El Centro de la Raza celebrates 35 years of service to the university community on Friday, Dec. 10, beginning at 5:30 p.m. in Student Union ballrooms B and C.
“Awards, recognition, entertainment and refreshments will give people the chance to reflect on the center’s past, examine its present and plan for its future,” said Veronica Mendez-Cruz, director.
Student groups including fraternities, sororities and alumni are helping to organize the event, she said.
A slide presentation showcasing El Centro’s 35 years of history will be featured.
Meriah Heredia earned a bachelor’s in broadcast journalism with a minor in Chicano Studies from UNM in 2000. In May, she received her master’s in Community and Regional Planning from the UNM School of Architecture and Planning. As an eight-year member of El Centro’s community, she has established their alumni organization.
“We are reaching out to our graduates. We think that the highlight of the evening will be the chance for the former students to meet and network with current students,” Heredia said.
El Centro was established in the late 1960s as an outcropping of Chicano Studies. During that period students in Chicano Studies requested a place where they could further discuss political expression, activism and support.
The importance of creating community and developing a strong cultural support system to succeed beyond college was realized back then.
“Raza students and faculty would gather late into the evening, prepare food, bring families and discuss critical issues affecting the Raza population of the times,” said Mendez-Cruz.
“El Centro now meets the needs of the children of students who came through in the 1960s and beyond. El Centro has and will always be known for creating a home away from home,” she said.
“During this celebration, we will honor those who have given El Centro support through the years including legislators Kiki Saavedra, Ben Altamirano and Cynthia Nava. They have been some of our best supporters,” Mendez-Cruz said.
For more information, call El Centro de la Raza at 277-5020.
Contacts: Veronica Mendez-Cruz, (505) 277-5020; Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920