Oct 2011 16:48:20 -0600 Chicano Studies: ¡Presente!

¡Happy New Academic Year 2011-2012!

As many know, this academic year, we are celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Chicano Studies. Forty years ago, students from the Latin Liberation Front (pre-cursor to La Raza Student Cultural Center), demanded from the University of MN administration, the establishment of a Department of Chicano Studies. It was not an easy effort, nor did administration cede readily. Rather, it was the vision, courage and tenaciousness of a few strong people, within the context of tremendous social change, which catapulted the midwest onto the scene nationally. At the annual Grito event on Saturday, founders discussed their vision--particularly the steadfast demand for a department and not only a program as key to a validated and strong presence on campus.

Join us as commemorate 40 years of struggle, service and dedication. Chicano Studies will continue programming and co-sponsoring events throughout the year, with special events dedicated to the 40th Anniversary on the Third Thursdays and Final Fridays of the month.

¡Adelante!

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2011/09/chicano-studies-presente.html 308812 8932 Mon, 19 Sep 2011 13:19:55 -0600 Welcome from the Chair

¡Bienvenidos!
I hope everyone's return to campus has gone smooth and that all friends, students, staff and faculty are feeling energized by the beginning of what is sure to be an exciting new year.
As we launch our year-long celebration of the establishment of the Department of Chicano Studies we believe we have an exciting lineup of activities to commemorate and celebrate that we continue to protect and expand the legacy of Chicano Studies that was started 40 years ago.

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2011/09/welcome-from-the-chair.html 307586

Throughout the department's history, students, staff, and faculty have had to be vigilant in ensuring that we not only survive but thrive. Much has changed in the last 40 years for Chican@s-Latin@s in the United States and in Minnesota. Our mission to educate and engage ourselves and others on and off campus has never been more important as our numbers continue to grow and the educational and social justice challenges persist.
We invite you to join us in as many of our commemorative events as you possibly can. At this year's El Grito, please join Chicano Studies and La Raza as we pay tribute to our founders, former members of the Latin liberation Front who were immersed in el movimiento Chicano and heeded the call (a grito!?) to establish Chicano Studies across the land. Throughout the year, we will look back, forward, inward, and outward as we nurture our collective espiritu, mente y alma with love and respect for our community.
See you soon and be sure to welcome our latest faculty addition, Jimmy Patiño, Jr. and our new academic advisor, Liz Kalinowski when you see them around campus.

Louis Mendoza, Department Chair

27981 Tue, 13 Sep 2011 14:22:08 -0600 Departmental Videos Now on the Website

We invite you to view some videos produced by students, staff and/or faculty in the Department of Chicano Studies. We are working to get on the website many of the interviews completed for the Department's Oral History Project as well as videos produced for the Video Project. Both projects are relatively new and just a few of the ways in which we connect our work within the academy with and community priorities and initiatives. To view the videos, click on the box marked, "Videos" to the right, just under the "Spotlight" section.

We look forward to sharing with you more of our work in the Video and Oral History Projects as well as other programs and initiatives in the Department. Stay tuned for more information on the many upcoming events commemorating the 40th Anniversary of Chicano Studies. We will have a year long celebration and commemoration.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2011/08/departmental-videos-now-on-the.html 304824 8932 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 16:15:23 -0600 Best Essay in Chicano Studies winner! Felicidades Idalia!

At this year's Latina/o graduation ceremony, the department awarded a $500 scholarship for the Best Essay in Chicano Studies to Idalia Robles De León for her essay, "Las hijas de NAFTA: The Effects of Transnational Economic Policy on the (Me)Xican@ Community."

¡Felicidades, Idalia!

Read her Essay! Robles-LasHijasDeNAFTA.pdf

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2011/06/best-essay-in-chicano-studies.html 298250 27981 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:26:22 -0600 Talk on "What's wrong with Arizona" by Sandra Soto

Join us on Thursday April 21st, 2011 from 6:00pm-8:00pm in Walter Library Room 405. During this talk Sandra K. Soto will describe and analyze what her colleague K. Tsianina Lomawaima has aptly coined Arizona's "regressive suit of legislation". She also will talk about the usefulness of queer theory and queer politics, not only for reading the norms produced by --and productive of-- the legistation, but for questioning some of the "family values" based activist responses to the legislation.
See you there!

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2011/04/talk-on-whats-wrong-with-arizo.html 287567 8931 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 11:00:46 -0600 40th Anniversary Meeting Thursday April 21st

Join us to help us plan Chicano Studies 40th Anniversary events for next year!
The Meeting is this week April 21st from 4:30pm-6:00pm in Walter Library Room 405.
All are welcome to attend.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2011/04/40th-anniversary-meeting-thurs.html 287564 8931 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 10:51:26 -0600 Academia Cesar Chavez to Campus

ACC visits the University of MN on April 29 from 10am-3pm.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2011/04/academia-cesar-chavez-to-campu.html 286079 8931 Thu, 14 Apr 2011 17:51:36 -0600 Chicano Studies Names New Faculty!

To the students, staff, instructors, faculty affiliates, and friends of Chicano Studies:

I am very pleased to announce that Jimmy Patino has accepted our offer to join us as an Assistant Professor of Chicano Studies in the coming year!

Professor Patino is currently teaching at St. Cloud State University. He recently completed his PhD in History at the University of California at San Diego, where he completed a dissertation entitled "A Time for Resistance;" Globalization, Undocumented Immigration and the Chicana/o Movement in the San Diego Borderlands."

His teaching and research interests illuminate how issues of migration, cross-group interaction and social movements underscore the global forces that transform American society. He will teach a variety of courses in History, Cultural Studies, Borderlands Studies, and Chicana/o-Latina/o Politics.

Please feel free to drop him a line extending him a warm welcome at jcpatino@stcloudstate.edu

Muchisimas gracias to Professors Park, Onishi, Squires, and O'Connell for serving on our search committee. Just as importantly I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to EVERYONE who took time to meet with candidates, attend their lectures, and to provide feedback which was crucial in making this search successful. We look forward to starting next year with a renewed sense of purpose and commitment to our educational and community engagement mission.


Best,

Louis

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2011/04/chicano-studies-names-new-facu.html 286232 8932 Wed, 13 Apr 2011 14:08:35 -0600 Summer and fall registration opens!

We are excited to offer a full range of classes in the Department of Chicano Studies for fall 2011. Please see One Stop's Class Schedule for more information, but for a brief glance at upcoming classes, see below.

Summer classes include:

CHIC 3507W Introduction to Chicana/o Literature

CHIC 3771 Latino Social Power and Social Movements in the U.S.

CHIC 3900 Topics in Chicano Studies-May Term Trip to the Texas-Mexico Border Region



Chicano Studies Fall 2011 Course Schedule

CHIC 1102 Latinos in the United States: Culture and Citizenship
12:45 P.M. - 02:00 P.M., T-TH

CHIC 1275 / 3275 Service Learning in the Chicano/Latino Community
Mondays 03:35 P.M. - 05:35 P.M. Instructor: Kathleen Ganley

CHIC 1902 Freshman Seminar
4:00 P.M. - 05:15 P.M. T-TH
Instructor: Edén Torres

CHIC 3212 Chicana Studies: La Chicana in Contemporary Society
T-TH 11:15 A.M. - 12:30 P.M

CHIC 3221 Introduction to Chicana/o Cultural Studies: Barrio Culture and the Aesthetics of Everyday Life
T-TH 09:45 A.M. - 11:00 A.M.

CHIC 3375 Folklore of Greater Mexico
Thursday 06:00 P.M. - 08:30 P.M

CHIC 3444 Chicana and Chicano History: 1821-1945
T-TH 02:30 P.M. - 03:45 P.M. Instructor: Jimmy Patiño

CHIC 3507W Introduction to Chicana/o Literature
Wednesday 06:00 P.M. - 08:30 P.M.

CHIC 3507W Introduction to Chicana/o Literature
M,W 12:45 P.M. - 02:00 P.M. Instructor: Yolanda Padilla

CHIC 3852 Chicana/o Politics
Tuesday 06:00 P.M. - 08:30 P.M.

CHIC 4232 Chicana/o - Latina/o Gender and Sexuality Studies
Monday 06:30 P.M. - 08:30 P.M. Instructor: Reina Rodriguez

CHIC 4275 Theory in Action: Community Engagement in a Social Justice Framework
T-TH 04:00 P.M. - 05:15 P.M. Instructor: Lisa Sass Zaragoza

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2011/04/summer-and-fall-registration-o.html 286230 8932 Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:48:43 -0600 New videos!

Check out this video made by students who traveled to the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas to better understand the everyday realities of people who live, work and travel through the region.
Click Link to view:

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2011/02/new-videos.html 271355 27981 Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:00:00 -0600 Job talks March 2-10

Stay tuned for more details as we warmly welcome four candidates for job talks between March 2-10. All talks will be from 3:30-4:45 in Walter Library. Candidates and their respective talk titles, will be announced soon.

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2011/02/job-talks-march-2-10.html 277095 27981 Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:48:50 -0600 2011 Scholarships for Chicano Studies Majors!

The Guillermo Rojas Scholarship
Named after Professor Emeritus of Chicano Studies, the $500 Rojas Scholarship provides final semester assistance for students majoring in Chicano Studies with 21 hours or less of coursework to complete. This award acknowledges the perseverance of a student and an on-going commitment to intellectual growth of as a way of honoring the many years of service that Professor Rojas gave to students and the Department of Chicano Studies at UMTC. It is designed to provide assistance to those deserving students who need support to complete their undergraduate degree. Students will be asked to submit an application that includes a 2 page single-spaced essay on how being a Chicano Studies major has contributed to their intellectual growth. Submissions due by April 29, 2011. Students intending to graduate during the 2011 calendar year are eligible to apply. The winning essay will be posted on the Department website.

Best Chicano Studies Essay Award
This $500 scholarship will be awarded to the best essay written by a Chicano Studies major, within the current academic year (Summer 2010-Spring 2011), for a Chicano Studies class. Students must submit the assignment guidelines with the essay. Papers should be at least 5 pages in length and as long as allowed by the assignment. A nomination letter from the instructor of the course for which the paper was written must accompany the submission. Submissions due by April 29, 2011. Winning essay will be posted on the department website.

¡Adelante! Scholarship for Newly Declared Majors
This scholarship is intended to support new majors who have declared in the current academic year (Summer 2010-Spring 2011). Students will be asked to submit an application that includes a 2 page single-spaced essay on why they decided to become a Chicano Studies major and what they hope this degree will help them achieve. Submissions due by April 29, 2011. The winning essay will be posted on the department website.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2011/01/2011-scholarships-for-chicano.html 265846 8932 Wed, 05 Jan 2011 13:27:58 -0600 MN DREAM Students Break Hunger Strike in DC After Vote

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Five Minnesota youth participated in a hunger strike to pressure the US Senate to vote on the DREAM ACT, which would provide a path to citizenship for undocumented students who attend college or join the military. The House passed their version of the bill with a vote of 216-198. The Senate's vote failed to materialize by five votes on Saturday December 18th.

The hunger strikers went to Washington DC to connect with other DREAM Act students and hunger strikers from around the country to pressure senators before the vote on the 18th.

The MN DREAMERS returned from Washington DC on Monday the 20th, where they were met by family and community members at El Colegio in south Minneapolis. They reported back on what happened in DC and community members offered support and acknowledgment for the students' actions, efforts and sacrifices. While the vote was indeed extremely disappointing, students describe their morale as high and determination stronger than ever.

The Department of Chicano Studies is proud to support these youth and others working towards comprehensive immigration reform, college access for all and in general a strong and vibrant community.

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2010/12/mn-dream-students-break-hunger.html 265075 8932 Wed, 22 Dec 2010 10:49:49 -0600 Chuy Negrete Performs at Community Partner Sites

The Department of Chicano Studies in collaboration with La Raza Student Cultural Center brought nationally recognized ethno-musicologist, Dr. Chuy Negrete to the Twin Cities to perform at the University of MN and at the Department's community partner sites last week. Dr. Negrete began his tour at Academia Cesar Chavez in St. Paul where he wowed the 4th, 5th and 6th graders and told of the Mexican Revolution through the corrido. His next stop occurred at El Colegio, a 9-12th grade charter high school school in south MPLS. He connected both with the students and high school staff on various issues and finally, Dr. Negrete finished his brief, but impactful tour at La Raza Student Cultural Center for a late afternoon performance. Dr. Negrete is truly an exceptional performer with his keen knowledge of history and ability to relate that through the corrido across such a wide age span.

This is the second time Chuy has been to the University of MN in recent years. He came in 2006 to perform at Paso Al Futuro, the annual Bilingual Bicultural Graduation Celebration here at the U of M and was also greatly received then. ¡Thank you Chuy--safe travels y..orale Raza!

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 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2010/12/chuy-negrete-performs-at-commu.html 264396 8932 Tue, 14 Dec 2010 23:35:32 -0600 Senior Paper Presentations - Congratulations!

On Friday, December 10th, Karen A. Davidshofer and Leah Mathews publicly presented their Chicano Studies Senior papers to faculty, family, and friends in Scott Hall 2. Karen presented her research (also her University Honors thesis) entitled: "Comfort, Rechazo, y Algo Mas: An Analysis of Chicana Experiences of Belonging." Leah presented research based on her senior paper, entitled "Resisting Cultural Homogenization: How Dual Media Citizenship Enables Selena Gomez to Break Disney's Hegemonic Spell." Both students impressed the audience with their insights into cultural and social dynamics and the originality of their research.

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 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2010/12/senior-paper-presentations---c.html 264344 8932 Tue, 14 Dec 2010 14:04:10 -0600 Spring 2011 Course!

CHIC 3672 - CHICANOS IN THE MIDWEST

Want to learn about the Chicano experience in the Midwest and contribute to more knowledge on the topic? Join us!

Learn about activism and help document the history of campus and community engagement on the part of local Chicano activists. Your class project can make a difference!

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2010/12/spring-2011-course.html 263814 27981 Fri, 10 Dec 2010 09:19:25 -0600 Special Topics Course

Spring 2011, the Department of Chicano Studies will be offering a special topics course taught by visiting scholar Yolanda Padilla. Check it out!

Chic 3900 - The Mexican Revolution in the Greater Mexican Imagination
2:30 - 3:45, TTh

The Mexican Revolution was one of a small number of monumental social, political, and cultural movements that shaped the twentieth century. While critics normally date the war between 1910-1920, it continues to be a key reference point for writers, artists, filmmakers, politicians, and cultural critics on both sides of the border into the present day.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2010/11/special-topics-course.html 258385

This raises a number of questions: why and how does the Revolution continue to resonate roughly 100 years after its end? What accounts for its power as a symbol, and what does it symbolize? How have the Revolution's meanings evolved or been manipulated over time, and what do those changes tell us? How have Mexicans in the United States engaged the Revolution? How have the Revolution and its legacies influenced Mexican American understandings of their place north of the border? And how are concepts such as race, class, and gender constructed and deployed in representations of the war? To explore such questions, we will study a range of engagements with the war expressed in diverse cultural forms such as political manifestos, newspaper articles, historiographical treatments, novels, films, comic books, photography, and murals. The course is organized around key historical and cultural moments that sparked renewed interest in the Revolution as a means of understanding, promoting, and/or manipulating these newer contexts. Such moments include postrevolutionary Mexican nation-building, Mexican (im)migration to the United States, the Cuban Revolution and the Cold War, the Chicano Movement, La Noche de Tlaltelolco, the signing of NAFTA, and the Chiapas rebellion.

We will study the work of writers such as Mariano Azuela, Nellie Campobellos, Leonor Villegas de Magnon, Juan Rulfo, Carlos Fuentes, Americo Paredes, Jose Antonio Villareal, Rosario Castellanos, Elena Garro, Luis Valdez and El Teatro Campesino, Sandra Cisneros, and Montserrat Fontes. Visual artists may include Jose Guadalupe Posada, Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Lalo Alcaraz. Films may include Maria Candelaria, Viva Zapata, The Wild Bunch, and The Lost Reels of Pancho Villa.

27981 Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:43:42 -0600 Spring 2011 Chicano Studies Course Offerings

Spring registration begins November 9th!

This Spring, the Department of Chicano Studies is excited to offer the following courses:

Chic 1275/3275 - Service Learning in the Chicano/Latino Community (Civ)
Chic 3213 - Chicano Music and Art (Pending - AH, DSJ)
Chic 3223 - Chicana/o and Latina/o Representation in Film (AH, DSJ)
Chic 3374 - Migrant Farmworkers in the US: Families, Work, and Advocacy (Civ)
Chic 3446 - Chicana/o History II: WWII, El Movimiento, and the New Millennium (His, DSJ)
Chic 3452 - Xicana/Indigena Studies: History, Culture, and Politics (DSJ)
Chic 3507W - Intro to Chicana/o Literature (Lit, DSJ, WI)
Chic 3672 - Chicana/o Experience in the Midwest (DSJ)
Chic 3752 - Chicanas and Chicanos in Contemporary Society (DSJ)
Chic 3900 - CASA SOL Leadership
Chic 3900 - Mexican Revolution in the Greater Mexican Imagination

To learn more about our course offerings, including times and course descriptions, click here.

Also, learn more about the Chicano Studies major and minor here. Contact Department Adviser Nicole Clements at clem0078@umn.edu with any questions regarding course offerings or degree programs.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2010/11/spring-2011-chicano-studies-co.html 258380 8932 Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:20:36 -0600 Chicano Studies Fall Gathering


Tuesday, October 19th
12:00 - 1:00 pm
Scott Hall Commons (Room 105)
FREE TORTAS Y REFRESCOS!

Please join our Department faculty, staff, and students for this lunchtime gathering. Learn more about the Chicano Studies major and minor, meet others in the Department, and enjoy free food. All current and prospective students are welcome!

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2010/10/chicano-studies-fall-gathering.html 253124 27981 Thu, 14 Oct 2010 09:19:30 -0600 ¡Fall Welcome 2010!

It is fall semester 2010 and we welcome everyone to the Department of Chicano Studies in Scott Hall on the East Bank. Whether you are new to campus or very familiar to campus and the University of MN, we invite you to stop by the office to meet our great staff and faculty, peruse our list of classes being offered or become involved in our many outreach programs and options.

This fall already has already and will continue to prove to be a very full and exciting time in Chicano Studies. Classes began September 7th and as a department, we are running 12 courses-most of which are full or close to full. Casa Sol, the Living Learning Community began it's 6th year with the biggest class ever and we continue to work with youth and families in the K-12 through our four community partners, in addition to our work with other Latino- centric groups and non-profits.

2010 recognizes the 100th Anniversary of the Mexican Revolution and the 200th Anniversary of Mexican Independence. While the work of Chicano Studies focuses on the lived reality and experiences of Chican@s and Latin@ in the US, certainly there is an intimate connection with Mexico and we are proud to partner with the Mexican Consulate for various activities and programs, including a joint Grito Para Educaccion.

Stop by-estas en tu casa~

Department of Chicano Studies

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2010/09/fall-welcome-2010.html 250361 27981 Wed, 29 Sep 2010 14:15:41 -0600 Ethnic Studies Week October 1-7

Twin Cities Ethnic Studies Week Goals & Objectives

Ethnic Studies Week in the Twin Cities grew out of a national call to defend Ethnic Studies across the nation. The goal is to defend multicultural education and reject the recent legislative and philosophical assault against ethnic studies and ethnic communities by increasing social awareness through purposeful educational events, demonstrations and workshops.

Earlier this year Jan Brewer, the governor of Arizona, signed HB 2281, which banned the teaching of Ethnic Studies in Arizona public schools. This legislation authored by State Superintendent of Public Instruction specifically targets Mexican American Studies in the Tucson Unified School District. During this same time frame the Texas State Board of Education drastically revised its social studies textbook standards to dilute civil rights history and exclude many aspects of the historical and social contributions of people of color. These monumental legislative events, and the ideological thinking that fuels them, illustrates that Ethnic Studies programs and multicultural education are under national assault.
This is a recurring generational struggle which began during the Civil Rights Era when students from across the country stood up to university administrators and faculty to demand racial, ethnic and gender specific programming as central to a quality education. We are asking people in schools and in communities across the Twin Cities to do what might amount to civil disobedience in the Arizona public schools: participate in Ethnic Studies events and engage in the types of cultural learning censored by others. The goal of this initiative is simple: to show that instead of banning Ethnic Studies, we should defend and expand access to multi-cultural education. We invite you to join us!

Twin Cities Ethnic Studies Week Committee


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 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2010/09/ethnic-studies-week-october-1-.html 248936 8932 Tue, 21 Sep 2010 08:57:10 -0600 Casa Sol group attends annual retreat

Begun as a way to make the university stronger, to combat isolation and provide support for first year students, this year marks the 6th cohort of Soler@s here at the University of MN, TC.

All students take a Chicano Studies class-History, Identity and Culture the first semester and a class on leadership during the spring semester. Additionally, there are various activities, programs and projects the students work on during the semester which helps to support, ground and build a strong sense of community on campus between and amongst the group.

One component includes the annual retreat to a local YMCA camp for a day long retreat. Stay tuned for photos and more updates!

Casa Sol Spring Calendar

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 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2010/09/casa-sol-group-attends-annual.html 248931 8932 Tue, 21 Sep 2010 00:00:13 -0600 10th and 11th Graders win 2010 Sembrando Una Semilla Award

High school students from Chicano Studies' partners Edison High School, El Colegio y La Escuelita won the 2010 Sembrando Una Semilla Award presented at this year's graduation ceremony, Paso Al Futuro. Congratulations!

This year was the first year the Department ran an after school ACT prep program in south Minneapolis. Students who enrolled in the course attended a 2 hour, weekly ACT preparatory class. The goal was to increase their scores on the ACT, a national college entrance exam.

The Sembrando Una Semilla Award is presented annually by the graduation committee to the individual, group, or organization whose effort embodies the collective aspirations of our community. We are proud of the ACT prep program youth and know they will continue to develop and grow their leadership now and into the future.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2010/06/10th-and-11th-graders-win-2010.html 236502 27981 Tue, 01 Jun 2010 10:36:51 -0600 Thank You!

The Department of Chicano Studies would like to thank everyone who made the 2009-2010 events and campus visits possible. Thank you for all the support and hard work!

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2010/05/thank-you.html 236057 27981 Tue, 25 May 2010 16:36:13 -0600 Department's Migrant Class Students Organize Farmworker Forum

From Field to Table: Workers in the Food System Making Change

Date: Monday, April 26, 2010
Time: 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Location: Saint Paul Public Library,
Riverview Branch
1 E. George St, West Saint Paul

Join the University of Minnesota's Department of Chicano Studies and Centro Campesino in discussing the current agricultural system from a global, national and local lens. Learn more about farmworker efforts and local structures that lead to a more just food system.

Guest Speakers:

- Ernesto Velez Bustos, Community Organizer at Centro Campesino
- Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, Director of the Rural Enterprise Center, Founder of the Fair Trade Federation, Creator of Peace Coffee
- Erik Esse, Membership and Marketing Director of IFP (Independent Feature Project) Minnesota
- Lisa Sass Zaragoza, Outreach Coordinator, University of Minnesota Department of Chicano Studies

Arrive at 6:30 to purchase products in support of farmworker organizing, learn more about the cause and participate in an interactive trivia session. Fair trade coffee and cookies will be served.

This event is part of an annual series of events entitled: "Untold Stories" presented by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library. This year the theme is food production and the struggle for justice; the people who put food on our tables.

Here is the link to the full webpage:
http://www.thefriends.org/untold.htm.

This event is free to the public, all are welcome!

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2010/04/departments-migrant-class-stud.html 231643 8931 Fri, 23 Apr 2010 10:22:20 -0600 Casa Sol trip-The Windy City

From Friday March 26th-Sunday March 28th, 2010 Soler@s and staff drove to Chi-town for a fabulous learning and group bonding experience! Sights visited included: National Mexican Art Museum, Casa Aztlan, Bombazo-Afro-Caribbean drumming, Millennium Park and Chinatown. What a whirlwind! More pics soon!

Casa Sol 2010 at Millennium Park and Chinatown
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 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2010/03/casa-sol-trip-the-windy-city.html 226361 8931 Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:05:50 -0600 CARAVAN TO FARMWORKER FREEDOM MARCH in FL

Hey everyone,

Fair Food Twin Cities is organizing a caravan from the Twin Cities to join
the Farmworker Freedom March in Florida (see below for more info)...anyone
interested in joining? Or know anyone who might be? We're exploring funding options now...

CARAVAN TO FARMWORKER FREEDOM MARCH

Fair Food Twin Cities is organizing a caravan to drive to the Farmworker
Freedom March with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) in Florida. The
march is April 16-18�the caravan will leave the Twin Cities on Thursday,
April 15 in the morning, and get back on Monday, April 19 in the evening. It
will cost $225-300 per person (including food, lodging, transportation and
everything), depending on how many people join us. If you would like to
join the march, please contact Brian Payne ASAP to reserve a spot for
yourself.

For more information on the march, see the CIW website at:
http://www.ciw-online.org/freedom_march/index.html

For more information on the Twin Cities caravan, contact Brian Payne at
612-859-5750, or brianpayneyvp@gmail.com

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2010/03/caravan-to-farmworker-freedom.html 224975 8931 Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:07:54 -0600 National Farmworker Awareness Week is March 29-April 2!

Commemorating the March 31st birthday of the great labor leader Cesar Chavez, organizations across the country are hosting a week of action to bring attention to the plight of farmworkers in the United States. Through National Farmworker Awareness Week 2010, we celebrate 11 years of bringing together thousands of people to take action and raise awareness about the conditions of the men, women, and children who harvest our food. We take action to call for dignity now.

Farmworker advocates, religious leaders, students, labor activists, consumers and environmental health professionals will host rallies, marches, petition drives, panel discussions, film screenings and other events to recognize the vital contributions of agricultural workers to our economy.

Here at the University of MN, students in Chicano Studies class 3374, Migrant Farmworkers: Family, Work and Advocacy in collaboration with La Raza student cultural center will host a film series, an educational event in St. Paul and support the Dine with Dignity campaign as part of this year's actions. Contact Israel Pinner (pinne003@umn.edu) or Megan Hines (hine0080@umn.edu) for more informaton.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2010/03/national-farmworker-awareness.html 224466 8931 Mon, 22 Mar 2010 08:00:00 -0600 Border life on the Texas-Mexico Divide

This new course, CHIC3900, looks to understand issues impacting people who live, work and travel in the border area between the United States and Mexico.

More Info
Apply

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2010/02/border-life-on-the-texas-mexic.html 215972 27981 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 11:08:07 -0600 Saturday, Dec. 12 from 4-7pm.

"¿Quien es la Virgen de Guadalupe?" "Who is the Virgin of Guadalupe?"

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2009/12/saturday-dec-12-from-4-7pm-qui.html 209095 8931 Tue, 08 Dec 2009 09:37:06 -0600 Dia De Los Muertos Photos 2009

On Friday October 30th, the annual celebration of Dia de los muertos took place on campus beginning with the dedication of altars. The altars were located in Scott Hall, Appleby Hall and La Raza Cultural Student Center. Each of them were built by current Casa Sol students, Chicano Studies classes, and members of La Raza according to this year's theme of "Body Counts." Each group took an approach to interpreting the theme and choreographed their altar accordingly to honor those past and present Mexican-Americans who have sacrificed themselves and their bodies throughout history in various ways. After the procession and dedication, the dancers from Kalpulli KetzalCoatlicue performed outside Coffman Memorial Union. After the performance, students and observers enjoyed tamales and pan de muerto in La Raza. The event was a huge success and we had a great turn out this year. Thanks to all who participated and contributed to this year's event and hope to see you all next year!


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 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2009/11/dia-de-los-muertos-photos-2009.html 202579 8931 Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:25:42 -0600 Lunch with Faculty Featuring Dr. Lori Rodriguez 10/23/2009

La Raza Student Cultural Center invites you to a lunch meeting with new Chicano Studies faculty member Dr. Lori Rodriguez!

Friday, October 23rd
11:30 A.M.
La Raza - 211 Coffman Union

Please join us for an informal conversation with Dr. Lori Rodriguez over lunch that we will provide.

This event is free and open to the public so bring your friends!


Questions? Contact:
Edwing Bonfil at bonfi003@umn.edu or
Jesús Estrada-Pérez at estr0044@umn.edu

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2009/10/lunch-with-faculty-featuring-d.html 198651 8931 Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:53:16 -0600 Chicana/o Studies Student & Faculty at the State Fair 2009

Here are some pics of Chicana/o Studies Students and Faculty at the Minnesota State Fair!

At the State Fair

At the State Fair

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 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2009/09/chicanao-studies-student-facul.html 191861 8931 Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:19:59 -0600 Felicidades!

Lisa Sass Zaragoza. The Department of Chicano Studies would like to congratulate Lisa Sass Zaragoza for winning the 2009 Outstanding Community Service Award from the University of Minnesota's Office for Public Engagement.

The award, established in 1999 by President Robert H. Bruininks, recognizes members of the University community who have devoted their time and talent to making substantial and enduring contributions to the community, to improving public life and to the well-being of society. Their contributions and accomplishments have resulted in long-term and lasting changes for the public good and demonstrate an unusual commitment to community engagement.

Lisa was nominated for her role in planning and establishing the Minnesota Network of Latinos in Higher Education.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chicstud/home/2009/04/felicidades-1.html 176564 8931 Thu, 16 Apr 2009 08:23:54 -0600