2020-2021 NEWSLETTER
CENTER FOR MEXICAN AMERICAN STUDIES
As we start the 2021-2022 semester, I want to thank all the staff, students, community members and faculty for supporting the Center for Mexican American Studies and engaging with us during this most difficult year. It has certainly been a year of unexpected change, sorrow, and mourning. However, it has also been a year in which so many have come together to support and take care of one another, challenge injustice and continue “work that matters.” At CMAS we are grateful for all those who participated in our numerous online engagements, served on our CMAS #BLM Taskforce, and sought opportunities through CMAS to expand the sharing and creation of scholarship and creative arts in the areas of Mexican American and Latinx Studies. In our newsletter you will find some of our CMAS activities from 2020-2021 and a preview of 2021-2022. We wish all a healthy, safe, and successful 2021-2022 academic year.
Stephanie Alvarez, PhD Director, Center for Mexican American Studies
THE CENTERS FOR MEXICAN AMERICAN STUDIES AND BILINGUAL STUDIES AT UTRGV WELCOME SAMANTHA LOPEZ
PROGRAM COORDINATOR
Samantha joined CMAS & CBS as the new program coordinator as of February 2021. Samantha Lopez joined UTRGV as a direct wage for the College of Science's Dean's Office in 2016. Samantha graduated with a Bachelor's of Science in Criminal Justice in May 2018 and began her tenure with UTRGV High School Equivalency Program in July 2018. Samantha earned her Masters of Science degree in Criminal Justice in May 2020.
CHASED BY HOUNDS
SEPTEMBER 28 A Special Latinx Heritage Month "Cafecito y Charla" featured a plática with Documentary Producer Arnulfo Segovia on his recent Documentary with Joe Ayala, "Chased by Hounds: Documenting the Legacy and Community of Blood In Blood Out", which discusses legacy and community of Blood In, Blood Out. Click here to visit the doc's website.
TU LUCHA ES MI LUCHA
OCTOBER 1 Tu Lucha es mi Lucha consisted of learning the meaning of advocacy through letter writing and taking action within the frame of any social issue worth fighting for. The event was Co-Sponsored with Student Union and Department of Political Science.
2020-2021 Newsletter
Center for Mexican American Studies
EL RETORNO: EL VALLE CELEBRA NUESTRA GLORIA ANNUAL EVENT “WORK THAT MATTERS”:
OCTOBER 2 Community members from the Rio Grande Valley unpacked a conversation about Gloria Anzaldúa’s impact in their lives. Those watching learned about the many projects and events happening en el Valle that focus not only on Gloria Anzaldúa’s work, but also the work of many other queer Latinx writers. LGBTQIA+ identified writers, artists, scholars and educators are at the center of our conversation, as we purposefully center queer of color experiences as a form of celebration.
REACHING ACROSS DIASPORA IN BLACK LATINX POETRY: A READING & CONVERSATION WITH MALCOLM FRIEND
OCTOBER 14 Malcolm Friend, author of the poetry collections "mxd kd mixtape" and "Our Bruises Kept Singing Purple," led a discussion of poems in the "Afro-Latin@ Reader: History and Culture in the United States," and shared some of his own work, and talked a bit on the connections made to other Black diasporas in Black Latinx poetry today. This event was co-sponsored with Gallery Magazine. This was one of the events dedicated to celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the publication on "The AfroLatin@ Reader: History and Culture in the U.S." Co-Sponsored by Gallery Magazine
2020-2021 Newsletter
Center for Mexican American Studies
A READING WITH FRANCISCO ARAGÓN
OCTOBER 21 Francisco Aragón led a reading and discussion about his book "After Rubén", Aragón's book unfolds as a decades-long journey in poems and prose, braiding the personal, the political & the historical, interspersing along the way Englishlanguage versions & riffs of a Spanish-language master: Rubén Darío. Francisco Aragón has assembled his most expansive collection to date, evoking his native San Francisco, but also imagining ancestral spaces in Nicaragua. In short: a book that is both trajectory & mosaic, complicating the conversation surrounding poetry in the Americas—above all as it relates to Latinx and queer poetics. This event was cosponsored with Gallery Magazine.
POETRY READING & DISCUSSION
WITH ARIANA BROWN
FEBRUARY 21 Ariana Brown joined CMAS for a reading and discussion about her poetry. The event took place virtually in February, 2021. Ariana Brown is a queer Black Mexican American poet from the Southside of San Antonio, Texas. In January 2020, Ariana released Sana Sana, her debut poetry chapbook from Game Over Books. She has also recorded a digital EP titled LET US BE ENOUGH, available on Bandcamp. Ariana holds a B.A. in African Diaspora Studies and Mexican American Studies from UT Austin as well as an MFA in Poetry from the University of Pittsburgh. Co-Sponsored by Gallery Magazine, FESTIBA, The Center for Diversity and Inclusion and Dream Resource Center.
2020-2021 Newsletter
Center for Mexican American Studies
THEY CALLED US REBELS
SCREENING PREMIERE CMAS along with Escuelín premiered the full-length documentary: They Called Us Rebels: The 1968 Edcouch-Elsa Walkout. The documentary reveals how Mexican-American students organize a seminal demonstration of resistance against segregation & racism on the border of South Texas. They Called us Rebels was Directed by Dan & Frank Segovia, Executive Producer – Stephanie Alvarez, PhD, Produced by Samantha Herrera & Eduardo Martinez. Funding for the documentary was provoded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities and Humanities Texas. You can view the full-length documentary at www.theycalledusrebels.com
SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK: LAS VIDAS NEGRAS IMPORTAN. AFRO-LATIN@S, #BLM AND THE URGENCY OF NOW WITH EJIMA BAKER-MORALES.
MARCH 24 The second in series dedicated to celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the publication on the "AfroLatin@ Reader: History and Culture in the U.S." ...Ejima Baker Morales discusses the urgency of recognizing the intersection of Blackness, Afrolatinidad, and the #BLM. Then your writeupEjima Baker-Morales is an educator and artist. Her experiences growing up in Trinidad, going to school in Cuba and living in DC and NYC frequently find their way into her work. Her artistic and academic work focuses on the experiences of women, popular culture, race and sexuality.
2020-2021 Newsletter
Center for Mexican American Studies
MEXICAN AMERICAN STUDIES IN THE RGV OPEN HOUSE
APRIL 8 Current and prospective students met the faculty of the UTRGV Mexican American Studies Program, the Center for Mexican American Studies, and South Texas College’s MAS Program and got a look at the work that our programs do.
VIRTUAL PRE-SCREENING OF "AMERICAN EXILE: SERVICE, SACRIFICE & DEPORTATION"
APRIL 21 An Evening with John J. Valadez: Virtual Pre-Screening of "American Exile: Service, Sacrifice & Deportation" Discussion with the award-winning filmmaker moderated by Dr. Maritza De La Trinidad. This controversial and emotionally charged film asks difficult questions about race, service and sacrifice in a time of national crisis, and what it means to be American. American Exile will receive a primetime national broadcast on PBS in the fall of 2021. This event was co-sponsored with UTRGV University Library, College of Liberal Arts and Humanities Texas.
2020-2021 Newsletter
Center for Mexican American Studies
CENTER FOR MEXICAN AMERICAN STUDIES
FACULTY GRANT RECIPIENTS 2021
Congratulations to the faculty who received up to $1000 to work on research
or creative activities in the field of Mexican American and Latinx Studies. Keep a look out for our “Trae tu Lonchera” series this 2021-2022 academic year as the grant recipients will present their important and inspiring work in the field of Mexican American and Latinx Studies. GEORGE AMORIM, DMA COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS
“UTRGV DOUBLE BASS QUARTET MEXICAN-AMERICAN & LATINX COMPOSERS SERIES”
ELIZABETH DEVEN-HERNÁNDEZ
AND ROSALVA RESENDIZ, PHD COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS
“VIAJES, RECORRIDOS Y MEMORIAS.”
MIRYAM ESPINOSA-DULANTO, PHD COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND P-16 INTEGRATION
“OUR STRUGGLES, OUR STORIES, OUR VOICES CONVIVIO -MUXERISTA COLECTIVA.”
2020-2021 Newsletter
Center for Mexican American Studies
CENTER FOR MEXICAN AMERICAN STUDIES
FACULTY GRANT RECIPIENTS 2021
Congratulations to the faculty who received up to $1000 to work on research
or creative activities in the field of Mexican American and Latinx Studies. Keep a look out for our “Trae tu Lonchera” series this 2021-2022 academic year as the grant recipients will present their important and inspiring work in the field of Mexican American and Latinx Studies. RIGOBERTO GONZÁLEZ, MFA COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS
“LA FRONTERA NARRATIVE MURAL PAINTINGS, EXHIBITION AND PANEL DISCUSSION.”
KRISTA JOBSON, DMA AND
HÉCTOR RODRÍGUEZ, DMA COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS
“THROUGH THE WALL.” SSTARC K-5 MEXICAN AMERICAN STUDIES DUAL LANGUAGE TEACHER WORKSHOP WITH CENTER OF BILINGUAL STUDIES
On August 13-14, 2021 CMAS & CBS held their 2nd SSTARC workshop with PSJA ISD, McAllen ISD, and Donna ISD K-5 teachers. The workshop aims to provide an opportunity for local K-5 teachers to gain a better knowledge of Mexican American Studies, create relevant social studies content through authentic and relevant curriculum for their students in both English and Spanish, and disseminate the content on a wide scale online to enrich the schooling experience of students by exposing them to authentic humanities content. Visit us at www.utrgv.edu/sstarc.
2020-2021 Newsletter
CMAS #BLM TASKFORCE
In 2020-2021, In light of the continued institutionalized violence and recent killings perpetuated on unarmed Black folks and inspired by the #BlackLivesMatter movement, CMAS wished to move beyond words and take immediate action to create institutional change at UTRGV in order to address long-standing inequities that contribute to the devalorization of Black Lives. CMAS convened together a university-wide taskforce of students, staff, and faculty, co-chaired by Stephanie Alvarez and Emmy Pérez, to address issues of systemic racism on campus. At the end of the academic year the Taskforce proposed to the undergraduate curriculum committee an Ethnic /Gender Studies Graduation Requirement. The purpose of the requirement is to ensure that students at UTRGV study the experiences, culture/s, perspectives, and/or histories of one or more groups that have been persistently and historically marginalized in the United States so they are able to better comprehend the social, institutional and cultural dynamics of race, ethnicity, gender, and/or gender identities as they pertain to the social justice history and diversity of the United States.
Center for Mexican American Studies
2020-2021 Newsletter
Center for Mexican American Studies
FORTHCOMING
Unveiling of National Literary Landmark for Gloria E. Anzaldúa at UTRGV, co-hosted by the Society for the Study of Gloria Anzaldúa, UTRGV Center for Mexican American Studies, UTRGV Center for Diversity and Inclusion, and Gloria Anzaldúa Legacy Project. This is made possible by The Society for the Study of Gloria Anzaldúa and the UTRGV Center for Mexican American Studies whose application was approved by United for Libraries, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission , Texas Center for the Book and supported by Summerlee Foundation Texas Library and Archives Foundation.
Center for Mexican American Studies Department of B3 Institute
Our Staff Director Stephanie Alvarez Associate Director Emmy Pérez
EEDUC 2. 216B samantha.j.lopez01@utrgv.edu Phone: (956) 665-3212 Phone Alt: (956) 665-3213
Program Coordinator Samantha Lopez
https://www.utrgv.edu/cmas/
Graduate Assistant Pepe García Gilling
This newsletter and work of CMAS in 2020-2021 has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities and Humanities Texas through a COVID-19 Relief Grant