CSRC Newsletter - April 2007
CSRC Newsletter Volume 5, Number 7
Director's Message
Please visit our booth at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on April 28–29!
This month's message comes from our Assistant Director: A commemorative service for Marco Antonio Firebaugh was held on Thursday, March 21. A full year has passed since he died at the very young age of thirty-nine, and I am struck by how quickly we forget even the important figures in our lives. If anything, we should recall that there are too few Chicanas and Chicanos who reach positions of leadership and even fewer who gain the power to create and implement policies that serve the most vulnerable in our society. Marco was both a powerful politician and a committed civil rights leader.
As a beneficiary of affirmative action programs and a graduate of UC Berkeley and the UCLA Law School, Marco strongly defended affirmative action programs as a necessary remedy for generations of discrimination. He also saw affirmative action as an important instrument for dealing with the shortfalls of K-12 education in California and for providing access to higher education, as well as for assuring that California's public universities have a diverse student body. Despite various efforts to maintain equitable access, California passed Proposition 209 in 1996, ending affirmative action, and in 1997 (the year Marco received his law degree) the number of Chicano, black, and American Indian students admitted to UC campuses dropped precipitously and has not recovered. For a recent study on opposition to affirmative action, see this month's Latino Policy & Issues Brief .
Marco was a member of the State Assembly from 1998 to 2004, and from 2002 to 2004 he served as chairman of the California Latino Legislative Caucus. Under his stewardship the Latino Caucus grew from 22 to 27 members, making it the largest and most influential caucus in the legislature. He also served as Assembly Floor Leader from 2002 to 2004, making him the highest ranking Latino in the Assembly and one of the chief negotiators for Assembly Democrats. He authored a number of Assembly Bills, but one, AB 540, stands out. This landmark law allows California high school students to pursue a college education regardless of their immigration status. The importance of AB 540 for Latina/os will be discussed at the Latina/o Education Summit , to be held at UCLA on May 25.
Carlos M. Haro, Assistant Director
News
Donation to the CSRC Library
Abelardo de la Peña González has donated a copy of his book Mi Barco: El Sueño Americano to the CSRC Library. Mi Barco is a narrative of the author's move to Wilmington, California, in the 1950s and his experiences in that community. Mr. González is a board member of the Mexican Cultural Institute. CSRC thanks him for his generosity.
CSRC Faculty Associate Inducted into the ASCI
Leo Morales , Associate Professor of Health Services and Medicine, has been inducted into the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI). The ASCI, established in 1908, is one of the nation's oldest and most respected medical honor societies. It comprises more than 2,800 physician-scientists from all medical specialties who are elected to the society for their outstanding records of scholarly achievement in biomedical research. The ASCI considers the nominations of several hundred physician-scientists from the United States and abroad each year and elects up to eighty new members for their significant research accomplishments. Because members must be forty-five years of age or younger at the time of their election, membership reflects accomplishments by its members relatively early in their careers.
CSRC DVDs to be Screened in Madrid
Several of the documentaries that are offered for sale through the CSRC, including Los Four, Murals of Aztlan, and Frontierland/Frontierlandia , and two compilations of Harry Gamboa Jr.'s video art from the 1980s and 1990s, will be screened in conjunction with the exhibition Pintores de Aztlán at La Casa Encendida in Madrid, Spain. The exhibition will run from March 27 through June 17, 2007.
Lupe Anguiano Archive Opening
Over 400 people attended the opening of the Lupe Anguiano Archive on March 12, 2007. Gloria Stein, Lupe Anguiano, and Henry Cisneros spoke, among others. For more information on the program and media coverage of the event, visit the website . The opening was sponsored by the CSRC and the UCLA Center for the Study of Women. The program was made possible in part through the generous support of TELACU , the East Los Angeles Community Union.
Events
Screening of Please, Don't Bury Me Alive!
The CSRC will host a screening of the first Chicano-directed feature film, Please, Don't Bury Me Alive!: Por favor, no me entierren vivo! Efraín Gutiérrez, who wrote, directed, distributed, and starred in the film, will be on hand to talk about its creation. The film, which is subtitled, will be shown on Thursday, April 19 , at 4:30 p.m. in 144 Haines Hall. The film will soon be available in DVD format from CRSC Press. The disk will include a bonus documentary on the filmmaker by Michael Stone.
Strange Affinities Symposium
Contributors to Strange Affinities: The Gender and Sexual Politics of Comparative Racialization will be featured at a symposium co-sponsored by the CSRC on Monday, April 23, 3:00–5:00 p.m. in 314 Royce Hall. The book, forthcoming from Duke University Press, explores new avenues of inquiry in studies of race. Grace Kyungwon Hong , UCLA Department of Asian American Studies and Women's Studies Program, will discuss her essay “Strange Affinities: An Introduction to the Project.” Other participants and their essays are: Roderick Ferguson , Department of American Studies, University of Minnesota, “The Lateral Moves of African American Studies in a Period of Migration”; and Ruby Tapia , Department of Comparative Studies, Ohio State University, “Volumes of ‘Transnational' Vengeance: Fixing Feminism and Race on the Way to Kill Bill.” Rafael Perez-Torres , UCLA Department of English, will be the respondent. The moderator will be Judith Halberstam , USC Department of English and the co-editor of the Perverse Modernities series published by Duke University Press.
Los Angeles Times Festival of Books
Come to the CSRC Press booth at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on Saturday, April 28 and Sunday, April 29 from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. Our booth will be number 630, on the east side of Haines Hall.
Save the Date
Latina/o Education Summit 2007
The CSRC will hold its annual Latina/o Education Summit on Friday, May 25, from 8:30 am to 7:00 pm. This year the conference will focus on the community college segment of the educational pipeline and the perspective of Latina/o transfer students. Of the Latina/o students who pursue graduate degrees in California, 60% to 65% begin at the community college level. Summit participants will engage in a critical discussion regarding the role of the transfer function and of community colleges, four-year colleges, and graduate institutions in addressing the educational needs of the growing Latina/o student population. Pre-registration is required.
Reading and Book Signing
Join Myriam Gurba, author of Dahlia Season , for “Trannies, Tourette's, and Tortillas,” a reading, discussion, and book signing. The event will be Thursday, May 31 , 6:00–8:00 p.m., in 144 Haines Hall. Combining the spark of Michelle Tea, the comic angst of Augusten Burroughs, and the warmth of Sandra Cisneros, Mexican American author Myriam Gurba has created a territory all her own with her debut collection. The title novella is a fast-paced riddle of madness and redemption narrated by Desiree Garcia, an undercover Chicana goth dyke. Ali Liebegott , author of The IHOP Papers , describes Garcia as the kind of “sexy badass [girl] we rarely get to see in literature.” Several of Gurba's acclaimed stories round out the book. Dahlia Season will be available for purchase and signing. Refreshments will be served.
CSRC Library and Archive
Collection Donated
Richard Griswold del Castillo, a leading Chicano historian and a UCLA alumnus, has donated his papers to the CSRC Archive. Professor Castillo, who currently teaches at San Diego State University, has chronicled many aspects of the historic struggle of people of Mexican descent and is the author of many books and articles on the subject.
Collection Increased
The archive has also received a third volume of papers from the Comisión Femenil de Los Angeles. Founded in 1970, the CFLA was concerned with advancing the image, role, and contributions of Chicanas to the community. Our thanks to Karin Mary Davalos for helping preserve these materials.
New Finding Aids
Finding aids for two CSRC collections—the Lupe Anguiano Papers, and the José Luis Sedano Photo Collection and Papers—will be published in April.
Successful Archive Event
The opening event for the Lupe Anguiano Archive was a great success. We are grateful for the hard work of PhD candidate Joy Novak, who processed Ms. Anguiano's papers, and to the indefatigable CSRC staff who made the event possible. Thanks also to special guests Gloria Steinem and Henry Cisneros. And a special thanks to Lupe Anguiano for her courageously lived life, her generous donation of her archive, and her assistance in helping the CSRC raise awareness about the importance of the archives of marginalized communities.
CSRC Press
Los Angeles Times Festival of Books
Looking for a chance to buy the first edition of the first book in the historic series on Latino artists AND get it signed personally by the artist Gronk? Here's your chance! Gronk will be signing books on Saturday, April 28, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the CSRC Press booth at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. Come on down and buy some of our discounted books and DVDs! This is one of the largest book festivals in the world, held on the UCLA campus the weekend of Saturday, April 28 and Sunday, April 29. Our booth will be number 630, on the east side of Haines Hall.
Affirmative Action Policy Brief
Despite widespread support for the egalitarian ideals that inspired affirmative action, policies to promote the inclusion of racial minorities evoke considerable opposition from white Americans. The latest Latino Policy and Issues Brief explores how the perceived effect of affirmative action on members of the white in-group affects whites' opposition to affirmative action. The authors' research suggests that, independent of principle or racism, white opposition to affirmative action is the product of the desire to protect fellow whites. Titled Why White Americans Oppose Affirmative Action: A Group-Interest Approach and by professors Brian S. Lowery of Stanford, Miguel M. Unzueta of UCLA, and Eric D. Knowles of UCI, this brief can be read online.
Aztlán Out
If you are a subscriber, you should have received the new issue of Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies. If you are not a subscriber, you will miss the articles on the late Chicano author Gil Cuadros; femicide in Ciudad Juárez; public schooling on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border; Chinese-Mexican intermarriage during the early twentieth century; and Culture Clash's play Chavez Ravine. If you would like to subscribe, you can go to our store to buy a current subscription or email your postal address to us so that we can send you a subscription package.
To read all issues of Aztlán, please go to the journal hosting site!
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Information about all our publications is available at the CSRC Press website.
Opportunities
Call for Faculty and Graduate Student Research Grant Applications
The CSRC, the IAC, and the University of California Committee on Latino Research are offering research grants in Chicana/o Studies and Latino Policy Studies. The deadline for UCLA faculty and student proposals is Friday, April 27. Visit the IAC website for details and application forms. Please submit complete proposals to CSRC Assistant Director Carlos Haro.
Contacts
To learn more about us, visit our website or email us.
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