CSRC Newsletter - January 2021
Volume 19, Number 5
Director’s Message
Last January I offered up the CSRC’s “Best ofs” on the occasion of our fiftieth anniversary. Needless to say, offering some appreciations for 2020 seems near impossible given the litany of political and environmental issues that we’ve faced. There were achievements, to be sure. In fact, we would be hard pressed to select the CSRC’s Best Zoom Event. They were all exceptional. CSRC staff made a graceful transition to remote working and online meetings as they continued to advance and support research that makes a difference. We also worked even more closely with the other ethnic studies research centers to address the disproportional impact of the pandemic on people of color, as well as the increasing police violence, economic precarity, voter suppression, and limits to healthcare and educational access. While 2020 came to an end, the problems associated with 2020 have not, and we begin the year with a “surge upon a surge” and a bald-faced effort to overthrow the democratic process. Together, we met the challenges of 2020, and we will do so in 2021.
While many would like to forget 2020, it is important to remember it through a diverse set of experiences. The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History is collecting first-person accounts as part of its Stories of 2020 initiative. Please add your voice to this important digital archive. You can submit your story and up to five photographs and one video here.
Chon A. Noriega
Director and Distinguished Professor
News
Moratorium routes added to National Register of Historic Places
The Chicano Moratorium March (December 20, 1969) and the National Chicano Moratorium March (August 29, 1970) have been added to the National Register of Historic Places. The listings come more than five years after advocacy efforts began to recognize the march routes as culturally significant sites. For more information, visit the Los Angeles Conservancy website. Also see the CSRC’s Chicano Moratorium 50th Anniversary Project, a website dedicated to the National Chicano Moratorium March.
Gómez-Quiñones laid to rest
On December 8, a private funeral service was held for late UCLA history professor and CSRC co-founder and former director Juan Gómez-Quiñones. Services included a Catholic mass and the interment at Calvary Cemetery in East Los Angeles, where Gómez-Quiñones’s family elders are also buried. Carlos M. Haro, CSRC assistant professor emeritus, gave the eulogy at the conclusion of the mass, and Reynaldo Macías, UCLA professor of education and Chicana/o studies, delivered a second eulogy at the gravesite. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the services were limited to a small group of family members and close friends.
Petition for Día del Profesor Juan Gómez-Quiñones
A petition is being circulated to officially recognize January 28 as “Día del Profesor Juan Gómez-Quiñones/Day of Professor Juan Gómez-Quiñones” in the city of Los Angeles. Gómez-Quiñones was born January 28, 1940. To learn more and to sign the petition, visit Change.org.
Carpio and Chao Romero receive book honors
Collisions at the Crossroads: How Place and Mobility Make Race (University of California Press, 2019) by Genevieve Carpio, assistant professor of Chicana/o studies and CSRC Faculty Advisory Committee chair, was named one of the best “L.A.-centered” books of 2020 by Mike Sonksen, writing for the blog L.A. Taco. Brown Church: Five Centuries of Latina/o Social Justice, Theology, and Identity (InterVarsity Press, 2020) by Robert Chao Romero, professor of Chicana/o studies and CSRC Faculty Advisory Committee member, was named one of the best books of 2020 on the website Jesus Creed, which is written Scott McKnight for Christianity Today.
Hinojosa publishes book
Felipe Hinojosa, associate professor of history at Texas A&M University, has published Apostles of Change: Latino Radical Politics, Church Occupations, and the Fight to Save the Barrio (University of Texas Press, 2021). Hinojosa conducted significant research at the CSRC for the book. The illustrations include images from the La Raza Photograph Collection at the CSRC.
López receives grant
Marissa K. López, professor of English and Chicana/o studies and CSRC Faculty Advisory Committee member, has received a Digital Advancement Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The grant is for a project she is co-directing, “Pursuing the Potential of Digital Mapping in Latinx Studies,” which will comprise a two-day workshop and a support network to build capacity in digital mapping methods for scholars in Latinx studies.
Lytle Hernandez named to Pulitzer Prize Board
In December, Kelly Lytle Hernandez, professor of history, African American studies, and urban planning at UCLA and a MacArthur Fellow, was elected to the Pulitzer Prize Board. Lytle Hernandez is a former CSRC associate director and director of the Bunche Center for African American Studies.
García publishes article
Rocío R. García, assistant professor of sociology in the School of Social and Family Dynamics at Arizona State University and former CSRC IUPLR-Mellon dissertation fellow, published the article “Latinx Feminist Politicmaking: On the Necessity of Messiness in Collective Action” in the December 2020 issue of Mobilization: An International Quarterly.
Black participates in panel on publishing in Latinx journals
Charlene Villaseñor Black, CSRC associate director and editor of Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies (CSRC Press) and Latin American and Latinx Visual Culture (University of California Press), was among the panelists who participated in the webinar “Journals of Latina/o/x Studies: Publishing Today and Tomorrow” on December 9. The event was hosted by the Latina/o Studies Association and moderated by Rafael Pérez-Torres, UCLA professor of English and president of the organization. A recording of the event is available here.
Arhoolie celebrates two anniversaries
In December, Arhoolie Records celebrated its sixtieth anniversary and the Arhoolie Foundation celebrated its twenty-fifth with an online musical event honoring musicians, organizations, and individuals dedicated to roots and regional music. For a limited time, a video of the celebration is available to watch online. The Arhoolie Foundation is a CSRC community partner on the Strachwitz Frontera Collection of Mexican and Mexican American Music, and the CSRC congratulates the foundation on these milestones.
Events
Panel: “Looking Ahead: Science, Facts, and the Public Debate”
Thursday, January 14, 6:00–7:00 p.m.
This program will be streamed online. A viewing link will be emailed to those who register.
As a new U.S. presidential administration prepares for the four years ahead, coping with intersecting challenges that include a pandemic, persistent inequality, inadequate climate change policy, and a sea of misinformation, UCLA experts will discuss the role that institutions of higher learning will play in addressing the crises of our times. UCLA environmental humanities scholar Ursula K. Heise, public health researcher Gilbert Gee, and internet and society expert Safiya U. Noble will come together in a discussion moderated by Chon A. Noriega, curator and CSRC director. Opening remarks will be by Chancellor Gene Block. The event is being organized by UCLA Connections.
To RSVP, go to: http://uclaspecialevents.ucla.edu/looking-ahead
A link to the event will be provided upon RSVP. A recording will be available immediately after the event. For more information on UCLA Connections, visit https://www.ucla.edu/connections/
All CSRC events are free to the public. Programs are subject to change. For the most current information, visit the Events page on the CSRC website.
CSRC in the News
“These Latinos Made a Mark in Our Communities and Nation; We Lost Them in 2020”
CSRC co-founder and former director Juan Gómez-Quiñones was included in a story about Latinos who passed away in 2020. The story also included an image from the CSRC’s Instagram page.
“Required Reading”
A roundup of news stories includes a mention of Arlene Dávila’s op-ed in the New York Times. citing her references to the CSRC’s Latinx art advocacy.
“A National Museum for Latinos”
In an op-ed for The New York Times, Arlene Dávila celebrated the U.S. House of Representative’s authorization on December 21 of the creation of a national Latino museum on the Washington Mall. In her piece, Dávila pointed to the CSRC’s study of the historic lack of Latino representation at the Smithsonian and mentioned that the CSRC hosted the first solo show by artist Ramiro Gomez.
“Good Fictions: Remembering Peter Wollen”
CSRC director Chon A. Noriega published a remembrance of the late filmmaker Peter Wollen, who was Noriega’s former colleague and mentor in the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television.
“Tribute to Juan Gómez-Quiñones”
A remembrance of Juan Gómez-Quiñones that includes mention of his work at the CSRC.
“It’s Now Time to Ask If Gentrification Is a Fourth Wave of Jim Crow Policy”
A photograph from the La Raza Photograph Collection at the CSRC, taken during the L.A. student walkouts in 1968, was published in an opinion piece discussing the historic oppression of Black and Latinos.
“The Route of the Chicano Moratorium Enters the National Register of Historic Places”
CSRC director Chon A. Noriega was quoted in a story about the routes of the Chicano Moratorium and National Chicano Moratorium marches being entered into the National Register of Historic Places.
Al Día, December 14, 2020 (PDF)
“Remembering a Chicano Academic Legend”
Álvaro Huerta, assistant professor of urban and regional planning and ethnic and women’s studies at California State Polytechnic University and former CSRC visiting scholar, authored a remembrance of Juan Gómez-Quiñones.
“Getting Creative”
CSRC director Chon A. Noriega was interviewed for a UCLA Newsroom story on how the arts and entertainment have changed during the pandemic and how UCLA arts leaders expect these to evolve in the future.
“Film Festival Honors Build Momentum for ‘Truly Texas Mexican’”
CSRC director Chon A. Noriega was quoted in a press release about the documentary feature film Truly Texas Mexican and its recognition at several recent international film festivals.
“Remembering Professor Juan Gómez-Quiñones, Chicano Studies
Scholar and Activist”
The Daily Bruin covered the passing of UCLA professor Juan Gómez-Quiñones and noted his role as a co-founder and former director of the CSRC.
All “In the News” articles are available in PDF format on the CSRC website.
CSRC Library
Updated finding aid for Humberto Cané Papers
The finding aid for the Humberto Cané Papers has been updated. Born in Cuba in 1918, Cané was a multi-instrumentalist and bandleader who enjoyed a successful career with several musical groups in Cuba, Mexico City, and Los Angeles. The collection consists mostly of music manuscripts; many are arrangements by Cané himself. There are also photographs and scrapbooks that document dozens of nightclub and radio appearances by his bands. The finding aid can be found on the Online Archive of California.
Exhibitions with CSRC loans
The following exhibitions, opening this month or currently on view, include images and artworks from CSRC collections and publications:
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We Fight to Build a Free World: An Exhibition by Jonathan Horowitz, The Jewish Museum, New York, New York, through February 7, 2021.
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Girlhood (It’s Complicated), National Museum of American History, Washington, D.C., ongoing.
Library and archive available remotely
In accordance with Chancellor Gene Block’s directive to suspend most on-campus operations, the CSRC Library and its archive are closed until further notice. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. During this time, CSRC Library staff will remain available via email, and we look forward to engaging with community members remotely. For assistance, please email librarian@chicano.ucla.edu.
CSRC Press
Knowledge for Justice reprint now available
Knowledge for Justice: An Ethnic Studies Reader, originally issued in 2019 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of UCLA’s four ethnic studies research centers (American Indian Studies, Asian American Studies, Chicana/o Studies, and African American Studies) has been reprinted by CSRC Press. Knowledge for Justice contains essays and reflections that originated in each of the centers and their administrative organization, the Institute of American Cultures. The volume’s editors—David K. Yoo, Pamela Grieman, Charlene Villaseñor Black, Danielle Dupuy, and Arnold Ling-Chuang Pan—selected a set of writings that addresses intersectional issues that confront ethnic constituencies while complicating the categories of representation that undergird such a project. Knowledge for Justice is available from the CSRC Press’s distributor, University of Washington Press. The table of contents is available on the CSRC website.
Aztlán available for download
All back issues of Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies, including the fall 2020 issue as well as individual essays, are available for download at IngentaConnect. Print and digital subscriptions are also available through this platform. The fall 2020 issue includes an analysis of the public rhetoric of Donald Trump that documents the president’s racist statements about immigrants and Latinos, an examination of how literary strategies challenge established frameworks and preconceived binaries in the work of novelists Ana Castillo and Tómas Rivera, and a look at Mexican American masculinities in the reality TV show Los Cowboys. The dossier section, curated by Rafael Pérez-Torres, focuses on the temporality of Latinx and Chicanx studies, and Antonio Bernal, whose mural in Del Rey, California, is considered one of the earliest of the Chicano art movement, is featured in the artist’s communiqué and on the cover. To explore all issues from the past fifty years, and purchase or subscribe, click here.
Opportunities
IAC Visiting Scholar Fellowship Program in Ethnic Studies
The Institute of American Cultures offers in-residence appointments to support research on African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans, and Chicana/os. The IAC especially encourages applications that advance our understanding of new social and cultural realities occasioned by the dramatic population shifts of recent decades, including greater heterogeneity within ethnic groups and increased interethnic contact. Each 2021–22 IAC Visiting Scholar will receive funding for one or more quarters and may receive up to $35,000 for three quarters (contingent upon rank, experience, and date of completion of their terminal degree). In the event that an award is for less than three quarters or a nine-month appointment, the funds will be prorated in accordance with the actual length of the award. Visiting Scholar appointments are for persons who currently hold a permanent academic appointment. Visiting Scholar funds will be paid through the awardees home institution and awardees will be expected to continue their health insurance through that source. These funds may be used to supplement sabbatical support for a total that does not exceed the awardee’s current institutional salary. Awardees may receive up to $4,000 in research support. The Bunche Center for African American Studies will not have a Visiting Scholar for the 2021–22 academic year.
Eligibility Requirements:
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U.S. citizenship or permanent residency
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PhD from an accredited college or university at the time of appointment, or in the case of the arts, an appropriate terminal degree
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UCLA faculty, staff, and currently enrolled students are not eligible to apply
Application deadline: January 7, 2021 Applicants will be notified in March.
To Apply: https://sa.ucla.edu/IAC/VisitingScholar/Home
To Apply: https://sa.ucla.edu/IAC/VisitingScholar/Home
For further information, please contact the coordinator of the appropriate UCLA Ethnic Studies Research Center.
University of California-Hispanic Serving Institutions Doctoral Diversity Initiative (UC-HSI DDI) Grants
The UC Office of the President has launched the University of California–Hispanic Serving Institutions Doctoral Diversity Initiative (UC-HSI DDI). This systemwide effort is designed to support faculty diversity by enhancing pathways to the professoriate for underrepresented students from California Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). The UC-HSI DDI program includes two components: 1) Competitive grant awards to UC faculty/faculty administrators that will support short- and long-term programs/projects to enhance and expand pathways to the professoriate for underrepresented minorities, with a goal to increase faculty diversity and inclusion at UC; and 2) funding to support graduate student preparation for the professoriate. (UCOP will coordinate directly with campus graduate divisions for this component of the Initiative.) The grant program offers two funding mechanisms, with small awards up to $50K and large awards up to $350K. For more information and to view the full RFP, visit the UC-HSI DDI webpage or contact gradstudies@ucop.edu. Deadline for proposals: January 29, 2021.
IUPLR/UIC Mellon Fellows Program, 2021–22
Dissertation-Completion Fellowship for Humanities-Based Latino Studies
The Inter-University Program for Latino Research is now accepting applications for the IUPLR/UIC Mellon Fellowship Program (academic year 2021–22). This is a comprehensive program that provides financial, writing, and professionalization support to doctoral students in the humanities who are writing dissertations in Latino Studies. The fellowship includes a $25,000 stipend, participation in an intensive summer institute and an academic conference, a year-long structured writing program, outside faculty mentorship, and ongoing professionalization support. Please read more about the mission of the fellowship here: https://mfp.lals.uic.edu
Eligibility and Requirements:
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Fellows must be affiliated with the six designated research centers listed below. Applicants must have advanced to candidacy (ABD status with defended proposal) and be completing a Latino Studies dissertation in the humanities or in a humanities-adjacent discipline.
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Applicants should already have a significant portion of the dissertation drafted and anticipate defending their dissertation by the end of the fellowship year.
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Applicants should be planning to pursue an academic career in teaching and/or research.
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During the fellowship year, students must be enrolled at their home institution. Fellows must forego other employment during the year.
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Selected fellows are required to participate in the IUPLR/Mellon Summer Institute in the summer of 2021 (may be online pending Covid-19), attend and present in a Latino Studies conference (pending), and take part in a year-long highly structured mentorship, professionalization, and writing program. Failure to participate in all aspects of the program may result in the loss of funding.
IUPLR will select fellows affiliated with the following six designated research centers:
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The Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Houston
Application Deadline: February 15, 2021
UCLA doctoral students interested in applying are to contact Rebecca Epstein, Assistant Director, UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center, at repstein@chicano.ucla.edu to determine eligibility.
*Note: Fellowship is currently pending funding
UCLA IAC 2021–2022 Research Grant Program in Ethnic Studies
The Institute of American Cultures (IAC) invites applications for support of research on African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans, and Chicana/os for 2021–2022. The Institute also invites proposals on interethnic relations that will increase collaboration between the UCLA ethnic studies research centers and/or between the centers and other campus units.
Eligibility Requirements:
UCLA faculty, lecturers with SOE, staff, graduate students, and IAC visiting research scholars.
Funding: The Research Grant Program is on a reimbursement-basis only. Funds for the purchase of permanent equipment will be provided only under exceptional circumstances. Conference travel, whether the applicant is presenting or attending, is not eligible.
Grant Period: July 1, 2021, through May 31, 2022
Application Deadline: March 1, 2021
Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Applicants will be notified in May. Prior to submission of the application, applicants should briefly discuss their proposal with the coordinator of the appropriate center, or in the case of interethnic proposals, with each applicable center. All grant recipients, where appropriate, must comply with UCLA’s Protection of Human Subjects in Research before receiving funding. All grant recipients, where appropriate, must comply with UCLA’s Protection of Human Subjects in Research before receiving funding. If you have been awarded this grant for the last two academic year (2019–2020 and 2020–2021), you are not eligible to apply for a 2021–2022 grant.
For more information and to preview the application, visit the IAC site: https://www.iac.ucla.edu/funding/grants
The application is available online at https://sa.ucla.edu/IAC/ResearchGrant.
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CSRC available remotely
In accordance with Chancellor Gene Block’s directive to suspend most on-campus operations, the CSRC is closed until further notice. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. During this time, CSRC staff will remain available via email (http://www.chicano.ucla.edu/about/staff) and at csrcinfo@chicano.ucla.edu.
The UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center acknowledges the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples as the traditional land caretakers of Tovaangar (the Los Angeles basin and So. Channel Islands). As a land grant institution, we pay our respects to the Honuukvetam (Ancestors), ‘Ahiihirom (Elders) and ‘Eyoohiinkem (our relatives/relations) past, present and emerging.