CONTACT: Eduardo Hernandez Chavez, 277-6414

Sept. 19, 2002 UNM CHICANA/O EXHIBIT RUNS AT AIRPORT THROUGH NOV. 1 An exhibit that highlights themes of the University of New Mexico Chicana/o Studies Program may be viewed through Friday, Nov. 1 in the lower level of the Albuquerque International Sunport near the entrance to the short-term parking area. The exhibit —displayed in three, 12-foot cases— "provides a tantalizing, yet pithy, glimpse of a few of the topics and themes emphasized by our program," said Program Director Eduardo Hernandez Chavez. "We urge those faculty, staff, students and members of the general public who have an interest in these themes to take the time to visit this exhibit." The exhibit, he says, addresses three topics. The first display case depicts the antecedents of the Chicano Movement of the 1960s and 70s. "These include the history of conflict and resistance over such issues as labor rights; confiscation of ancestral lands; eradication of language and culture; and lack of access to educational, economic and political institutions. Chicano Studies academic programs are seen to be the direct result of the activism of the Chicano Movement around such issues," he says. The middle case "illustrates some of the more salient historical themes in our courses, in particular, our Introduction to Chicana/o Studies," Hernandez Chavez says. "Important among these are the clash between Europeans and Indigenous Americans, with its resultant cultural and religious syncretism and racial mestizaje; the conquest and annexation of the Southwest; the ongoing connections with Mexico; and the modern impact of Mexican immigration." The third case focuses on the program's present community involvement, "which has been an indispensable component of Chicano studies programs nationally since their inception," he says. "Community outreach by Chicana/o Studies at UNM has focuses, appropriately enough, on public education. The case encompasses such projects as the establishment of Mexican American studies courses in the high schools; assisting in the development of a Chicano-oriented charter school; providing Chicano studies lectures and reading materials to prison inmates; and supporting public school teachers who encounter opposition to the teaching of Chicano history and culture." Hernandez Chavez credited several individuals for their help in organizing the exhibit. They include Lucille Córdova and Daniel Ayala of the UNM Chicana/o Studies Program; Rebecca Hernández of the UNM American Studies Program; Rosemarie Romero of UNM's Southwest Hispanic Research Institute; and Ysaura Bernal-Enriquez of the UNM Educational Linguistics program. He also thanked Regina Chavez, who coordinated the exhibit for the Sunport. For more information, visit the program's website at www.unm.edu/~chicanos or call 277-6414.       # # #

The University of New Mexico
Public Affairs Department
Hodgin Hall, 2nd floor
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0011
Telephone: (505) 277-5813
Fax: (505) 277-1981