Get More, Get MAS! Mexican-American Studies. Del Mar College

Transcription

1 Get More, Get MAS! Mexican-American Studies Del Mar College 2nd Annual Mexican-American Studies (MAS) Program Summer Seminar Friday and Saturday, July 10-11, 2015

2 Greetings! It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the second annual 2015 Mexican-American Studies (MAS) Program Summer Seminar. During this seminar, you will learn more about the MAS Program, its relevance to the changing demographics in the nation and the needs of the workforce and how Mexican-American Studies can personally enrich your life. As part of Del Mar College s (DMC) Hispanic Serving Institution emphasis, the College added an associate in arts degree in Mexican-American Studies (MAS) to the Division of Arts and Sciences list of transferable associate degree plans in MAS is an interdisciplinary program that addresses the Spanish language and the study of Mexican-Americans in history, art, music, the humanities, literature and politics. The program provides a solid background in dealing with and working in the increasingly multicultural environment of the present and the future. Three of every four DMC Associate Degree graduates are employed or transferred to a university. Many also enroll in Del Mar courses for personal enrichment. As you think about your dreams and aspirations, consider all the many benefits of the Mexican- American Studies Program. Set your goals high and Get More, Get MAS! Best wishes, Mark Escamilla, Ph.D. Del Mar College President

3 2015 Mexican-American Studies Program Summer Seminar Dedicated to the Late Mike M. Anzaldúa Jr., Professor Emeritus of English Del Mar College was the second home for the late Mike Anzaldúa, Professor Emeritus of English, as individuals who knew him can attest. Since joining Del Mar College s faculty as a teaching assistant in 1969, Professor Anzaldúa carried out several roles beyond instructing English in the classroom, including serving as assistant director of the East Campus Writing Center, director of the College s Title V Learning Communities Program, chair of the Department of English and Philosophy, Interim Dean of Arts and Sciences and president of the College s chapter of the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education. Anzaldúa also served as a tenured faculty member on the Faculty Council, the College s Self-Study for reaffirmation of accreditation through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and with several program reviews and numerous committees. He also led a number of College innovations, including the College Developmental Education Council, the Mariachi Del Mar musical initiative and the Mexican-American Studies Program. Serving among his peers at the College from 1969 until his death in 2012, the devoted educator gave back to the College where he spent his long career. Prior to his passing, Anzaldúa began a process of setting up the establishment of four $90,000 endowed and four $10,000 direct scholarships for a total of $400,000 to benefit the College s English, Music and Mexican-American Studies programs and the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education. All four scholarships cover tuition, fees and any remaining balance for books and supplies that students may need. Corpus Christi Mayor Nelda Martinez read a proclamation establishing April 23, 2013, as Mike M. Anzaldúa Jr. Day of Remembrance during the City Council meeting. Additionally, the DMC Board of Regents also recognized Anzaldúa s accomplishments while Sylvia Ramirez, District Director of Texas Senator Juan Hinojosa s office read Senate Resolution No. 687 In Memory of Mike M. Anzaldúa Jr. honoring his accomplishments and recognizing his passing. In May 2013 during the 83rd Legislature, Representative Abel Herrero also presented Texas House Resolution No In Memory of Mike M. Anzaldúa Jr., Professor Emeritus of English at Del Mar College. Anzaldúa s 43-year career at Del Mar earned him several prestigious honors for teaching excellence on the local, regional and national levels. These recognitions include the Former Students Association 2005 Wall of Honor Award, Dr. Aileen Creighton Award for Teaching Excellence in 2004, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement Teaching Award in 2004, Association of Community College Trustees 2004 Faculty Member Award for the Western Region, the Spanish Language Institute Outstanding Lecturer Medallion in 2001 and the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Excellence in Teaching Award in 1998, among others. Anzaldúa earned his bachelor and masters degrees from East Texas State University after attending Del Mar College.

4 KEYNOTE SPEAKER Honorable Hilda G. Tagle, United States District Judge for the Southern District of Texas, Brownsville Division When Hilda G. Tagle was confirmed as a United States District Judge for the Southern District of Texas, Brownsville Division, she became the first Hispanic woman in Texas to hold the position of federal district judge. Raised in Robstown, Judge Tagle was the first child and only daughter born to Manuel and Dolores Tagle. Although her mother encouraged her love of reading, she still insisted that Judge Tagle enroll in beauty school at the age of 15 so Judge Tagle could have something to fall back on. Being a dutiful daughter, Judge Tagle became a licensed beautician at the age of 16. However, Judge Tagle knew she wanted a college education so bad she could taste it. After graduating from high school in 1965, she enrolled at Del Mar College where she received an associates degree. After continuing her studies at East Texas State University and earning a bachelors degree in library science, Judge Tagle went on to obtain her masters degree in library science from North Texas State University in She then worked as a librarian at Strake Jesuit College Preparatory in Houston for four years. In 1975, Judge Tagle decided it was time for a career change and entered the University of Texas School of Law in 1975, graduating in August She returned to South Texas where she worked as an assistant city attorney for the City of Corpus Christi for a year. After serving as a Nueces County assistant county attorney where she was one of very few women trying criminal jury cases, she was recruited in 1980 by the Nueces County District Attorney to prosecute felonies. After leaving the District Attorney s office, Judge Tagle practiced law and taught at Del Mar College for four years. Her work in the courtroom and her reputation as a lawyer opened the door to her appointment as judge of Nueces County Court at Law in 1985, becoming the first Hispanic female judge in Nueces County, the first Hispanic female county court at law judge in Texas and only the second Hispanic woman judge of a court of record in Texas. On January 1, 1995, she took her oath as judge of the 148th District Court in Corpus Christi. In August 1995, she was nominated by President Bill Clinton as U.S. district judge for the Southern District of Texas. Her nomination lapsed in August She was nominated a second time by President Clinton in February 1997 and was confirmed by the Senate in March Judge Tagle s state and local bar and civic activities include co-chairing the 1992 State Bar of Texas annual meeting, the Resolutions and By-laws Revision committees of the Judicial Section, the Women and the Law Section Council, Opportunities for Minorities Committee. She also served on the Continuing Legal Education Committee.

5 Judge Tagle was appointed by the Texas Supreme Court to the Judicial Education Executive Committee and the Board of Law Examiners Character and Fitness Division, District 11 Committee on Admissions and the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. In 1991, she was appointed by Governor Ann Richards to the Governor s Commission for Women. Judge Tagle was also a charter member and founding chair of the Women Lawyers of the Coastal Bend and a charter member of the Mexican-American Bar of the Coastal Bend and the Hispanic Women s Network of Texas. As a member of the Corpus Christi Bar Association, Judge Tagle proposed and chaired its Lawyers for Literacy committee. Additionally, she was a graduate of Leadership Corpus Christi, Class X, and chaired the Class XX selection committee. When she became a judge in 1985, Judge Tagle also became the parent of her 10-year old nephew Santiago. She soon learned that being a parent was a whole lot harder than she thought it was going to be and that being a judge was much easier than being a parent. She also has concluded that the importance of her work as a judge pales in comparison to the importance of her work as a parent. In 2001, Judge Tagle married her best friend of 30 years, Eddie Knebel, who was her roommate when she was a student at University of Texas School of Law and he was a student at St. Edward s University. Judge Tagle s mentor was Irma Rangel.

6 TERESA SALDIVAR A certified teacher with a special emphasis in reading and a Theater Arts teacher at J.F. Kennedy Elementary with the West Oso Independent School District, Teresa Saldivar is also a Del Mar College Reading lab assistant with the Communication, Languages and Reading Department. At Del Mar College, Saldivar has been a frequent folklorico performer and guest speaker for events such as Cinco de Mayo and the Dia de Los Muertos student celebrations. Saldivar graduated from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and studied with the Rotary Club Group Study Exchange program in Vera Cruz, Mexico, and the Marnie Paul Arts Center in Austin. With the support of her artistic parents, Saldivar created Team Dance which has participated in the local Dia de Los Muertos Festival since Currently, she is an Outreach Artist for K Space Contemporary in the schools and in the art gallery. As an independent educator, Saldivar has spread the story of La Llorona at K Space, the Neyland Library and at Garcia Elementary. Most recently, she performed at the Selena Veteran s Memorial Park Festival in the city s Molina neighborhood. As part of the MAS summer seminar, Saldivar will perform La Sandunga, La Cumbia de Mole and a traditional mariachi dance during Friday s reception.

7 Del Mar College Mexican-American Studies (MAS) Program Summer Seminar Friday and Saturday, July 10 and 11, :30 to 1 p.m. Registration in CED 106 FRIDAY, JULY 10 Ongoing Ancestry Library Edition: (CED 123 Computer Lab and CED 124 Computer Lab) Throughout the seminar, participants will have an opportunity to research genealogy records using Ancestry Library Edition, an online family history resource with instant access to hundreds of years of history. 1 1:30 p.m. Welcome: Dr. Jonda Halcomb, DMC Dean, Division of Arts and Sciences, Del Mar College; Elva Estrada, Del Mar College Regent and Sally Bickley, MLS, Interim Director of Learning Resources, Del Mar College 1:30-2:15 p.m. Presenter: James Klein, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History, Del Mar College Moderator: Bryan Stone, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History, Del Mar College Immigration from Mexico to South Texas in the Early 20th Century Immigration into south Texas from Mexico accelerated in the first three decades of the 20th century. Individuals and families were drawn to south Texas by employment prospects related to the region s developing market economy. They also were driven from northern Mexico, both by declining economic opportunities resulting from economic reforms imposed by the Porfirio Diaz regime and by the violent disruptions of the Mexican Revolution that followed Diaz ouster. Mexican laborers into Nueces County and south Texas generally labored under harsh circumstances as recruiters and landowners took advantage of migrants. The United States entrance into the First World War intensified regional labor shortages and thus improved workers circumstances. Landowners responded to these changed circumstances through wartime agencies such as the Nueces County Council of Defense, which they used to depress wages. The war experience taught landowners the benefits of organizing, and in subsequent years, they formed new organizations to further their interests (often at the expense of their migrant laborers). Mexican laborers responded to their disadvantaged situation as best as they could and strove to improve their work conditions in south Texas and sought better employment elsewhere when possible. 2:15 3 p.m. Presenter: Manuel Flores, Ed.D., Professor of Journalism/Communications, Texas A&M University-Kingsville Moderator: Gerald Betty, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History, Del Mar College The South Texan: A Reportorial Analysis of the Chicano Civil Rights Movement This presentation looks at the Chicano Movement through the eyes of a university student newspaper in Texas, providing a four-year analysis of the movement, its goals, and its impact on a small Texas university.

8 3 3:45 p.m. Presenter: Assistant Professors of English Sandra Valerio and Kent Lenz, Ph.D., Del Mar College Moderator: Matthew Perry, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English, Del Mar College Canciones, Cuentos, y Novelas: How and Why We Teach Mexican-American Literature In this roundtable discussion, participants will discover the forms and styles of Mexican- American Literature from those who teach it. Assistant Professors of English, Sandra Valerio and Dr. Kent Lenz will share the ways and reasons behind Del Mar College s English 2351: Mexican-American Literature course. Participants will learn about the course s contents, its readings, and the types of assignments the faculty use in their courses as a way to meet the criteria for all sophomore literature courses. Through this discussion, participants will achieve an appreciation of not only the lessons Mexican-American Literature teaches, but for the universal themes influence and are influenced by our lives. Further, its availability as both an academic and a Continuing Education course creates an exciting opportunity to learn from those who have lived through the experiences that the literature conveys. 3:45-4:30 p.m. Presenter: Carey Clements Rote, Ph.D., Professor of Art History, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Moderator: Cynthia Perkins, Associate Professor of Art, Del Mar College South Texas Artists Roles in the History of Mexican-American Art South Texas has been one of the major centers for the production of Mexican American art since the mid-1940s. First among these artists was Corpus Christi native, Antonio E. Garcia, who formulated many of the major trends and tendencies of a movement that would explode onto the national scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Since the writings of Jacinto Quirarte in the 1970s, little focus has been placed on the early inception of this movement. The purpose of this session is to highlight the major accomplishments of South Texas artists, like Garcia, in the formation of an aesthetic and purpose for Mexican-American Art. 4:30 5:30 p.m. Reception and Entertainment by Teresa Saldivar, folklorico performer and DMC Reading Lab Assistant

9 8 8:30 a.m. Registration in CED 106 SATURDAY, JULY 11 8:30 9 a.m. Breakfast/Welcome: Dr. Jonda Halcomb, DMC Dean, Division of Arts and Sciences Colleen McIntyre, City of Corpus Christi Council Member, District 4 9 9:30 a.m. The Mike M. Anzaldúa Jr. Keynote Address: The Honorable Hilda G. Tagle, United States District Judge for the Southern District of Texas, Brownsville Division 9:30 10:15 a.m. Panelists: Irma Woods, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Child Development/Early Education, Del Mar College; Rosa Linda Reynoso, College Relations, Del Mar College and President of DMC Chapter of the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education (TACHE); Renato Ramirez, Professor of Political Science, Del Mar College; Adolfo Ramirez, retired History Instructor and former faculty member of Colegio Jacinto Treviño Moderator: Derek Oden, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History, Del Mar College Reminiscences of South Texas Mexican-American Farm Workers: A Round Table Discussion Throughout the 20th century, South Texas was one of the nation s leading producers of cotton and other crops, as well as home to many migrant farm workers. Through oral history, the perspectives of both migrant and non-migrant workers and their families can shed light on historically underrepresented aspects of South Texas social, cultural, and economic life. Touching on such themes as labor conditions, family, education and civil rights, this panel will offer the diverse perspectives of Del Mar College faculty and staff who previously worked in the fields and/or had family members who did. In the tradition of oral history, instead of a formal academic presentation, the panel will offer direct reminiscences of personal experiences and family stories, guided by the interests of the participants and the questions of audience members. 10:15 11 a.m. Presenters: Amanda Marquez, Professional Assistant Professor, First Year Learning Communities Program, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and Isabel Araiza, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Sociology, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Moderator: Ron Huskin, Associate Professor of Sociology, Del Mar College Cisneros v. CCISD: A People s Perspective Cisneros vs. Corpus Christi Independent School District (1970) is considered a critical court decision broadening the scope of the famous Brown vs. Board of Topeka (1954) U.S. Supreme Court decision (Schaefer 2008). It was not until Cisneros vs. CCISD (1970) that segregation of Mexican-American students was declared unconstitutional. While past researchers have explored the importance of the case and the historical moments leading up to the case (MacDonald 2004, Guerra 2005, San Miguel 2005), the organizations (Romero 2007) and individuals directly involved in the case (Guerra 2005, Valencia 2006), very little work has focused on how that case shaped the experiences of those living in the community, affected by that decision (Matthewson 2004, Trevino 2010). This project seeks to address that gap in the literature by recording interviews of Corpus Christian s who directly affected by the schooling system and the court case. In the fall of 1973, federal courts ordered Corpus Christi Independent School District to implement a desegregation plan. When structures change, life courses are affected and life chances are altered, dramatically. Using the sociological imagination to interrogate the intersection of biography and history

10 (C. Wright Mills 1959), this project provides a space for the voices of people and illuminates the structures that shaped their lived experiences :45 a.m. Presenter: Claudia Morales, Adjunct Instructor, Mexican-American Studies, Del Mar College Moderator: Elizabeth N. Flores, Professor of Political Science, Del Mar College Hollywood s Mexican-American: Reality or Fabrication? This presentation will provide discussions on the image and role of Mexican-Americans in the cinema throughout the last 100 years of the industry. What has changed and what has stayed the same. 11:45 12:15 p.m. Presenters: Elizabeth N. Flores, Professor of Political Science, Del Mar College and Christine Gottemoller, Instructor of Political Science, Del Mar College Moderator: Renato Ramirez, Professor of Political Science, Del Mar College Mexican-American/Latino Politics: Exploring Key Issues and Controversies on the Web This presentation will examine a variety of readily accessible websites that expand and enrich our understanding of Mexican-American/Latino politics. The value of these online resources will be addressed, and a list of links will be provided to audience members. 12:15 12:30 p.m. Closing Remarks 12:30 1:30 p.m. Ancestry Library Edition: (CED 123 Computer Lab and CED 124 Computer Lab) For more information about Mexican-American Studies, go to

11 NOTES

12 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Mexican-American Studies Program and the Division of Arts and Sciences wish to thank the following for their support and assistance in making the MAS Summer Seminar possible for our students and community. Special Recognition: Isabel Araiza, Ph.D. Alan Berecka Sally Bickley Campus Dining Career and Community Education College Relations Office Corpus Christi Public Libraries Custodial Staff Del Mar College Chapter of the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education (TACHE) Del Mar College Foundation Del Mar TV Elva Estrada, Del Mar College Regent Manuel Flores, Ed.D. Patricia Huskin, Ph.D. Amanda Marquez Colleen McIntyre, Corpus Christi City Council President s Office Print Services Purchasing Adolfo Ramirez Carey Clements Rote, Ph.D. Teresa Saldivar Student Enrollment Center The Honorable Hilda G. Tagle, U.S. District Judge Irma Woods, Ph.D.