Latino Study-Service Term » Summer 2010

Latino Studies Term Comes to an End

ajuarez — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:57:31 +0000

Last week the SSTers finished their summer course of Latino Studies. As their final assignment for the course, the students were asked to do both individual and partner presentations on themes they thought made an impact on their studies or was really important to know. The students did a great job on both the individual and partner presentations. Finally, the program ended with the students, host families and service employers coming to an end of course celebration at the college cabin. Actually, as their final final assignment, the students came up with something of their own that they could express at the celebration. From songs to poems to simple words of gratitude. Everyone was happy at the end as they concluded three months of hard study on the Latino Culture here in Indiana and other areas. Congratulations, Ivette Sifuentes, Chris Ballge, Jair Hernandez and Kellyn Yoder!!

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Servicing with Farm Labor Organizing Committee

ajuarez — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:44:14 +0000

This week Latino SSTers spend two days in Toledo, Ohio, to visit the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) and Campaign for Migrant Worker Justice (CMWJ). FLOC and CMWJ work “to support the human rights and self-determination for those in the farm labor and immigrant rights movements.” While SSTers were there, they served as volunteers interpreting in a mobile health clinic and distributing clothes and books to migrant families in one of the migrant camps near Toledo. Most of these workers are from Southern Mexico, like Chiapas, Oaxaca and Guatemala. Interestingly enough; these workers did not spoke Spanish, but dialects of their home place.They also visited the Sofia Quintero Art and Cultural Center. The Center was named after Sofia Quintero, a daughter of migrant farm workers who settled in the Toledo area who was the first Latina to be elected to a public office.

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Passionate About Latino Literature

ajuarez — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:38:32 +0000

Last week we were honored to have Carl Marcum with us serving as a guest lecturer for the Latino Literature Seminar. Carl Marcum is the author of Cue Lazarus and the forthcoming Camera Obscura in 2011. Through this seminar they learned about well-known Latino writers and about different topics that are prominent in Latino literature such as coming of age, cultural identity, gender, and marginalization. Carl also shared his poetry work with students and staff from Goshen College during a poetry reading. Carl writes poetry about various topics, but he based his experience of growing up as an individual of mixed-races. One of the Latino SSTers, Kellyn Yoder, wrote two poems based on her reflections of her experience this summer. Two of the students read Kellyn’s poems.

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Spanish classes con la professora Maria

ajuarez — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:22:35 +0000

The Latino SSTers met for Spanish classes in different family homes during May and June. The Spanish classes came to an end last week with a celebration for students and their host families. Maria Sanchez Schirch, Latino SST Spanish Instructor, prepared the Latino SSTers to perform songs and poems in Spanish with themes about environmental issues facing Latin America. The host families each brought a popular dish from their home countries. Host families were also invited to do a little part of their own. Overall, everyone had a great time listening to the students and their performances. Felicidades y buen trabajo chicos!

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One trip – Two cultures

ajuarez — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 10:52:17 +0000

Jose Guerrero, a muralist, printmaker, and community activist, introduced the Latino SSTers to Pilsen’s public art on a walking tour of the neighborhood. Pilsen is one of the country’s largest Mexican and Mexican American communities. They learned about the significance of the mural art and about the history of the neighborhood. One of the highlights was visiting the National Museum of Mexican Art, which features Mexican, Latino, and Chicano art and culture.

The students also visited a primarily Mexican and Mexican American neighborhood located next to Pilsen known as “La Villita” or Little Village. This neighborhood is known for its prosperous shopping area that attracts visitors and residents from all over Chicago. They also talked to a pastor from a church in Little Village who is leading a hunger strike to demand Obama’s administration to suspend most deportations.

The Latino SSTers also had a tour of what is known as “Paseo Boricua”, the six block portion of Division Street between two large steel sculptures of the Puerto Rican flags. This area has become a leading center for Puerto Rican culture, food, business and politics in the United States. This walking mural tour gave them insight into the history of that community and its many landmarks.

Another highlight of Paseo Boricua was Fiestas Puertorriquenas or Puerto Rican Festival and Parade. The festival is considered one of the elite Hispanic festivals in the country. This festival features Puerto Rican food, merchandise, arts & crafts booths, and carnival rides. This Parade highlights the Puerto Rican Heritage and Culture along with Community Organizations, Businesses and Civic and Political Leaders.

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Quinceañera – Traditional Celebrations

ajuarez — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 20:14:29 +0000

Last weekend the Latino SST group attended a Quinceañera celebration in Niles, Michigan. The Quinceañera is a coming of age ceremony and celebration held on a girl’s fifteenth birthday. A Quinceañera celebration can be comparable in scope to weddings. There is a significant dress, just as with a wedding. Family members attend a special mass, again just like a wedding but with a few modifications. They have a grand meal, and often a DJ or live band is hired for the evening. Additionally, the Quinceañera will wear flat shoes and will be presented with a pair of elegant, high heels to signify a girl becoming a woman. One of the padrinos or Godparents will make a presentation of a porcelain doll to the Quinceañera, symbolizing the last doll she will ever receive; another representation of moving forward toward womanhood. In addition, the Quinceañera has chambelanes (male friends or family members around her age, called the court of honor) that dance a special dance called El Vals or Waltz dance. Usually, the father will begin the first dance with the Quinceañera, where he could also be the one to hand down ‘the last doll.’ The Quinceañera may decide to prepare a special “surprise” dance ahead of time to perform it that night, something that has become more modern on the tradition. The Latino SSTers were able to experience the rituals and traditions of this grand celebration first hand.

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Rally- Peace Not Hate: No S.B. 1070 in Indiana

ajuarez — Mon, 31 May 2010 23:44:55 +0000

Last week the Latino SST group attended a rally in Indianapolis that was organized by several organizations in Indianapolis to protest against the new immigration law in Arizona (S.B. 1070) and to urge congressmen to instead support comprehensive immigration reform. These organizations are also denouncing efforts in Indiana to adopt a harsh immigration law in Indiana similar to the one in Arizona, which an Indiana state legislator is planning to introduce next year. Various organizations from Indianapolis and from across the nation organized this rally including churches, labor unions, and NAACP.

http://www.indy.com/posts/300-protest-arizona-immigration-law

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Peruvian Restaurant

ajuarez — Mon, 31 May 2010 23:13:26 +0000

While we where in Indianapolis for an immigration rally, we stopped for dinner a Machu Picchu, a peruvian restaurant. All the Latino SST students enjoyed the great peruvian cuisine.

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La Casa de Amistad

ajuarez — Mon, 31 May 2010 22:57:53 +0000

While we were in South Bend, we visited an organization named “La Casa de Amistad.” La Casa de Amistad is an organization that operates as a youth and community center in the West side of South Bend. This organization addresses the needs of the area Latinos through various services and programs. Rebecca Ruvalcaba, the Executive Director of the organization, talked to the Latino SST group about the Latinos in the West side neighborhood of South Bend and how “La Casa de Amistad” provides support to youth and families there and the sorrounding area.

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Institute for Latino Studies

ajuarez — Mon, 31 May 2010 22:46:30 +0000

While we visited the Institute for Latino Studies (ILS) Latino SST group heard from a variety of speakers. Allert Brown Gort, Associate Director of ILS, and Juan Carlos Guzman, Director of Research, presented on Latino demography and politics. Karen Richman, Director of Center on Borders and Migration, presented on the topic of transnationalism. The Latino SsT group also received a tour of the Julian Samora library and archives. The Julian Samora Library at the Institute for Latino Studies collects, preserves, and provides access to rare books, manuscripts, personal papers, archives, and oral histories related to the Latino experience in the United States with a particular focus on the Midwest.

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