CSRC Newsletter June - August 2008
Volume 6, Number 9
Director's Message
I am proud to announce the establishment of the Carlos M. Haro Scholarship Fund at the CSRC. As you know, Carlos, who retired this year, was the CSRC’s assistant director. He worked at UCLA for thirty-two years, preceded by eleven years as a UCLA student earning his BA, MA, and PhD. He is now a visiting scholar at the CSRC, where he is focusing on education projects, including our just completed 3rd Annual Latina/o Education Summit. The scholarship fund will support students whose research focuses on education or public service. We have been fortunate to receive contributions from colleagues, friends, and family. Please consider supporting this effort. Your contribution will not only honor Carlos’s lifelong contributions to UCLA and the CSRC but also support a new generation of students committed to educational access and public service. What better way to start the summer? For more information visit our website.
Chon A. Noriega
Director and Professor
Director and Professor
News
Archival Program Award
The John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation has awarded a grant to the CSRC to support the preservation of collections relevant to the culture, history, and achievements of the Chicano and Latino people of Los Angeles. The $47,850 award funds a one-year processing project that focuses on two collections: the Roybal family photograph collection, which richly documents the public service career of Congressman Edward R. Roybal from the 1940s to the 1990s; and the Los Angeles orphan photograph collection, which provides documentation of Latino family life, civic participation, and work from the 1940s to 1990s. The latter collection was acquired by the CSRC’s former librarian, the late Yolanda Retter Vargas.
The John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation has awarded a grant to the CSRC to support the preservation of collections relevant to the culture, history, and achievements of the Chicano and Latino people of Los Angeles. The $47,850 award funds a one-year processing project that focuses on two collections: the Roybal family photograph collection, which richly documents the public service career of Congressman Edward R. Roybal from the 1940s to the 1990s; and the Los Angeles orphan photograph collection, which provides documentation of Latino family life, civic participation, and work from the 1940s to 1990s. The latter collection was acquired by the CSRC’s former librarian, the late Yolanda Retter Vargas.
Hewlett Foundation Grant
The CSRC has received a $126,000 grant from the Hewlett Foundation in support of planning and launching the pilot phase of the California Program on Opportunity and Equity (CalPOE), a technical assistance program dedicated to providing information to state policy makers on issues that affect California’s underserved and vulnerable populations. The CalPOE will draw in part on research activities at the CSRC, the Bunche Center for African American Studies, and the Asian American Studies Center. Andrés Jiménez, who initiated this project at the UCOP, will serve as project director and provide leadership on moving the project toward an implementation phase.
The CSRC has received a $126,000 grant from the Hewlett Foundation in support of planning and launching the pilot phase of the California Program on Opportunity and Equity (CalPOE), a technical assistance program dedicated to providing information to state policy makers on issues that affect California’s underserved and vulnerable populations. The CalPOE will draw in part on research activities at the CSRC, the Bunche Center for African American Studies, and the Asian American Studies Center. Andrés Jiménez, who initiated this project at the UCOP, will serve as project director and provide leadership on moving the project toward an implementation phase.
CSRC Program for Undergraduates in Washington, DC
As a founding member of the Inter-University Program for Latino Research (IUPLR), headquartered at the University of Notre Dame, the CSRC participates in the Summer Leadership Institute for Latino Public Policy for undergraduate students in Washington, D.C. This year the CSRC is sending three UCLA undergraduate students to attend the program: Susana Naranjo, Chicana and Chicano studies; Ignacio Delgado, political science; and Devin Matthew Guerrero, history. For more information about IUPLR, visit the organization’s website.
CSRC Postdoctoral Fellow Awarded Tenure
The CSRC is proud to announce that 2007–08 Institute of American Cultures Postdoctoral Fellow Ellie Hernandez has been granted tenure in Women’s Studies at UC Santa Barbara. While at CSRC this year, Dr. Hernandez has been working on her book project, “Postnationalism: Nationalist Discontent in Chicana/o Culture.” Dr. Hernandez was also a visiting scholar at CSRC in 2004–05, and she has participated in several CSRC conferences.
The CSRC is proud to announce that 2007–08 Institute of American Cultures Postdoctoral Fellow Ellie Hernandez has been granted tenure in Women’s Studies at UC Santa Barbara. While at CSRC this year, Dr. Hernandez has been working on her book project, “Postnationalism: Nationalist Discontent in Chicana/o Culture.” Dr. Hernandez was also a visiting scholar at CSRC in 2004–05, and she has participated in several CSRC conferences.
Award for Outstanding Public Service
UCLA will bestow the UCLA Medal, the university’s highest honor, on Linda Griego this commencement season in recognition of her leadership and public service. Ms. Griego, former deputy mayor for economic development under Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley and former president and CEO of Rebuild L.A., is a valued supporter of the CSRC and its mission. She will receive her medal on Thursday, June 12, 7:00 p.m., at the UCLA Graduate Division's doctoral hooding ceremony at Royce Hall. A reception will precede the presentation. Ms. Griego, who has received many awards for public service, currently serves on numerous nonprofit and corporate boards, including those of CBS Corp., the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Public Policy Institute of California, and the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles. For more information about the event, contact modegaard@gdnet.ucla.edu.
UCLA will bestow the UCLA Medal, the university’s highest honor, on Linda Griego this commencement season in recognition of her leadership and public service. Ms. Griego, former deputy mayor for economic development under Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley and former president and CEO of Rebuild L.A., is a valued supporter of the CSRC and its mission. She will receive her medal on Thursday, June 12, 7:00 p.m., at the UCLA Graduate Division's doctoral hooding ceremony at Royce Hall. A reception will precede the presentation. Ms. Griego, who has received many awards for public service, currently serves on numerous nonprofit and corporate boards, including those of CBS Corp., the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Public Policy Institute of California, and the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles. For more information about the event, contact modegaard@gdnet.ucla.edu.
Generations of Exclusion in the News
Findings published in Generations of Exclusion, by UCLA Professors Edward E. Telles and Vilma Ortiz, are discussed in an article featured on the U.S. News and World Report website. In “Mexican Immigrants Prove Slow to Fit In: Why Mexicans Assimilate at Rates Lower than Newcomers from Other Parts of the World,” Bret Schulte draws on Generations of Exclusion and other research to present an overview of Mexican American assimilation. To read the article, visit the magazine’s website.
Findings published in Generations of Exclusion, by UCLA Professors Edward E. Telles and Vilma Ortiz, are discussed in an article featured on the U.S. News and World Report website. In “Mexican Immigrants Prove Slow to Fit In: Why Mexicans Assimilate at Rates Lower than Newcomers from Other Parts of the World,” Bret Schulte draws on Generations of Exclusion and other research to present an overview of Mexican American assimilation. To read the article, visit the magazine’s website.
Events
CSRC Documentary in Rasquache Film Festival
The 5th Annual Reel Rasquache Festival of the U.S. Latino Experience in Film and Art will feature the world premiere of Casa Libre/Freedom House, a CSRC documentary on a unique homeless shelter for unaccompanied, undocumented minors in Los Angeles. The documentary will screen on Saturday, May 31, 3:00 p.m., in the Intimate Theatre at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex at Cal State LA. Casa Libre/Freedom House, an hour-long film, is an outgrowth of a community partnership between the CSRC and the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, Inc. (CHRCL), which runs Casa Libre. The project received support from the UCLA Center for Community Partnerships. The documentary is directed by UCLA film student Roberto S. Oregel and produced by the CSRC’s director, Chon A. Noriega. Director Oregel will participate in a Directors/Filmmakers’ Roundtable on Sunday, June 1, 3:00 p.m. For a complete schedule for the three-day festival and information on tickets, visit the festival’s website.
The 5th Annual Reel Rasquache Festival of the U.S. Latino Experience in Film and Art will feature the world premiere of Casa Libre/Freedom House, a CSRC documentary on a unique homeless shelter for unaccompanied, undocumented minors in Los Angeles. The documentary will screen on Saturday, May 31, 3:00 p.m., in the Intimate Theatre at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex at Cal State LA. Casa Libre/Freedom House, an hour-long film, is an outgrowth of a community partnership between the CSRC and the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, Inc. (CHRCL), which runs Casa Libre. The project received support from the UCLA Center for Community Partnerships. The documentary is directed by UCLA film student Roberto S. Oregel and produced by the CSRC’s director, Chon A. Noriega. Director Oregel will participate in a Directors/Filmmakers’ Roundtable on Sunday, June 1, 3:00 p.m. For a complete schedule for the three-day festival and information on tickets, visit the festival’s website.
Premiere of América Tropical
The CSRC is delighted to announce the world premiere of América Tropical, a multimedia piece inspired by the work of muralist David Alfaro Siquieros, on Friday, June 6, 8:00 p.m., at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. América Tropical, which combines music, imagery, and narration, will be performed by L.A. Opera mezzo-soprano Suzanna Guzman, actor Edward James Olmos, and Mexico City’s Philharmonic Orchestra. The new work is a collaboration by three UCLA faculty with leadership roles in L.A.’s art scene—Steven Loza (musical score), Latino Museum; José Luís Valenzuela (script), LATC; and Judy Baca (visual imagery and staging), SPARC. The orchestra, led by guest conductor Enrique Diemecke, will also present classic twentieth-century pieces by Mexican composers. Featured will be Los-Angeles based Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano. The concert is co-sponsored by the CSRC, UCLA’s Arts Initiative, the School of the Arts and Architecture, the School of Theater, Film and Television, the Latin American Institute, and UC MEXUS. Ticket prices range from $20 to $120 and can be purchased at Ticketmaster (213 365-3500 or www.ticketmaster.com). For more information visit the SPARC website. To read the UCLA press release, go to the UCLA Newsroom website.
The CSRC is delighted to announce the world premiere of América Tropical, a multimedia piece inspired by the work of muralist David Alfaro Siquieros, on Friday, June 6, 8:00 p.m., at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. América Tropical, which combines music, imagery, and narration, will be performed by L.A. Opera mezzo-soprano Suzanna Guzman, actor Edward James Olmos, and Mexico City’s Philharmonic Orchestra. The new work is a collaboration by three UCLA faculty with leadership roles in L.A.’s art scene—Steven Loza (musical score), Latino Museum; José Luís Valenzuela (script), LATC; and Judy Baca (visual imagery and staging), SPARC. The orchestra, led by guest conductor Enrique Diemecke, will also present classic twentieth-century pieces by Mexican composers. Featured will be Los-Angeles based Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano. The concert is co-sponsored by the CSRC, UCLA’s Arts Initiative, the School of the Arts and Architecture, the School of Theater, Film and Television, the Latin American Institute, and UC MEXUS. Ticket prices range from $20 to $120 and can be purchased at Ticketmaster (213 365-3500 or www.ticketmaster.com). For more information visit the SPARC website. To read the UCLA press release, go to the UCLA Newsroom website.
A Ver Artist Recognized
Artist Carmen Lomas Garza, subject of an upcoming book in the CSRC’s A Ver: Revisioning Art History series, will have an East L.A. school named in her honor. In March 2007 the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education approved the community’s nomination to name their new primary school the “Carmen Lomas Garza Primary Center.” The naming celebration will be on Thursday, June 12, 9:00–10:00 a.m. The school is located at 2750 Hostetter Street, Los Angeles, CA 90023-4332. For more information about the A Ver series, visit the CSRC website.
Artist Carmen Lomas Garza, subject of an upcoming book in the CSRC’s A Ver: Revisioning Art History series, will have an East L.A. school named in her honor. In March 2007 the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education approved the community’s nomination to name their new primary school the “Carmen Lomas Garza Primary Center.” The naming celebration will be on Thursday, June 12, 9:00–10:00 a.m. The school is located at 2750 Hostetter Street, Los Angeles, CA 90023-4332. For more information about the A Ver series, visit the CSRC website.
Cheech and Chon at LACMA
That’s right, they’re back together again, and this time the “g” is silent. CSRC Director Chon A. Noriega and art collector-actor-activist Cheech Marin will discuss the current state of Chicano art in the Bing Auditorium at LACMA on Sunday, June 22, 2:00 p.m. Cheech and Chon will address the place of Chicano art in history, Mr. Marin’s extensive collection of Latino art, and developing the Latino audience. This conversation is presented in conjunction with the LACMA exhibition Los Angelenos/Chicano Painters of L.A.: Selections from the Cheech Marin Collection, which opens June 15. The event is free and open to the public; no reservations are required.
That’s right, they’re back together again, and this time the “g” is silent. CSRC Director Chon A. Noriega and art collector-actor-activist Cheech Marin will discuss the current state of Chicano art in the Bing Auditorium at LACMA on Sunday, June 22, 2:00 p.m. Cheech and Chon will address the place of Chicano art in history, Mr. Marin’s extensive collection of Latino art, and developing the Latino audience. This conversation is presented in conjunction with the LACMA exhibition Los Angelenos/Chicano Painters of L.A.: Selections from the Cheech Marin Collection, which opens June 15. The event is free and open to the public; no reservations are required.
Go See...
Don’t let summer slip by without seeing two outstanding art exhibitions that involve CSRC staff. Vexing: Female Voices from East L.A. Punk, at the Claremont Museum Art, is co-curated by Colin Gunckel; Phantom Sightings: Art After the Chicano Movement at LACMA, is co-curated by Chon A. Noriega. Both shows are up through the end of August.
Don’t let summer slip by without seeing two outstanding art exhibitions that involve CSRC staff. Vexing: Female Voices from East L.A. Punk, at the Claremont Museum Art, is co-curated by Colin Gunckel; Phantom Sightings: Art After the Chicano Movement at LACMA, is co-curated by Chon A. Noriega. Both shows are up through the end of August.
CSRC Library and Archive
New Titles at the CSRC Library
Of the new books that have recently been added to the CSRC Library’s shelves, we would like to call attention to 500 Years of Chicana Women’s History, by Betita Martínez. This is a valuable resource for researchers interested in the Chicana experience. Former CSRC librarian, the late Yolanda Retter-Vargas, helped Ms. Martínez collect the materials necessary for compiling the women’s stories in this reference book. We would like to thank Ms. Martínez for her generous book donation and for her important contribution to Chicana/o scholarship.
Of the new books that have recently been added to the CSRC Library’s shelves, we would like to call attention to 500 Years of Chicana Women’s History, by Betita Martínez. This is a valuable resource for researchers interested in the Chicana experience. Former CSRC librarian, the late Yolanda Retter-Vargas, helped Ms. Martínez collect the materials necessary for compiling the women’s stories in this reference book. We would like to thank Ms. Martínez for her generous book donation and for her important contribution to Chicana/o scholarship.
The Library’s new titles are:
* Julio Cammarota, Sueños Americanos: Barrio Youth Negotiating Social and Cultural Identities. University of Arizona Press, 2008.
* Sandra Cisneros, Caramelo. Vintage Books, 2002.
* Laura E. Garcia, Sandra M. Gutierrez, and Felicitas Nuñez, Teatro Chicana: A Collective Memoir and Selected Plays. University of Texas Press, 2008.
* Laura E. Gómez, Manifest Destinies: The Making of the Mexican American Race. New York University Press, 2007.
* Rita Gonzalez, Howard N. Fox, and Chon A. Noriega, Phantom Sightings: Art After the Chicano Movement. University of California Press and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2008.
* Olga U. Herrera, Toward the Preservation of a Heritage: Latin American and Latino Art in the Midwestern United States. Notre Dame Institute for Latino Studies, 2008.
* Adriana Lopez, ed., Fifteen Candles: 15 Tales of Taffeta, Hairspray, Drunk Uncles, and Other Quinceañera Stories. HarperCollins, 2007.
* Elizabeth “Betita” Martínez, 500 Years of Chicana Women’s History. Rutgers University Press, 2008.
* Daniel Olivas, ed., Latinos in Lotusland: An Anthology of Contemporary Southern California Literature. Bilingual Press, 2008.
* Manuel Peña, Where the Ox Does Not Plow: A Mexican American Ballad. University of New Mexico Press, 2008.
* David Roybal, Taking on Giants: Fabian Chavez Jr. and New Mexico Politics. University of New Mexico Press, 2008.
* Francisco Jose Ruiz Cervantes et al., Testimonios del cincuentenario. Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca, 2006.
* Susan Tiano, Patriarchy on the Line: Labor, Gender, and Ideology in the Mexican Maquila Industry. Temple University Press, 1994.
* Carla Trujillo, What Night Brings. Curbstone Press, 2003.
* Sandra Cisneros, Caramelo. Vintage Books, 2002.
* Laura E. Garcia, Sandra M. Gutierrez, and Felicitas Nuñez, Teatro Chicana: A Collective Memoir and Selected Plays. University of Texas Press, 2008.
* Laura E. Gómez, Manifest Destinies: The Making of the Mexican American Race. New York University Press, 2007.
* Rita Gonzalez, Howard N. Fox, and Chon A. Noriega, Phantom Sightings: Art After the Chicano Movement. University of California Press and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2008.
* Olga U. Herrera, Toward the Preservation of a Heritage: Latin American and Latino Art in the Midwestern United States. Notre Dame Institute for Latino Studies, 2008.
* Adriana Lopez, ed., Fifteen Candles: 15 Tales of Taffeta, Hairspray, Drunk Uncles, and Other Quinceañera Stories. HarperCollins, 2007.
* Elizabeth “Betita” Martínez, 500 Years of Chicana Women’s History. Rutgers University Press, 2008.
* Daniel Olivas, ed., Latinos in Lotusland: An Anthology of Contemporary Southern California Literature. Bilingual Press, 2008.
* Manuel Peña, Where the Ox Does Not Plow: A Mexican American Ballad. University of New Mexico Press, 2008.
* David Roybal, Taking on Giants: Fabian Chavez Jr. and New Mexico Politics. University of New Mexico Press, 2008.
* Francisco Jose Ruiz Cervantes et al., Testimonios del cincuentenario. Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca, 2006.
* Susan Tiano, Patriarchy on the Line: Labor, Gender, and Ideology in the Mexican Maquila Industry. Temple University Press, 1994.
* Carla Trujillo, What Night Brings. Curbstone Press, 2003.
CSRC Press
New Policy Briefs on Mexican American Assimilation
CSRC Press has released two new policy briefs by Edward E. Telles and Vilma Ortiz that focus on the assimilation of Mexican Americans. Both briefs are drawn from the authors’ new book, Generations of Exclusion.
CSRC Press has released two new policy briefs by Edward E. Telles and Vilma Ortiz that focus on the assimilation of Mexican Americans. Both briefs are drawn from the authors’ new book, Generations of Exclusion.
In Mexican Americans and Education, CSRC Latino Policy and Issues Brief No. 19, Professors Telles and Ortiz find that even though education for Mexican Americans improved over the course of the twentieth century, as it did for all Americans, Mexican Americans continue to lag behind other racial/ethnic groups in terms of schooling. The authors conclude that this lack of progress cements the low status of Mexican Americans in U.S. society.
In Mexican Americans and Integration and Segregation, CSRC Latino Policy and Issues Brief No. 20, Professors Telles and Ortiz show that, in terms of their interaction with other racial/ethnic groups, Mexican Americans are becoming more assimilated. This assimilation is slow, however, when compared to that of European-origin groups.
The two new briefs, as well as the authors’ previous briefs—Mexican Americans and Ethnic and Political Identities (No. 17) and Mexican Americans and Economic Progress (No. 18)—are available at the CSRC Press website. The fifth brief in the series, Mexican American Culture and Language (No. 21), will be released in July.
These briefs were generated by the Mexican American Study Project (MASP), a longitudinal and intergenerational research project based at UCLA. In 1965–66, MASP project teams interviewed Mexican Americans living in Los Angeles and San Antonio; in 1997–2000, Professors Telles and Ortiz re-interviewed the original participants, plus two of their adult children. The two surveys provide data for a systematic analysis of how well Mexican Americans are being absorbed into the predominant culture. For more information on CSRC publications, visit the CSRC Press website.
Education Summit Research Reports
Two new CSRC Research Reports assess the issues that school governance teams face in large urban school districts. The reports were produced in conjunction with the CSRC’s 2008 Latina/o Education Summit, “K-12 Education: What Can School Board Members and School Superintendents Do to Assure Student Success?”
Two new CSRC Research Reports assess the issues that school governance teams face in large urban school districts. The reports were produced in conjunction with the CSRC’s 2008 Latina/o Education Summit, “K-12 Education: What Can School Board Members and School Superintendents Do to Assure Student Success?”
In Improving Latino Education: Roles and Challenges for Superintendents and School Boards, CSRC Research Report No. 11, Peggy Fan (with contributions from Jenny Walters, Erica Bochanty-Aguero, and Carlos Haro) surveys current research that explores how school boards and superintendents can contribute to efforts to improve education for Latino students. The report identifies the challenges for governance teams and concludes with a series of recommendations.
School Governance for Latino Communities, CSRC Research Report No. 12, is an excerpt from CSRC Research Report No. 11. It focuses on the role of school boards and superintendents in Latino communities and summarizes recent events in the Los Angeles Unified School District that have affected school governance. Both reports are available in PDF at the CSRC Press website.
Aztlán's Review Section
What better way to enjoy summer than to submit a review to Aztlán! Reviews are short pieces on books, movies, recordings, events, conferences, exhibitions, and the like. Authors who are interested in reviewing for Aztlán, or who would like to review a particular book or event, should query us in advance to ensure that the review fits into our editorial mandate. If you do not have a particular book in mind, we have a list of books we can send along. If you would like to contribute to Aztlán’s review section, please contact Erica Bochanty-Aguero, the review coordinator, at ebochanty@chicano.ucla.edu.
What better way to enjoy summer than to submit a review to Aztlán! Reviews are short pieces on books, movies, recordings, events, conferences, exhibitions, and the like. Authors who are interested in reviewing for Aztlán, or who would like to review a particular book or event, should query us in advance to ensure that the review fits into our editorial mandate. If you do not have a particular book in mind, we have a list of books we can send along. If you would like to contribute to Aztlán’s review section, please contact Erica Bochanty-Aguero, the review coordinator, at ebochanty@chicano.ucla.edu.
Submissions Online
Our submissions process for Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies has moved into the digital age. If you are interested in submitting an essay or review, please review our submission guidelines at the Press’s webpage. Queries and materials should be sent, electronically, to submissions@chicano.ucla.edu.
Our submissions process for Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies has moved into the digital age. If you are interested in submitting an essay or review, please review our submission guidelines at the Press’s webpage. Queries and materials should be sent, electronically, to submissions@chicano.ucla.edu.
Contacts
UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center • 193 Haines Hall • Box 951544 • Los Angeles, CA 90095-1544 Campus Mail Code: 154403 • Tel: (310) 825-2363 • Fax: (310) 206-1784