UA News

The day’s events include music, keynote presentations by noted indigenous women writers, a scholarship announcement and a play.

The University of Arizona's Mexican American Studies and Research Center celebrates Cinco de Mayo with a student symposium on the history of indigenous journalism and communication and a tribute to women writers. The day's events include music, keynote presentations by noted indigenous women writers, a scholarship announcement and a play.

Students will lead a symposium called "The History of Red-Brown Journalism and Communications," named for the 496a Mexican American Studies class. The symposium is Tuesday, May 5, at 2 p.m. in the Student Union Memorial Center Gallagher Theater. The students will discuss ancient and historic indigenous communications systems as well as the works of Spanish-language or Chicano media, including the study of women writers.

Roberto Cintli Rodriguez created the class to document, save and share a history that is at risk of being lost.

"What my students have found is twofold. Indigenous peoples, including Mexican peoples, have a long tradition of written and oral communications going back several thousand years. At the same time, contrary to what many historians say, women indeed were tlacuilos or writers in ancient times. And they were publishers, editors and writers during the 1800s and early 1900s. And they are not nameless," said Rodriguez said.

Student research presentations end at 4:30 p.m. and include ancient and historic media, plus media, newspapers and writers from the 1800s and early 1900s. A second panel will include media from the mid 1900s through the 1970s. This includes the explosion of Chicano media throughout the nation.

Students also will present on the topic of El Coraje, a Tucson-based Chicano movement newspaper from the 1960s. Writers and staff members from that era included Tucson community leaders Salomon Baldenegro, Cecilia Cruz, Guadalupe Castillo and Raul Grijalva, who is now a U.S. congressman.

The evening presentation begins at 5:30 p.m. with a blessing of El Coraje: La Nueva Generacion (the new generation), a new 24-page student-written newspaper in honor of the original Tucson newspaper.

Keynote presentations will include Maya Bernal who will discuss "On the Meaning of Cinco de Mayo." Two other keynotes include Candace Begody, editor of Native Perspectives, and Enriqueta Vasquez, elder and author of "Enriqueta Vasquez and the Chicano Movement." They will speak about their work and the role of women in Red-Brown journalism.

Music will be a part of the festivities with the duo of Francisco and Esperalda Gonzalez performing, Maria Molina of the indigenous Tucson group Calpulli Teoxicalli will share words and poetry and Guillermo Lechuga and Mixelle Rascon will also perform. The evening will be capped by a play, "Tierra Birthmarks," a work by Tucson High Magnet School students who interviewed elders and older members of the Tucson and Southern Arizona community.

The Mexican American Studies and Research Center also will announce the creation of a scholarship in the name of Consuelo Aguilar, a UA alumnus and activist who died to cancer earlier this year.

The evening ends with a reception at the UA Cesar Chavez Building, featuring the music of Mariachi Nueva Melodia.

The students' scholarship is on display in the UA Main Library until May 7.