Hispanic Heritage Month 2024

Departmental News

Posted: Sep 12, 2024 - 09:00am

UNM, a Hispanic serving institution, celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 through October 15, 2024. The red links below will take you to more information. Scroll down to read about UNM Hispanic organizations, events, scholars, the history of Hispanic Heritage Month, research, news and organizations.

UNM El Centro de la Raza

El Centro de la Raza "...is committed to the cultural, social, academic, and emotional experience of students.  The department and its programs value the students and their families at UNM. The work of El Centro has touched the lives of many people in the state. From mentoring, recruitment efforts, cultural programming, civic engagement, advocacy, student internships, professional development and emergency scholarships emergency scholarships. El Centro is instrumental to student access and success by building strategic partnerships and supporting the development of new leaders for the future of the Latino/Hispano community. Our priorities are student advocacy, to provide excellent, relevant and meaningful programs and services, and to educate the campus community of the diverse issues that affect Latino/Hispano students attending or wishing to attend UNM. Research demonstrates that when students have holistic programming, services and advocacy such as El Centro, they fare better in their academics. The success of El Centro’s endeavors is evidenced by the hundreds of alumni, many of whom still advocate for El Centro’s vision, which is to cultivate positive change through education and culture. (c/s)." Learn more

El Centro de la Raza Director Rosa Isela Cervantes writes, "El Centro de la Raza stands as a testament to the vibrant Chicano movement of the 1960’s. Its inspiring history is deeply rooted in student empowerment. Initially brought to life by passionate students, El Centro quickly emerged as a vital force, ensuring that the University of New Mexico addresses the unique needs of its largest and most rapidly growing ethnic population. In 1994, El Centro achieved a significant milestone by securing its first special project state funding, a step that, alongside dedicated student advocacy and community support, ultimately led to the organization's renaming in 1995 as El Centro de la Raza. This change reaffirmed its core mission: to serve the Chicano/Nuevo Mexicano/Latina/o/x student population in reaching their goals in higher education and beyond. Over the years, El Centro has undergone many transitions in order to keep up with student needs. These changes have included the naming of the center, the development of specific programming, and now offering co-curricular initiatives, all with the intent of serving the Chicano/Nuevo Mexicano/Latina/o/x student population who are still faced with significant obstacles in higher education. Today, El Centro continues its unwavering commitment to the holistic well-being of its students. It prioritizes student advocacy, offering exceptional programs and services while educating the broader campus community about the diverse issues affecting Latino/Hispano students at UNM. El Centro's impact extends beyond academics; it touches lives through mentoring, recruitment efforts, cultural programming, civic engagement, advocacy, student internships, professional development, and emergency scholarships. Your support contributes to the legacy of El Centro de la Raza, shaping the leaders of tomorrow and ensuring that they have the resources and advocacy required to succeed. Join us in this vital mission. Stand with El Centro de la Raza today!"

Vist the El Centro de la Raza website to learn about their events celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

UNM Chicana and Chicano Studies

"The Chicana and Chicano Studies Department at the University of New Mexico is an interdisciplinary program. The purpose of the department is to promote a critical understanding of Chicano/Hispano/Mexicano communities through teaching, research, and advocacy. Since our program resides at the flagship institution of the state that has the largest percentage of Hispanics in the country, this mission is integral to furthering the understanding of New Mexico’s present and the nation’s future.

Chicana and Chicano Studies accomplishes its mission by offering an undergraduate minor, promoting research, and establishing community partnerships. Curriculum and community engagement efforts focus on three areas:

Chicana/o cultural studies
Politics and social justice
The transnational U.S.-Mexico experience

The program offers courses on gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, arts and culture, political and social mobilization, immigration and citizenship, history and heritage, land grant studies, Chicana feminism, and queer studies. We address our three areas through a curriculum taught in both English and Spanish and maintain a regional and transnational focus on New Mexico, the U.S. Southwest, and Mexico. We view our partnerships with community and student organizations as central to our academic mission and our objectives for student learning."

Dr. Irene Vasquez "...holds the position of Founding Chair of the Chicana and Chicano Studies Department at the University of New Mexico. Under her leadership, from 2013-2015, UNM established a Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies and a Bachelors Degree in Chicana and Chicano Studies. She has a joint faculty position in Chicana and Chicano Studies and American Studies at UNM. She currently serves as the Department Chair in the Department of Chicana/o Studies. Vásquez specializes in the intersectional histories and politics of Mexican-descent populations in the Americas. Her research and teaching interests include U.S. and transnational social and political movements. She co-authored a book on the Chicana and Chicano Movement titled, Making Aztlan: Ideology and Culture of the Chicana and Chicano Movement: Ideology, 1966-1977, published by the University of New Mexico Press."

UNM Department of Spanish and Portugese

"UNM's Department of Spanish & Portuguese plays a vital role in the flagship university of a bilingual state, in teaching the languages, cultures, and literatures of the Hispanic and Portuguese worlds. We teach three basic language programs: Spanish as a Second Language, Spanish as a Heritage Language, and Brazilian Portuguese. Our undergraduate and graduate degrees offer concentrations in Hispanic Linguistics, Hispanic Literature (Peninsular and Spanish American), Hispanic Southwest Studies, and Portuguese. We boast several areas of distinction: An internationally ranked Hispanic Linguistics program, one of the first in the nation. A Southwest Studies program which offers everything from Colonial to Chicano literature, folklore, and cultural studies. A Spanish as a Heritage Language program that has been serving bilingual students since the 1960's. A Portuguese program which began in the 1940's. A literature program with strengths in medieval, renaissance, and modern Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Brazil. All our students enjoy opportunities for research, field work, and travel in their quest to professionalize their Spanish and Portuguese and engage a regional and global community."

"Santiago Vaquera-Vásquez (Department Chair, UNM Spanish and Portuguese) is an unrepentant border crosser, ex-dj, writer, painter, and academic. His literary work has been published in anthologies in Spain, Italy, Latin America and the United States, including Malos elementos. Relatos sobre la corrupción social (2012); En la frontera: i migliori raconti della letteratura chicana (2008); Pequeñas resistencias 4 (2005); Se habla español (2000); and Líneas aéreas (1998). ... He recently published a small chapbook with a selection of already published stories, Algún día te cuento las cosas que he visto. He has been invited to give readings from his work at universities and conferences in Spain, Mexico, Colombia, and the United States. His academic work on US/Mexico border cultures has been published in journals and anthologies in Mexico and the United States. He has also presented this work at international conferences." Read more

UNM Latin American and Iberian Institute

"The Latin American and Iberian Institute (LAII) fosters research and education within UNM about the cultures, languages, history, and societies of these world regions, and works to share UNM’s expertise and resources with partners including Central New Mexico Community College, K-12 schools, the National Hispanic Cultural Center, Instituto Cervantes, and other organizations in the community. LAII’s efforts are sustained and bolstered by UNM's community of scholars whose research centers on Mexico, Central America, South America, the Spanish speaking Caribbean, Spain, and Portugal. Over one hundred and twenty faculty members at UNM conduct research and/or teach on these regions, representing a wide range of disciplines, interests, and approaches. The Institute facilitates this scholarship, provides a focal point for interdisciplinary discussions, and distributes resources to seed new research projects for faculty and their students. Drawing on university resources, and in partnership with outside funders, LAII helps departments recruit highly qualified faculty and students, and enables students to acquire new languages, conduct field research, and complete their degrees efficiently."

EVENTS

September 9-15 National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week, 2024

September 18 11-2 PM Lobos y Lowriders hosted by the UNM Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies, UNM Cornell Mall (main campus)

**September 19 4-5:30 PM 2024 Willard Lecture, Borders and Other Imagined Spaces: How Maps Define Understanding presented by UNM University Libraries; West Wing of Zimmerman Library**

**September 20 1 PM Macunamía (1969) part of the Portuguese Film Series, hosted by the UNM Language Learning Center, UNM Department of Spanish and Portugese, and the UNM Latin and Iberian Institute (LAII); Ortega Hall 126**

**September 23 2:30 PM Wild Tales, 2014 (Argentina) part of the Spanish Film Series, hosted by the UNM Language Learning Center, UNM Department of Spanish and Portugese, and the UNM Latin and Iberian Institute (LAII); Ortega Hall 126**

**September 27 1 PM Bye Bye Brazil (1979) part of the Portuguese Film Series, hosted by the UNM Language Learning Center, UNM Department of Spanish and Portugese, and the UNM Latin and Iberian Institute (LAII); Ortega Hall 126**

September 28 & 29 Corrales Harvest Festival (Be sure to visit Casa San Ysidro)

September 30 1 PM Lotería-The Classic Bingo-esque Game of Chance, hosted by the UNM Language Learning Center, UNM Department of Spanish and Portugese, and the UNM Latin and Iberian Institute (LAII); LLC Lab 1, Ortega Hall 135

September 30 2:30 PM Duck Season, 2017 (Mexico) part of the Spanish Film Series, hosted by the UNM Language Learning Center, UNM Department of Spanish and Portugese, and the UNM Latin and Iberian Institute (LAII); Ortega Hall 126

**October 4 8-3 PM Transforming UNM's HSC Identity and Praxis: Beyond Hispanic-Enrolling to Hispanic-Serving, hosted by El Centro de la Raza; SUB Ballrooms; Register in Advance**

October 10 2 PM The Tarascan Project (1939-1947) Researchers from UNM in a collaborative Anthropological research between Mexico and the US presented by Dr. Lorena Ojeda Dávila via Zoom. Hosted by the UNM Latin American and Iberian Institute (LAII); Register in Advance

**October 17 6 PM Lobo Living Room: The Magic of Words featuring the work of Rudolph Anaya, hosted by the UNM Alumni Association; Zimmerman Library, West Wing; Register in Advance**

Multiple Events: El Centro de la Raza celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

Multiple Events: Baila! Baila! Dance Academy

Multiple Events: El Rancho de Las Galondrinas Living History Museum (Sant Fe, NM)

Multiple Events: Tablao Flamenco Albuquerque, Hotel Albuquerque

Multiple Events: National Hispanic Cultural Center, Albuquerque, NM

Multiple Events: Villa Hispana NM Expo

The Public Broadcasting System hosts documentaries during Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month

Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino Virtual Exhibits

In Celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month the Albuquerque Museum gives a Behind the Scenes Tour

Scholars

Dr. Barbara Rodriguez is the Senior Vice Provost and Professor of Speech and Hearing Sciences. Her "...research and teaching interests are in cultural competence/humility, bilingual language acquisition, and bilingual language assessment. Her recent research has focused on language and literacy developing in bilingual (English/Spanish), cultural and environmental influences on the language development of children from diverse backgrounds, and speech/language assessment and screening of bilingual children. Dr. Rodríguez is the co-Project Director of CLASS for ALL-NM, a collaborative personnel preparation training grant with New Mexico State University, funded by the U.S. Department of Education. This project is designed to train graduate students in bilingual speech-language pathology. [She] is the recipient of the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association’s (ASHA) Certificate for Special Contributions in Multicultural Affairs, an ASHA Diversity Champion, New Mexico Speech-Language and Hearing Association (NMSHA) Fellow, and NMSHA Honors of the Association. She has held a number of leadership positions on local and national professional boards." In September 2024, she was selected as a fellow for the 2024-25 cohort of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities Leadership Academy/La Academia de Liderazgo. Learn more

Nasha Torrez was appointed Dean of Students at UNM in 2016. She was previously the "...Assistant General Counsel to the Governor where she took a role in intergovernmental management, legal compliance, and policy. In 2008, the Governor appointed [her] to serve as the General Counsel to a state agency, at which time she was the youngest General Counsel in the state. [She] left state government service in 2009 and worked in private practice representing school districts across the state before returning to UNM to serve as in-house counsel for the University. During her ten years of legal practice, specializing in education law and civil rights issues and gained vital experience in student issues such as grievances, academic appeals, due process, freedom of expression, student confidentiality, behavioral intervention, Title IX, and disability rights. She also secured extensive expertise in conflict resolution, mediation, crisis intervention, and negotiations. Today, as the Dean of Students, [She] oversees various areas of student affairs and works to engage with and advocate for students. She is passionate about addressing student’s basic needs, working to build consensus, listening to and engaging with people. She focuses on improving the educational system to make it easier for Lobos to pursue their dreams." Learn more

Dr. Rosa Vallejos-Yopán, Professor of Lingistics, was awarded a 2023 UNM Women in Stem Award for her project “Attention Orientation and Syntactic Choices in the Amazon,” which will investigate the extent to which attention affects real-time discourse choices. "The work specifically explores the linguistic strategies employed in Secoya, an indigenous Amazonian language, to orient interlocutors towards specific pieces of information in the environment while ignoring competing details. Vallejos Yopán said the project contributes to the development of experimental fieldwork in remote locations and the unique challenges such work brings. “Over the last 20 years, I have conducted several interconnected projects driven by a desire to find a balance between my academic work and my commitment to the communities with whom I work,” Vallejos Yopán said. “Given the extractivist history of our field, for researchers of minoritized languages it is of utmost importance to approach our work from a collaborative framework to eradicate research practices that reinforce colonial mindsets. This award will allow me to continue to carry out projects and create language resources in collaboration with community members,” she said. Learn more

Dr. Gabriel Lopez, Distinguished Professor and Interim Chair of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, "...was appointed as the University of New Mexico’s Vice President for Research in 2015... Previously, Dr. López was a professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering and an adjunct professor in UNM’s Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering. At Duke, Dr. López was the founding director of the NSF’s Research Triangle Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (RT-MRSEC), which is focused on the programmable self-assembly of soft matter and currently includes approximately 60 researchers at Duke, North Carolina State, UNC-Chapel Hill and NC Central University." Learn more

Dr. Adriana Molina Garzón, Assistant Professor of Education, was recently awarded a 2023 UNM Women in Stem Award for her project “Expanding Healthcare Access through Drone Technology and Its Welfare Effects on Rural Households,” which aims to understand the impacts of drone technology that supports access to medical supplies and facilitates the delivery of public health services in rural areas of Ghana. "This project includes exploring the effects on household welfare such as health, education, and productivity. It will also examine public-private partnerships that support the use of this technology. “As an early career scholar, I am very grateful for the support from the Advance at UNM Women in Stem Award,” Molina Garzon said. “This award enables me to conduct field data collection, prepare evidence to seek external funding in the future and strengthen networking opportunities around the issue of providing health services to remote rural areas, an issue of broad relevance with the potential for interdisciplinary collaborations.” Learn more

Dr. Damián Vergara Wilson, Professor in the department of Spanish and Portugese, is the Coordinator of Sabine Ulibarri Spanish as a Heritage Language Program. "His main areas of research and teaching are historical linguistics, sociolinguistics and sociology of language. One of his chief goals is to use these areas of study to support and inform the field of teaching of Spanish as a heritage language in the Southwest. A second goal is to advance research that examines the utility of usage-based theories of linguistic representation as accounting for language change and variation. He also applies a combination of his expertise as an expert witness in federal court cases involving bilingual interactions with police that result in miscommunications and ambiguity." " In Wilson’s Spanish as a Heritage Language class, students develop an appreciation of their heritage language. They learn about cultural connections, sharing experiences, background, and linguistic knowledge with one another." Learn more

Veronica Gonzales-Zamora, JD is Associate Professor of Law in the UNM School of Law. She "is a Latina lawyer in New Mexico who teaches primarily civil procedure I and II, ethics, poverty law, and appellate decision-making. She previously taught in UNM’s top-ranked Clinical Law Program, and as an adjunct professor, taught Indian Civil Rights, the Tribal Law Journal, and Appellate Moot Court. She was recently awarded the 2023 Project for NM Graduates of Color All-Around Support Award, which is awarded to a faculty member who prioritizes mentoring students of color." In the Spring of 2023, she was awarded an Outstanding Faculty of Color by graduate students. "She mentors pre-law and law students, alumni, and candidates for law faculty with a focus on the unique needs and strengths of first-generation law students. Gonzales teaches civil procedure, ethics, poverty law, and appellate decision-making. Her scholarly work focuses on access to justice and economic justice. Among other things, she’s recognized for being an all-around inspiring faculty member and an impactful mentor, professor, advocate, role model, and leader within the Law School, especially for first-generation Mexican/Hispanic women." Learn more

"Dr. José Luis Serrano Nájera, recipient of the 2022 UNM Faculty of Color Mentoring Award is proud son of immigrant parents from Guerrero and Zacatecas by way of Mexicali, Baja California, México. ... Professor Serrano Nájera’s research foci are national and transnational Civil and Human Rights activism and social movements utilizing archival and oral history research methods. In the past, Professor Serrano Nájera’s publications have focused on advocacies, social movements, and armed insurrections countering colonial and imperial powers in U.S. and México during the modern era. In his teaching, Professor Serrano Nájera emphasizes cultural, political, social, and transnational topical foci, while at the same time working to achieve student learning objectives of understanding diversity, intersectionality, and the development of Chicana/o/x communities across the U.S." Learn more

"Dr. Carlos A. López Leiva, recipient of the 2022 UNM Faculty of Color All-Around Award, is an Associate Professor in Bilingual and Mathematics Education in the Department of Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies at the University of New Mexico. Carlos’ work focuses on teaching and learning ecologies in intercultural educational spaces—regarding dynamics of social interactions, language uses and ideologies, task designs, relationship development, as well as what counts as mathematics—and how they mediate members’ participation in and meaning-making of mathematical practices, activity, and perceptions of self. These foci transfer into collaborative interdisciplinary funded/nonfunded research regarding: (1) Issues of Equity and Social Justice in Social Interactions, (2) Out-of-School Interdisciplinary Mathematics Teaching and Learning, (3) In-School Interdisciplinary Mathematics Teaching and Learning, and (4) Bilingual Teacher Preparation." In 2024, he was awarded the University Bilingual Education Professor of the Year by the New Mexico Association for Bilingual Education (NMABE). Learn more

"Ana R. Alonso-Minutti is an Associate Professor of Music, a faculty affiliate of the Latin American and Iberian Institute, and a research associate of the Southwest Hispanic Research Institute at the University of New Mexico...Alonso-Minutti’s scholarship focuses on experimental and avant-garde expressions, music traditions from Mexico and the US-Mexico border, and music history pedagogy. Among her research areas are Latina/Chicana feminist and queer theories, critical race studies, and decolonial methodologies....In addition to her scholarly work, Alonso-Minutti has written a number of pieces." She "...was recently awarded the biennial 2021 Robert M. Stevenson Prize from The Society for Ethnomusicology for her piece Voces del desierto for a cappella choir. The prize honors ethnomusicologists who are also composers by awarding a prize for a single composition, an original musical work created by the applicant." Read more

Dr. "Francisco J. Galarte is an Associate Professor of American Studies and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies at the University of New Mexico where he teaches courses in Chicanx, Latinx and transgender studies. ...His research brings transgender studies, Chicanx studies, Latinax studies, and queer studies into critical dialogue. In doing so, he expands these academic fields, transform the central issues of inquiry and contribute to ongoing conversations related to the study of race, gender and sexuality. His primary scholarly agenda is to examine the relationship between systems of racial formation and the lived experiences and cultural representations of racialized transgendered subjects. His first book, Brown Trans Figurations: Rethinking Race, Gender and Sexuality in Chicanx/Latinx Studies [has been published] with University of Texas Press, and is the inaugural book for the Latinx: The Future is Now book series edited by Nicole Guidotti-Hernández and Lorgia Garcia-Peña. The book explores how transgender analytics intervene or fail to intervene in the current reading practices that exist in Chicana/o Studies for making sense of processes of racialization, gendered violence, queer sexualities, masculinities and femininities." Read more

"Dr. Jesse Alemán is a Professor of English and a Presidential Teaching Fellow at the University of New Mexico. [In 2022, he was named the Willa Cather Distingushed Lecturer.] His work covers nineteenth-century American literature and US Latino/a literary histories. He has published two dozen articles and essays, including recent pieces in American Literary History, The Cambridge History of Latina/o Literature, and Latino/a Literature in the Classroom....He is the recipient of the University of New Mexico’s College of Arts and Sciences’ Award for Teaching Excellence; the American Indian Student Services’ STARS Award; the Wertheim Award for Outstanding English Faculty member; and he’s been named Outstanding Faculty Member by the English Graduate Student Association and UNM’s Peer Mentoring for Graduate Students of Color. As a former faculty member of Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English, he was awarded the Ruth and Lillian Marino Endowed Chair for teaching excellence, and in 2016, UNM named him a Presidential Teaching Fellow, the highest teaching recognition the university bestows to its faculty." While serving as interim dean of graduate studies, Dr. Alemán was awarded the 2023-2024 Mellon Distinguished Scholar in Residence at the American Antiquarian Society (AAS) in Worcester, Mass. Read more

Dr. Cheo Torres retired in July 2021 from the University of New Mexico. He served as the Vice President for Student Affairs for 25 years. "James Holloway, UNM provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs, said he credits Torres with helping bring the Student Affairs division together under common purpose, conceiving of new programs for students, while growing the resources needed to make those conceptions real." Some of his accomplishments include developing the Traditional Medicine without Borders Curanderismo course, the Student Affairs Fellowship Program, the Mezquite Golf Tournament, and the Weekly Chit-Chat. He was recently awarded the Erna S. Fergusson Award by the UNM Alumni Association, which recognizes exceptional accomplishments and/or commitment or distinguished service to The University of New Mexico.

Dr. Sylvia Rodríguez is a native Taoseña and Professor Emerita of anthropology and former Director of the Alfonso Ortiz Center for Intercultural Studies at UNM. Her research and publications have focused on interethnic relations in the Upper Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico, where over the past three decades she has studied the cultural impact of tourism, ritual and ethnic identity, and conflict over land and water. She works collaboratively with acequia (traditional irrigation) organizations and researchers on acequia matters and the politics and anthropology of water. Her publications include journal articles, book chapters, and two prize-winning books: The Matachines Dance: Ritual Symbolism and Interethnic Relations in the Upper Rio Grande Valley, and Acequia: Water Sharing, Sanctity, and Place. Watch her discuss her work with Acequias here

"Dr. Nancy López is Professor of Sociology at the University of New Mexico who directs and co-founded the Institute for the Study of "Race" and Social Justice and she is the founding coordinator of the New Mexico Statewide Race, Gender, Class Data Policy Consortium. Dr. López also served as the inaugural co-chair of the Diversity Council and she has served on the UNM Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee. Dr. López has chaired the Committee on the Status of Racial and Ethnic Minorities and served as Vice President of the Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS)." Dr. Lopez was recently awarded a 1.5 million dollar grant for her research on intersectionality and in January 2024 was awarded a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for her project Climate for Latino Students: Employing Intersectionality for Understanding Latino Student Success in Higher Education. Read more

Dr. Philip B. (Felipe) Gonzales is a Professor of Sociology at the University of New Mexico. His book Politica: Nuevomexicanos and American Political Incorporation, 1821-1910 "...is a tour de force of political history in the nineteenth-century U.S.–Mexico borderlands that reinterprets colonization, reconstructs Euro-American and Nuevomexicano relations, and recasts the prevailing historical narrative of territorial expansion and incorporation in North American imperial history." He recently co-edited Trumpism, Mexican America, and the Struggle for Latinx Citizenship with Drs Renato Rosaldo and Mary Louise Pratt which examines "...a new phase of presidential politics in relation to what went before and asks what new political possibilities emerged from this dramatic chapter in our history. What role did anti-Mexicanism and attacks on Latinx people and their communities play in Trump’s political rise and presidential practices? Driven by the overwhelming political urgency of the moment, the contributors to this volume seek to frame Trumpism’s origins and political effects. Contributors include Cristina Beltrán, Alyshia Gálvez, Michelle García, Tomás R. Jiménez, Davíd Montejano, Ángela Valenzuela, and Arely M. Zimmerman."

"Dr. Anna M. Nogar is Associate Professor of Hispanic Southwest Studies in the UNM Department of Spanish and Portuguese [and Associate Dean for Humanities and Interdisciplinary Units in the UNM College of Arts and Sciences]. Her research specializations include Mexican American cultural and literary studies; colonial Mexican literature; Nuevomexicano writing and culture; and community oral history." "In a recent announcement, Nogar's book Quill and Cross in the Borderlands: Sor María de Ágreda and the Lady in Blue, 1628 to the Present received first place in the Best History Book category and first place in the Best Religious Book category from the International Latino Book Awards, the largest Latino cultural awards in the U.S." Read more

Dr. Patricia O. Covarrubias received the 2020-2021 Faculty of Color Mentoring Award from the UNM Project for New Mexico Graduates of Color (PNMGC). Dr. Covarrubias, "a native of Mexico, is Professor and the inaugural Director of Graduate Program in the Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies. ...Her research has been dedicated to understanding and describing how local cultures influence peoples’ ways of communicating and vice versa, and on describing how culturally grounded communicative practices reflect and create unique lives for groups of people. Her past research includes Mexicanx ways of speaking and American Indian uses of silence, and her publications include various articles and book chapters, and two books: Culture, Communication, and Cooperation: Interpersonal Relations and Pronominal Address in a Mexican Organization and a co-authored textbook, Among Cultures: The Challenge of Communication."

The History of Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15)

The White House: A Proclamation on National Hispanic Heritage Month

"In our country, Latino leaders are striving for the American Dream and helping those around them reach it too. From those who have been here for generations to those who have recently arrived, Latinos have pushed our great American experiment forward. They are the community, faith, and union leaders who advocate and stand up for all of us. They are the first responders, who put themselves in harm’s way to keep the rest of us safe. And they represent the best of who we are as a Nation — the teachers and doctors, athletes and artists, business leaders, public servants, and so much more. They embody the possibilities of our Nation and the dreams of those who work every day to build a better future for their children, grandchildren, and beyond." Read the full proclamation

The White House: A Proclamation on National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week

"Education beyond high school should be a ticket to the middle class — and across our Nation, more than 500 Hispanic-Serving Institutions have helped to make that promise real, opening the doors of opportunity a bit wider for generations of Hispanic college students. During National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week, we celebrate their important work. Today’s students are part of the most talented, resilient, and diverse generation in our history. But while creativity and work ethic are abundant, not everyone has an equal shot yet. That is why Hispanic-Serving Institutions are so essential. Two-thirds of all Hispanic college students in America attend one; they provide a quality education and empower underserved students — including Dreamers and first-generation college students — to earn degrees and build better lives for their families. And with the Supreme Court’s recent decision to effectively end affirmative action, their work is as critical as ever." Read the full proclamation

US Department of Education White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics

"Originally established in 1990, the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics (Initiative) was re-established in 2021 through executive order by President Joe Biden, who expanded the Initiative’s scope to center on advancing educational equity and economic opportunity for Latino and Hispanic students, families, and communities. The nation’s future prosperity and global leadership across sectors is intrinsically tied to the success of Hispanic and Latino students, and their success is a priority of this Administration."

National Hispanic Heritage Month

"Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) takes place September 15 to October 15 every year as a time to recognize and celebrate the many contributions, diverse cultures, and extensive histories of the American Latino community. Beginning in 1968, Hispanic Heritage Month was originally observed as “Hispanic Heritage Week”, but it was later extended to a month in 1988. Since then, HHM has been celebrated nationwide through festivals, art shows, conferences, community gatherings, and much more. The month also celebrates the independence days of several Latin American countries, including: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua on September 15th, Mexico on September 16th, and Chile on September 18th. They also include holidays that recognize Hispanic contributions such as Virgin Islands-Puerto Rico Friendship Day that is celebrated in the U.S. Virgin Islands."

Hispanic Identity

"People who identify with the terms “Hispanic” or “Latino” are those who classify themselves in one of the specific Hispanic or Latino categories listed on the decennial census questionnaire and various Census Bureau survey questionnaires – “Mexican, Mexican Am., Chicano” or ”Puerto Rican” or “Cuban” – as well as those who indicate that they are “another Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin.” The 2010 Census question on Hispanic origin included five separate response categories and one area where respondents could write in a specific Hispanic origin group. The first response category was intended for respondents who do not identify as Hispanic. The remaining response categories (“Mexican, Mexican Am., Chicano”; “Puerto Rican”; “Cuban”; and “another Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin”) and write-in answers can be combined to create the OMB category of Hispanic."

**Read Making Hispanics: How Activists, Bureaucrats, and Media Constructed a New American by G. Cristina Mora**

**Read An African American and Latinx History of the United States by Paul Ortiz**

Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino

The National Museum of the American Latino provides a variety of resources about National Hispanic Heritage Month. "The National Museum of the American Latino observes Hispanic Heritage Month between September 15 and October 15 each year to celebrate the Latino community."

Also visit the Smithsonian Latino Center and the Library of Congress Research Guides

The National Parks Service Celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month

"September 15 to October 15 is celebrated nationwide as National Hispanic Heritage Month. It traditionally honors the cultures and contributions of both Hispanic and Latino Americans as we celebrate heritage rooted in all Latin American countries. During this month and throughout the year, we, and our partners, share history, heritage, and accomplishments of Hispanic and Latino Americans of past and present."

National Archives Hispanic Heritage Month Site

"We celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month to recognize the achievements and contributions of Hispanic American champions who have inspired others to achieve success. Discover documents, exhibits, films, blog posts and more from the National Archives and Presidential Libraries that highlight Hispanic culture."

Library of Congress Vetrans History Project

"Asked to serve their country in time of war, Hispanic Americans displayed courage and valor in the face of adversity. Familiar with discrimination back home, many saw their service as affirming the ideals of democracy. In this presentation, the Veterans History Project recounts their inspirational stories."

Smithsonian National Museum of American History

"Each year, people across the United States observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15 by celebrating and reflecting on the histories, cultures, and contributions of Americans with ancestry from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. While Hispanic Heritage Month is only 30 days, the museum’s curators, researchers, and educators work with communities across the country to document and share Latino histories every day of the year. As part of the museum’s commitment to sharing Hispanic and Latino history, the museum has updated its Latino History topic page, where you can find even more exhibitions, programs, museum collections, and resources that reflect the richness and diversity of Latino history in the United States. Our mission as a national public history institution is not only to tell complex stories but also to use history to empower people to create a just, compassionate, and equitable future. In an increasingly divided country, it is more important than ever to learn about and stand in solidarity with Latino communities." Visit their website to read more and see exhibits, public programs and collections

UNM Communication and Marketing (UCAM) Series Immigration: A Look at the Issues

UNM University Libraries Chicana and Chicano Collections (Archival)

Rudolpho Anaya Digital Archive

Ruth Trinidad-Galván Social and Educational Justice Scholarship

Spanish Colonial Research Center, Center for Southwest Research

New Book Documents Influx of Mexican Immigrants to Small Town: 'Migration Narratives' is Open Access, Available to All to Read

The Underrepresentation of Hispanics as Tenured or Tenure Track Professors: A Critical Analysis of Hispanic Faculty Experiences at Three Southwestern Universities

Off-White in an Age of White Supremacy: Mexican Elites and the Rights of Indians and Blacks in Nineteenth-Century New Mexico

A Latina Captain in Showtime's Dexter: (Un)Veiling a Progressive Image of Latinas through Discourse Analysis of Media-Audience Co-constructions of Latinidad'

News

Traditions Deeply Rooted in Hispanic Culture

29-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Makes History as the Youngest Woman Ever Elected to Congress

COVID-19 is Having a Devastating Economic Impact on Latino Families

OMI Grant to Improve Identification of Unknown American Indians, Hispanic/Latinx Americans

UNM Authors Explore Concept of 'Querencia' in New Book

Culture Thrives in American's Most Hispanic, Latino State: New Mexico

Organizations

Association of Latino and Latina Anthropologists, American Anthropological Association

The National Hispanic Science Network

The Hispanic Heritage Foundation

UNM Project for New Mexico Graduates of Color (PNMGC)