In recognition of this heritage month, the Latin American and Latin@ Studies Program held a student led forum on October 12, from 5-8 pm at Shepard Hall. The event was co- sponsored by other organizations and supported by our department, the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership.
The guest speakers were Lorena Modesto, Ivonne Quiroz, Mercedes Olmsted, Sarah Aponte, and José Pérez.
Today is the last day of March, 2022, the start of the Spring season here in New York City, but we could also look at these fraught times as the start of more hopeful times to come. Changes, whether as frightening as the current war and the Pandemic, could be helping to raise our consciousness to clamor for greater and more positive changes in our society.
In one of our courses at LALS, specifically The Latina in Latinx Studies, we are currently studying the words of Latina writers across disciplines. We examine the contributions of Latinas in the late 20th century and the start of this one, as the documents that have helped to build the corpus of texts known today as Latinx Studies. These works, spanning the cultural and academic fields as well as grassroots- on the street activism- are the foundational documents that we study today. It is a growing body of work that develops ever more significance for liberatory and decolonial theory.
Today, we will share a link to a publication that connects Black women’s theoretical and political writing to Latina women’s activism from the late 1970s, when, as women of color/Third World women in the U.S., Black and Latina women worked together to do the hard work of thinking ourselves towards freedom consciousness. One of the foundational texts studied in our program, Latin American & Latin@Studies, is the Combahee River Collective Statement, which was written in 1977 and published in 1979. Personally, as the author of this post, I can tell you that I recall being present in meetings in the Boston area when Black lesbian feminist theories and activist, Barbara Smith, stood up to announce the publication of this now famous and indispensable statement.
You can read it here, by following this link to the J-STOR Annotation Series, and you can also print and download it to read it anytime. It is a serious text that demands study and concentration. Though it is clearly written in simple and direct language, the importance of these words by women of color cannot be read quickly. Indeed, these words should be read slowly and allowed to resonate within us, for they are intended to aid in the liberation of everyone, all people, of all colors, classes, and genders, ages and abilities. Enjoy, and Happy March 31, which is International Day of Transgender Visibility. Let us come together, support each other, and move forward.
On October 19th, 2021, during Hispanic Heritage Month, the Latin American & Latina/o Studies Program (LALS) is continuing to present programming relevant to the Latinx experience. Professor Norma Fuentes-Mayorga has prepared a special talk for our Department, the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership. Professor Mayorga will be speaking about the key role of Professors and Mentors in Minority-Majority Schools as part of the First Generation Empowerment Workshop. This talk will take place at 12:30pm-1:45pm and the link to register is here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd0iytapFKd5V8wmzj5bWQRxr5_kVVY3fJqPbkZW0e6AuE5Mw/viewform
In addition, Dr. Fuentes Mayorga has led a special workshop: “Pigmentocracy: Hispanics, Colorism & the LatinX Generation” which was prepared for Adelante: Hispanic and Latino Professionals & the LatinX Decoded Network, on
September 24, 2021 (12-2pm).
Dr. Fuentes-Mayorga will also be presenting “The US Hispanic Population & The Challenges of Ambiguous Racial Identities” on October 12th, 2021 (2-3pm), prepared for Diageo and Diageo Cares. She is Assistant Professor in Sociology in Latin American and Latina/o Studies.
Our LALS professor, Dr. José Laguarta Ramírez, presented “Rethinking Puerto Rican Studies in a Moment of Danger” at a recent one-day symposium at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College. Professor Laguarta examines and contextualizes Puerto Rican History in Puerto Rican Studies at CUNY, and considers the field in terms of interdisciplinary studies, intersectionality, and critical race studies, among other issues. The presentation can be viewed by accessing this link. You can also watch other presentations from the symposium.
Professor Iris Lopez speaks on CBS News about current hesitancy in Latinx communities regarding vaccination for COVID-19. See the clip HERE!
The Biden administration faces several hurdles to inoculating the U.S. against COVID-19 as quickly as possible, including hesitancy among Latino communities. A recent poll shows nearly half of Latinos in the U.S. will wait and see how the vaccine affects those who receive the shot. Professor Iris Lopez, the director of the Latin American and Latino Studies Program at City College of New York, spoke to CBSN’s Tanya Rivero about the history of mistrust among Latinos with the medical community.
Dr. Iris López is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Program in Latin American and Latin@ Studies at City College, a program she has directed for several terms beginning in 1999. Previously, Dr. López has chaired the Sociology Department (2013-2016).
In addition to establishing key academic connections between Latin American, Caribbean, and Chicano/a Studies programs, her research and publications on the Puerto Rican Diaspora in Hawai’i and on sterilization abuse of Puerto Rican women has highlighted crucial connections to globalization, reproductive freedom, and social justice. As an invited speaker and panelist at numerous U.S.-based and international conferences, Dr. López continues to present critical work and speak about her areas of expertise in Latino/ education, gender issues, pre-natal care, and sterilization abuse.
Professor Díaz-Cotto is a professor of Sociology, Women’s Studies, and Latin American and Caribbean Area Studies at SUNY Binghamton. Within Latin America and the Caribbean her special areas of interest have been: revolutionary movements, state formation, political economy, peasants, the military, feminist and lesbian-feminist movements, and the African Diaspora. Additional specialties include: Latinas(os) and women of color in the U.S. and the impact of criminal justice system on women and men of color in the U.S. and Latin America. One of Diaz-Cotto’s primary academic and scholarly objectives is to “help students bridge the gap between theory and practice inside and outside the classroom.”
Juanita Díaz-Cotto, also Juanita Ramos
Active in human rights for more than 30 years, she has given lectures and presentations all across the globe. Díaz-Cotto is the author of Chicana Lives and Criminal Justice, winner of an International Latino Book Award and Foreword Magazine Book Award. She has published several other books including Gender, Ethnicity and the State: Latina and Latino Prison Politics, and Compañeras: Latina Lesbians, compiled and edited as Juanita Ramos.
Hispanics in the U.S.: Migration and Adjustment. LALS 12600 – 3:30 pm-4:45 pm (with Prof. M. Romo-Carmona). To attend this talk on Zoom, contact Prof. Romo-Carmona at mromocarmona@ccny.cuny.edu.
Sponsored by the Latin American and Latin@ Studies Program, Iris López, Director.
Dear Students: The H. Austin and Florence R.S. Kaye Foundation has joined with City College to provide
funds for a program to attract and support talented students who are pursuing a major in the Humanities & Arts.
Kaye Scholars will be chosen by a panel of City College faculty on the basis of:
• academic merit
• creative promise
• financial need
Recipients of Kaye Scholarships must, in order to maintain the award:
• be full time undergraduate students (taking a minimum of 12 credits) at City College
• maintain a 3.0 GPA
• pursue a major in the Division of Humanities & Arts (American Studies, Art, Asian Studies, Black Studies, Comparative Literature, English, Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures, History, Jewish Studies, Media and Communication Arts, Music, Philosophy, or Theatre and Speech). No other major is acceptable.
• Second degree students are not eligible to apply to the Kaye Scholars Program.
Benefits: Stipends equal to in-state tuition per semester (currently approximately $7,400 per year). Timetable: The deadline for applications from students who are currently enrolled at City College is March 15th. And, most importantly: How to apply!
To apply students must complete the College’s General Scholarship Application online and indicate that they want to be considered for the Kaye Scholars Program.
Next, once a student has completed the General Scholarship Application, they continue on to the specific application page for the Kaye Scholars Program, page 9.
If a student does apply, they should notify our office (kayescholars@ccny.cuny.edu) so that we know to look for their application.
For additional information please contact the:
Kaye Scholars Program, NAC 6/316,
The City College of New York, NY 10031
212/650 – 8388
kayescholars@ccny.cuny.edu.
Due to the pandemic, this Fall has started out very quietly at City College, with most of our classes in hybrid mode or completely online. Even so, LALS has a full schedule and our courses are running at full capacity. For Latinx Heritage, we have already had guest speakers join our classes on Zoom, and we are making the recordings of the sessions available to students. See our Guest Speakers page.
For the kickoff, LALS was represented by Prof. Norma Fuentes Mayorga, of the Sociology Department.
Have a great semester!
