LALSC Presents: Latinx Studies in Colorado and the Rockies
Symposium
October 10, Chancellor’s Hall, CASE , 3-8pm
3:00 Welcome – Joe Bryan, LALSC Director
3:15 Kristy Ulibarri,
Erasure, Rememory, and Creating Story
*Abstract at the end of the Program
4:30 Mateo Manuel Vela,
Chicano Student Activism at ýĻƷ & Latinx Scholar Activism in K-12
5:15 Edelina Burciaga,
Navigating Belonging:
Latinx Undocumented Young Adults in the Rocky Mountain West
*Abstract at the end of the Program
6:30 Pavél Meléndez, Consul General for Mexico in Denver
“Dinamismo de la relación México-Colorado”
7:00 Closing and Music by Cultura Latina Musica
Reading
October 11, University Club
11:15 Ruben Reyes, There is a Rio Grande in Heaven (2023).
Abstracts:
Erasure, Rememory, and Creating Story
Kristy L. Ulibarri
This talk looks at the histories of erasure in the state of Colorado for Latinx peoples and cultures, through the politics of assimilation, the structures of amnesia, and the marginalization of Latinx spaces. In response to these erasures, many processes and practices of remembering and storytelling have arisen both within and outside of academia. The stunning archives on oral histories across the state, alongside the foundational and new literary movements by Latinx writers, show a concerted effort since the 1960s to create spaces for rememory, testimonio, and new aesthetic forms. The talk will highlight and celebrate select contemporary story-making in Colorado that establishes our presence and promises to make unforgettable our stories.
Navigating Belonging: Latinx Undocumented Young Adults in the Rocky Mountain West
Edelina Burciaga
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program provides key benefits to qualifying undocumented immigrants. However, the program was terminated in 2017, underscoring its vulnerability. While the Supreme Court of the United States upheld the program in 2020, the DACA program remains under threat. Drawing from survey and interview data gathered across Colorado, this talk highlights how Latinx undocumented young people navigate precarity across educational, economic, and emotional spheres. While undocumented young adults are acutely aware of the uncertainty of this moment, this talk also shows how they are demonstrating resilience in the face of increasingly harmful immigration policies.
BIOS
Kristy L. Ulibarri is an Associate Professor in the Department of English and Literary Arts at the University of Denver. Her research and teaching primarily concentrate on Latina/e/o/x literature and culture, im/migrant narratives, speculative fiction, and cultural studies. Her recent book Visible Borders, Invisible Economies: Living Death in Latinx Narratives (University of Texas Press, 2022) received the 2023 Association for Ethnic Studies Outstanding Book Award and examines how contemporary Latinx literary and visual narratives make visible the strategic interplay between nation-state regulations and the global economy.
Edelina M. Burciaga is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Colorado, Denver. Her research focuses broadly on the experiences of Latinas/os in the United States. Before becoming a professor, she worked as a civil rights lawyer and at youth non-profits. She received her Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of California, Irvine (2016); a J.D. from Boston University School of Law (2005) and a B.A./M.A. degree from Stanford University (1999/2000). Edelina M. Burciaga is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Colorado, Denver. Her research focuses broadly on the experiences of Latinas/os in the United States. Before becoming a professor, she worked as a civil rights lawyer and at youth non-profits. She received her Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of California, Irvine (2016); a J.D. from Boston University School of Law (2005) and a B.A./M.A. degree from Stanford University (1999/2000).
Mateo Manuel Vela Mateo Manuel Vela is a first generation Mexican community organizer, educator, spoken word artist and scholar hailing from Southwest Denver. A 2022 ýĻƷ alumni, Mateo served as the co-chair for the historic Chicanx/Latinx student organization, UMAS y MECHA. Mateo graduated with summa cum laude honors in Ethnic Studies for his work chronicling the 1994 Ethnic Studies protests at ýĻƷ. After working for two years in the Denver Public Schools- Student Voice & Leadership team, Mateo now serves as the Program Manager for the Colorado Youth Congress, guiding young people across Colorado in developing and implementing diverse social change projects in their communities.
Pavel Melendez Cruz was born on October 12th, 1979, in Ixtepec City, state of Oaxaca, Mexico. He graduated from the bachelor's degree on Political Science and Public Administration from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in 2002. He is holds a diploma in the course “Mexican state reform” by the National Institute of Public Administration (INAP, 2000), and a certification on “Transparency and Civic Participation in Government” by the US Department of State. He studied English in the International Language Schools EFILS in Toronto, Canada (2007), and Italian at UNAM’s Foreign Language Centre (2004). He studied the United Nations seminary of the Friedrich Ebert foundation in the United Nations headquarters in 2010. From 2008 to 2010 he was Vice-president of a youth international organization close to the left progressive movement, where he concurred with PM Jacinda Arden of New Zealand, who was serving as President. From 2018-2021 he was elected as a congressman in the state of Oaxaca, where he was appointed as Vice-president of the Congress, President of the Migration and International Affairs Committee, and President of the Special Committee on Reconstruction after the 2017 earthquake in Mexico.
Ruben Reyes Jr. Writer is the son of two Salvadoran immigrants and the author of There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven. A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and Harvard College, his writing has appeared in The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Lightspeed Magazine, and other publications. Originally from Southern California, he now lives in Brooklyn.
Cultura Latin Music
Yasel Aviles hails from Havana Cuba and has been playing trumpet since he was nine years old. Yasel is passionate about his roots and brings Cuban flavor and spirit to everything he plays. Inspired by the likes of Buena Vista Social Club, Yasel seeks to create music that is classic and spirited with modern interpretations.
Reisy Ochoa is a percussionist and drummer from Las Tunas, Cuba. Playing percussion since before he could speak, Reisy comes from a family of musicians who are deeply rooted in heritage and tradition. Reisy studied music at the Jose White Conservatory in Cuba and developed a musical career in Las Tunas. Later, Reisy taught music at the University de Rita Longa. Reisy's passion for music has taken him all over the world: from the ranks of Hotel Barcelo in Mexico to international performances in Italy, France, Spain and the UAE. Reisy feels deep gratitude for his Afro-Cuban roots and seeks to employ the sounds of his culture in everything that he creates.
Luis Francisco Prato Rincon is a Venezuelan multi-instrumental artist. He plays bass, electric piano, and the Venezuelan Cuarto Bass. He studied at the arts school in his town, San Antonio, under the direction of maestro Rafael Espinel, a Colombian musician. Further, he studied at the Miguel Angel Espinel State School in the city of San Cristobal, then completed higher studies at the University of Los Andes, Merida. Luis is a piper of Venezuelan genre tradition who gives Cultura rhythmic harmonic multiversity.
