History isn’t bound by the walls of a university, library, or museum. It can be created, examined, and rewritten by the individuals and communities who have too often been misrepresented or excluded from institutional narratives. That was the central message of the “Our Memory, Our Stories: Reimagining Histories of a Multicultural Los Angeles” event on Sept. 17, a collaboration between the CSUDH Gerth Archives & Special Collections, Black Resource Center, and Latinx Resource Center. Students heard from a panel of Black and Latinx scholars and curators about how they can contribute to that crucial work of sharing unknown histories. The panel included Rose Mitchell, former librarian ... Read More
Los Angeles
Unveiling Untold Stories: Professor’s New Book Explores Chicana Liberation and Mexican American Women’s Activism in L.A.
Growing up in East Los Angeles in the 1970s, Marisela Chávez had a front-row seat to the grassroots activism of the Chicano movement. Her parents, who had immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico as children, brought Chávez with them to meetings, marches, and political organizing events. “The organization was like an extended family,” says Chávez, now a professor of Chicana and Chicano studies at CSUDH. “I was little at the time, but seeds were planted in me. I saw very strong women who were speaking publicly and being active leaders.” Chicana Liberation: Women and Mexican American Politics in Los Angeles, 1945-1981 (University of Illinois Press, April 2024), is Chávez’ new book, and the ... Read More
The Art Newspaper: Giving Los Angeles Back Its Lungs—PST Art Exhibitions Will Uncover the Links Between Art, Water and Ecology
Source: The Art Newspaper California’s water crisis is the backdrop to several hard-hitting shows, which will open across the state in September Art made about water in Los Angeles might be its own genre considering how often and with what sincere depth artists consider the role of the river in the Los Angeles landscape and its infrastructure. The exhibition Brackish Water Los Angeles (12 August-14 December) examines the crossover between built infrastructure and the natural world, using the California State University campus at Dominguez Hills as its inspiration. Located on the Dominguez watershed for the Los Angeles River, the campus is at the centre of an urgent ... Read More
KCET: Historic Filipinotown
Source: KCET's "Lost LA" (YouTube) In this episode, host Nathan Masters explores the yo-yo's surprising origin story, tours L.A.'s Historic Filipinotown neighborhood (a.k.a. "HiFi") in a Jeepney and tastes classic Filipino street food. CSUDH's Gerth Archives and Special Collections, which houses Filipino American collections, appears in the first segment of the episode (watch from 1:26-7:00). ... Read More
Toro Makes an Impact as Youth Commissioner
At 23, CSUDH junior Ricardo Ortega Martinez Jr. is already a veteran in California politics. “My advocacy and community organizing started at the age of 17,” says Martinez, a political science major whose early experience with foster care growing up in Huntington Park helped shape the focus of his current advocacy work. Martinez serves as youth commissioner for California's 5th District, which encompasses much of Antelope Valley and northeastern Los Angeles County. The Youth Commission was established in September 2021 by the Board of Supervisors to promote involvement by young people in public policy decisions. Youth commission members have direct experience with foster care, juvenile ... Read More
