Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social

By Nicole Guidotti-Hernandez, from the blog of Ms. Magazine …

Before I finished my Ph.D., I worked in the cosmetics industry for ten years as a makeup artist for Lauder Corp, which owns such prestige brands as Clinique, Estee Lauder, Bobbi Brown and MAC. The cosmetics industry is often a place where Chicanas and Latinas work their way through school, and I was one of them.

Knowing what I know about the industry and who works in it–and knowing that MAC, in particular, markets to women of color a makeup line that caters to their skin tones with multiple pigments–I am appalled by the lack of social awareness that spawned the Rodarte/MAC collaboration that resulted in the “Juarez-inspired” cosmetics line, with colors such as “Juarez,” “factory” and “ghost town”.

While MAC back-peddled and apologized for its “unfortunate choice of names” and promised to donate a portion of its proceeds from the cosmetics to the people of Juarez, their initial decision to go forward with it signifies the lack of awareness about violence against women that have characterized the Juarez situation for the last 10 years. It seems that the Rodarte designers and MAC have more consciousness about protecting animals from harm in testing products than they do about the human lives lost daily in the war zone that is the city of Juarez. It’s hip to personify death in cosmetic colors rather than engage a bleak and violent reality.

Let me explain. Since taking office in 2005, Mexican President Felipe Calderón has escalated the war against drug cartels, and Juarez has been a loci of retaliatory violence between federal police, the Mexican military, U.S. DEA agents, and drug cartels. The violence from the drug war has become so bad that border dwellers from Mexico have been seeking asylum on the U.S. side because their families and businesses have been threatened.

Essay continues at Ms. Magazine Blog…

Chair Keta Miranda writes:

As MALCS defended immigrant rights, ethnic studies and domestic partners benefits in Arizona by cancelling our 2010 Institute in league with thousands of voices for justice, at the same time we committed our organization to support the incredible efforts of our Arizona colleagues. They have continued to focus on human rights and re-tooled their work to hold a MALCS Arizona State Conference illustrating the basic ideals of MALCS of bridging letras and cambio social.

Info for the State Conference that will be held from July 22 ­ 24, 2010 in Phoenix, Az is at their website (http://malcs.newcollege.asu.edu/) provides details of the agenda and workshops.

To enhance support to our Arizona compañeras, the conference will be on webcast! Additionally, the technology will allow for questions from a national audience to the presenters through real time on email. The Court hearing on the legality of SB 1070 underscores the urgency of the moment. The technological platform provides MALCS with the connections to mobilize support.

Stephanie Mendez adds:
the link for the Arizona MALCS Institute webcast page for national participants to join in the panel sessions. The website is http://live.asu.edu/2010/07/new-college-of-interdisciplinary-arts-sciences/.

From Susan C. Curzon, Dean, CSUN University Library

Dear Friends,

I am so very sad to report that our dear friend and colleague, Karin Duran, passed away this afternoon [June 11] as a result of complications from a stroke.

It is not possible to say in a single email the extent of Karin’s contributions. Karin began working as a Librarian here in 1972. During her 38 years with us, she had many different responsibilities. Her focus was on reference, instruction and bibliography. Karin also greatly enjoyed her responsibility for the Teacher Curriculum Center—a service to which she was devoted. Karin kindly acted as the Interim Associate Dean in 2005 and as Acting Department Chair during some of the earthquake recovery period. She loved her various responsibilities and this showed in the high quality of her work.

As a senior member of the faculty of the Library, Karin also served on many personnel committees—a duty she carried out with thoughtful consideration. She was also called upon to serve on personnel committees in other departments. She was an excellent advisor on personnel matters.

Since 1977, Karin was an instructor with Chicana and Chicano Studies and very engaged in the life of the department. She was devoted to the students who learned a great deal through her research course.

Contin Information about Karin and her personal and professional contributions can be found at: http://library.csun.edu/KarinDuran.

Karin was an active University citizen serving on a variety of committees and initiatives including the Honors Convocation, University 100, the Teacher Education Council, the Education Doctorate Advisory Board and as an advisor to the Gamma Alpha Omega Sorority among many other activities. Karin was recently inducted into Phi Beta Delta Omega for international scholars. Karin was recognized by the Faculty Senate for her exceptional service when she received the “Extraordinary Service Award” in 2006.

Karin was also very active professionally especially through REFORMA and CARL. Karin also continued to publish and present and shared her extensive knowledge and experience with her colleagues. Many were proud to call her their mentor.

Karin was very active with the community through a variety of organizations including Comision Feminil de San Fernando Valley. For her service to many organizations, she was commended by various elected officials for her efforts for many years running.

Karin was a graduate of CSUN with a major in Spanish. She went on to take her M.L.S. at USC and her Ph.D. in Library Science at USC. Karin was awarded an “Outstanding Achievement Award” by the La Raza Alumni Association and also a “Service to Society Recognition” from CSUN’s Alumni Association.

Whatever Karin undertook, she did with her whole heart. She was dedicated and professional. She was deeply committed to the students and very concerned that they would have a good life. As a colleague, she was exemplary. She was knowledgeable, smart, thoughtful and helpful. Every day of her working life with us, she made a contribution. She gave of herself generously and was always willing to be a member of the team.

(more…)

A Chicana/o Studies Ph.D. Program will be opening soon at UCLA. Under the leadership of Alicia Gaspar de Alba, current Chair of the César E. Chávez Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies, the proposal for a combined MA/PhD degree program was approved by the University of California System on June 1, 2010.

UCLA will now be the second university in the world to offer a Ph.D. Program that focuses on Chicana/o Studies. The first PhD program in Chicana/o Studies was established at U.C. Santa Barbara in 2005. Michigan State University has a PhD in Chicano/Latino Studies. UCLA now joins their ranks, and will begin accepting applications in Fall 2010. We will admit our first cohort of graduate students in Fall 2011. Only students whose objective is the PhD (we will have no stand-alone MA, in other words), will be admitted. For more information about the program requirements, see our departmental webpage: http://www.chavez.ucla.edu.

Si Se Puede!
Alicia

“Digging Up (More) Dirt” A Writing Workshop — All Genres. All welcome.

Saturday, June 26

Breath of Fire Theater. Santa Ana, CA

This is a rare Southern California opportunity where the Bay Area poet, author and playwright, Cherríe Moraga, assisted by Adelina Anthony, to create an environment of intimate and authentic exploration of the writer’s craft and creative impulse. Writing exercises will involve a variety of writing approaches that can be applied to creative non-fiction and fiction, playwriting (especially character work), writing for performance, and poetry.

Some themes to be explored include: · The Beginner Mind. · The Mundane as Metaphor. · The (W)rite to Remember. · The Body of Desire.

Students registering for the full day’s workshop will have the opportunity to discuss with Moraga and Anthony personal and professional questions regarding developing and maintaining a writing practice, making one’s work public and more. Limited Space.

Full Day Intensive: 10am to 5pm Cost: $150.00*

Morning Workshop: 10am to 1pm Cost: $75.00*

* This workshop is being offered to help support the production of “Digging Up the Dirt,” a new play by Cherríe Moraga, produced by Breath of Fire Theater and See-what Productions.

For more information and for registration forms for the workshop, email: info@beathoffire.org; also visit: www.cherriemoraga.com

Dear MALCSistas,

The past few weeks have been critical moments for our organization. With this letter I am hoping to provide you with both an idea of how we came to develop each of our statements and final position —to honor the targeted boycott by cancelling our national institute and to support our Arizona colleagues by holding a MALCS Arizona State Conference. Hopefully, by examining the two positions we can draw out what we need to do in the following months. By honoring the boycott, we recognize that any decision requires us to understand its impact and to find ways of putting into operation new forms of organizing and mobilizing, of finding ways of materially expressing solidarity. (more…)

An ad-hoc working group comprised of representatives from over a dozen leading professional and academic associations has issued a joint statement condemning Arizona’s immigration law (SB 1070) and related state policies such as the prohibition against Ethnic Studies programs (HB 2281), calling for these laws to be rescinded. The “Consortium of Professional and Academic Associations” believes that these laws are inherently unjust, and that their application threatens to inflame anti-immigrant sentiments and undermine constructive solutions to the challenges faced by communities in Arizona and across the nation. We call upon the governor, legislators, and people of Arizona to work diligently and swiftly to repeal these laws. (more…)

Chicana/Latina Studies: The Journal of Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social will still hold Writing Workshops in July 2010 via web-conferencing.

To maintain the journal’s momentum and it’s vital status as the only interdisciplinary Chicano or Latino studies journal of a professional organization, the editors have decided to hold the Writing Workshops in virtual space or via telephone conferencing.

We encourage applications from writers at all professional levels, including tenured or mid-career professors. Facilitators are mid-career scholars with robust publication records and nearly a decade in editorial work.

Two Writing Workshops are offered this summer:
1) Creative Writing, a workshop facilitated by Dr. Tiffany Ana Lopez, editor of creative writing
and
2) Scholarly Article, a workshop by facilitator Dr. Karen Mary Davalos, former editor of Chicana/Latina Studies. Lead Editor, Josie Méndez-Negrete will join the virtual discuss during the second session. (more…)

Call for Organizations to Join Amicus Curiae Brief  To Highlight the Impact of Arizona Law SB 1070 on Immigrant Women and Immigrant Victims of Violence Against Women
Sign on deadline: June 4, 2010

Dear Colleagues,
We are writing to seek your organization’s support in joining us in signing on to an amicus curiae brief in connection with litigation recently filed in Arizona federal court by the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) , MALDEF (the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund), the National Immigration Law Center and the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center.  The lawsuit seeks to invalidate Arizona’s new immigration law, SB 1070.  This Amicus Brief will highlight how SB 1070 disproportionately impacts immigrant women by undermining their legal rights as crime victims to access protections under U.S. criminal and immigration laws; as an especially vulnerable population to access services necessary to protect life and safety that Congress intended to assist them; and as mothers to nurture, care for and maintain custody of their children.

The attached call for organizations to join as amici highlights what will be covered in this amicus brief. (more…)

If you can help circulate this, we’d sure appreciate it…. what folks in Arizona are up against….

Prof. Sandy K. Soto at University of Arizona COSBS graduation gets heckled for asking for civil discourse around SB1070. She’s getting the usual hatemail, and calls for her firing…..we’re asking folks to read about it  - read more here

And please email President Shelton to support her  at robert.shelton@arizona.edu