Una Palabra from our Department Chair, Dr. Dolores Delgado Bernal |
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Like many of you, I’ve been reflecting on the last 14 months. Our reflections allow us to acknowledge and honor the pain and struggle we’ve been through, remember those who have passed to the spirit world, and recommit to our ideals. These last months have been difficult for communities of color as we’ve combatted the health and economic outcomes of the pandemic, police violence, increased anti-Asian hate crimes, anti-Blackness, more children in detention centers, and other actions fueled by white supremacy and heteropatriarchy. CLS faculty and students have used their words, research, creativity, and activism (on campus and in the community) to resist these attacks. Through it all, we have persevered as a community.
I’ve been deeply impressed with all my colegas in the department who have gone above and beyond in their teaching during the time of COVID, bringing in new virtual pedagogical strategies and additional content with a focus on anti-Blackness, queer/trans programming, and Indigenous studies, while simultaneously bringing compassion and generosity to students. CLS faculty are truly amazing! I’m equally impressed with students in our classes who have moved forward on their educational camino, negotiating all the additional demands, heartache, and challenges. They have brought their mindbodyspirit into the classroom to learn and transfer their knowledge to action.
Reflection also allows us to (re)imagine the possibilities ahead…
We continue to (re)imagine the possibilities for the new College of Ethnic Studies which has had a challenging first year. CLS remains committed to all students taking classes in the ethnic studies areas and especially to all Pan-African Studies, Asian and Asian American Studies, and CLS majors, minors, and graduate students. We continue to (re)imagine the possibilities of what collaborations across the three departments will yield, while also continuing to strengthen our relationships with WGSS, Latin American Studies, a new American Indian Studies minor, and many other departments/programs across campus. As a department, we are deeply invested and will continue to put in the labor y corazón to (re)build a strong long-lasting foundation for the second College of Ethnic Studies in the nation.
There are so many possibilities for the 50 CLS majors, minors, and masters students who are graduating this semester. You each have made your families proud. We’ve seen your sacrifices and know your brilliance as community advocates and deep thinkers. As you take your next steps on your camino, we send you positive energy, love, and best wishes. Keep in touch as CLS alumni, and let us know all the good things you are doing.
Finally, as my three-year term as chair comes to an end, I reflect on the collective successes of CLS including bringing national visibility to the department and increasing both undergraduate and graduate enrollment. We’ve set the groundwork for a cultural feminista shift that calls for a transparency in departmental decision-making, shared governance, respect for all faculty, and restorative justice practices. I’m thrilled that Dra. Anita Tijerina Revilla has been recommended for the chair position because I know she will lead us with her own muxerista leadership style.
As we stand shoulder to shoulder in solidarity, let us continue to (re)imagine, dream, and move towards the department, college, and world we want to create. Let us be co-conspirators who continue to check in with each other, share our moments of joy, keep each other safe, and support each other in whatever ways we can. Otro mundo es posible.
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New Faculty Spotlight: Sandra J. Gutiérrez De Jesús, Ph.D. |
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My name is Sandra Jasmin Gutiérrez de Jesús; Sandy is what everyone has called me since I was a little girl. I was born and raised in Michoacán, Mexico, and spent my childhood and early adolescent years between my home community, Huecorio, and my father’s hometown. As a small child, I dreamed of becoming an educator. My mother worked for more than 30 years as a rural teacher in Michoacán, and I saw in her a passion for education and community work. When my mother, sister, and I migrated to the United States to reunite with my father, I saw in higher education an opportunity to serve my community from the diaspora as I started community college. I reaffirmed this vision when I was introduced to Native American Studies (NAS) at the University of California in Davis by two professors I admire deeply: Stefano Varese and Victor Montejo. In NAS, I found a community in academia and a safe and critical space for indigenous resistance, praxis, and contemporary reimagining. This is what led me to obtain a B.A. and a Ph.D. in Native American Studies, focusing on indigenous struggles for autonomy and self-governance in the P’urhépecha region of Michoacán.
Although my family and I have always been involved in my hometown’s communal structure by participating in local community works and holding public posts within our cargo system – a local structure organized around religious celebrations and responsibilities (also known as the Mayordomia system), as well as secular positions – my academic training has allowed me to work on community projects more systematically. In this journey, I have centered two of my passions: P’urhépecha language and radio programming. In the past five years, I have been involved in seminars and workshops on the documentation of the P’urhépecha language in the four geographical sub-regions that comprise our ancestral homelands – Lake Pátzcuaro, the Highlands, the Eleven Towns, and the Marshlands – as well as our community-based knowledges. Through a radio collective based in my home community – Huecorio – I also have co-organized P’urhépecha language circles and workshops on environmental education and community cartography with children, drawing, literary production, dance, ribbon braid making, traditional P’urhépecha embroidery, among others.
Furthermore, radio programming and podcasting projects through our community radio station, Radio Uekorheni, constitute a central part of my community work. I conceive indigenous community radio as an essential aspect of our rights to autonomy and self-determination since it allows us to document, reinforce, and disseminate our language and worldviews; denounce abuse and injustice; centralize our voices and indigenous peoples, create inclusive spaces within our communal structures; and connect with people and build solidarity networks across colonial borders. Traditionally, indigenous peoples are oral cultures, and we have been able to replicate and continue with that oral tradition through the appropriation of technology and radio. I do not consider myself a storyteller nor a professional radio broadcaster, but instead, I see myself as a community communicator navigating and translating mainly between two epistemic worlds. One of the greatest satisfactions my radio work has given me is contributing to centralizing the voices of my community and reasserting ourselves as knowledge producers in a colonial world that has denied our existence and thus disregarded our intellectual production.
As a new faculty member at CSULA in the department of Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies and the Latin American Studies program, my work has been guided by my passion for and commitment to community-engaged activities that have an impact on indigenous communities. Personally, one of my main objectives as an educator has been to revindicate the history of indigenous communities, deconstruct epistemic racism, and show the nuances of the indigenous worlds. Furthermore, I hope to provide students with a brave and welcoming space within my classroom to develop their talents and enhance their voices and creativity. We are inheritors of historically resilient communities, and my aspiration is that students embrace that to empower themselves, their communities and thrive with dignity, success, and strength.
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Creating Community in the Time of COVID |
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For most of us, 2020 brought many new challenges, including feeling isolated and losing connections with the people in our communities and familia. To combat that isolation, CLS organized many virtual gatherings in the department via pláticas, a speakers series, and class presentations. In addition, Erandi Colin, a first-year graduate student took on the role to be a “CLS Prima” to students in the department in an effort to bring folks together in a time where togetherness has been crucial. |
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As Dr. Valerie Talavera-Bustillo’s graduate research assistant, I had the opportunity to be the liaison or ”CLS Prima'' to new students in the department during this academic year. With the pandemic and distance learning in mind, the goals included creating a sense of community and providing academic and well-being resources. I created a Canvas page from which I sent out weekly announcements that included University updates, historical events, and encouraging messages. I also felt a need to create community outside of my (virtual) classrooms and with the help of my compañera, Jessica Rodriguez Lazo, we’ve started having graduate cohort meetings. I had been looking forward to exploring the campus and getting to meet students, so these virtual alternatives have really been a blessing. |
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In light of the ongoing circumstances, the Department of Chicana(o) and Latina(o) Studies launched an Introduction to Chicana(o) and Latina(o) History Speakers Series, where we featured ethnic studies scholars, whose research explored themes of race, gender, labor, immigration, and sexuality within Los Angeles’ urban history. We highlighted a diverse group of U.S. Central American, Afro-Latina, and Queer Trans scholars, whose work is shaping the field of Chicana/o/x and Latina/o/x Studies. Those invited were Dr. Kaelyn Rodriguez (Santa Monica College), Dr. Karma Chávez (University of Texas, Austin), and Dr. Steven Osuna (Cal State Long Beach), to name a few. We were excited to offer a cross-disciplinary space that motivated first-year students to consider the field of Ethnic Studies at Cal State LA. The series was organized by Dr. Anita Tijerina Revilla, Dr. Daniel Topete, and Dr. Rafael Solórzano.
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Felicidades to this year's CLS graduating students |
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We, the CLS faculty, offer you a very heartfelt FELICIDADES. Though this year has had even more challenges than normal, and this was not the kind of final semester any of you dreamt of, you made it! We are all so proud of your many accomplishments, and we wish you the very best in your next chapter in life. |
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Master's Degree Recipients |
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Karina Vargas
Patty Miramontes
Nayely Castrellon
Victor Chaidez Reyes
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Brenda Diaz
Nick Rivas
Marcela Rojas
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Bachelor's Degree Recipients |
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Rosalia Mendoza
Denise Melgar
Karla Hernandez Ildefonso
David Magaña
Jaquelin Huerta
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Evaristo Martinez
Pedro Martinez
Karen Escobar
Jaritza Ornelas
Alejandra Marquez Gomez
Vanessa Campuzano
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Cristina Rodriguez
Yadira Ceballos-Tellechea
Sophia Banegas
Jesse Jimenez
Michelle Ontiveros
Jesus Cambero-Elias
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Maritza Cruz
Rubi Bravo
Ricardo Solis-Cuevas
Elena Salcedo
Daniel Benitez
Llamilette Garcia
Luis Gonzalez
Melissa Magaña
Elida Palucho
Anthony Melendez
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Cristian Gaspar
Samantha Arreola
Julieth Aguila Garcia
Andrew Blanco
Alexis Negrete
Jessica Solorio
Israel Tamayo
Carmen Muñoz Jimenez
Nathalie Monreal
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Yadira Flores
Alberto Palma
Chantal Guzman
Maria Benicio
Kimberly Ortega
Lenny Edwards Medina
Daisy Garcia
Kimberly Guardado
Deanna Perez
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Felicidades on More Student Accomplishments |
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Jose Anguiano, Bryan Cantero, Esperanza Juarez April 2021. Finding a “Moment of Joy” in 2020: Music Making and Listening in the Time of La Corona. National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies Annual Conference.
Jessica Rodriguez Lazo. April 2021. Community Radio: Uplifting Marginalized Voices. National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies Annual Conference.
David Ramos. April 2021. Desaparecidx: Origin of Chicana/o/x Studies at CSULA. NACCS National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies Annual Conference.
Bryan Cantero. April 2021. Cultural (Re)Production: Sonic Space Between Corridos and Hip-Hop. National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies Annual Conference.
Yadira Ceballos-Tellechea. 2020. ¡EL BARRIO NO SE VENDE! ¡SE AMA Y DEFIENDE!: How Grassroots Community Organizations and People Rise Up Against the Settler Colonial Project of Gentrification and Policing in Boyle Heights and El Sereno. Chicago Research Symposium & Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship West Coast Regional Conference.
Ricardo Nuñez. April 2021. Desaparecidx: Origin of Chicana/o/x Studies at CSULA. National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies Annual Conference,.
Erandi Colin,Valerie Talavera-Bustillos. April 2021. Graduate Femtorship: An Exploratory Study of Mutual Support During COVID. National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies Annual Conference.
Congratulations to Jessica Rodriguez Lazo and Rafael Solorzano on their radio channel, Fierce Stories. Tune in on the first Wednesday of every month on Radio Santa Ana.
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CLS 3500 and CLS 4300 Final Projects |
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Three undergraduate students, Cristina Cortez, Dalia Carmona, and Jesse Jimenez, have taken part in a testimonial research project on the historical development of the Chicana/o and Latina/o Department at Cal State LA known as the GRITO Series. Guided by Dr. Covarrubias, the GRITO Series was developed over a span of two courses, CLS 3500 and CLS 4300. “GRITO” is an acronym that stands for Getting Revolutionary and Intersectional Testimonios Out. These students have produced, recorded, and promoted virtual webinars with historical figures like Victoria Castro and Gloria Arellanes, and there are various future events to come! The goal of the webinar is to highlight hidden figures/stories and to deinstitutionalize knowledge production and presentation.
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The students in Profe Felicia Montes’ Cultural Expressions in the Americas submitted creative final projects on key research topics that were discussed throughout the semester. Here's a selection of some of their creativity. |
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CLS 2060 Social Media Projects |
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This semester Professor Montes' Latinx Images in Media, Social, Media & Digital Communication classes shared their social media critiques and creations such as memes and Tik Toks via a new Instagram Page, @clsclasssocialmedia.
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After reading “These three Latina beauty influencers are changing the game” by Marrisa Rodriquez, I decided to create a post about Identity. From watching youtube myself and from the readings that spoke about Jenny 69, Louie Castro, and Latina Beauty Influencers, I noticed that Influencers tend to either lose or embrace their identity. This is why I thought of creating a post that brings attention to the representation of one's self and identity. Melissa Flores, a Youtuber says “When I was growing up, I didn’t feel I had a representation of other Latinas that I could look up to”(Rodriguez 2018). An important reason to try not to lose your identity amid “fame”. Written by Ashley Felix
Check out more of their thoughts, theories, creations, and reflections here!
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Student Writer, Yessica Avila |
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Yessica M. Avila Barojas is a poet and creator who was born in Veracruz, Mexico, and raised in Los Angeles. She enjoys exploring themes of migration and sexuality through various mediums. Her early introduction to the arts has influenced her experimentation in storytelling, digital media, and writing. Yessica’s background in design is an inspiration for the formatting of their poetry. She is currently working as a Communications Specialist and is a first-year graduate student in CLS. She also holds a B.F.A. in Graphic Design from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
Maria
Soft,
thick,
sharp,
Brown,
Skin
12:50
“ding dong, ding dong,”
the church bell ring
Purple orange skies,
Timid warm breeze,
summer is here
You stand there,
“Jefe de Jefes”
Head up high,
branching out of the rusted bars
they’ve
tried,
But
they
Could not
Scars of the
memories
The burning pain
you know so well
they’ve tried,
But they
Could not
stop the
tender,
soft,
pink,
Yellow,
daffodil and gilli f l o w e r s g r o w i n g a t y o u r f e e t
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This year, Yessica’s work was published in Queering Poetry - Queer/onthology Homespun Poems of Interwoven Migrations, a collection of poetry featuring 10 LGBTQIA+ poets from the Los Angeles area. The collection is a personal journey of how poetry can be transformative. Check out Yessica’s poem below and more of her work here!
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Alum Highlight, Dr. Yessica Hernandez |
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Can you please share a little bit about yourself, including where you’re from, when you graduated, and who your family is?
I grew up in Long Beach, California (aka Playa Larga). My family comes from very humble backgrounds in Guanajuato, Mexico. Both of my grandfathers were Braceros and I grew up listening to their stories. They have been my motivation to keep pursuing academia. Honestly, I never imagined that I would become a profe one day, and I am still transitioning into that identity. I started my college education at Long Beach City College. In High School, I was not a college bound student, I actually did very poorly and community college was a second opportunity for me. I started working at the age of 13 and in High school, I was just consumed by getting by. I am so grateful for the community college system and have so much respect for all the transfer students. During those days, I wanted to become an immigration lawyer because I came from a mixed-status family who had been affected by deportations. This reality impacted me a lot, I and wanted to become an immigration lawyer to stop the separation of families. I was a philosophy major in community college, I enjoyed asking the existential questions about life. I used philosophy to help me get through the traumas left in my body from the separation of my family. After discovering Chicana feminisms, I completely changed my career path. One day, I went to UCLA for a transfer motivational speaker day conference and heard the story of Sal Castro and other Chicana Professors. I was so inspired by the student walkouts. I was also part of the Puente Project and was reading literature about Latinx communities. I had never read about my community before and felt so empowered. By this point, I had already applied to University of California, Riverside (UCR) with a Philosophy Law and Society major but after this conference I immediately changed my major to Ethnic Studies with a focus on Chicanx Studies. At UCR, I came across the work of Americo Paredes and was so shocked that professors did research on corridos. I love corridos. I am a hard-core Paisa girl and became very passionate about researching narcocorrido’s and Malandrina subculture and the intersections of class, gender, and sexuality. In many ways, I wanted to write myself into the page. As Anzaldua states, “I write to record what others erase when I speak, to rewrite the stories others have miswritten about me, about you.” When I was an undergrad at UCR, I applied to two Ph.D. programs and an M.A program (at CSULA). The Ph.D. programs (who will remain anonymous) rejected me because of my “poor writing skills.” CSULA was the program who took me in when no one else wanted me. My profes at CSULA knew I had a story to tell. They saw my ganas, passion, and supported me unconditionally.
Can you please share some highlights about your educational journey to Cal State LA and describe your experiences in the CLS department?
My cohort at CSULA was amazing, we supported each other throughout the program. I studied at the library with many of them and was honest when I did not understand the readings. I never felt judged by them. We encouraged each other to apply to NACCS and present our research. We walked each other to our cars after the late seminars, and it just felt like a community. CSULA truly modeled a mentorship of compassion and love in academia. When someone treats me otherwise, I always remember CSULA, and that grounds me, and inspires me to create a different reality for me, my colegas, mentees, and students. The department has changed so much since I was there and honestly, I wish I could be a grad student all over again to learn from those amazing profes whose research and teaching I respect so much.
Can you please share with us what type of work you are currently doing as a professor?
Since I have started, I have developed two new classes for our program: one on Latina Girlhoods and the other on Latinx Youth Subcultures. I am reflecting a lot on what this new role means for me and I have so much to learn about being a profe, mentor, and writer, but my training at LBCC, UCR, CSULA and UCSD is helping me so much. I am currently a Latina/o Studies Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and this year, I have been working on editing my dissertation into a book and developing a second project on Latinas and pornography. I just received news that I was awarded another postdoctoral fellowship so I am grateful for the opportunity to keep working on my first manuscript on the pleasures that late Chicana singer Jenni Rivera provided for her fans.
As an alumni, what is a piece of advice you would give to folks currently in the CLS department or those looking to be a part of the department?
My first piece of advice is to always follow your passion, intuition, and have a support system that accepts you for who you are. If you are not part of the CLS program yet and want to apply, I would recommend to reach out to a professor, meet with them, and tell them about your goals for the future. For those students who are already in the program and want to pursue a doctoral degree, I strongly recommend you apply to the Sally Casanova Predoctoral Program. I applied with profe Ester Hernandez and that program opened the door for me to work with Dr. Michelle Habell-Pallan and the Women Who Rock Archive at the University of Washington. I also attended the California Forum for Diversity in Graduate Education and some recruiters will offer application fee waivers. I recommend that you take advantage of any resource available to you. My community taught me to hustle since I was a young girl so I apply these skills in academia as well. I also went to the writing center a lot. Back in the days, graduate students were able to meet with writing tutors for an hour. I was there almost every week. Two years go by really quick so maybe talk to your mentor during your first semester to create a plan for you. I applied to doctoral programs during my second year in the program and although it felt overwhelming, I had community to support me.
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Faculty Public Scholarship & Recent Publications |
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Nora Alba Cisneros. (2021) "Indigenous girls write, right!?: Unsettling urban literacies with Indigenous Writing Pedagogies.". Urban Education. doi:10.1177/00420859211003933
Olga Garcia Echeverria. (2021, May). The Mighty Lengua: A Collective Glossary of Cultural Words and Phrases. Cultural Weekly.
Roberto Cantú. (2020). Mexican Mural Art: Critical Essays on a Belligerent Aesthetic. UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
SnakegrrlProductions. “Dr. Anita Tijerina Revilla on student activism and immigrant rights scholarship.” (April 8, 2021). Retrieved from https://youtu.be/AD2KEQWmRu4.
Nunez, J., Rubalcava, J., and Revilla, Anita. (2021). Triunfando Con o Sin Papeles: Muxerista Jotx-historias of DACA-mentation and Activism in Las Vegas, in Hernandez, E., Alvarez, E., & Garcia, M. Transmovimientos Latinx Queer Migrations, Bodies, and Spaces. University of Nebraska Press.
Gonzalez, S. & Revilla, Anita. Latine Entertainment Presents. ¡Conversamos! || Growing Up & Raising: Queer Latine/x || Season 2 - Episode 3. (October 1, 2020). Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/SlyiuUMaIXo.
Hamzeh, M., Flores Carmona, J., Hernandez Sanchez, E., Delgado Bernal, Dolores, & Bejarano, C. (2021) Haki/Pláticas~Testimonios/Shahadat: Arabyya Feminista Decolonial Praxis. Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy, 17(3).
Garcia, N.M. & Delgado Bernal, Dolores. (2020). Remembering and Revisiting Pedagogies of the Home. American Educational Research Journal,doi.org/10.3102/0002831220954431.
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Fall Upper-Division Courses |
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SUN | MAY 23
CLS DEPARTMENT GRAD CELEBRATION
Time: 3:30 - 5:00 p.m.
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Have questions? Email the Department Coordinator, Murillo, Velia VMurillo@cslanet.calstatela.edu or Department Chair, Dolores Delgado Bernal, dolores.delgadobernal@calstatela.edu
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Give today to support the Department of Chicana(o) and Latina(o) Studies
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Newsletter Editor: CLS M.A. student, Judith Charlene Gallardo
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