Una Palabra from Profe Anita Tijerina Revilla, Ph.D.
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As we come to the end of the semester, I want to take a moment to reflect on all that we have learned in an incredibly short amount of time. We are deep in the midst of a global crisis. The virus has added a layer of pain and struggle to our already challenging realities. However, we are clear that in the depths of this crisis, it is our people who are offering care and support to all. Brown, Black, Indigenous, immigrant, women, queer/trans, and working-poor people are overwhelmingly serving as essential workers, health care providers, and food providers. We are banding together to demand justice for workers, rent control, no evictions, proper health care, mutual aid, and support for students and teachers. We are documenting the critical stories of how the virus is unevenly impacting our communities and simultaneously calling for action. The communities that are most heavily hit by this virus are the same communities that we have been advocating for for at least the past six decades on and off campus. The Department of Chicana(o) & Latina(o) Studies (CLS), and ethnic studies more broadly, was born out of the struggle to give voice and visibility to people of color and Latina/o/x and Chicana/o/x communities. While colonization, capitalism, racism, citizenism, patriarchy, homo/transphobia, and ableism have been at our doorstep, we have simultaneously been filled with strength, resilience, brilliance, and beauty. This is well documented in our testimonios, history books, and
movimientos
. We have learned to prevail.
At Cal State LA, due to COVID-19, CLS faculty are learning how to better accommodate our students, communities, and colleagues. We are identifying the points of weakness in structures and institutions, and even in our own personal relationships, in order to strengthen them. We are presented today with an opportunity to keep challenging ourselves and growing. We are shifting our learning environments and reevaluating the Euro-patriarchal assessment and pedagogical practices that we have used in the past. We are acknowledging that many of our first-generation students have been in crisis outside of the classroom, even before the pandemic hit. Therefore, it is important that we embrace the new options and directions in which we are moving. More than ever, we are trying to figure out ways to make education more accessible and connected to our lives. We are using new platforms and modalities. We are doing complete paradigm shifts to what education used to look like, and I hope that once we are past these current struggles, that we will continue to engage in these new practices. We must be proactive versus reactive as we are presented with these opportunities to rise by creating more inclusive, equitable, accessible, and meaningful pedagogies.
To critical scholars and students everywhere, I want to say congratulations! We are ahead of the game. We should feel hugely reaffirmed that we are doing the work that matters based on the current needs of the world. The people that we have been training and preparing in our programs are the ones who are most prepared to do the work that is before us. We are teaching about the legacy of survival skills, community building, cultural preservation, and the value of community cultural wealth. We are challenging deficit thinking and re-envisioning the world that we want to live in. The graduates of our programs are creating new economies, practicing wealth reclamation, and embracing holistic healing practices. People educated in critical ethnic studies are critically analyzing the current state of the world. We can only imagine what the recent graduates of the class of 2020 will accomplish, given the skills that they have recently acquired and the experiences they are having today. They have the skills that they need, not only to survive but also to thrive in the midst of attempted spirit murder because they are our spirit restorers and protectors. Friends, students and colleagues, the class of 2020 will nurture and rebuild our communities.
After 15 year of being a faculty member at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), I arrived at Cal State LA this fall with lots of energy, hope, and desire to build. I am grateful to report that today more than ever, I still have lots of energy, hope, and a deep desire to keep building with my students, colleagues, and communities. I am excited about the many possibilities, and I believe that we will collectively maintain that hope and commitment in CLS and in the future College of Ethnic Studies.
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Reflections on a Celebration of Graduates by Giovanna Diaz
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On Sunday May 17th, CLS virtually celebrated their 2020 graduates with mariachi, a keynote address by alumna Maria Baeza, a poetry reading by Olga Garcia, faculty, family, and friends. I was one of those graduates. Through every task and obstacle these last months have brought, “Me Puse Las Pilas 2020” brought light, joy, y mucho amor to my classmates and I. While it may not have been the celebration we envisioned, we, the CLS graduates, did not go unrecognized. In the words of our undergraduate speaker, Yvette Castillo, “We refuse to let this pandemic taint our beautiful accomplishment.” The celebration began with a powerful performance by graduate Melissa Casas and her mariachi Camino Real followed by thoughtful and inspirational palabras y consejos from our profesores that will forever be with us. Through this celebration, I along with my classmates witnessed the commitment our department has to each of us and to our communities. We especially thank profesores Rafael Solórzano, Anita Tijerina Revilla, and Alejandro Covarrubias for putting this celebration together. While we have reached an incredible milestone for ourselves, the work does not end here. We must fulfill the role we now carry in bringing change to our communities. Con ganas y esfuerzo todo se puede. To my fellow 2020 graduates, si se pudo!
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To Each of Our 43 Graduates:
We, the CLS faculty, offer you a very heartfelt congratulations. Though this semester 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 so proud and inspired with what you have accomplished and what you will do on the next part of your journey. Please keep in touch and let us know all the ways that you are making a difference and transforming the world, your communities, and your families. Adelante!
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Master's Degree Recipients
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Giovanna Navil Diaz
Bridget Garcia Vera
Nancy Esmeralda Leon
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Daniel Abraham Manzanero
Virginia Garcia
Bamby Salcedo
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Bachelor's Degree Recipients
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Odalys Yuxil Cabrera Rivera
M
elissa Casas
Yvette Castillo
Michael Nicholas Elias
Chantal Garcia
Elizabeth Gonzales
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Gabriel Hernandez
Eduardo Martin
Karen Martinez
Michelle Luisa Mortaya
Ricardo Nunez Verdugo
Daniel Pacheco
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Jose Luis Palomera
Jessica Rodriguez Lazo
Crisol Salazar
Jessica Sanchez
Dianna Silva
Jael Alejandra Valdovino
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Yarely Chavez Sanchez
Ashley Garcia
Jennifer Hernandez
Josselyn Maravilla
Araceli Martinez
Rachel Mejia
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Mariana Ortiz
Denise Padilla
Genesis Peralta
Vanessa Pineda
Kevin Ramirez-Lindao
Melissa Sanchez
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Guadalupe Velez
Margarita Villafuerte
Ruben Virgen
Maritza Cruz
Carolina Leal
Elizabeth Perez
Gabriel Ramirez
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Felicidades on More Student Accomplishments
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Nayely Castrellón
was selected as recipient of a 2020 NACCS Chicana Caucus Student Conference Scholarship.
Yadira I. Ceballos
, (2020).
At What Cost? How City Council Member Alliances with LAPD in Boyle Heights is Actually an Endorsement for Gentrification
.
28th Annual Student Symposium on Research, Scholarship, & Creative Activities at Cal State LA
Bridget Garcia Vera
, Anita Tijerina Revilla, Alejandro Covarrubias, Leda Ramos, and Arturo Zepeda. (2020).
Half a Century of Chicana/o Studies at Cal State LA: Who We Are, Where We Came From, and Where We are Going
. National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies Annual Conference, Portland, OR (Canceled due to COVID-19).
Nayely Castrellón, Nick Rivas, Yadira I. Ceballos, Jael Valdovinos, Carlos Teran
, and Dolores Delgado Bernal. (2020).
An Archive of Muxer Resistance: Movidas, Activism, and Wisdom of Elders in the Old Timers of Southern California
. National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies Annual Conference, Portland, OR (Canceled due to COVID-19).
Bridget Garcia Vera, Nayely Castrellón, Yadira I. Ceballos, Iosdelyn Ramirez, Michelle Morataya, and Chantal Garcia
, and Dolores Delgado Bernal.
Embodied Memory: Resistance, Activism, and Movidas of the Old Timers of Southern California
. Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social (MALCS) Annual Conference, Pullman, WA (Canceled due to COVID-19).
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CLS 1200 Student Final Class Projects
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La
Lotería
de mi Vida
by Vanessa Campuzano (Professor Anita Tijerina Revilla’s Course)
"My creative project was inspired by the Mexican game called Loteria, a game that has been important for many of us and has created some of my most memorable family moments. I wanted to create my version of a
Lotería
card because it represents my culture’s colorful aesthetic to create a fun way of examining social justice. The significance behind this is that I have my card, my sixteen components, as well as every activist who has dealt with other experiences that compose their idea of social justice activism. Each of us, with our own experiences, work as a community to achieve the vision of justice. When one of us wins, we all celebrate."
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In
Profe Rafael Solorzano’s
course, students presented their DREAM syllabus theme in the form of a zine, a do-it-yourself booklet inspired by the rasquache sensibility of Chicana/o/x art and centrality of print culture to the Chicano/a/x Movements. Student zines offered an analysis that used at least five keywords from the course (i.e. Urban Renewal, Chavez Ravine, LA Suburbanization, Spatial Entitlement, Queer Punk, Reaganomics, U.S. Central Americans, Chicanx/Latinx Educational Pipeline, Undocumented Youth Movement, Latinx Indigeneity, Ethnic Studies etc...).
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Student Writer, Carlos Teran
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My name is Carlos Teran and I am a queer Latino student navigating my final year of my undergraduate studies in Chicanx and Latinx studies. My parents immigrated to the U.S. in hopes of obtaining a better future for me and I want to give back all the support they have given me. My dream is to help students of color graduate from high school and to assist their journey into higher education. I would like to thank the poet-scholar, Alán Peláez López, for the poetic inspiration, Profe Olga Garcia for pushing me to submit my work, and Elizabeth Sanchez for motivating me to read my work to my peers.
This poem is modeled after the poet/scholar
Alán Peláez López
“Los Stages of Blackness”
Las estages of jotoness
by Carlos Teran
Throughout my high school career
I realized that something was wrong with me.
I didn’t know what to think of it or what everyone else would think of me.
In my community they call these folks maricones, jotos, los otros, los que están locos.
Outside of it, they call folks and I, faggot, or “fag” for short.
I would like to call this sickness empache de joto.
Note, that joto is commonly a derogatory term but I am reclaiming it and using it as a form of empowerment to change the way it is used in the Latinx community.
Symptoms of empache de joto:
Symptom one-being Latinx/Chicanx
Symptom two-living in a closet where your identity is kept in
Symptom three-your mother thinking you have a novia, when in reality she is just
your best friend, and she is the only one that knows you’re empachado.
Symptom four-struggling to find a sense of belonging because you realize that
these spaces are bland in flavor and lack queerness
Empache de joto (noun), definition one-
The feeling you get when in high school.
Your peers are chismosos and want to know so badly.
“Are you gay?”
Your face blossoms with red accents and you instantly feel uncomfortable.
You reply awkwardly:
“No, I like girls, I swear.”
They leave and instantly you feel relieved
Because you have survived another day of pretending to be “straight.”
Empache de joto (noun), definition two-
During your junior year, you attend prom with your friends.
The DJ plays the slow dance song and as everyone leaves, your (guy) best friend
Stops you in your tracks and asks if he can have this dance.
You are in shock as you realize that you don’t want the rest of the school to know
That you guys are gay.
You are afraid of what others may think so you decline.
Empache de joto (noun), definition three-
Feeling a sense of betrayal when another queer amigo
Tries to out you during the club meeting at lunch.
Your face once again bleeds with red but this is not feelings of embarrassment you feel,
This time it is anger ticking inside of you, waiting to explode as seconds pass by.
You note that he is flamboyant and that he is proud of the colors that bleed from him.
But you are not, you are not ready for the world to see what lies underneath the mask
you wear every day.
Empache de joto (noun), definition four-
Your mother always asks you: “Ya tienes novia?”
And you angrily reply “No! Me estoy enfocando en el estudio ama!”
Deep inside you know that it isn’t a novia that your heart craves
rather it is un novio, something that goes against the morals you were taught growing up.
Empache de joto (noun), definition five-
You go to church and realize that this place you go to is not catered to you.
Rather, the Bible tells you that you have a sickness and that if you do not change your
ways of thinking, you will be damned to hell where you will find the others.
Others who also belonged to “el mundo zurdo.”
During service, the choir sings and wakes the other people who are asking forgiveness
from their sins.
When it hits you- you are a walking sin.
You realize that conversion therapy, or cleansing, or whatever the fuck you wanna call it
Will not change you, you will always be you and these outer forces can’t tell
You any different.
Empache de joto (noun), definition six-
You feel a sense of shame as you realize that you are the only child.
You feel guilt as you are the only offspring from your parents and know that you will not be
Marrying a woman.
You note that your mama quiere nietos to take care of but you know that
Deep inside you’re not bringing any grandkids to the house,
Nomas un muchacho a la casa.
I am tired of being in the dark surrounded by deep solitude.
I am tired of living in fear when I go down the sidewalk.
I am tired of staying quiet.
I am tired of feeling guilty of my true identity.
I am in the process of loving every part of myself.
I know that it will take time.
Lastly, a message to society:
Fuck you for making feel less.
Fuck you for making me cry at night because of who I am.
Fuck you for only accepting some and denying others.
Fuck you and realize that I won’t back down and that I am a puto, joto, maricon,
Whatever the hell you want to call me.
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Alum Highlight: Agustin Ruelas
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Can you share a little bit about yourself, including where you’re from, when you graduated, and who your family is?
I graduated from Cal State LA in 2005 with a B.A. in Chicano Studies (or, Mexican American Studies) and a minor in Business Administration. I grew up in Hacienda Heights and although I was born in San Diego and have a lot of relatives there, my family moved to the LA area when I was three years old (still visit regularly). I originally started my undergrate journey at Cal State Fullerton as a Business major, but it just didn't feel right and I ended up going to Fullerton College to finish some more business courses to get me closer to a minor degree, but it was at CSUF where I took Intro to Chicano Studies and I was hooked.
Can you share some highlights about your educational journey to Cal State LA and within the CLS department?
The moment I knew I had to change my major and change schools I looked to Cal State LA because of their storied Chicano Studies program. As soon as I walked onto the campus I felt at home and decided to transfer and go full steam. As soon as I enrolled and started my first quarter (I was there when ‘quarters’ were a thing), I reached out to professors, classmates, resource centers and clubs. I was received with open arms in most cases and enjoyed building relationships with professors and classmates, but also M.E.Ch.A. and the Xicano/Latino Resource Center. I had also joined the Hispanic Business Society because of my minor, but I didn't last as I did not feel the same openness from the membership and also at that time there were issues between HBS and M.E.Ch.A.
I always felt encouraged by everyone within the department and other groups that I became a part of while at Cal State LA. While this isn’t necessarily a highlight of my time it turns out my wife and I were at Cal State LA and graduated the same year, yet we didn’t meet until 2010. She got her B.A., M.A. and Ed.D. at Cal State LA and is a full time professor (Socorro Orozco).
Can you tell us about your brewery and how has Chicana(o) and Latina(o) Studies impacted your career so far? How have you been able to apply CLS beyond college?
Brewjeria Company started as a hobby with family and friends brewing in our backyard in 2010 and finally opened our brewery and tasting room in November 2019 in Pico Rivera, CA. The Spanglish came about because we wanted to identify as Latino brewers and even a lot of our beer names are in Spanish (our owners are also Latino and People of Color). Coming out of Chicano Studies I wanted to work with the community and someone from the department sent over information about a social justice leadership program called Public Allies so I applied and got in. I’ve been working in social justice nonprofit organizations ever since and received an M.S. degree in Community Economic Development in 2009 where I focused on social enterprise business development trying to fuse my culture and a business venture to benefit the community. By 2014 we were donating Brewjeria beer to nonprofit fundraisers; to date we’ve donated to over 40 different organizations at over 100 events. We also co-founded the largest Latino Homebrew Club in the country (SoCal Cerveceros) in 2015, which while being open to all has always been about bringing awareness about Latinos in the homebrew and commercial brewing world. Representing my culture and identity continues to be a huge part of my life, from the work that I do in social justice work, in social enterprise development, to the transition I have made into making beer in a brewery that I started and that gives back to the community.
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¡Felicidades Facultad!: Faculty News and Recent Publications
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Anguiano, Jose. G.
, Uriostegui, M., Gussman, M., & Kouyoumdjian, C. (2020). Sonic Counterspaces: The Role of Music in the Latino College Experience at a Predominantly White Institution.
Journal of Hispanic Higher Education
, 1538192720905802.
Delgado Bernal, Dolores.
(2020). Disrupting Epistemological Boundaries: Reflections on Feminista Methodological and Pedagogical Interventions.
Aztlan: A Journal of Chicano Studies. 45(1), 155-169.
Solórzano, Rafael
. (October 2019).
Race, Scholarship & Activism. Invited Talk at James Weldon Johnson Institute Public Dialogues in Race and Difference Series
. Emory University, Atlanta, GA.
Montes, Felicia.
(2020). Lotería Chicana.
Aztlan: A Journal of Chicano Studies. 45(1), 185-192.
Garcia, V. &
Revilla, Anita Tijerina.
(October 2019).
Healing and Creating New Worlds Through Resonant Theory, Muxerista and Anzalduan Thought
. Workshop at Association for Joteria Arts, Activism, and Scholarship (Queer Latinx) Conference. Portland State University.
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Felicidades to
Profe Rafael Solórzano
who was selected to participate in the Duke University, Summer Institute on Tenure and Professional Advancement, 2020-2022.
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Felicidades to
Profe Jorge Leal
who has accepted a tenure-track position at UC Riverside. We will miss his contributions to CLS, but wish him all the best. UCR is lucky to have him.
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We want to wish
Profe Ester Hernandez
all the best as she transitions to the Department of Anthropology. Hernandez has been a faculty member in CLS for 18 years. During that time, she has made invaluable contributions, developing curriculum, mentoring students, and sharing her expertise in Central American Studies. She is the founder of the Central American Studies minor, and most recently she served as associate chair and faculty advisor for both undergraduate and graduate students. We’ll miss having her in CLS, but we look forward to continued collaborations.
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Department Events, Exhibits, and Activities
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The award-winning documentary
Urban Seeds was presented along
with a panel discussion with filmmaker
Professor
Lani Cupchoy
(history), Eva Cupchoy, cofounder of School Grown Movement, and
Professor Enrique Ochoa
(Latin American Studies and history).
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CLS Faculty Restorative Justice Workshop on February 7, 2020, facilitated by Héctor Plascencia and Susana Parras.
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Lambda Theta Nu Sorority Inc. held their annual Latina Youth Leadership Conference (LYLC) for local high school students at Cal State LA on February 29th with faculty advisor Prof. Talavera-Bustillos (pictured right with CLS student and President Alejandra Avalos).
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A few of the CLS faculty at a weekly virtual gathering during the COVID-19 quarantine.
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Bobby Lee Verdugo,
Chicano activist and Cal State LA alum, died at age 69, on Friday, May 1, 2020. He attended Lincoln Heights High school and was one of the 1968 Walkout Students who ignited the Chicanx Student Movement and who fought for equality in the schools, including Chicanx Studies and college opportunities.
Bobby Verdugo attended UCLA and received his Social Work degree from Cal State LA. He co-founded Con Los Padres to support fathers and Chicanx families. He was devoted to helping people and his activism was the thread throughout his life. He was invited to Cal State LA for the 50th Anniversary of Chicanx Students for the screening of
Walkout
, with Professor Rita Ledesma, but was unable to attend due to an injury. His loss is felt in the local and campus community.
Bobby Lee Verdugo,
¡
PRESENTE!
Bobby Led Verdugo,
¡
PRESENTE!
Bobby Lee Verdugo,
¡
PRESENTE!
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Fall Upper Division Courses
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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, Giovanna Diaz
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