Latino Roots
Winter 2018 CLLAS Notes now available
In the latest CLLAS Notes, you can learn about three field research projects carried out by CLLAS’s first round of Tinker Foundation grantees, including doctoral candidate Evan Shenkin’s study of indigenous land struggles in eastern Bolivia; master’s candidate Emily Masucci’s intergenerational look at indigenous women’s organizing in Manaus, Brazil; and master’s candidate Brenda Garcia Millan’s fascinating and timely investigation of contemporary displacement patterns and responses of Haitians at the U.S.-Mexico Border.
This winter issue of CLLAS Notes includes an article about CLLAS’s Town Hall conversation between activist journalist José Antonio Vargas and SOJC professor Chris Chávez.
CLLAS director Gabriela Martínez highlights the many fall events sponsored by CLLAS, including a teach-in on Puerto Rico in response to the tragic hurricane season that devastated the island and its inhabitants. › Continue reading
Latino Roots | Around the O
June 27, 2017—Editor’s Note: Now live on the Home Page of the University of Oregon website, a feature story on the Latino Roots classes co-taught by CLLAS codirector Gabriela Martínez, and CLLAS founding director Lynn Stephen.
Latino Roots, Oregon Branches
BY JASON STONE
“You come to college to take classes like this one.
“It’s part history, part sociology, part anthropology, part journalism and part documentary filmmaking, but it’s all about the experience. The 400-level Latino Roots course is an example of the many compelling, hands-on, educational opportunities we offer at the University of Oregon. With an eye on history and a hand in technology, this course combines the theoretical with the practical and empowers students to apply their new knowledge in the real world.
“An intensive, two-term, 20-week course, Latino Roots is offered every other academic year. During the first term, centered in a formal classroom setting, students learn about the history of racial identity formation in Oregon. Next, the class moves to the Cinema Studies Lab in Knight Library for hands-on training in the use of audio-video technology and editing software, as well as learning the art of documentary storytelling.”
For the full story, with video & photographs, go to: Latino Roots | Around the O
Latino Roots: A Grand Celebration
June 9, 2017—Yesterday’s Latino Roots Celebration marked the fourth time UO students from Latino Roots classes (Anthro/SOJC) have presented their ethnographic documentaries before an audience of peers, faculty, staff, and community, including many of the people whose stories are told in those documentaries. It was a huge turnout in the Knight Library Browsing Room, filled with the festive music of Springfield High School’s Mariachi del Sol and the appreciative and off-time eloquent remarks of featured speakers, including UO President Michael Schill, SELCO Community Credit Union Vice President Laura Illig, PCUN Secretary-Treasurer Jaime Arredondo, Oregon Center for Education Equity Director Carmen Xiomara Urbina, and others.

Gabriela Martínez presents award to Laura Illig, Vice President of Marketing, SELCO Community Credit Union / photo by Jack Liu.
This year’s celebration also included the launching of the inaugural Latino Roots Awards given to our community partner SELCO Community Credit Union and Vice President of Marketing Laura Illig, and to UO Senior Vice President and Provost Scott Coltrane. The spirit of the Latino Roots Award is to recognize a member and/or institution from the community for their support and commitment to Oregon’s Latino community through the Latino Roots Project, and to recognize a representative from the University of Oregon for service, commitment, and support to enhancing diversity on campus and promoting community engagement by way of the Latino Roots Project and the Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies.
Sponsors for the two-hour celebration included: Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies, Department of Anthropology, Office of the President, Office of the Vice President for Equity and Inclusion, School of Journalism and Communication, SELCO Community Credit Union, and UO Libraries.
Here is an excerpt from the remarks of Lynn Stephen, UO Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, who co-instructs the Latino Roots classes along with Gabriela Martínez, associate professor, UO School of Journalism and Communication.
Comments from Professor Lynn Stephen:
Welcome to a wonderful moment that brings together education, research, creativity, and public engagement. I am so proud to be a part of the team of faculty, graduate students, undergraduate students, librarians and archivists, research center staff, and film participants who were all a part of what we are bringing you here today.
Latino Roots began as a small collaborative project between Professor Gabriela Martínez, community consultants Guadalupe Quinn, and Patricia Cortez, the Lane County Historical Museum, and myself in 2008-2009, to mark the 150th anniversary of Oregon as a state. Latino Roots was our exhibit with panels, object exhibits, nine video stories, and a bilingual book that was seen by several thousand people in the museum. There were exhibits on African-American history, Asian history and Native American history in Oregon to greatly broaden the settler colonial/pioneer narrative, white narrative that has dominated Oregon history. › Continue reading
Latino Roots Celebration 2015
In addition to the photos below, this video of the 2015 Latino Roots Celebration features the third gathering to celebrate University of Oregon student work and continuing collaborations between the UO and Latino community partners. Source: Latino Roots Celebration, 2015 | University of Oregon Media Channel
Photos by Jack Liu and Robert Hill Long
(to make the slideshow go faster, simply click on each slide)
This year’s event included:
- Mariachi del Sol from Springfield High School
- Latino Roots student short documentaries and student presentations
- Jaime Arrendondo, PCUN Secretary-Treasurer
- CAPACES Leadership Institute and PCUN archives
- Scott Coltrane, UO Interim President
- Adriene Lim, Dean of Libraries and Philip H. Knight Chair
Students from the two-term Latino Roots class shared clips from their documentaries and talked about the research that went into producing the stories.
SELCO Community Credit Union Extends Latino Roots Sponsorship
THANK YOU, SELCO!
April 2014—For the next three years, SELCO Community Credit Union has agreed to continue to be the community sponsor for the Latino Roots Project. This generous grant continues an ongoing relationship between SELCO Community Credit Union in support of this project administered by the UO Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies and in support of Diversity Excellence Scholarships for UO students.
The exhibit, which was originally displayed at the Lane County Historical Museum in 2009-2010, was duplicated two years ago using funds from SELCO Community Credit Union. The portable exhibit features 15 panels containing information on Latino history and demographics in Oregon, photographs, and stories about seven immigrant families. The program offers schools videos and bilingual curriculum materials as well. › Continue reading
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