University of Pittsburgh Hispanic and Latinx Professional Association

11/01/2021

We wish a joyful Día de los Mu***os to everyone celebrating and their loved ones.

Photo: Lucy Arellano's ofrenda for her father

10/26/2021

Don't forget to sign up for Dr. Greta Friedemann-Sánchez's virtual talk, "Terrorized at Home and Falling Through Disciplinary and Policy Silos: Victims of Partner Violence in Armed Conflict Contexts." It takes place tomorrow at 1:30. You can register here: https://bit.ly/3lgr9j3

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Diversity Series in Latinx Scholars in International Affairs presents Greta Friedemann-Sánchez. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

10/25/2021

This Wednesday October 27 at 1:30pm, Dr. Greta Friedemann-Sánchez of the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs will give a virtual talk over Zoom titled "Terrorized at Home and Falling Through Disciplinary and Policy Silos: Victims of Partner Violence in Armed Conflict Contexts." She will provide a summary of her research that evaluates the implementation of Colombia’s laws addressing intimate partner violence and violence against women and discuss how the scholarship on intimate partner violence in armed conflict contexts falls between the cracks of several fields. She will also elaborate on her successful advocacy with the United Nations and Colombian officials that ultimately resulted in national amendments to Colombia’s legal framework.
You can register here today: https://bit.ly/3lgr9j3

10/15/2021

Sebastian Henao Garcia submitted this artifact. "In 2012, the Colombian government set out to bring to an end a 50-year-old war that flooded our country with terror. By July 2015, at the time this picture was shot in Bogotá, the peace was still under construction, both at the negotiation table and in this graffiti, which reads: "Peace is now", the word "peace" being the only one left to finish. The peace agreement was signed in late 2016, which was then awarded a Nobel peace prize and opened the door to a lot of discussions aiming to heal all these war scars that are deeply rooted in our country and that have been shaping our cultural identity for so many years."

10/14/2021

This collection of items and art was submitted by Kelly Tatone. "My Pennsylvania Dutch grandparents went to Puerto Rico with their young family and opened a dry cleaning business... This is not their heritage, nor mine. I am further removed, being adopted, from an ethnic birthright, but this is what feels like home and family to me. My artifact holds elements that fill every sense... I can hear the rich and vibrant sounds of late, hot nights dancing under the moon, taking breaks to wring out shirts before returning to the party. Recipe cards elicit memories of meals and time together. I can smell the recaito and sofrito in the pan and taste the rice and beans when I read the writing of my mother and grandmother. These little rectangles are priceless treasures that will be passed down from generation to generation..."

10/13/2021

Tomorrow is the beginning of the Latinx Connect Conference. There are 2,000 people signed up from around the world to be part of the discussion with professors, students, organizers, and others about Latina/o/e/x identity and issues. You can still register here: https://www.diversity.pitt.edu/events/2021-latinx-connect-conference

The Latinx Connect conference (October 14-16) aims to move us beyond “celebrating” Latinxs, instead calling for empowerment and justice for the Latinx community, which faces numerous disparities in U.S. society, particularly those at the intersections of Latinx identity (e.g., Afro-Latinxs, Indi...

10/13/2021

This excerpt from José Martí's poem "Versos Sencillos" was submitted by Kenya C. Dworkin y Méndez. It "...always made me consider how even though I felt/feel anchored in an identity (Cuban and Jewish, in this case), and that was important to feel at home in/at Diaspora in many places and with many different people. To always look for the commonalities and the shared experiences, historical and contemporary...This experience is also mirrored in the millions of Cubans who still see Africa or Spain or somewhere else as 'home.'"

10/12/2021

This song was submitted by Ivan Cao-Berg. It's called "Boricua en La Luna," performed by Fiel de la Vega and adapted from a poem by Puerto Rican writer Juan Antonio Corretjer. "This song was really helpful asserting the person I wanted to be and where I wanted to go. It didn't matter where I was born, I spent most of my formative years in Puerto Rico and for all intents and purposes: I was a boricua born in Argentina."
You can submit your own at: bit.ly/artifactshowcase

10/11/2021

This excerpt from a poem by Professor Luis Valdez was submitted by Maralexia Zaragoza. "To me, this artifact has significant meaning to me as it was one of the first things I learned as I studied Chicanx studies as an undergraduate. This poem also has deep roots as it connects to the constant struggle of trying to implement ethnic studies in classrooms as seen in Tuscan Arizona. This excerpt speaks to the shared humanity we all have and the power we have.”
You can add your own submission here: bit.ly/artifactshowcase

10/08/2021

Diana Leyva submitted this image of a sombrero vueltiao, which "...is a traditional hat from Colombia and one of its symbols. It is made out of a type of cane that grows in the region. The word 'vueltiao' ('turn' or 'lap') arose due to the way the hat is made... The more flexible the hat is, the higher quality it is."
You can send in your own submissions here: bit.ly/artifactshowcase

10/07/2021

This painting of La Flor de Izote by Victor Interiano was submitted by Briana Rodriguez. "While it has been adopted as the national flower of El Salvador, my Mother describes this as representing our identity as Salvadorans because it is one of our staple foods, and she describes our homeland as Maya Ch’orti’ descent people encompassing three borders (Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador). As campesinos, my family relies on growing food (beans, corn, and squash) to nourish us, and finding edible plants (both leaves and flowers) as nourishment and medicine."
Check out other artifacts here: https://www.diversity.pitt.edu/latinx-and-hispanic-heritage-month-artifact-showcase

10/07/2021

This artifact is from Ana Teresa Flores: the cover art for the 1994 album Re by Mexican rock band Café Tacuba. "The music produced by the band is an amazingly accurate embodiment of the Mexican culture I grew up in - the sounds, the feelings, and (somehow) the flavors... This is my favorite album of all time and - moreso than anything else I can think of - brings me right back home, conjuring memories of childhood, doing morning chores with my mom and sister, dancing, bickering, and loving"
You can submit your own artifact here: bit.ly/artifactshowcase