¡Wachale! Department of Chicano and Latino Studies| University of Minnesota, TC
E-newsletter connecting departmental friends, family, alumni, allies, and others interested in issues impacting Chicanx and Latinx communities and the
Chicano & Latino Studies Department.
Content: Departmental Happenings|Campus Happenings|Community Happenings| Career Corner
Departmental Collaborator CTUL Supports Workers in Labor Trafficking Case
Chicano and Latino Studies recognizes the difficult and extremely important support from the Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha*(CTUL) for workers bringing forth labor trafficing charges. On January 20th, 2020, Ricardo Batres was sentenced to 270 days in the workhouse and five years of probation, convicted of labor trafficking and insurance fraud while working on projects of large developers in the Twin Cities metro area, like Lennar Homes. This is the first case of labor trafficking to be tried in Hennepin County, and the first case to be brought to light in construction in Minnesota.
This is a good first step towards change, bringing to public light the rampant and systemic abuses that are happening in non-union construction work. Following the conviction, the Worker-driven Social Responsibility Network published a report highlighting the systemic abuses happening in non-union construction work in the Twin Cities, and pointing to a long-term solution that would give workers in the industry a voice through Building Dignity and Respect Standards Council. (https://ctul.net/)
Congratulations to recent graduate and Chicano Latino Studies major, Kathy Santamaría-Méndez...
on her acceptance to Mitchell Hamline School of Law and St. Thomas Law School.
During her time as our student, Kathy was mentored by several of our faculty members, including Dr. Gabriela Spears-Rico who mentored her Capstone Project, “The Salvadorean Migration Experience: Dreams, Diaspora and Asylum.”
Congratulations to Kathy and her son, Aarón Santamaría-Méndez, on their tremendous accomplishment!
SAVE THE DATE: MARCH 30TH FOR CRITICAL CONVERSATION WITH CHICANO AND LATINO STUDIES AFFILIATE FACULTY DR. BLANCA CALDAS
Campus Happenings
The Financial Wellness Committee of the University of MN invite all undergrads to:
Financial Wellness Workshop Spring Series
These workshops will be hour-long events that consist of two 30 minute sessions. The GopherLinks will give more information. You will need to sign in to see the events.
El Colegio Charter School is proud to sponsor the annual Mira Mi Corazón art exhibit and silent auction. Sales will support the amazing work of El Colegio in supporting nuestros jovenes to complete high school and attend the college or university of their choice.
Plain wooden canvasas are turned into beautiful art pieces by members of our community,The corazones reflect our aspirations for the future, our determination to overcome obstacles we encounter, and our resilience to persevere. Hearts will be available at a silent auction, and some will be sold in a live auction, all during the fundraiser on February 21, 2020.
We are proud and humbled to be community partners with El Colegio Charter School in south Minneapolis for over a decade. We support their amazing work as educators and community workers and we hope you are able to attend the fabulous event and/or support El Colegio as you are able. To learn more about El Colegio, go to http://www.el-colegio.org/
¡Deborah Ramos-one of our community's unsung sheroes!
Dance, live music, visual art, food, crafts, a family art-making afternoon—over the last seven years, the Festival de las Calaveras has grown into a multi-day, multidisciplinary celebration of Latinx culture. It spans venues across the Twin Cities and genres from hip-hop to traditional Aztec dance. Some years, it’s featured nearly 250 different artists..
And it all grew out of a corn plot in Minneapolis’s Central neighborhood...
"Broken English, Mother Tongue" takes the audience on a ride across continents, languages, and cultures. Javier Morillo weaves personal stories of growing up on a US Army base in Puerto Rico with the history of the Island's complicated relationship to the United States.
"Resabios de Amargura or that bitter cabaret" by Beliza Torres Narváez is a campy mixture of song, comedy, mistranslations and social critique that follows the story of Lola Amapola, a singer-performer-TV diva-wannabe that loves her country Puerto Rico but feels attracted to afuea and goes to the US mainland were things are not what she imagined they would be. Will she stay in the U.S.? Will she go back home? Is there a home to go back to?
The Department of American Studies announces a paid internship opportunity for fall 2020. You do not need to have an internship lined up. If interested in working in the Chicanx Latinx community but don't have contacts or know where to start, contact Chicano and Latino Studies Outreach Coordinator at lsz@un.edu. Deadline is March 1st!
