News Archive
Latino/a Studies will cover up to 2 more registration fees for Hispanic Acheivement Conference
Latino/a Studies will cover up to 2 more registration fees for Hispanic Achievement Conference at Meredith College. The conference is sponsored by the North Carolina Society of Hispanic Professionals on October 9th and will cover themes of Latino achievement in education. For more information about the conference themes, click here.
Contact Jenny Snead-Williams (jennysw@duke.edu) for information about registration fees.
October 21, 2007 - Los Suenos de Angelica/Angelica's Dreams Press Release
October 5, 2007
Angelica's Dreams, the first Latino feature film to come out of North Carolina, boldly mixes financial education and fiction
Angélica’s Dreams is the film version of Latino Community Credit Union's three-part dramatic mini series dedicated to financial education. The primary purpose of the video is to show community members, and the general population, the process of buying a home. Latino Community Credit Union (LCCU) produced it with a grant from the CDFI Fund, a program of the United States Treasury Department. LCCU contracted Rodrigo Dorfman's creative services as producer and director.
Los Sueños de Angélica is the moving story of an immigrant couple from Latin America, Angélica and Roberto, who are discussing whether to return to their home country or stay in the
The film is part of LCCU’s groundbreaking Home Buyer Education (HBE) program. These materials consist of an HBE Guide and the companion video series. LCCU will provide 25,000 copies of the guide and 1,200 copies of the video to be used throughout the
"At LCCU we recognize that the overwhelming majority of our more than 50,000 members have little or no experience with financial services and therefore need extensive financial education to integrate into the mainstream
Boldly mixing documentary and fiction, telenovela and comedy, director/producer Rodrigo Dorfman shot the film entirely on location in Durham, North Carolina, plunging his main characters deep into the daily life of one of the most vibrant new Latino communities in the U.S. Angélica’s Dreams takes you into butcher shops, construction sites, churches, music festivals, bars and real estate offices. There are no guns here, no drug dealers, no gang members, no gratuitous violence or foul language, only the turbulent, unexpectedly humorous lives of everyday people struggling to enter the mainstream of American society.
"The experience of making Angélica’s Dreams has been exhilarating and I hope it can serve as a model to anyone interested in the possibility of creating socially relevant low budget/high quality grassroots film from within a Latino community", says director Rodrigo Dorfman. “LCCU took a chance with this experiment and I can't thank them enough for this wonderful opportunity.”
The screening is sponsored by Latino Community Credit Union, the City of Durham Department of Community Development, and the following Duke University Departments: Latino/a Studies at Duke, The Multicultural Center, Community Affairs, the Institute for Critical US Studies, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Spanish Service Learning, Duke Women's Studies Program, Center for Documentary Studies, Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy, the Community Service Center, the John Hope Franklin Center for Interdisciplinary and International Studies, and Campus Life Unit of Student Affairs.
Latino Community Credit Union is a community development credit union that provides competitive interest rates for deposits, affordable loans, and financial education. Based in
Latino Community Credit Union/Cooperativa Comunitaria Latina de Crédito
Fax: (919) 688-9309
E-mail: angel@cooperativalatina.org
Web: http://www.cooperativalatina.org??/A>
October 25, 2007 - Senate Votes Against DREAM Act
October 25, 2007 - El Pueblo Condemns the Senate Vote against Students' Dream
Yesterday, the United States Senate voted against cloture- a motion to
proceed with further debate on the DREAM Act. The tally was 52 to 44, falling 8
votes short of the 60 needed. Both of North Carolina's Senators, Elizabeth Dole
(R) and Richard Burr (R), voted against cloture and, ultimately, against the
dreams and hopes of many talented and qualified youth that graduate from our
North Carolina high schools every year.
Not only were we failed by our Senators, we were extremely disappointed by the White House Administration which released a statement opposing the DREAM Act only moments before the Senate vote. The President made the point that immigration should be addressed in a comprehensive manner even as he continues to support enforcement-only approaches that have resulted in the separation of families and mass deportations of non-criminal immigrants. Ironically, many of the Senators who called for a comprehensive solution during the debate were precisely the same Senators who voted against continuing the negotiations around comprehensive immigration reform earlier this year.
It was unfortunate that the debate heard on the floor of the Senate contributed more to the rhetoric surrounding immigration and failed to recognize that the DREAM Act was a proposal about education and opportunity for young students who have only the best to offer this country. Instead, we continue to witness the inaction of our leaders, who repeatedly choose to avoid enacting and implementing pragmatic solutions that speak to the realities of our communities, our economy, and our future as a country.
El Pueblo commends and thanks Senators Reid (D-NV), Durbin (D-IL), Lugar (R-IN), and Hagel (R-NE) for standing up in the right side of this issue, and having the courage to champion the quest of education for our immigrant youth. We also want to thank everyone who called their Senators to voice their support for the DREAM Act. Unfortunately, many did not hear the necessity of such legislation and chose to maintain the status-quo, closing the door of opportunity to our talented youth.
El Pueblo is especially disappointed in our two Senators from North Carolina. Earlier this year, both NC Senators also voted to end further debate on comprehensive immigration reform. They have also made clear statements that they stand for the status-quo and continue to favor flawed enforcement of a chaotic and broken immigration system.
We call on our leaders to propose and support real solutions and come up with significant policies that will truly address the suffering of our immigrant families.
2 Great Courses: Cultures of US Imperialism: War of 1898 AND America in Black and Brown
ENGLISH 169CS - Cultures of US Imperialsims: War of 1898
Crosslisted: LIT 161S and SPAN 122S
Instructor: Saldivar, Jose D Tu Th 2:50 PM- 4:05 PM (240 Science)
This special topics course explores the narratives--memoirs, essays, novels, testimonies, letters--and history of the Cultures of United States Imperialism. We will start by considering the multiple meanings of US imperialism and anti-imperialism, and the frontiers of US Empire. We will then examine the meaning of the war of 1898. Was 1898 a date and space of historical beginning and/or a date of historical rupture? Why was the War of 1898 termed a "splendid little war?" But we will move beyond the reification of 1898 by considering other transnational configurations such as Jose Marti's Latinamericanism, W.E. B. Du Bois's Pan-Africanism, and Subcomandante Marcos Zapatismo. Additionally, we will explore how US imperialism maps the relations of the domestic and the foreign in gendered and ethno-racial terms. Briefly, this course has a double focus. One looks at the representations of US empire in a variety of literary and non-literary texts within a broad timeframe. The second examines recent theoretical work about culture and US imperialism and sets them in dialogue with the current efforts to remap the post-colonial dimensions of US culture and society.
Course content is over 50% Latino/a Studies-specific. Link to course (with texts required and course grading): http://www.siss.duke.edu/schedule/1230/ENGLISH/169CS/
AAAS 199S - SP TOP: America in Black and Brown
Crosslisted: HISTORY 106S, LIT 162ZS
Instructor: Reyes, Alvaro W F 8:30 AM-9:45 AM (Sci Bldg 240)
This class will attempt to deepen our understanding of the 1960's by showing the centrality of actions taken by people of Color on and off college campuses across the United States- actions that began in the late 1950's and continued into the Early 1970's.
We will begin with an examination of the global context of the revolts that occurred during this epoch (African Decolonization, Viet Nam etc). We will then concentrate on the content of the expression of this era within Black and Latino radical movements-mostly specifically, the Black Panther Party, The Young Lords Organization, and the Chicano Movement. Link to course: http://www.siss.duke.edu/schedule/1230/LIT/162ZS/
Support Access to NC Community Colleges
On November 7, 2007, the NC Community College System Office released a memo stating that all community colleges in the state are now required to admit undocumented students. On Friday, Nov 30, Gov Easley made a public statement of support for undocumented immigrants to attend community colleges if they qualify and if they pay out-of-state tuition. Please visit the El Pueblo site and click on the links to thank Gov Easley and to support access for all to higher education.
This policy change will strengthen our future tax base. It would give an opportunity to young people who have grown up in North Carolina, and been educated in NC public schools to obtain a higher education while also allowing our state to have access to the long-term economic benefits that these students can provide as a highly educated and bilingual workforce. This is about investing in the future of NC and the people who live, work and raise families here. Immigrant families are pulling more than their own weight when it comes to the taxes they pay, the contribution they are making to our growing economy, and what they bring to a diverse state like North Carolina. This is not about special rights; this is about not making the self-defeating mistake of cutting off the achievement and ability to succeed of our neighbors.
This is a workforce development issue. North Carolina's state and local governments, businesses, and industry are currently recruiting college graduates from outside the state, as well as outside the US, to fill shortages in the fields of business, education, and health services. A number of students who will benefit from this policy change have the potential to satisfy many of these essential job needs in NC. Immigrants are here, are paying taxes, holding jobs, raising families, and most will be here for the rest of their lives and while it is good for the immigrants to get an education, it is even more important for all of us in North Carolina that they move up the economic ladder and become self-sufficient engines of the NC economy. Access to our state's colleges will increase the state's collective productivity and economic growth by preparing an educated workforce.
These are qualified North Carolina students. According to the law, any student in North Carolina is entitled to a public school education until the 12th grade, meaning that our state has already invested significantly in their education. These are high school students who have attended elementary and secondary schools in this state for most of their lives, who are likely to remain in the state and are high achieving and highly motivated. By allowing them to pursue higher educations, the state can benefit from students who are bilingual and bicultural, and able to contribute to the state's collective productivity and economic growth.
In-state tuition and federal immigration issues are separate issues. This policy change does not affect in-state tuition. Undocumented students that attend Community Colleges must still pay out-of-state tuition, which is over $2,000 more than the actual cost of educating the students. Thus, students that benefit from this policy change will essentially be subsidizing the cost of educating citizens.
December 03, 2007 - Run for Unity: Mexico City to NYC - stopped Friday in Durham
Watch Friday's NBC 17 news report on the Antorcha Guadelupana, "Race For Unity Spreads Immigration Message" here: "It's a march for the dignity of a people divided by the border," said Duke University Professor and local event organizer Pedro Lasch.
The relay started in Mexico City Oct. 7. The group will carry the "Guadalupe Torch" all the way to the Big Apple, uniting families from Mexico and the United States along the way.
They entered Durham at dusk on Friday singing, "La Guadalupana," a traditional song in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe – the patron saint of Latin America.
One message of the march is to share the most colorful parts of their faith, said Rebecca Arrieta, torch runner.
Click on the link above to watch or read full report.
Wake County Plans to Enforce Immigration Laws Locally
11-8-07 From La Voz del Pueblo (Raleigh, NC)
Wake County Plans to Enforce Immigration Laws Locally
Sheriff Announced Intention of Entering the 287(g) Program
See links below to take action!
This week, Wake County Commissioners gave Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison unanimous approval to sign on to the 287(g) program. This program allows the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to give local law enforcement the ability to enforce immigration law.
The initiative would cost Wake county $629,316 for its initial implementation, and about $539,341 per year subsequently.
This program is being sold to the public as one that would focus soley on criminals. However, in a recent article published by the News and Observer, Sheriff Harrison clearly offers a new definition for "criminal" under the 287(g) program and admits that driving with an expired drivers' license would be cause enough to check the immigration status of some individuals. "Driving without a license is a crime. A crime is a crime" (N&O, November 6, 2007). In actuality, this type of a traffic violation would normally result in a potential order to appear in court, or a ticket and fine. Under 287(g) and in Sheriff Harrison's own words, undocumented immigrants driving without a valid drivers' license would now be considered "criminals" and face arrest, detention, and eventual immigration action. This in a state that made it impossible for undocumented immigrants to apply for a new or renewed drivers' license in 2006 and thereby criminalized over 300,000 residents in our state.
The reality is that there are no uniform standards in the guidelines for operations under the 287(g) Memorandums of Agreement (MOA). Every county can be granted a different level of authority ranging from questioning inmates in county jails to questioning individuals solely on the basis of undocumented status . Further, it has been very difficult to gain access to actual copies of every county's MOA in order to understand exactly what are the limits of authority law enforcement are working under and what community members' rights are when they feel they have been unfairly targeted. As a result, there is little to no oversight in how 287(g) is implemented in each county or any real way to inform community members.
Some of the concerns this creates in our community include:
- The high risk for racial profiling: Because it is left to the discretion of officers to determine who is a potential undocumented immigrant, there could easily be an increase in the use of racial profiling as a means to "determine" who to question as a possible undocumented immigrant. This clearly affects all minorities, extending far beyond just the undocumented members of our society.
-The marginalization of a population as it refers to law enforcement: Undocumented immigrants who are victims of a crime or who witness a crime would be very hesitant to report such activities to local law enforcement if they fear it would result in their or their family members' detention and deportation. This is a clear impediment to the safety of our community as a whole.
-Lack of transparency in the process: The way MOAs are negotiated, without public input, means that things that extend beyond the reach of normal law enforcement operations could be included. There is no way to identify which law enforcement officials have been trained in immigration enforcement or what the limits of their authority are in that county. This severely erodes the civil liberties of everyone in our community.
It is unfortunate that our local leaders are choosing this path. The hateful political rhetoric at the national level coerced our national leaders into inaction regarding comprehensive immigration reform. The enforcement of immigration law, which is a federal responsibility, has been transferred to the state and local levels. However, localities are taking the wrong approach. With a broken immigration system that leaves almost no room for attaining a legal presence in this country for those who need it the most, the right answer is not to take an enforcement-only approach.
Please follow the link to "Take Action" and send the pre-written email or your own message to the County Commissioners and the Wake County Sheriff to express your disappointment in their decision to spend public money in a flawed approach to immigration.
Given the fact that they have already made a decision, demand transparency and honesty in the process so that this program does not affect innocent members of our community.
To read more about 287 (g)s, click here. To take Action, click here.
Pedro Lasch Exhibits Work in San Antonio: Eligible Traffic
Duke Latino/a Studies Community Liaison Pedro Lasch is participating in the exhibition, ELIGIBLE TRAFFIC, showing in San Antonio, TX from March 7 - April 5, 2008, with an opening reception on Friday March 7, 5-7pm.
Eligible Traffic opens March 7, 2008 at the
Eligible Traffic is a term that refers to a designation employed by the Department of Defense in which the law regulates the flow of individuals. Eligible Traffic addresses the subject of the undocumented immigrant and the legal formalities that differentiate the permitted from the excluded, responding to the current geo-political conflict involving the US/Mexico border.
This exhibition refuses to sentimentalize or marginalize the immigrant as victim. Instead, the works materialize laws that are invisible to its subjects. Borders are visualized and scrambled. Surveillance is turned against itself. National membership and issues of citizenship are re-imagined, proposing a more active question that directly articulates the complicated knot between art and politics: how can one represent artistically a life severed politically?
An experiment in curatorial collaboration, Eligible Traffic is a collaboration between the students from Trinity Universitys Gallery Practicum seminar and guest curator, NYC-based artist, Steven Lam. Through personal interaction with artists and scholars, the seminar utilizes the exhibition format as a hand-on pedagogical tool addressing topical concerns through the lens of artistic practice.
September 01, 2008 - September 27, 2008: Spanish Speaking Volunteers Needed: Nasher, El Pueblo, El Centro
SPANISH SPEAKING VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Several Bilingual (Spanish/English) volunteers are needed for upcoming events.
Contact information and sign up instructions are included for each event separately.
1. NASHER MUSEUM OF ART, EL GRECO TO VELAZQUEZ: August 21 through November 9, 2008 Duke's Nasher Museum of Art will be exhibiting masterpieces of Spanish Art from the 17th century. Volunteers are needed for several positions at the museum. Training will be provided. To learn more about the exhibit visit www.nasher.duke.edu/elgreco. Contact the Volunteer Coordinator for the exhibit, Barclay McConnell at barclay.mcconnell@duke.edu.
2. LA FIESTA DEL PUEBLO: Saturday and Sunday, September 6-7 at the NC State Fairgrounds in Raleigh.La Fiesta del Pueblo is a two-day Latin American festival for the entire family. This festival has grown from an attendance of 2,000 in 1994 to about 25,000+ in 2007. Through Fiesta, El Pueblo, Inc. has brought the arts and cultures of Latin America and the
3. FIESTA DE LA SALUD: Saturday, September 27 from 12:00-5:00 pm at Hillside High School (3727 Fayetteville Street, Durham). Volunteers are needed to work at a number of health related stations during the Health Fair. Contact El Centro for more information or to sign up as a volunteer at 687-4635.
CERTIFICATE APPROVED: Latino/a Studies in the Global South
BIG NEWS for LATINO/A STUDIES: Our undergraduate certificate proposal for "Latino/a Studies in the Global South" has been approved by the Arts and Sciences Council!!
The certificate program allows students to expand on their knowledge of Latino/a communities in the United States by combining courses across the disciplines in the humanities, natual sciences, and social sciences along with interdisciplinary introductory and capstone courses.
Certificate details will be posted on-line under the "Academics" section soon.
Students interested in the certificate may contact Jenny Snead Williams, jennysw@duke.edu, Coordinator of Latino/a Studies.
DukeEngage: Encuentros de la Frontera: US-Mexico Border Civic Engagement
The 8-week summer DukeEngage progam on the US-Mexico Border has successfully come to an end. Visit the following blogsite for student reflections: http://dukeengageusmexico.blogspot.com/
Visit http://dukeengage.duke.edu/ to learn more about DukeEngage intensive civic immersion programs around the world.
NC Community College ban lacks legal rationale
From Insidehighered.com on July 28:
In May, the North Carolina Community College System banned students who could not document legal immigration status from enrolling, but last week the legal rationale for that decision apparently fell apart. In barring the students, the system cited a recommendation of the state’s attorney general, who said it would be illegal under federal law to enroll such students. On Friday, however, the system released letters from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to the state attorney general saying that such enrollments were not necessarily illegal, and a letter from the attorney general’s office stating that — based on the federal letter — it appeared the state community college system was not barred from admitting these students after all. The community college system also released statements indicating that the ban would remain in place for now, but would be discussed by the state community college board soon, based on the new letters.
Visit http://www.adelantenc.org/5.html to find out more and learn of ways to support higher education for all students.
Help Protect Higher Education for ALL Students: Read and TAKE ACTION
North Carolina community colleges on Tuesday banned illegal immigrants from seeking degrees, a policy that is among the most restrictive in the nation. See http://www.newsobserver.com/news/higher_education/story/1071836.html.
HELP PROTECT HIGHER EDUCATION FOR ALL STUDENTS: TAKE ACTION TODAY
We need your help to ensure that Higher Education will be available for ALL students: http://capwiz.com/elpueblo/issues/alert/?alertid=11384781&queueid=[capwiz:queue_id]
Allowing access for ALL to higher education will: strengthen our future tax base. This is a workforce development issue.
These are qualified North Carolina students. In-state tuition and federal immigration issues are separate issues from open enrollment admission.
Tax Time: "Illegal Immigrants Pay Billions in Taxes"
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) -- The tax system collects its due, even from a class of workers with little likelihood of claiming a refund and no hope of drawing a Social Security check. Illegal immigrants are paying taxes to Uncle Sam, experts agree. Just how much they pay is hard to determine because the federal government doesn't fully tally it. But the latest figures available indicate it will amount to billions of dollars in federal income, Social Security and Medicare taxes this year. One rough estimate puts the amount of Social Security taxes alone at around $9 billion per year. Paycheck withholding collects much of the federal tax from illegal workers, just as it does for legal workers. The Internal Revenue Service doesn't track a worker's immigration status, yet many illegal immigrants fearful of deportation won't risk the government attention that will come from filing a return even if they might qualify for a refund. Economist William Ford of Middle Tennessee State University says there are no firm figures on how many taxpayers are in that situation. "The real question is how many of them pay more than they owe. There are undoubtedly hundreds of thousands of people in that situation," Ford said. But some illegal immigrants choose to file taxes and write a check come April 15, using an alternative to the Social Security number offered by the IRS so it can collect income tax from foreign workers. "It's a mistake to think that no illegal immigrants pay taxes. They definitely do," said Martha Pantoja, who has been helping Hispanic immigrants this tax season as an IRS-certified volunteer tax preparer for the nonprofit Nashville Wealth Building Coalition. Among those she has assisted is Eric Jimenez, a self-employed handyman who has worked in Nashville for several years. He feels obliged to pay taxes -- even though, as Pantoja said, "nothing would happen" to him if he did not. "I have an idea, a mentality, that to be a good citizen you have to pay taxes," he said. "Also, I'm conscious of the fact that the money we pay in taxes supports the schools and all the public services." See http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/04/15/immigrant.taxes.ap/index.html for the remainder of this Associated Press story.
Undergraduate Summer Research Grants: Deadline March 31
Two to three awards of up to $2000 each will be made to undergraduate students who proposed independent summer research projects involving the study of Latino/a communities in the United States or US Latino/a-related subjects. Awardees will conduct summer research related to any discipline for at least two weeks in a Latino/a community or at a research institute or library with relevant holdings. Projects may be carried out anywhere in the United States and/or in multiple locations. (Note: this is different from international pojects taking place only in Latin America.) Deadline for applicants is March 31st. See Academics-Funding for more info and contact jennysw@duke.edu for application form and competition guidelines.
Apply Now: Duke Engage on the U.S. - Mexico Border
"Encuentros de la Frontera: U.S. - Mexico Border Civic Engagement" A DukeEngage Summer 2008 Program Program Description: Immigration is perhaps the single largest domestic challenge facing the both the U.S. and Mexico today. People die nearly every week on the border. Hostilities against immigrants in the U.S. are mounting. International relations are strained. This program will provide DukeEngage students the opportunity to become informed about issues related to the border, migration, and foreign policy. Students will gain a better understanding of “comprehensive immigration reform” and will analyze concerns surrounding “amnesty.” The experience will be closely tied to the work of BorderLinks, a well-respected organization that has been working with college students for 20+ years. Volunteer opportunities will range from working at a migrant day labor camp to teaching ESL, to providing emergency humanitarian aid in the desert, and more. Tangible outcomes of this project will likely consist of documentation projects linking the US/Mexico border to Durham, NC; students will share these projects through exhibits, class presentations, independent studies and theses projects. Project Leaders: Charlie Thompson, Jenny Snead Williams, Tennessee Watson Program Dates: June 7 – Aug 2 We will accept 6-8 students this first summer; application deadline is March 31, with students admitted on rolling basis. Apply early for preferential placement. Come see a presentation by 8 students who spent Spring Break with Borderlinks and the project leaders: March 31, 6-8pm at the Refectory Dining Hall on Duke West Campus. Contact Fiona O’Sullivan for $15 tickets (all you can eat, healthy local food) and for more info. fiona.osullivan@duke.edu. For More Info on this DukeEngage opportunity on the US/Mexico Border, see DukeEngage website http://dukeengage.duke.edu/ and contact Jenny Snead Williams, jennysw@duke.edu.
DukeEngage: Encuentros de la Frontera: US-Mexico Border Civic Engagement
Duke undergraduates (excluding graduating seniors) are eligible to apply for an eight-week civic engagement opportunity on the US-Mexico Border.
Immigration is perhaps the single largest domestic challenge facing the both the U.S. and Mexico today. People die nearly every week on the border. Hostilities against immigrants in the U.S. are mounting. International relations are strained. This program, through which students will spend at least 10 days in Mexico, will provide DukeEngage students the opportunity to become informed about the issues related to the border and to understand what “comprehensive immigration reform” is as well as analysis of ideas of “amnesty.” The experience will be closely tied to the work of BorderLinks, a well-respected organization specifically designed to work with college students. Volunteer opportunities will range from work with ESL students to emergency first aid. Tangible outcomes of this project will likely consist of documentation projects and film footage that students will share through exhibits, forums, class presentations, independent studies and theses projects. Visit http://dukeengage.duke.edu/ for more information.
NBC-17 news coverage: Latino/a Studies (1) and El Centro Hispano (2)
Headline 1: Importance of Latino Vote to Be Discussed at Duke click here (video coverage of the event was shown at 11pm TUESDAY, FEB 12 and is not - yet - online). Visiting Professor of Political Science, Jason Casellas, spoke on "The Latino/Hispanic Vote in the Presidential Election" to a standing-room only audience. The event was presented by Latino/a Studies and Mi Gente: Latino Student Association.
Headline 2: Durham Police Chief Hopes To Make Latinos Feel Safer: TUESDAY, FEB 12 - click here. Durham's police chief sought out Latinos Tuesday night to tell them its ok to call police when they have been a victim of a crime.
Headline 3: Durham Cracking Down On Robbers Targeting Latinos: FRIDAY, FEB 8 - click here Gun toting robbers have been targeting Latino residents in Durham and police say they're cracking down on the criminals.
Welcome to Our New Website!
Our current big news relates to our website launch on September 19th and our new physical location, which includes the addition of our Latino/a Studies Resource Room. We will be holding a few Open House events to bring in students, faculty, staff, employees, and community members. Join our listserv (visit the "About" pages) so that we can inform you as we plan these fall receptions. We look forward to seeing you in our new space. For information on our new director, Professor Jose David Saldívar, who has just arrived to Duke in August, see the News Archive.
Article in The Chronicle: Latino/a Studies hopes prof will boost profile
For the past 10 years, Latino/a Studies has been gradually gaining a presence on campus, but it has lacked a distinguished figure on its faculty to anchor it. This August, however, the University attracted Jose Saldivar, a professor of English and literature, from the
ACTION NEEDED: SENATE LIKELY TO VOTE ON DREAM ACT THIS WEEK!
Monday, September 24, 2007 - URGENT Action Needed
DC senate offices are getting slammed by the
anti-immigrant forces with hundreds of thousands of calls!
We must respond now! Call and fax your senators - tell them, PLEASE VOTE FOR THE
DURBIN-HAGEL-LUGAR DREAM ACT AMENDMENT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
BILL SO THAT IMMIGRANT
STUDENTS BROUGHT HERE AS CHILDREN CAN REALIZE THEIR POTENTIAL. The DREAM Act would apply only to individuals brought to the U.S. at least 5 years ago as
children, who have grown up here, and who have remained in school and out of
trouble. They could get a green card 6 years after graduating from high school
if during that time they continue on to college or serve in the military. For more information and to e-mail your senators in support of the DREAM Act... [more]
Latino/a Studies Welcome Reception - Mark Your Calendars
NEWS: The Latino/a Studies Welcome Reception and Open House will take place on Friday October 12th, 4:00 -5:30pm. We welcome all our affiliated students, faculty, staff and administrators, and community members to join with us in celebration of our "rebirth" under new leadership (Professor Jose David Saldivar) and in our new space (Science Building). The reception will take place in the central upstairs wing of the Science Building (Old Art Museum) on East Campus. You may find directions under the "About" link.
September 19, 2007 - "NO" to local police officers acting as immigration enforcement
From El Centro Hispano in Durham
Dear Community Members, Friends and Allies,
Thank you so much to everyone who showed their support for the immigrant community in Durham yesterday. You are amazing!!! Last night we marched from El Centro Hispano to City Hall and were able to fill council chambers with over 45 Latino community members and allies of ages and races! This was especially inspiring considering the short notice folks had to respond to our call to action. Here we share a couple of photos from the meeting. Mayor Pro-Tempore Cora Cole-McFadden asked the audience why we were all present when this issue had been scheduled for the Thurs. work session, and Mayor Bell rebuked Councilman Stith for doing "a great disservice to our city" through his robocalls and stated that he had never received so many outraged calls and emails. Again I say- you are amazing!!! The issue will be taken up again this Thursday at the City Council work session, and we will be present to voice our support of the 2003 resolution. However, our work is not done. The Deputy Chief has stated that he clearly intends to form a collaboration with ICE to (as he says) "deport criminals". We definitely had a success last night, but must see this through to the end.
Here’s what you can do:
1. Come to the city council work session this Thursday at 1pm to show your support (We will be meeting at El Centro at 12:30 to walk over together if you are interested.)
2. If you have not done so already, call 919.560.4396 before Thursday’s 1pm work session and tell the council members' receptionist that you DO NOT want to change the resolution that states that the City of Durham will not question people about their immigration status in the normal course of doing business with residents on issues of police protection, housing and other services that the City provides.
3. If you have not done so already, E-mail city council members today telling them NOT to change the resolution as passed in 2003 AND that you do NOT want our local police officers acting as immigration enforcement! Cora.Cole-McFadden@durhamnc.gov; Eugene.Brown@durhamnc.gov; diane.catotti@durhamnc.gov; Howard.Clement@durhamnc.gov; tstith@nc.rr.com; mike.woodard@durhamnc.gov; Bill.Bell@durhamnc.gov
4. Email our new police chief- Chief Jose Lopez (jose.lopez@durhamnc.gov) or call his receptionist at 919.560.4322 and them him: We do not want our community overcome by fear! We want Durham to be safe for all it’s residents! and WE DO NOT WANT OUR LOCAL POLICE OFFICERS ACTING AS FEDERAL IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT!!!
In solidarity, Alba Onofrio
Directora Ejecutiva-Executive Director El Centro Hispano 201 West Main Street, Suite 100 Durham, NC 27701 919.687.4635 ext 43 aonofrio@elcentronc.org
New Director of Latino/a Studies
Dear Friends,
I welcome you back from Spring Break with excellent and long-awaited news! Duke has successfully recruited José David Saldívar from UC Berkeley (please see info below). Saldívar will come to Duke this August with a primary appointment in English and secondary appointment in Literature.
As the new Director of Latino/a Studies, he will bring fresh ideas and a strong commitment to growing our Latino/a Studies "program" at Duke. The University has likewise made a significant pledge to Latino/a Studies, with anticipated development of course offerings, research grants, on-site conferences, and fellowships.
Saldívar's arrival in Fall '07 will coincide with the opening of new space for 'US Latino/a Studies' on East Campus. The University has dedicated offices for Director, Program Coordinator, and a Latino/a Studies Resource Room in the Old Art Museum, currently under renovation.
Many list subscribers (students, faculty, and staff) have already met with Saldívar during his various visits to campus, and everyone in the Duke/Durham/Triangle community will have such an opportunity this fall when we host an Open House and Welcome in our new location. In the meantime, stay tuned to our listserv and website (latino.aas.duke.edu) for spring events and updates.
Cheerfully, Jenny
September 22, 2009 - Montoya exhibit's close sparks death penalty debate
The September 16th closing of the controversial Malaquias Montoya exhibit, Premediated: Meditations on the Death Penalty, brought to light issues surrounding the death penalty for several members of Duke community. Check out the Chronicle article below for more information:
For the past seven months, students
walking in and out of the Friedl building might have met something
unexpected—images of inmates being lynched, sitting in electric chairs
and awaiting their ultimate deaths.
PreMeditated: Meditations on Capital Punishment, an anti-death
penalty exhibit by award-winning Chicano artist Malaquias Montoya, has
been on display in the Fredric Jameson Gallery since March and
officially closed Wednesday night. The exhibit consists of works of
acrylic paint, murals, drawings and silkscreens–Montoya’s signature
style.
To commemorate the exhibit’s closing, the Program in Latino/Latina
Studies in the Global South and the Duke Human Rights Center
co-sponsored a reception with the Innocence Project at the School of
Law, the Duke chapter of Amnesty International and the North Carolina
Coalition for a Moratorium. Durham’s state Sen. Floyd McKissick and
Darryl Hunt, a man exonerated in 2004 after spending 19 years in
prison, spoke at the event.
“There were so many other innocent men and women [in jail], and I am
trembling because I am still affected by these pictures. I have been
there and I was not on death row, but I am looking here and it just
makes me sick to think about how close I came to being on death row,”
said Hunt, who said he was only one jury vote away from being sentenced
to death.
Sophomore Carrie Mills said although the works of art were amazing,
she most appreciated listening to Hunt describe his experiences in
prison.
“I have never met anybody in person who has endured that,” Mills
said. “And his sheer grace and the way that he spoke was magnificent.”
Both Hunt and McKissick took questions from the audience. During the
discussion forum, McKissick said it would be more cost-effective to
disperse resources to systems that prevent criminal activity as opposed
to spending high amounts on maximum-security prisons, an idea that
Montoya emphasizes in his exhibit.
“We create the situations that lead our children to commit monstrous
acts and then we kill them,” the opening display of the exhibit states.
McKissick discussed the North Carolina Racial Justice Act. which he
sponsored and which North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue signed into law Aug.
11. The law allows inmates currently on death row to argue that the
jury’s decision to pursue the death penalty was racially biased. If
successful, inmates can be removed from death row.
Robin Kirk, director of the Duke Human Rights Center, said the
center hopes the recent passage of the law will be a move in the
direction of eliminating the death penalty in North Carolina. Even if
actual abolition of the death penalty is years away, Kirk said the
event was important because it showed that the death penalty is a human
rights issue, something she said many of her students do not understand.
“I think too often Americans think that human rights are something
that happens somewhere else, and that we don’t have issues with human
rights,” Kirk said in an interview. “But I think the problem is that we
do, and the death penalty is one of the main areas that Americans need
to be thinking about if we want to become a rights-friendly country.”
The Latino/Latina Studies program brought the exhibit to Duke, but
Antonio Viego, the faculty director of the program, said program
leaders met with other University departments before acquiring the
exhibit, as many of Montoya’s images could be considered disturbing.
“We agreed that no, this was actually something that was extremely
interesting and more thought-provoking regardless of what your stance
is,” Viego said.
Currently, the exhibit—which has appeared in 13 venues in eight
states—is awaiting its next host site, and officials are currently in
talks with the Oakland Museum in Oakland, Calif.
October 15, 2009 - at UNC-CH: Changing Priorities for the World: A Grassroots Perspective from the Carribean World
Thursday, October 15, 6:30pm
Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building Auditorium, Room 136
This year's annual Weiss Lecture in Women's Studies features Andaiye, a campaigner for social justice in the Caribbean for over 40 years,
co-founder and International Secretary of Red Thread in Guyana, a member of Women of Colour in the Global Women's Strike. Andaiye will speak of her work on social justice and women's empowerment in the ethnically-riven Guyanese context.
Co-sponsored by the Department of Women's Studies, The Stone Center, The Research Network on Racial and Ethnic Inequality at Duke, The Afro-Latino Working Group UNC/Duke, the Institute for the Study of the Americas, and the Carolina Women's Center.
October 21, 2009 - Gladys Mitchell: "Racializing Blackness and Black Linked Fate in Salvador and Sao Paulo, Brazil"
2:30-4:00 PM, Friedl 225, Duke East Campus.
Join the Duke Department of African and African American Studies in celebrating their first event for the 2009-2010 speaker series, Gladys Mitchell of the REGSS network.
October 28, 2009 - Latino/a Studies Courses Posted on ACES
Spring 2010 Latino/a Studies Courses Posted:
LSGS 100: Introduction to Latino/a Studies, MW 1:15-2:30 PM
LSGS 150S: Latina Hip Hop, TR 11:40-12:55 PM (limited space!)
Sign up for these exciting courses to add a little spice to the upcoming semester! Check out the courses tab for more info.
October 28, 2009 - November 3, 2009: El Dia de los Muertos Altar in Friedl
Come check out the Program in Latino/a Studies Dia de los Muertos' altar on the table outside room 223, Friedl Bldg, East Campus. Please bring pictures and small objects to commerate those we have lost this year as they make their journey to el mundo de los espiritus. Feel free to leave a note on the post-it notes provided. The exhibit will be up through November 4th.
To learn more about Dia de Los Muertos in the United States, click here. For more information on the Latino/a Studies altar, contact Allie at aah13@duke.edu.
November 10, 2009 - Call for Papers: Latinos in the US South
Deadline: November 15, 2009
Latino Studies, in cooperation with the University of Alabama, invites proposals for a special issue on Latinas and Latinos in the U.S. South, with a general focus on inter-ethnic/inter-racial relations. The purpose of this special issue is to explore and highlight the growing social,political and cultural significance of Latinos in the region referred to as the Nuevo New South.
Successful proposal writers will be invited to submit article-length papers and participate in a conference and workshop to be held at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, on February 19-20, 2010.
Please send proposals no longer than 5 pages by email attachment to Suzanne Oboler, Editor, Latino Studies, at latstu@jjay.cuny.edu.
November 18, 2009 - 2009 NC Latin American Film Festival continues
Check out the calendar for the 22nd Latin American Film Festival: http://22ndfilmfestivalnc.googlepages.com/%C2%A02009calendar.
Contact dukeclacs@gmail.com with any questions.
Latino/a Studies welcomes new PostDoc Associate
Monika Gosin earned a Ph.D. in Ethnic Studies from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) with a dissertation titled Reframing the Nation: The Afro-Cuban Challenge to Black and Latino struggles for American Identity. Her research has been supported by several awards, including a Dissertation Fellowship from the Center for Citizenship, Race and Ethnicity Studies (CREST) from the College of Saint Rose, Albany, NY; the UC-CUBA Academic Initiative; and the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity (UCSD). Her current research focuses on the intersections of immigration, blackness, and Latinidad in the lives and media representations of Afro Cubans in the United States, and African American/Latino relations. Monika has published previously in the area of race and health, and an adaption of one of her dissertation chapters has been accepted as part of an anthology titled Hemispheric Cuban Studies: Reflections on Politics, Race and Culture, under review by Ediciones Callejon, Puerto Rico. Gosin’s research and teaching interests include Latino and Africana studies, race and gender in popular culture and media, and intergroup relations. Gosin has B.A. degrees in Social Science and in Spanish Literature from the University of California, Irvine, and an M.A. in Sociology from Arizona State University.
Professor Gosin will be teaching an undergraduate course titled, "Latino/a Hip Hop: Representation and Resistance" during Spring, 2010. The course will be listed under LSGS 150S and will be cross-listed with AAAS, Spanish, and Cultural Antrhopology. A brief description follows: This course will examine Hip Hop as a tool for self-representation and resistance among Latino/as in the United States in the context of histories of colonization, im/migration, and activism. The course highlights the integral role of Puerto Rican youth in Hip Hop’s creation; examines the role of Hip Hop as an expression of Chicano politics; explores the influence of cultural expressions from the Spanish speaking Caribbean; and investigates what Hip Hop reveals about the linkages between US Latino/a and African American communities. Through an examination of the politics of Latino Hip Hop as a cultural production, the course emphasizes a critical analysis of the racial, gendered, and linguistic politics that shape Latino/a lives. Curriculum codes ALP; SS, CCI; and W will likely be attached to this course. Since this is a seminar, only 18 seats are available; undergraduates should plan to sign up early.
(Note that our Intro to Latino/a Studies, LSGS100S, will also be taught in the Spring by Prof Viego at a non-conflicting day/time.)
Office Location: 222 Friedl Building
Office Hours: For Fall, please e-mail to set up an appointment.
Office Phone: 919-668-1945 Email Address: monika.gosin@duke.edu.
Latino Portrait Project: Call for Submissions
The Center for Latin American and Carribean Studies at Duke University calls you artists/community members/students/film makers to reveal what it means to be who you are. Latino Portrait is a project encouraging people in the Americas to share their vision of who they are. It is also a venue to show what Latino/as produced in audio visual terms. Made a personal essay, a short story, a video inteview or video-collage, anything you want (use photos, real footage, mix them, etc.). Contestants may enter by submitting a five (5) minute video (maximum) to the Latino Portrait Project. The selected videos will be screened previous to the films participating in the 2009 NC Latin American Film Festival, on November 2009. Guidelines: Latino Portrait is open to anyone. However, participants age 18 or younger must have written parental consent to participate and /or submit a video. Video Submission: 1. Please limit running time to five minutes. Please submit as DVD of (or) CD with your video in QuickTime (mov), Windows Media Video (wmv), or MPEG (mpg or mpeg) format. / or send it via youtube 2. All pieces must be original, and may not include images under copyright 3. Videos with a running time of more than five (5) minutes will be eliminated or edited (with consent of the author) 4. All entries must include the printed or online entry form clearly filled out. The video has to be clearly labeled with the name of the entrant. 5. All video submissions must be received by October 10th 2009.
For submission form and more information, email dukeclacs@gmail.com.
Workplace raids continue, NYTimes reports
New York Times reporter Lawrence Downes reports on the continued raids of apple orchards in upstate New York, bringing the immigration crisis once again under the microscope. Click here to see full text.
Major issues, major reform: News & Observer Op-Ed
George Reed, executive director of the NC Council of Churches and Chris Beers, who works for the Council specifically on immigration issues, write in concerning the hassle of current immigration reform debate. Click here for full text.
October 10, 2009 - Latino/a Studies @ Duke on Facebook!
Come find us on Facebook to check up on news and events about the Program and surrounding Latino community. Hazte fan. [more]
Through Sept 16: Montoya's "Pre-Meditated" exhibit on display
The Program in Latino/a Studies in the Global South presents the exhibit, PREMEDITATED: MEDITATIONS ON CAPITAL PUNISHMENT by MALAQUIAS MONTOYA, in the Fredric Jameson Gallery, Friedl Building, Room 115, Duke East Campus.
The exhibit will be on display from the reception through April 17th and from mid-May through Mid-September. Hours from March 5 through April 17th are 10am - 5pm. Summer hours are 10am - 4pm Mon-Friday. Fall hours are to be determined.
Montoya is a leading figure in the West Coast political Chicano graphic arts movement, a political and socially conscious movement that expresses itself primarily through the mass production of silk-screened posters. Montoya's works include acrylic paintings, murals, washes, and drawings, but he is primarily known for his silkscreen prints, which have been exhibited nationally as well as internationally. This exhibition features silkscreen images and paintings, and related text panels dealing with the death penalty and penal institutions-- inspired by the escalation of deaths at the hands of the State of Texas in recent years. As Montoya states, "We have perfected the art of institutional killing to the degree that it has deadened our national, quintessentially human, response to death. I want to produce a body of work depicting the horror of this act."
Since 1989 Montoya has been a professor at the University of California, Davis. His classes, through the Departments of Chicana/o Studies and Art, include silkscreening, poster making and mural painting, and focus on Chicano culture and history. He is credited by historians as being one of the founders of the "social serigraphy" movement in the San Francisco Bay Area in the mid-1960s. His visual expressions, art of protest, depict the struggle and strength of humanity and the necessity to unite behind that struggle. Like many Chicano artists of his generation, Montoya's art is rooted in the tradition of the Taller de Grafica Popular, the Mexican printmakers of the 1920s, 30s and 40s, whose work expressed the need for social and political reform for the Mexican underprivileged. Montoya's work uses powerful images that are combined with text to create his socially critical messages.
This exhibit is presented by the Program in Latino/a Studies in the Global South at Duke University and is co-sponsored by: the UNC Chapel Hill Program in Latina/o Studies and the following Duke University units: Duke Human Rights Center; the Spanish Service Learning Program; the Program in Literature; the Departments of Cultural Anthropology, African & African American Studies, and History; the Archive for Human Rights and Duke University Libraries; the Franklin Humanities Institute; the Institute for Critical US Studies; and the Kenan Institute for Ethics. Contact jennysw@duke.edu for more information.
Dia de Los Muertos Exhibition curated by Pulitzer Prize winner Jose Galvez
For its inaugural exhibition THE LoDi PROJECT is asking artists to address the theme of Dia de los Muertos, which is a traditional Latin American festival that honors and celebrates the lives of family and friends who have gone before us. Traditional and non-traditional styles and media are welcome, including but not limited to: water color, oil, and acrylic painting, drawing, pastels, mixed media, fabric, printmaking, aerosol, collage, photography,digital illustrations, and graphics, etc.
Deadlines: September 9-- mailed in entries
September 14-- online entries
The exhibit will provide a unique opportunity for those unfamiliar with this
tradition to learn how countries throughout Latin American celebrate this day,
which is commonly known in other cultures as All Souls Day.
To download a full prospectus visit us at...
http://thelodiproject.com/diadelosmuertos.html
5% of the proceeds from this exhibit will go to Student Action with Farmworkers
September 30, 2009 - Conference on Latino Education and Immigrant Integration: LS will cover 4 early bird fees
The Program in Latino/a Studies at Duke University will cover the early bird registration fee ($150) for up to four Duke students, faculty, and/or staff members who would like to attend/present at the Immigration Conference on Latino Education and Immigrant Integration, to be held in Athens GA from Oct 26-28th. Full information on conference below and on their online site: http://www.coe.uga.edu/clase/conference/index.htm.
Please contact Jenny Snead Williams (jennysw@duke.edu) as soon as possible to secure your registration coverage.Funding preference will be given to those who submit paper/panel/poster proposals. The deadline is September 30th.
Cheech Marin donates art to Latino/a Studies - highlighted on Duke Today
Cheech Marin's gift of Chicano art to the Program in Latino/a Studies in the Global South at Duke University is highlighted on the Duke Today website: http://news.duke.edu/2009/04/cheech.html. Check out the full story online.
Cheech Marin's Three Jobs
Comedian donates art to Duke to raise profile of Chicano artists
By Camille Jackson
Monday, April 6, 2009 Durham, NC
Duke faculty member Pedro Lasch was excited to talk with Cheech Marin backstage at the Durham Performing Arts Center Friday night. While most know Marin for his hippie humor and counter-culture satire, Lasch and others in the art world recognize him as a serious collector of Chicano art.
Backstage, Lasch told Marin that he admires him for his role as an actor/comedian, an art collector and a public intellectual influencing Latino, Hispanic and immigrant culture. Marin responded: "Well, you know, if you're Chicano, you have to have three jobs."
After watching Marin perform with partner Tommy Chong in the "Cheech & Chong Light Up America and Canada" show, Lasch joined George McLendon, dean of faculty for arts and sciences; Sally Deutsch, dean of social sciences; and Jenny Snead Williams, executive director of Latino/a Studies backstage to thank Marin for donating a portfolio of Chicano art from his personal collection to Duke's Program in Latino/a Studies in the Global South. Marin talked with the faculty members about the region's growing Latino population. He said… (see rest of story and images at http://www.duke.edu/today/).
Latino/a Studies Postdoc Fellowship
The Program in Latino/a Studies in the Global South at Duke University (Latino/a Studies) invites applications for a one to two-year postdoctoral fellowship to begin in August 2009. Fellows will work under the mentorship of a Duke faculty member whose research and teaching focus on the field of Latino/a Studies, across any discipline of the Humanities and Social Sciences. The goal of the postdoctoral fellowship is to increase the field of scholars who have potential for becoming tenure track faculty teaching in Latino/a Studies at Duke University or peer institutions. Postdoctoral awardees will devote their efforts both to research and teaching. To see the full listing, click here.
For more information, please contact jennysw@duke.edu.
Special Report: "The Policies and Politics of Local Immigration Enforcement Law"
The University of North Carolina Immigration/Human Rights Policy Clinic
and the ACLU in North Carolina Legal Foundation has released its report
on the 287(g) Program in North Carolina titled: The Policies and
Politics of Local Immigration Enforcement Law." This report, the first
to present a comprehensive legal and policy evaluation of the 287(g)
program in North Carolina, represents a valuable collaboration between
advocates and academia in a state at the forefront of immigration
collaborations between the federal government and local law enforcement.
The reports and executive summary can be found at:
http://www.law.unc.edu/documents/clinicalprograms/287gexecutivesummary.pdf
http://www.law.unc.edu/documents/clinicalprograms/287gpolicyreview.pdf
www.acluofnc.org
Students protest illegal immigrant ban
Wed Apr 1, 2009 5:33 am (PDT)
By Franco Ordonez
--About 40 UNC Charlotte students gathered at the Belk Tower on campus Tuesday to protest a state bill that would prohibit illegal immigrants from attending community colleges. --They called for support of a federal bill that would allow undocumented students to earn citizenship after going to college or serving in the military. --They joined more than 350 students from N.C. State, UNC Asheville, UNC Chapel Hill and North Carolina A&T State University who participated in demonstrations organized by the Coalition for College Access, a student group formed in Chapel Hill. More details.
Mexico City Show at the Nasher Museum: Through June 7
Several special activities are scheduled for opening day, including:
Thursday, January 15, 5:00-7:00 pm performance by artist Maria Alos
Celebrate the opening of "Escultura Social: A New Generation of Art from
There will be a second performance Sunday, January 18 at noon.
Thursday, January 15, 7:00 pm Conversation with exhibit curator Julie Rodrigues Widholm and artists Maria Alos, Abraham Cruzvillegas, and Pedro Lasch. Free with admission. Seating is limited. Reservations suggested: www.nasher.duke.edu
Sunday, January 18, 12:00-4:00 pm the museum presents Free Family Day
Celebrate the exhibition "Escultura Social: A New Generation of Art from
1:00 pm and 2:30 pm Bilingual storytelling by Irana Patterson
12:00-1:30 pm "Welcome/Farewell" performance by artist Maria Alos and Duke students. Family Days are designed for children ages 3-12 and their accompanying adults. Visitors of ALL ages are welcome free. For more information about the exhibit, click on http://nasher.duke.edu/
Fields Farmworker Justice Internships
Through the Into the Fields Summer Internship program you can spend your summer meeting and supporting the people who plant, harvest and produce the food you eat everyday! In this internship, you will support and organize farmworkers, get trained on the issues surrounding their lives and the broader context of the agricultural industry.
Applications are due by
February 11, 2009.
Apply online at www.saf-unite.org
starting January 1, 2009.
To Qualify
You must speak intermediate to advanced Spanish. SAF preferences college students from farmworker families and students from the Southeast. Benefits include $1250 total per diem, $1500 scholarship, free furnished housing, free trainings and some travel costs. Program runs June 1-August 9, 2009. If you have questions, please check out www.saf-unite.org for the brochure and more information or contact Melanie Stratton Lopez, National Student Organizer
at 919-660-3652 or melanie.stratton@duke.edu.
MLA Prize awarded to Prof Antonio Viego, Director of LS
The Modern Language Association Prize in United States Latina and Latino and Chicana and Chicano Literary and Cultural Studies has been awarded to Professor Antonio Viego (Director of Latino/a Studies and Associate Professor of Literature and Romance Studies) for Dead Subjects: Toward a Politics of Loss in Latino Studies (Duke Univ. Press, 2007). The prize is awarded annually for an outstanding scholarly study of United States Latina and Latino or Chicana and Chicano literature or culture. Congratulations Antonio!
New Course: Intro to Latino/a Studies in the Global South
Intro Course to be taught for the first time Spring '09!
LSGS 100: Introduction to Latino/a Studies in the Global South
Taught by: Professor Antonio Viego
Crosslisted with: Span 120 and Lit 162E
Areas of Knowledge: ALP, SS
Modes of Inquiry: CCI
See full description
News Item: Wave of Hate Crimes against Latinos
News Item: MALDEF CALLS FOR NATIONAL ACTION IN WAKE OF KILLING OF THIRD LATINO VICTIM OF A HATE CRIME IN FIVE MONTHS
Thursday, December 11, 2008
As we have reported, hate crimes against Latinos are at record levels. Today, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) President & General Counsel John Trasviña called upon leaders across all communities to unite and speak out against hate violence:
"We mourn and are outraged by the murder in Brooklyn, New York of Jose Osvaldo Sucuzhañay, whose life was violently taken by a group of people, and whose crime, according to witnesses, was motivated by hate-filled bigotry. Only one month ago, 37-year old Marcello Lucero was ferociously beaten and fatally stabbed in Long Island, New York by a group of teenagers who hunted him down simply for being Latino. In July, 25-year old Luis Ramirez lost his l ife after he was knocked unconscious and kicked in the head by a group of Shenandoah, Pennsylvania teenagers who yelled racial epithets before and during the brutal beating. We extend our sympathies to their families and loved ones.
In the past several years, hate crimes against Latinos have risen 40 percent. This is a national epidemic whose growth is spurred each day by hate speech and anti-immigrant sentiment expressed on cable shows, local radio shows and across the airwaves. National legislation, such as the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crime Prevention Act, must be a top priority for Congress and the new Administration, but it is not sufficient to reach the hate that threatens to pervade local communities. This drastic rise of hate crimes against Latinos, not coincidentally, has occurred during the same years in which there has been an explosive rebirth of extremist anti-immigrant rhetoric and measures.
The serious topic of immigration has been contaminated by hatred and racism, and has created a toxic climate which fosters and condones violence and civil rights violations motivated by bigotry. In seeking to enact unconstitutional anti-immigrant ordinances, irresponsible elected officials spew inflammatory rhetoric that depicts undocumented immigrants as parasites and the root cause of the nation´s fallen economy. Television and radio personalities spread misinformation and stereotypes that criminalize and dehum anize Latino immigrants. Meanwhile, white supremacist groups are using this anti-immigrant wave to promote their racist groups and promote violent acts against Latinos. Collectively, the messages and norms they seek to establish are that immigrants are less human and less worthy, and do not merit basic human rights protections our Constitution demands. These messages have begun to infect too many Americans, and they are being manifested through violence.
Unfortunately, our elected leaders have failed to recognize and condemn this national crisis, the media has largely remained silent, and families have not acted to protect their children from being infected from this hatred. As proven by this year´s historic election, the great majority of Americans have defeated artificial barriers of racism and ushered us into a new era. After over a century of struggle for freedom and democracy irrespective of race, Americans have abolished the disease of racial hatred; however, a virus continues to linger with some, and we must not allow it to proliferate. There are those that may believe that racism and xenophobia will always exist, but it must not exist in our country, in our democratic institutions, in our schools, and in our homes. We must be ever-vigilant, and stamp it out where we see it.
MALDEF calls upon our national representatives, faith leaders, educators, and parents to stand up and take immediate a ction against this national wave of hatred. We again call on Congress and the next President to fix our broken, archaic immigration system to establish national immigration priorities, including community integration that serves the nation´s interests, allows newcomers to work with legal status and protections against exploitation, and safeguards the nation´s communities. Local and federal authorities must prosecute hate crimes to the fullest extent under law. Local officials and media personalities must take responsibility for the consequences of their extremist rhetoric and should spread messages of respect and tolerance. Most importantly, we call on all Americans to unite against this wave of hatred and defeat the hate and violence. It is unacceptable and we must stop it now."
October 22, 2008 - AP- NC sheriff's slurs snarl locals' immigration work
October 22, 2008 8:18 AM EDT
By: Marty Rosenbluth
SMITHFIELD, N.C. - For years, Sheriff Steve Bizzell watched the number of illegal immigrants in his rural county skyrocket - and with it, he says, residents' fear that the newcomers were responsible for more than their share of crime. So he helped make
-But in a newspaper interview last month, Bizzel complained that "Mexicans are trashy" and pointed to several children playing and said "All they do is work and make love." Though he quickly apologized, his contrition wasn't enough to ward off critics who call his comments evidence that the nation's increasingly popular efforts to enforce immigration statutes locally have nothing to do with law and order. "The chief law enforcement officer is demonstrating his racism in public, and he's allowing his officers to do the same," said Tony Asion, the executive director of nonprofit advocacy group El Pueblo and a retired
-Bizzell declined to comment to The Associated Press about the remarks to the News & Observer that caused the uproar, and the
-"Look at that," he said, pointing at a storefront during his tour of the area with the newspaper reporter. "You can't even read the durned sign. Everywhere you look, it's like little
-Not all opinions of the program are positive, even among Bizzell's fellow sheriffs.
-Bizzell's comments to the newspaper "go from simply stating opinion to constituting illegal racial profiling if these opinions are reflected in practice," said Jennifer Rudinger, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina. "It's one thing to think something and say something. It's another to have that kind of bias carried out and enforced." Rudinger said the ACLU is seeking information from
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SPANISH-SPEAKING DUKE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
If you can speak Spanish and are looking for a volunteer opportunity, EK Powe Elementary School needs you! We are located on Ninth St., just
up the road from The Regulator book store and within walking distance of East Campus. EK Powe is a Durham public school whose population is 30
percent Latino and growing. Many of our Latino kids are just learning English and we need help with tutoring, translations and other kid-centered tasks. Spanish-speakers and others very welcome! If interested, please write Alice-Anne Kern at aliceanne.kern@dpsnc.net.
Civil Rights Groups Investigate Sheriff's Inflammatory Comments about Latinos
ACLU of North Carolina and Other North Carolina Civil Rights Groups Launch Investigation Into Johnston County Sheriff's Office After Sheriff Makes Racially Inflammatory Comments About Latinos to the
Raleigh News & Observer. [more]
Two great exhibits at GoldenBelt: running Jan 16 - March 15
1) Bailout Biennial
Mondays - Saturdays 10AM to 6PM
Sundays 12PM to 5PM or by appointment
Building 2, Floor 3; Free, Open to public
The first, (and perhaps only) biennial in response to the current economic crisis and scandals surrounding the $700+ billion bailout, capitalism, the global economy, post- industrialism, and greed. Can an artist make beauty out of nothing, humor out of tragedy, critical understanding out of superficial materials, a sense of wonder, purpose or awe out of crumbs? And can art incite the viewer to jump onto the stage of action to begin a shift towards a new and different economy of desire and infinite possibilities?
2) Marcha Forzada Collective: 38 Eyes x 57, 436
Mondays - Saturdays 10AM to 7PM and Sundays 12PM to 6PM
Building 3, ROOM 100; Free, Open to public
The Marcha Forzada Collective: 38 Eyes x 57, 336 photography exhibition tells the adventurous tale of a group of students who spent four days crossing Mexico City on foot during the summer of 2008. A mere eighteen miles as the crow flies, the trek itself was likely twice that distance, following a route through places of historical, political, and social importance. The excursion spanned from Iztapalapa, one of the most marginalized areas of the city and home to the FARO, to perhaps the wealthiest, Santa Fe. In the process, the team took over 1,000 photos and endured numerous blisters, camera-shy prostitutes, run-ins with police, and encounters with interesting Chilango-- all in the name of broadening their urban horizons.
More info at: http://www.goldenbeltarts.com/index.shtml
Pedro Lasch Exhibit at Branch Gallery Through Feb 28th
The opening reception for Pedro Lasch's exhibit, "Latino/a America: The New York & North Carolina Suites", will be held from 5:00-8:00PM on Friday, January 16th at the Branch Gallery. Also opening is the exhibit "If Only to Wake My Neighbors Up" curated by Jerstin Crosby of Acid Rain Production with videos by David Colagiovanni, Lydia Moyer, and Michael Robinson. The gallery is free and open to the public, Wednesday- Saturday, 12:00-6:00PM. For more information please contact the Branch Gallery at 919-918-1116 or see http://www.branchgallery.com/.
Updated UNC-CH Latina/o Studies Film Database
UNC-CH Latina/o Studies Film Database recently updated!!! Check out the database to learn about films related to the following subject areas: anthropology, gender and sexuality studies, sociology, geography, city planning, literature, communications, history, Latin American studies, public health, law, social work, and American studies. The database now offers links to Afro Latina/o films and recently added experimental short, documentary, and feature films sections. All films available on UNC-CH campus, some may be available through inter-library loans for viewing at Duke. Check out the database at: http://english.unc.edu/latina-o/LSFilmDatabase/LSFilmIndex.html