Annual Mexican American Studies Summer Seminar scheduled July 19-20

Article by: Rosa Linda Reynoso

The event is like a two-day immersion course to familiarize attendees with the rich history and culture that Del Mar College’s (DMC) Mexican American Studies (MAS) associate’s degree program covers over several semesters. Scheduled July 19-20, the FREE Sixth Annual Mexican American Studies Summer Seminar will feature several educational sessions, along with the Mike M. Anzaldúa Jr. Keynote Address by author Cecilia Garcia Akers, the daughter of the late Dr. Hector P. and Wanda F. Garcia.

Sessions run from 12:30 to 6 p.m. Friday, July 19, and 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 20, at the College’s Center for Economic Development (3209 S. Staples). Other special guests include Cecy Treviño de Oliveira, executive director and founder of Chicas Rock Music Camp, and Folklorico dancer Teresa Saldivar. Other activities include a Merienda (afternoon break) with refreshments.

Questions? Contact English faculty member Erica Rose Bertero at 361-698-1433 or ebertero@delmar.edu.

Garcia Akers will present her address following a complimentary breakfast on July 20. The Mike M. Anzaldúa Jr. Keynote Address is named for the late English and Philosophy Department educator who was beloved by fellow colleagues and students alike.

Her first book, The Inspiring Life of Texan Hector P. Garcia, was published in April 2016 (History Press) and is in its fourth printing. The author presented a talk and book signing of her first work at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. in May 2016 as well as donated a collection of World War II photographs belonging to Major Hector P. Garcia, M.D., to the Veterans History Project.

Garcia Akers serves as keynote speaker during the grand opening of CHRISTUS Health’s Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Family Health Center and presented “Dr. Hector P. Garcia as a Father, Physician and Role Model” during the Texas State Historical Association’s Annual Meeting. She is a founding member of The Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Foundation and serves as Board President/Chairman. Currently, Garcia Akers also serves on several other boards with organizations that support education and the health care industry.

The MAS Summer Seminar’s sessions and activities focus on literature, music, art, the humanities, history, politics and the Spanish language, among other topics. The two-day schedule is as follows:

Friday, July 19

Noon – 12:30 p.m. - Registration

12:30 - 12:45 p.m. - Welcome Remarks

12:45 - 1:30 p.m.- Session One

SPECIAL GUEST Cecy Treviño de Oliviera, executive director and founder of Chicas Rock Music Camp

1:35 - 2:25 p.m. - Session Two

“Labor Rights are Human Rights: The 1966 Farm Workers’ March in Political and Social Context”

PRESENTER: James Klein, Ph.D., professor of history, Del Mar College

“Among the Valiant: Mexican-Americans in WWII and Korea”

PRESENTER: Renato Ramirez, professor of political science and chair of the Department of Social Sciences, Del Mar College

2:30 - 3:20 p.m. - Session Three

“Why do they gotta vote that way? Barriers to Latinos and Mexican Americans electoral solidarity”

PRESENTER: Isabel Araiza, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

“All about a Wall: Trump’s Border Wall and South Texas”

PRESENTER: Adrian Clark, Ph.D., associate professor of political science, Del Mar College

3:30 - 4 p.m.- Merienda and Entertainment by Folklorico performer Teresa Saldivar performing dances inspired by women singers and artists who have paved a way for a new generation of performers and La Catrina featured on La Loteria as well as Cumbia fun.

4:05 - 4:55 p.m. - Session Four

“We Googled Her & She Wasn’t There”: TAMU-CC Wikipedia Scholars Project

PRESENTERS: Shawn Hanson, Bridgette Ramirez and Professor Amanda Marquez, M.A., Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

5- 5:50 p.m. - Session Five

“Rio Bravo, Rio Grande”

PRESENTER: Armando Ibanez, professor of Radio, Television and Film at Texas A&M University-Kingsville

“South Texas Radio Pioneers”

PRESENTER: Manuel Flores, Ed.D., professor of journalism/communications, Texas A&M University-Kingsville

Saturday, July 20

8 - 8:30 a.m. - Registration

8:30 - 9 a.m. - Welcome Remarks and Breakfast

9 - 9:50 a.m. - Mike M. Anzaldúa Jr. Keynote Address

Cecilia Garcia Akers, author of The Inspiring Life of Texan Hector P. Garcia (book signing after address with books available for purchase)

10:10 - 11:00 a.m. - Session Six

“Memories of Working in the Fields by Migrant Farmworkers”

PRESENTERS: Erica Rose Bertero, assistant professor of English and Mexican American Studies program coordinator and Rosa Linda Reynoso, staff writer/editor, Del Mar College

11:05 - 11:55- a.m. - Session Seven

“Cultural Kitchen Celebrated in Chicana Literature”

PRESENTER: Yolanda Godsey, Ph.D., adjunct professor of Spanish and Mexican American Studies, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

“Justice in the Catena Mundi: V. Kim Martinez’s 7 Steps Forward 7 Steps Back for Understanding the Link Between Two Worlds”

PRESENTER: Carey Clements Rote, Ph.D., professor of art, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

12 p.m. - 12:55 p.m. - Session Eight

“Decolonizing Writing in the Classroom by Eliminating the Research Paper”

PRESENTERS: Bernadette Flores M.A., and Hector Galván M.A., adjunct professors of Writing and Rhetoric and Amanda Marquez M.A., professional assistant professor, Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi