CSRC Newsletter - December 2011

In November, the Drop the I-Word Campaign sought to persuade the Associated Press to change its stylebook regarding the use of the word illegal to describe undocumented immigrants. Activists argue on the campaign’s website that “‘illegal immigrant’ is dehumanizing, racially charged, inaccurate, not legal terminology, and not conducive to understanding the immigration debate.” This position is endorsed by the Society of Professional Journalists. In the end, the Associated Press did not update this part of its stylebook, but it will consider the issue again for 2012.

 

The use of divisive speech in the media is currently receiving a lot of attention: the CSRC’s new report on hate speech, discussed below, measures the use of illegal on commercial talk radio, and a campaign by the National Hispanic Media Coalition seeks to have The John & Ken Show taken off the air because of the inflammatory speech used by its hosts. If the Associated Press does not change its stylebook in this regard, then perhaps it can at least recommend consistency when illegal is used to describe human beings. In other words, if the Associated Press accepts the position that humans — not just their acts — can be illegal, its guidelines should state that anyone who breaks the law should be called “an illegal.” Convicted stockbrokers and elected officials, tax evaders, and drunken drivers — all should be referred to as “illegals.” For example: “Robert De Niro is expected to play illegal stockbroker Bernie Madoff in an HBO movie. The illegal is serving 150 years in prison.” Or, “Season nine of Dancing with the Stars featured illegal former congressman Tom DeLay. After several weeks, the illegal left the competition due to a stress fracture.”

 

If not humanity, then equity.

 

 

Hate Speech on Commercial Talk Radio: A Pilot Study, a groundbreaking research project conducted by CSRC in partnership with the National Hispanic Media Coalition, advances a methodology for quantifying hate speech in commercial talk radio. The preliminary report, authored by Chon A. Noriega, CSRC director, and Javier Iribarren, CSRC assistant director, was released November 8 and has generated widespread media interest (see CSRC in the News, below). In examining the popular talk radio shows The Savage Nation, The Lou Dobbs Show, and The John & Ken Show, the research team found a significant incidence of speech that incorporates targeted statements against foreign nationals and members of racial, ethnic, and religious minorities. In addition to targeted statements, the study measured unsubstantiated claims, divisive language, and indexical terms (code words) related to political nativism.

 

“Based on the evidence we uncovered, the pro­grams reveal a distinct and recurring rhetorical pattern for targeting spe­cific vulnerable groups,” Noriega said. “Through this rhetorical pattern, vulnerable groups were defined as antithetical to core American values, which were attrib­uted by the hosts to themselves, their audience, and the nation.”

 

Noriega, Iribarren, and Kelly Madison, film professor at California State University-Long Beach, spoke on a panel about the study in downtown Los Angeles on November 8 in conjunction with the study’s release. Alex Nogales, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, moderated the event.

 

Research for the study was supported in part by a grant from the Social Science Research Council’s Necessary Knowledge for a Democratic Public Sphere program, with funds provided by the Ford Foundation. Additional support was provided by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. To download the report, click here.

 

Maria Elena Ruiz, CSRC associate director and board member of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN), is moderating a discussion on the various immigration initiatives and their health impact at the next national board meeting in New Orleans on January 17. As chair of the Policy Committee for NAHN, Ruiz is developing a policy statement on the association’s immigration initiatives, which will cover the impact on health providers as well as on community health.

 

Hate Speech on Commercial Talk Radio: A Pilot Study generated a number of media stories, including:

 

The UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Develops Methology to Measure Hate Speech on Talk Radio

La Bloga, November 21, 2011 (PDF)

 

Methodology Measures Hate Speech on Talk Radio

La Prensa San Diego, November 18, 2011 (PDF)

 

Taking the Measure of Talk Radio Racists

La Bloga, November 15, 2011 (PDF)

 

A la búsqueda del "discurso del odio" en la radio de Estados Unidos

BBC Mundo, November 16, 2011 (PDF)

 

Study: Hate Speech on "John and Ken," Dobbs Talk Radio?

Orange County Register, November 14, 2011 (PDF)

 

Q&A: On Immigrants and Immigration, When Does Talk Go Too Far?

Multi-American (NPR Blog), November 14, 2011 (PDF)

 

New UCLA Study Cites Anti-Latino/Anti-Undocumented Hate Speech by KFI Radio

Liberal OC, November 10, 2011 (PDF)

 

Report Calls Out Talk-Radio Hate Speech

The Root, November 10, 2011 (PDF)

 

UCLA Releases Study on Radio Hate Speech

New America Media, November 10, 2011 (PDF)

 

UCLA Study: John & Ken Radio Show Plagued by Anti-Latino Hate Speech

MarioWire, November 10, 2011 (PDF)

 

Detectan odio contra latinos en la radio

La Opinión, November 9, 2011 (PDF)

 

Methodology Measures Hate Speech on Talk Radio

Latino LA!, November 9, 2011 (PDF)

 

UCLA Study Highlights John & Ken Show's Anti-Latino and Anti-Immigrant "Hate Speech"

Media Matters for America, November 9, 2011 (PDF)

 

Study Finds Hate Speech on Talk Radio

Fox News Latino, November 9, 2011 (PDF)

 

UCLA Study Finds KFI Hosts Guilty of "Hate Speech"

Fishbowl LA, November 9, 2011 (PDF)

 

Anti-Immigrant Talk Radio Rhetoric Is Analyzed in New UCLA Report

Multi-American (NPR blog), November 8, 2011 (PDF)

 

Documentan discursos de odio en la radio

Impre.com, November 8, 2011 (PDF)

 

John & Ken Radio Show Plagued by Anti-Latino Hate Speech, UCLA Study Says

The Informer (LA Weekly blog), November 8, 2011 (PDF)

 

UCLA and NHMC Release Report: "Quantifying Hate Speech on Talk Radio"

Latinos in the Industry, November 8, 2011 (PDF)

 

UCLA Releases Study on Radio Hate Speech

Latin American Herald Tribune, November 8, 2011 (PDF)

 

UCLA Study: ‘Quantifying Hate Speech on Commercial Talk Radio

National Hispanic Media Coalition, November 8, 2011 (video)

 

News Flash! “Quantifying Hate Speech on Commercial Talk Radio”

Preview of the panel discussion on the CSRC study, held November 8 at MALDEF.

LA Eastside, November 7, 2011 (PDF)

 

L.A. Xicano coverage includes:

 

Angeleno Narratives in Autry's "Hyphen"

Review of Art Along the Hyphen at the Autry National Center.

Occidental Weekly, November 21, 2012 (PDF)

 

Naked Hollywood: Weegee at MOCA

Article ties Mural Remix: Sandra de la Loza to Weegee's L.A. photography.

Artinfo.com, November 21, 2011 (PDF)

 

Pacific Standard Time: L.A. Comes Into Its Own

Overview of PST notes the contribution of the CSRC's Autry and Fowler shows.

Truthdig.com, November 21, 2011 (PDF)

 

Pacific Standard Time: Week 8

Article describes Mural Remix, one of the CSRC's LA Xicano exhibitions.

Bangstyle, November 21, 2011 (PDF)

 

Robert Chavez Maintains His Sense of Humor

Review of the artist's work in Art Along the Hyphen.

Trading Posts (Autry blog), November 17, 2011 (PDF)

 

Audience Response Day at the Fowler Museum

Fowler survey reveals that Mapping Another L.A. imparts knowledge and pride.

Engine 29, November 10, 2011 (PDF)

 

Chon Noriega: Questioning the Questions

Noriega, CSRC director, makes key points about art criticism.

Engine 29, November 9, 2011 (PDF)

 

At Autry: Musicologists Rock Oldies

Review of an Art Along the Hyphen event celebrating Chicano music.

La Bloga, November 15, 2011 (PDF)

 

Latin American Art Is Booming, But Museums Struggle to Attract Latino Audiences

Mentions LA Xicano in conjunction with other exhibitions nationally.

Fox News Latino, November 9, 2011 (PDF)

 

CSUN Professor Paints Her Way Through Male-Dominated Art Industry

Interview with Yreina Cervantez, whose work is shown in Mapping Another L.A.

Daily Sundial, November 7, 2011 (PDF)

 

Mural Remix: Q&A with Sandra de la Loza

Chon A. Noriega speaks with Sandra de la Loza about her installation at LACMA.

The LACMA Blog, November 2, 2011 (PDF)

 

Intramural Activity

Discusses Sandra de la Loza's LA Xicano installation at LACMA, Mural Remix.

ARTNews, October 2011 (PDF)

 

L.A. Artist Remixes Lost and Iconic Eastside Murals

Reviews Mural Remix: Sandra de la Loza.

KCET.org, November 1, 2011 (PDF)

“Five Best Thanksgiving Artworks in L.A.”

Article illustrated with Harry Gamboa Jr.'s photo of Asco's First Supper (After a Major Riot) from the CSRC Library.

LA Weekly, November 24, 2012 (PDF)

 

“Review of María Brito and Celia Alvarez Muñoz”

Highly recommends both books and praises the A Ver series.

Woman’s Art Journal, Fall/Winter 2011 (PDF)

 

In conjunction with the ongoing L.A. Xicano exhibitions, CSRC will hold “Undocumented Event No. 1” on Friday, December 2, 3:00–8:00 p.m., at the Boyle Heights Farmers Market. Coproduced by the Mobile Mural Lab, an art space on wheels created by Los Angeles-based artists to foster dialogue and engage the community around matters of public art, this free public event will focus on muralism in Los Angeles. Artists will be on hand to discuss the history of muralism, its role in community development, and the L.A. City Council’s mural moratorium, which was instituted in 2002 but is currently under review. The Mobile Mural Lab will offer outdoor video screenings and a mini-exhibition, and attendees can record their comments on the truck’s exterior—a portable mural space. The Boyle Heights Farmers Market is located on Bailey Street at East 1st Street, near Mariachi Plaza.

 

The Undocumented Event series will continue with pop-up events and activities that will be announced through social media at least twenty-four hours in advance. Each will be different in nature, involving community members and Chicano artists in varied capacities and covering a range of themes, including paper fashion, music, muralism, and other visual arts. The events will take place at public sites throughout Los Angeles, including the Fowler Museum at UCLA. The series runs through February 26, 2012, when the last L.A. Xicano exhibitions will close. Don’t miss the next Undocumented Event — Friend CSRC and L.A. Xicano on Facebook!

 

Photojournalist and independent curator Luis C. Garza will discuss the work of muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros on Wednesday, December 7, 12:00 p.m., at UCLA’s Fowler Museum. Siqueiros’s lithograph Heroic Voice is featured in Mapping Another L.A.: The Chicano Art Movement, currently on view at theFowler. Garza will explore Siqueiros’s connections to cultural art center Plaza de la Raza and his influence on the Chicano mural movement. The event, which is part of the Fowler’s Culture Fix series, is free and will be held in the Mapping gallery.

 

UCLA’s four Ethnic Studies programs—Chicano Studies Research Center, Bunche Center for African American Studies, American Indian Studies Center, and Asian American Studies Center—will hold their annual holiday potluck on Thursday, December 8, 11:00 a.m.­­–2:00 p.m., in 3230 Campbell Hall. To attend, please consult the sign-up sheet posted next to 183 Haines Hall.

 

Armando Durón, board member of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, has graciously donated papers from the organization to the CSRC Library. Measuring eight linear feet, the paper collection will prove an invaluable resource for researchers interested in the organization’s efforts to improve the image of Latinos both on-screen and within the entertainment industry.

 

Patricia Correia has donated about forty linear feet of papers and artist binders from her former Santa Monica gallery. Since 2003, Correia has placed a special emphasis on Chicana/o artists, and this collection will be essential for researchers, artists, academics, and community members seeking to learn more about the art and artists of the Chicano Art Movement.

 

Digital video excerpts from “L.A. Xicano: A Symposium on Art and Place,” held November 6 at UCLA’s Fowler Museum, will be available soon on the CSRC’s YouTube site and Facebook page. Michael Stone, CSRC archives manager, shot the footage of the symposium panelists, and he is currently editing the material to include the presenters’ PowerPoint slides. The first presentations to be posted will be those of Tomás Ybarra-Frausto, Rita Gonzalez, Rubén Ortiz-Torres, and Sandra de la Loza.

 

Oscar Castillo’s photographs explore major themes (social movement, cultural heritage, urban environment, barrio life) and approaches (photojournalism, portraiture, art photography). In The Oscar Castillo Papers and Photograph Collection, editor Colin Gunckel brings together essays by scholars and artists who consider the social, political, historical, and aesthetic dimensions of Castillo’s body of work. Illustrations and a color plate section feature photographs from the Oscar Castillo Photograph Collection at the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center. The collection contains more than 3,000 digital images.

 

The exhibition catalog L.A. Xicano explores the diverse artistic contributions of Mexican American and Chicano artists to American art and to Los Angeles’s artistic development since 1945. The volume’s six illustrated essays examine the life and works of the dozens of artists and photographers whose works are displayed in L.A. Xicano and document the important role of artists’ groups. The authors consider these artists and their work in the context of the turbulent history of the time, particularly the development of the Chicano Movement. A plate section features works from each of the four exhibitions. LA Weekly notes that the catalog “helps make sense of our unruly city.”

 

Visual and performance artist Sandra de la Loza presents a wry commentary on the Chicano history of Los Angeles in The Pocho Research Society Field Guide to L.A.: Monuments and Murals of Erased and Invisible Histories. Using the format of the photographic essay, she documents the exploits of the Pocho Research Society, an organization dedicated to commemorating sites in Los Angeles that are of importance to the Chicano community but that have been erased by urban development or neglect. By drawing attention to invisible monuments and lost histories, de la Loza asks her readers to consider the broader question of what constitutes a community’s history.

 

Your purchase helps support the CSRC’s programs and initiatives. Order today from the distributor, University of Washington Press.

 

Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies is currently considering book review submissions for 2012. The journal has many books available for review; please contact David O’Grady, assistant editor, at dogrady@chicano.ucla.edu for more information. And if you have a specific title in mind for review, please let us know. Submission guidelines can be found on the CSRC website.