CSRC Newsletter - December 2012
Volume 11, Number 3
Director’s Message
Thanks for voting. And, if I can ask you to do one more thing this year, read! Our first news item offers some helpful hints in this regard. I would like to end the year with my message from four years ago, since it seems as relevant today as back then:
As we begin looking ahead to next year, I am reminded of a saying, reputed to be Chinese in origin: “May you live in interesting times.” Considered a curse, the phrase appears to have had some currency during the Great Depression and the years leading up to World War II, and in 1966 it was included in a speech given by Robert F. Kennedy in Cape Town, South Africa. The mid-1930s and mid-1960s were interesting times indeed, times in which we met profound crises with a concerted effort to reform and rebuild our societal institutions and public infrastructure. We were told we had nothing to fear but fear itself, and we were inspired to ask not what our country could do for us, but what we could do for our country. We are again in such a moment. As Kennedy noted, “Like it or not we live in interesting times.” Given what such times can inspire, we are by no means cursed; rather, we have much for which to give thanks and even more to do in the year and years ahead. May you all live in interesting times. Happy Holidays.
Best wishes, and see you all in 2013.
Chon A. Noriega
Director and Professor
News
CSRC books and DVDs make great gifts!
Happy holidays from the CSRC! Do your holiday shopping this month at the CSRC and receive 40 percent off all books and DVDs through Thursday, December 20. This year’s releases include Rafael Ferrer, The Latino Theatre Initiative/Center Theatre Group Papers, 1980-2005, The Arhoolie Foundation's Strachwitz Frontera Collection of Mexican and Mexican American Recordings and the fortieth anniversary edition of Floricanto en Aztlán, featuring poetry by Alurista and illustrations by Judithe Hernández. Last year’s L.A. Xicano publications are still available as well. To receive the holiday discount, order directly from the CSRC by contacting Darling Sianez, Press support, by email or at (310) 825-3428.
Support the CSRC LGBT Latina/o Initiative
The CSRC LGBT Latina/o Initiative is devoted to preserving LGBT collections and making them accessible to the general public. All support is appreciated. Through December, we are asking for individual donations of fifty dollars as we rev up for the fiftieth anniversary of the CSRC in 2019. Please see our Facebook page listing for more information about this specific campaign. To make a donation, please visit our UCLA support page online or the Giving page on the CSRC website.
CSRC director interviewed in new film
In the new documentary Latinos Beyond Reel: Changing a Media Stereotype, filmmakers Miguel Picker and Chyng Sun examine portrayals of Latinos in U.S. media. CSRC director Chon A. Noriega, UCLA Chicana/o studies professor Otto Santa Ana, and other distinguished scholars, journalists, community leaders, and industry professionals discuss dominant representations and offer alternatives. The film was produced by the Media Education Foundation.
Not just another open house
The CSRC would like to thank everyone who attended this year’s open house—over seventy people packed into the CSRC Library for the evening’s entertainment and to learn about the CSRC’s recent achievements and new projects. The event included an outdoor installation by street artist Ramiro Gomez, the opening of the library exhibition Alex Donis: Floating World (on view through January 21), and a special appearance by local band Chicano Batman. We enjoyed seeing old friends at the event and meeting many new ones. For those unable to attend, we have posted photos on our Facebook page, and in the coming weeks we will be posting a video of Chicano Batman’s performance on CSRC YouTube.
Gurza and Frontera publication featured at CCNMA fundraiser
On November 17, the California Chicano News Media Association (CCNMA) held a special fundraiser at a Newport Coast residence. The event featured award-winning journalist and CSRC Press author Agustín Gurza, who discussed his recently released book about UCLA's digital collection of rare twentieth-century recordings of Mexican and Mexican American music, The Arhoolie Foundation's Strachwitz Frontera Collection of Mexican and Mexican American Recordings. Proceeds from the night supported CCNMA's mission to promote diversity in the media by providing scholarships and educational programs for Latino journalists. (See CSRC in the News.)
Arhoolie concert recording now available
In February 2011, a three-day benefit was held in Berkeley to honor the fiftieth anniversary of Arhoolie Records and founder Chris Strachwitz’s dedication to documenting and preserving traditional music. The Strachwitz Frontera Collection of Mexican and Mexican American Recordings, a free digital archive at UCLA, and the CSRC publication of the same name are direct outgrowths of Strachwitz’s efforts. The anniversary celebration is documented in a four-CD box set, They All Played for Us, which features all the concerts and panel discussions that took place. Accompanying the CDs is a book containing stories and photographs of the musicians. Also included, for a short time only, is a rare 45 rpm Arhoolie record. To order, visit www.arhoolie.com.
New artworks installed at the CSRC
The CSRC recently received the generous donation of two artworks from Leonard Marks: Carlos Almaraz’s Mystery in the Park (1989) and Frank Romero’s Family Car with Dog (1992). Stop by the CSRC’s main office (193 Haines Hall) during regular business hours to see these important pieces, which have been installed in the conference room and main office, respectively. Marks is a physician and faculty member in the Department of Urology at UCLA and a longtime collector of Chicano and Latino art. We are grateful for his support.
CSRC in the News
“Former Register Columnist Agustín Gurza to Discuss Mexican Music Book”
Preview of author Gurza’s guest appearance at the California Chicano News Media Association fundraiser in Orange County on November 17.
Orange County Register, November 14, 2012 (PDF)
“NHMC, UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Findings Point to Important Media Role Shaping Public Opinion”
Article discusses the CSRC’s reports on hate speech on commercial talk radio; the studies were officially released by the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) and the CSRC last August.
Hispanic Marketing and Public Relations, November 12, 2012 (PDF)
“Prominent SoCal Latin American Museum Cuts $600K from Budget”
Chon A. Noriega, CSRC director, is quoted in regard to layoffs at the Museum of Latin American Art.
89.3 KPCC, November 6, 2012 (PDF)
Review of The Arhoolie Foundation’s Strachwitz Frontera Collection of Mexican and Mexican American Recordings
The CSRC Press book on the Frontera Collection is reviewed in the trade publication Blues & Rhythm, published in the United Kingdom.
Blues & Rhythm, No. 274 (2012) (PDF)
“Survey Finds U-Latino Students More Likely to Support Obama”
Carlos M. Haro, CSRC project coordinator and former CSRC assistant director, is quoted in this story on a poll of UCLA Latino undergraduates regarding their preferred presidential candidate.
Daily Bruin, November 1, 2012 (PDF)
All “In the News” articles are available in PDF format on the CSRC website.
Events
All CSRC events are free unless otherwise noted.
IAC Fall Forum and Reception
The Institute of American Cultures will hold its annual Fall Forum and Reception on Monday, December 3, 3:30–6:00 p.m. in the UCLA Faculty Center, California Room. The event will honor the 2012–13 IAC visiting scholars, predoctoral and graduate fellows, and research grant awardees. Juanita Heredia, associate professor of Spanish at Northern Arizona University, is the IAC visiting scholar for the CSRC this year. As part of the event program, Marissa Lopez, CSRC associate director and UCLA professor of English, will interview Heredia about her project “Transnational Latinas/os and the City: Negotiating Urban Experiences in Twenty-first Century Literature and Popular Culture.”
CSRC Library
Serials inventory underway
In November the CSRC library staff began performing a much-needed inventory of the CSRC’s serials collections. For the next few months staff will focus their efforts on the library’s extensive newspaper collection, which includes approximately three hundred titles. Chicano Student News, El Grito del Norte, El Popo, El Malcriado, La Raza, La Opinión, and Las Hijas de Cuahtemoc are among the publications. For more information and to access the collection, contact the librarian, Lizette Guerra.
Volunteers processing three special collections
Two students have volunteered to process three archival collections this quarter. Carissa Garcia, an undergraduate student in the Department of World Arts and Cultures, is processing the Maria Acosta Duran Papers and the James and Margarita Mendez Papers. These two collections document the lives of the Mendez family. Maria Duran, Margarita’s mother, was a Mexican American activist who sought reform through organizations like La Alianza Hispano-Americana and the Community Service Organization. The focus of the Mendez collection is the World War II service of Duran’s son-in-law, James Mendez. The second student, Manuel Escamilla, is a first-year graduate student in the Department of Information Studies. He is currently working on the Josefa L. Serna Papers. This collection includes approximately 1,000 photographs from the late nineteenth century to approximately 2006, as well as realia, correspondence, and immigration and religious papers documenting the life of Serna and her family.
Glascock Collection focuses on documentary
Baylis Glascock is a professional motion picture technician who has worked as a picture and sound editor on such high-profile Hollywood films as Erin Brockovich, Twister, Rosewood, and Legends of the Fall, among others. In the 1960s, Glascock directed the documentary Farmersville, about the lives of agricultural workers in Southern California. The film, which includes numerous first-person accounts, was never released. Glascock has donated his papers related to this production to the CSRC, and the library is on target to have them processed and available for researchers in January 2013. Once processing is completed, portions of the film will be digitized for public viewing.
New video on CSRC YouTube
Now available for viewing on CSRC YouTube is a presentation by Raúl Ruíz, professor of Chicano and Chicano studies at California State University, Northridge. Ruíz’s talk, “Mapping Truth: Following the Paper Trail in the Murder of Ruben Salazar,” was based on his eyewitness account of events on the day that the Chicano journalist was killed. It forms the foundation of Ruíz’s forthcoming book on the topic. The lecture, which is viewable online in three parts, was part of a commemorative event that took place last August, on the forty-second anniversary of Salazar’s death. A photo exhibition from Ruiz’s personal collection was on display, and the CSRC officially launched its online digital collection of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's investigative files regarding Salazar’s homicide.
Researchers who wish to consult CSRC collections may contact the librarian, Lizette Guerra.
CSRC Press
Aztlán authors win award
Congratulations to Pat Rubio Goldsmith, Mary Romero, Raquel Rubio-Goldsmith, Manuel Escobedo, and Laura Khoury, whose article “Ethno-Racial Profiling and State Violence in a Southwest Barrio” was the recipient of the Latin American Studies Association Latino Studies Section Article Award. The award committee noted that the article, which was published in the Spring 2009 issue of Aztlán, “serves as a model of relevant, exemplary scholarship that combines microanalysis of empirical data with macro theoretical perspectives.” The committee praised the authors for bringing “empathy and ethics into focus, leading readers to a greater understanding of the human crisis at hand, as well as the utility of social science research in advancing a more just world.” Download a PDF of the article here. Visit the CSRC website to read about the current issue of Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies.
Opportunities
Visiting Scholar/Researcher Program
Applications are now being accepted for the CSRC’s 2013–14 visiting scholar/researcher program, which is offered in cooperation with the UCLA Institute of American Cultures (IAC). CSRC visiting scholars/researchers contribute to the research activities of the center, including teaching a ten-week undergraduate or graduate seminar based on their research project. The visiting scholar/researcher will receive an academic stipend of $32,000 to $35,000 (contingent upon rank, experience, and date of completion of doctoral studies), plus health benefits. While all applications related to Chicano-Latino studies are welcome, the CSRC also encourages proposals that contribute to the IAC's emphasis on the emerging America. Applications are due by February 1, 2013. Recipients will be notified by mid-April. Submit applications electronically to CSRC assistant director Javier Iribarren. Those interested in applying can read about the application process and access the electronic application on the IAC website. Questions about the program can be sent to Dr. Iribarren.