Departments

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Latino/a history

  • 10/17/2021

    The Fantasy of Hispanic Heritage Month

    by Frank P. Barajas

    Conceived by a Congressman to honor the contributions of ethnic Mexicans to American society, Hispanic Heritage Month is based in a mythical Spanish past that obscures the indigenous history of the west and legitimates the succession of power from Iberian to Anglo elites. 

  • SOURCE: Texas Monthly
    9/14/2021

    Why Democrats are Losing Texas Latinos

    A significant portion of Tejanos consider themselves white and many vote like Anglo Texans; their history shows the contingency of racial categories and the risk for Democrats of assuming demographics will substitute for political appeal. 

  • SOURCE: Boom California
    8/23/2021

    Review: Geraldo Cadava's "The Hispanic Republican"

    by Jerry González

    Historian Jerry González says that "The Hispanic Republican is a wake-up call for progressives, particularly white liberals, who uncritically believe that rising Latinx population numbers will naturally shift the political winds."

  • SOURCE: Public Books
    8/3/2021

    The Migration Crisis is a Gendered Violence Crisis

    by Laura Briggs and María Josefina Saldaña-Portillo

    Central American women are frequently pushed to migrate by the threat of sexual violence. American policy inflicts further gendered harm through family separation and border militarization. 

  • SOURCE: Los Angeles Times

    The Border Patrol Helped Create the "Browning" of America

    The family story of historian Mireya Loza and her father Pedro illustrates an irony of militarized border enforcement: Labor migrants who once contemplated returning to Mexico or Central America were forced to stay in the US and raise American families.

  • SOURCE: Washington Post
    6/11/2021

    As Immigration Politics Changed, So Did "In the Heights"

    by A. K. Sandoval-Strausz

    The film release of Lin-Manuel Miranda's "In the Heights" reflects the way the show has evolved in response to the shifting politics of immigration and nativism in the United States. 

  • SOURCE: Made By History at the Washington Post
    6/17/2021

    There’s No LGBTQ Pride Without Immigrants

    by Julio Capó, Jr.

    Today's LGBTQ movement must recall its roots in the defense of marginalized groups against state power. Today, LGBTQ immigrants including the undocumented are among the most vulnerable. 

  • SOURCE: Made By History at the Washington Post
    5/5/2021

    Thirty Years after Mount Pleasant Erupted, a Push for Better Treatment Persists

    by Mike Amezcua

    Central American refugees living in Washington's Mount Pleasant neighborhood had fled US-backed repression but found harsh treatment by immigration authorities and local police. In 1991 frustration erupted. Today, the unrest still raises questions about citizenship and belonging. 

  • SOURCE: Made By History at the Washington Post
    2/24/2021

    A Path to Citizenship for 11 Million Immigrants is a No-Brainer

    by A. K. Sandoval-Strausz

    The 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act showed the effectiveness of a large-scale amnesty for undocumented immigrants and reflected a reasonable and pragmatic approach to normalizing the status of immigrants as workers and community members. It should be remembered as a success and a model. 

  • SOURCE: The New Yorker
    2/22/2021

    My Brother’s Keeper

    by Ada Ferrer

    Historian Ada Ferrer offers her own family history of separation and reunification around the Cuban revolution. 

  • SOURCE: New York Magazine
    2/3/2021

    Reintroducing Sonia Sotomayor

    by Irin Carmon

    After nearly 12 years since her appointment to the Supreme Court, writer Irin Carmon reviews Sonia Sotomayor's role on a changing court and the media outrage over her suggestion that purely color-blind justice is an illusion.