CWU Hosts Breaking Borders

October 29, 2009

ELLENSBURG, Wash. ⎯ Central Washington University is set to host Breaking Borders, Building Bridges: Creating Communities through Chicana and Chicano Studies, a regional conference to run Oct. 30 and Oct. 31.

“An understanding of Central and Latin American realities brings us closer to a better understanding of America overall,” says Michael Ervin, associate history professor and director of Latino and Latin American studies. “We want to promote any endeavor that advances our understanding of Latina/o experiences and lives, and a crucial part of that experience in the Pacific Northwest (as elsewhere) is the Chicana/o experience.”

The conference begins with welcoming remarks by political science professor Gilberto Garcia and CWU college of arts and humanities Dean Marji Morgan from 8-9 a.m. in the SURC, room 137.

The first session, to begin at 9 a.m., will focus mainly on immigration, higher education and feature professors from different universities all around the state of Washington. A full list of events and locations can be found at www.cwu.edu/~la_studies/NACCS/index.html.

The second session will begin at 10:30 and will focus on the borders between race, gender and culture. It will also examine the experiences of migrants in the higher education system.

“We really want to focus on breaking down barriers between higher education and the surrounding community, as well as gender and identity,” says Ervin. “We are interested in breaking down the barriers between Latino and Latin American experiences, and in the case of Chicana/o Studies. We cannot truly understand our own history without placing it in a broader context of the history of the Americas.”

Luis Rodriguez, author of “Imagining Community, Imagining Change,” follows the first two sessions with his keynote address. Rodriguez is one of the leading Chicano writers in the country with 10 nationally recognized and published books.

Following the keynote speech, the next session will run on Oct. 30 from 2:50-4:10 p.m. This session touches on topics from women and the Civil Rights Movement to programs and resources for Chicano studies at CWU and community organizations within the university.

“With the changes in demographics in this country, this conference is like a little slice of America,” says Ervin.

The first day will conclude with a video screening and discussion of the movie, “Students of Change” in the SURC, room 137 from 8-10 p.m. The video documents a group of Mexican American students that left the Yakima Valley in 1968 to enter the University of Washington during a time of great transformation and change.

The conference wraps up with two more concurrent sessions on Oct. 31 from 9-10:20 a.m. and again from 10:30-11:50 a.m.

“Students have really clamored to get more of a focus on the Chicana/o experience. Because communities of Mexican origin are so significant in our region, many students want to see more of a focus on specifically Mexican-American issues. Thus, promoting Chicana/o studies through this conference serves our students' interests and promotes a deeper understanding of our region simultaneously.”

For more information about the two-day event, go to www.cwu.edu/~la_studies/NACCS/index.html.

Media Contacts: Michael Ervin, Latino and Latin American Studies, 509-963-1244, ervinm@cwu.edu

Lilz Bryson, CWU Public Relations & Marketing, 509-963-2714, brysone@cwu.edu

Central Washington University is a master's degree-granting institution with approximately 10,000 students and 1,500 faculty and staff. More than 160 undergraduate and master's degrees are offered. Founded in 1891, the Ellensburg campus is located in the heart of Washington State, nestled between the Cascade Mountains and the Columbia River. Since 1975, CWU has served the needs of placebound students at six university centers throughout the state. CWU is an AA/EEO Title IX Institution.