OLLAS Charla with Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas
View Event Flyer
►En Español
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Centennial Hall
W.H. Thompson Alumni Center
2:00-3:30 p.m.

The University of Nebraska at Omaha’s (UNO) Office of Latino/Latin America Studies (OLLAS) brought a prominent Mexican politician to campus as part of its Charla series.

As part of its second session of the 2011-2012 school year, OLLAS hosted Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, former mayor of Mexico City and founder of the Party of the Democratic Revolution, as he discussed the current Mexican political climate and U.S.-Mexican relations.

Cárdenas also recently received the Belisario Dominguez Award, a Medal of Honor that is the highest recognition given by the Mexican Senate.

The event, which was held on Thursday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. at the Thompson Alumni Center, was free and open to the public. Complementary Spanish-to-English translation was also provided.

Additional support for the Charla series was provided by UNO’s Political Science Department, UNO's Office of Academic and Student Affairs, the National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities and the Heartland Worker's Center.

 

OLLAS Student Luncheon
View Event Flyer
Friday, October 14, 2011
Centennial Hall
W. H. Thompson Alumni Center
11:00 am - 1:30 pm

Students joined the Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS) faculty and staff for an exciting event welcoming new Latino students. Students were able to meet OLLAS graduates, current LLS majors, CLS minors and Next Generation Leadership scholars at UNO.

A special guest from Wells Fargo joined us in a conversation about career opportunities.

 

OLLAS Charla Series:
¡Chicana Power! Contested Histories of Feminism in the Chicano Movement
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Presenter: Dr. Maylei Blackwell
Assistant Professor of Chicana/o Studies and Women's Studies in the Cesar E. Chavez Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Nebraska Room
Milo Bail Student Center
12:00 noon

The Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS) at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) kicked off its 2011-2012 Charla series at noon on Tuesday, Sept. 20, with a lecture by Dr. Maylei Blackwell in the Milo Bail Student Center Nebraska Room.

The event was free, and open to the UNO community and the public.

Blackwell is an interdisciplinary scholar who teaches and conducts research at the Cesar Chavez Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles.

She specializes in gender, politics of race, indigenous women rights, Latin American feminism, and borderland studies. Her research focuses on Chicana, Mexican and Latino women.

Blackwell’s UNO presentation was based on her latest book, ¡Chicana Power! Contested Histories of Feminism in the Chicano Movement, published earlier this year by the University of Texas Press.

In the book, Blackwell retells the stories of the emergence of Chicana feminism in the student- and community-based organizations throughout southern California and the Southwest during the 1960s and 1970s.

“Dr. Blackwell speaks truth about all women who have been written out of history,” said Dr. Thomas Sanchez, OLLAS and sociology professor. “The truth is that these lives were as important to society then as they are today. Chicanas were at the vanguard of the Chicano movement and retain that position in Chicano studies.”

The Charla (which means “chat” or “conversation” in Spanish) was part of several UNO events celebrating Latino Heritage Month, sponsored by OLLAS, Student Organizations and Leadership Programs, and the Student Cultural Programming Committee.

The Sept. 20 Charla was co-sponsored by the Department of History and Women’s and Gender Studies program.

For more information, contact Yuriko Doku (402) 554-3835, or visit the OLLAS website: www.unomaha.edu/ollas.

 

Latino Heritage Month Events:

Lecture, Documentary Screening Part of Latino Heritage Month

The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) hosted three events in September to honor and celebrate Latino Heritage Month.

All events were free, and open to the campus community and the public.

Wednesday, Sept. 14 | Noon to 1 p.m., Milo Bail Student Center Nebraska Room

Unspoken Issues, a discussion featuring Dr. Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado, professor of Political Science and the Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS), and Pelema Morrice, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management in Student Affairs. Dr. Benjamin-Alvarado discussed “The Latino Political Gap.” Morrice lectured on “Personal Perspective on Hardships and Latino Heritage.” The event will be moderated by student Katherine Mac-Holmes.

Tuesday, Sept. 20 | Noon to 1:30 p.m., Milo Bail Student Center Nebraska Room

¡Chicana Power! Contested Histories of Feminism in the Chicano Movement, a lecture by Dr. Maylei Blackwell, assistant professor of Chicana/o Studies and Women’s Studies at the César E. Chávez Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies at the University of California at Los Angeles. This lecture was part of the OLLAS Charla Series and is being co-sponsored by the Department of History and the program in Women’s and Gender Studies.

Thursday, Sept. 29 | 7 to 10 p.m., Milo Bail Student Center Ballroom

Mariachi Luna y Sol from 7 to 8 p.m., followed by an 8 p.m. screening of the documentary “9500 Liberty” and a discussion moderated by Christian Espinosa, Office of Latino/Latin American Studies.

UNO’s Latino Heritage Month events were sponsored by Student Organizations and Leadership Programs, the Office of Latino/Latin American Studies and the Student Cultural Programming Committee.

OLLAS Charla Series:
"Latinos in 2010 and the Future of the U.S."
Presenter: Rogelio Saenz
Professor of Sociology at Texas A&M
Thursday, January 13, 2011
CPACS Commons (Room 132)
5:00 p.m.

To watch the video of Dr. Saenz' presentation, click here: Video Presentation: "Latinos in 2010 and the Future of the U.S."

The Spring 2011 OLLAS Charla speaker series, cosponsored by the Departments of Sociology and Anthropology and the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), kicked off at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 13 in the College of Public Affairs and Community Service Collaborating Commons (Room 132) at UNO.

Rogelio Saenz presented “Latinos in 2010 and the Future of the U.S.”

Saenz is a professor in the Department of Sociology at Texas A&M University. He is also a fellow of the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire, and he was recently selected as the new dean of the College of Public Policies at the University of Texas-San Antonio.

He has written extensively on topics related to demography, immigration, Latinos, ethnicity, race and inequality, including a co-authored article on Nebraska’s immigration and Latino population growth. Saenz is a co-editor of Latinas/os in the United States: Changing the Face of America.

“Professor Saenz is an eminent national scholar and great speaker whose visit could not be more timely,” said Lourdes Gouveia of OLLAS (the Office of Latino/Latin American Studies) at UNO. “The need for all of us to better educate ourselves about the Latino population, in all of its complexities, is of great urgency at a time like this, when so much speculation and irresponsible vitriol passes for information. The rigor of disciplines such as Sociology and Latino/Latin American Studies are critical ingredients for us to achieve this educational and public service goal.”

The Jan. 13 event was free and open to the UNO and Omaha communities.

Please check Dr. Saenz's recent publication: Population Reference Bureau: Latinos in the U.S. 2010

 

Math Education Talk
"Bridging the Language Barrier in Mathematics: Results from Action Research”
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Presenter: Dr. Matthew S. Winsor
Friday, October 29, 2010
Durham Science Center, Room 115
2:30 pm.
Cosponsored by the Mathematics Department and the Office of Latino/Latin Studies of the Great Plains.

The Mathematics Department and the Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS) at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) will host "Bridging the Language Barrier in Mathematics: Results from Action Research," by Dr. Matthew S. Winsor, at 2:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29 in Durham Science Center, Room 115, on the UNO campus.

Winsor is a former K-12 educator with experience in teaching math to Latino students in California, Texas, Iowa and Illinois. He is an assistant professor of math at Illinois State University.

Winsor's research includes teaching English Language Learner (ELL) students math and math content preparation of teachers.

Winsor's presentation will describe how action research was used to address the challenge of teaching math to ELL students. He will discuss several research-based activities that are used in the classroom, along with student reaction to these activities.

Call Michael Matthews at (402) 554-3558 for more information.

OLLAS Charla and Sociology/Anthropology Colloquium
"Communities in Migration: Looking at the Construction of International Social Solidarities"
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Presenter: Dr. Patricia Zamudio Grave
Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social (CIESAS-Golfo), Xalapa, México
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Umoho Room, MBSC
12:00 noon-1:00 pm

The Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS) and Department of Sociology/Anthropology teamed up for a Thursday, Oct. 21, "OLLAS Charla/Sociology Colloquium." Patricia Zamudio Grave was the guest presenter. She spoke on "Communities in Migration: Looking at the Construction of International Social Solidarities" at noon in the Milo Bail Student Center U mon Hon Room.

Zamudio Grave is a sociologist and professor-researcher at The Center for Research and Higher Education in Social Anthropology (CIESAS-Golfo). Her research focuses on human rights, citizenship and international migration issues. She's coordinated community projects to promote human development in rural areas in the State of Veracruz, where children, young people and women have principally participated. A passionate believer of participatory methodologies, she coordinated and facilitated, with Kay Andrade workshops on migration and development with migrant organizations in the U.S. and El Salvador. She is founding-member of International Network on Migration and Development (RIMD) and member of Foro Migraciones, from México.

For more information, contact Lucy Garza Westbrook at (402) 554.3835 or visit the OLLAS website, http://www.unomaha.edu/ollas/.

OLLAS Student Luncheon
View Event Flyer
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Thompson Alumni Center, Centennial Hall
11:00 am - 1:30 pm

Students joined the Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS) faculty and staff for an exciting event welcoming new Latino students. Students were able to meet OLLAS graduates, current LLS majors, CLS minors and Next Generation Leadership scholars at UNO.

Special guests from Conagra Foods, Wells Fargo, the Heartland Workers Center, and U.S. Department of Agriculture joined us in a conversation about educational goals, career planning and community participation.

Please contact Lucy Garza Westbrook at 554-3835 to RSVP by Monday, October 11, 2010.

OLLAS Charla Series
"Participation and Alienation in Cuba's Political Process"
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Presenter: Rodrigo González
Program Director for Girasol Study Abroad and Associate Researcher for Proyecto Espiral in Cuba.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Umoho Room, MBSC
12:00 noon

The Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS) 2010-2011 "Charla Series" ("charla" means conversation or chat) continued Tuesday, Oct. 12, with a look at life in Cuba after Fidel Castro.

Rodrigo González, Cuba program director for Girasol Study Abroad and associate researcher for Proyecto Espiral in Cuba, delivered a presentation on “Participation and Alienation in Cuba’s Political Process” at the Milo Bail Student Center U mon Hon Room. The presentation was from noon to 1:30 p.m.

"This will be a great opportunity for the UNO community to get a first hand account of the Cuban reality in 2010," said Dr. Benjamin-Alvarado, OLLAS Assistant Director.

The charla was co-sponsored with UNO's Latino/Latin American Studies, the Service Learning Academy, the College of Public Affairs and Community Service and Student Organization and Leadership Programs.

For more information, contact Lucy Garza Westbrook at 554.3835 or visit the OLLAS Web site, http://www.unomaha.edu/ollas.

OLLAS/Film Streams Cinemateca Film Series
Cinemateca 2010 Press Release
Bilingual Cinemateca Flyer
Afiche en español
August 27 - September 30
Ruth Sokolof Theater, 1340 Mike Fahey Street

Series generously sponsored by Sam Walker and Elizabeth Emlen Walker

Omaha, Nebraska—A new film series covering more than 40 years of political, cultural and cinematic history was opened on Friday (August 27) as Film Streams and the Office of Latino/Latin American Studies at the University of Nebraska-Omaha (OLLAS) presented Cinemateca 2010.

A wide-ranging celebration of Latino, Latin American and Spanish cinema, Cinemateca 2010 featured 10 films from eight different countries (Mexico, Argentina, Cuba, Spain, Uruguay, Chile, Peru, and Brazil). The series ran five weeks long (August 27 – September 30), with two films playing per week.

Each Tuesday during the series, Film Streams and OLLAS presented a special 7pm screening with a post-show discussion led by OLLAS faculty members. Attendees also had the opportunity to sample food from local restaurants at select Tuesday night shows, including screenings of SIN NOMBRE (August 31), TALK TO HER (September 14), MACHUCA (September 21) and CENTRAL STATION (September 28). Participating businesses included María Bonita, España, Perú Mucho Gusto, and Latino Restaurant. (See the following pages for a full schedule of films, dates, speakers, and restaurants).

The series is curated by Film Streams in collaboration with OLLAS faculty and staff members Lourdes Gouveia, Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado, María Arbelaez, Michael Carroll, Ramón Guerra, Steven Torres, María Elvira Villamil, Alejandra Toledo, and Andrea Domínguez, and Film Streams Board Member Betiana Simon.

Cinemateca 2010 is the second such series presented by Film Streams and OLLAS. The initial Cinemateca series took place in September 2008.

All films were presented at Film Streams’ Ruth Sokolof Theater, located at 1340 Mike Fahey (formerly Webster) Street. More information about the Cinemateca 2010 series can be found below (including films, dates, and speakers for the Tuesday night screenings). Information can also be found online at http://filmstreams.org/filmstreams_calendar.aspx?SeriesID=50

For questions or requests, please contact Casey Logan at (402) 933-0259 x 11 or casey@filmstreams.org.

Para mayor información, comuníquese con OLLAS al teléfono (402) 554-3835.

Cumbre 2010: Fourth Latino/Latin American Summit of the Great Plains
View Event Flyer
Volante en Español
May 14-15, 2010
Embassy Suites Hotel Downtown/Old Market
Omaha, NE

Cumbre 2010 was cosponsored  by the Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS), the International Network on Migration and Development (INMD), the National Association of Latin American and Caribbean Communities (NALACC) and a variety of local and national organizations.

The conference was designated as one of the meetings that was held in preparation for the 2010 IV Global Forum on Migration and Development (Mexico), and the IV World  Social Forum on Migration (Ecuador).

Cumbre 2010 provided a forum for diverse, international and local publics to engage in critical dialogues that speak to this year’s theme.  Our main objectives were to share knowledge and increase our collective capacity to inform policy and effect change. Our focus was on Latino, migrant and Latin American communities within this hemisphere and across the globe. We welcomed comparative analyses with, and experiences from, other migrant, ethnic and racial groups within and outside the United States. Read more...

Go to: Cumbre 2010 webpage

To be added to the OLLAS Cumbre 2010 mailing list contact:
unocumbre2010@mail.unomaha.edu or 402.554.3835

“I was raised talking like my mom:” The Influence of Mothers
 on the Spanish of MexiRicans
 -- A conversation about Spanish heritage speakers
View Event Flyer
Thursday, November 12, 2009
UNO Eppley Administration Building
Auditorium, Room 102
12:30 – 1:30 pm

Dr. Kim Potowski, director of the Spanish for Native Speakers program at the University of Illinois-Chicago, discussed the various kinds of Spanish spoken in America today. She has conducted a considerable amount of research about the linguistic characteristics of the Spanish language spoken by heritage speakers. In her presentation, she discussed some of the characteristics of the Spanish of one specific group of Spanish heritage speakers – MexiRican Spanish speakers – who have one parent who speaks Mexican Spanish and another who speaks Puerto Rican Spanish.
Such exposure to two different dialects of Spanish, while a child is also becoming bilingual in English, results in a language contact phenomenon that Dr. Potowski explored in her presentation.

Traditionally, the Spanish classroom has been made up of second-language learners. However, a growing number of students enrolled in Spanish courses are heritage speakers of Spanish; that is, people who were raised in a home where Spanish was spoken, who speak or understand Spanish.

This event was free and open to the public.

Co-sponsors included Wiley Publishing, the UNO Department of Foreign Languages and the Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS)

For more information, contact Dr. Saalfeld at anitasaalfeld@unomaha.edu or (402) 554-4841.

OLLAS Charla Series
Latin America & Immigration in the Obama Era
View Event Flyer
Thursday, October 15, 2009
UNO Milo Bail Student Center
Umonhon Room, 3rd Floor
4:30 pm  – 6:00 pm

The Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS) at UNO held another event in its ongoing Charla Series on Thursday, Oct. 15, with a four-person panel discussion of “Latin America and Immigration in the Obama Era.”  Charla is the Spanish term for conversation or chat.

"Today, the Americas are more connected than ever before. What happens in countries such as Venezuela, Colombia or Bolivia has repercussions in the U.S and vice versa. We hope to engage the audience in a discussion about a whole host of interesting questions, including Obama's policy toward Latin America," said Professor Maria Arbelaez, History and OLLAS faculty member.

UNO faculty members Maria Arbelaez, Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado, Claudia García and Lourdes Gouveia lead the discussion, which was free and open to the campus community and the public.

OLLAS Panel Presentation
View Event Flyer
Friday, October 2, 2009
Alumni Center, Centennial Hall
12:00 noon

What can I do with an LLS major or CLS minor?
A panel of OLLAS graduates and current students discussed how OLLAS coursework has shaped their interests in working with local & global communities. Students were invited to join this informative open discussion.

OLLAS Student Luncheon
View Event Flyer
Friday, October 2, 2009
Alumni Center, Centennial Hall
11:00 am - 1:30 pm

Students joined the Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS) faculty and staff for an exciting event welcoming new Latino students. Students were able to meet OLLAS graduates, current LLS majors, CLS minors and Next Generation Leadership scholars at UNO.

OLLAS Charla Series
Film Screening and Discussion: Made in L.A.
View Event Flyer
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Arts & Sciences Hall, Room 306
5:30 pm  – 7:10 pm

The Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS) at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) kicked off its 2009-10 Charla Series Thursday, Sept. 17, with a screening of the documentary “Made in L.A.” Immediately following the film, there was an open discussion of the film, facilitated by students from a “Migration, Race, and Globalization” seminar.

“Made in L.A.” documents a groundbreaking lawsuit and consumer boycott where three Latina garment workers fight to establish an important legal and moral precedent holding an American retailer liable for the labor conditions. The documentary provides an insider’s view into the struggles of recent immigrants and the organizing process.

The UNO community and the public were invited to attend this free event.

For more information, call (402) 554-3835. For more information on the film, visit http://www.madeinla.com/

OLLAS Charla Series:
"Success in College - It takes more than just hope"
View Event Flyer: English
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
U Mo Ho  Room
3rd Floor, UNO Milo Bail Student Center
12:00 noon  – 1:00 pm

OLLAS and Goodrich Scholarship Program faculty member Troy Romero (ABD) discussed research that investigates factors that contribute to academic success in higher education. He addressed distinctions between traditional and non-traditional students, the relationship between academic performance and social networks, and how students deal with unexpected obstacles.

Third International Colloquium on Migration and Development:
International Migration: The challenges of exclusion and inequality for citizenship in the context of globalization
December 4 - 6, 2008
National University of Costa Rica
Heredia, Costa Rica

For more than five years the Red Internacional de Migración y Desarrollo (RED)
[International Network on Migration and Development] has created spaces for interaction among researchers, migrant organizations and their communities of origin, as well as public officials and NGO’s specializing in migration.

As with previous colloquia, the program covered a variety of themes and problems related to international migration and development, as well as responses at the level of national and multilateral institutions. The main objective was to highlight the relationship between migration and social antagonisms and issues of contention that are usually glossed over or avoided in official statements on development.

Key Themes:
I. New analytic and conceptual approaches.
II. Transnational dimensions of inequality and social exclusion: problems and responses.
III. Policies, States and the World System.
IV. Key actors, subjects and citizenship in international migration.
V. Migration, social inequalities, political systems and security
VI. Culture, identity, religion and international migration.
VII. Borders, border regions and trans-border migration.

IMPORTANT DATES
June 20 - Deadline for receiving abstracts or short versions of the papers.
July 18 - Announcement of accepted papers.
October 10 - Deadline for receiving final versions of the papers.
October 31 - Publication of the papers on the International Network on Migration and Development website.

For more information visit www.migracionydesarrollo.org

OLLAS Charla Series:
La realidad de los migrantes mexicanos: De Eagle Pass a Omaha
The Reality of Mexican Migrants: From Eagle Pass to Omaha
View Event Flyer: Español English
Friday, October 10, 2008
11:30 -1:00 p.m.
MBSC, 3rd. Floor, Gallery Room

Jorge Ernesto Espejel, the Mexican Consul for Iowa and Nebraska, discussed his personal experiences as a consul in Texas and now in Omaha. The talk, titled “The Reality of Mexican Migrants:  From Eagle Pass to Omaha,” was held on Friday, October 10 from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm in the Gallery Room on the third floor of UNO’s Milo Bail Student Center.

The talk was part of the Latino Heritage Month celebrations and it was cosponsored with Cultural Awareness Programs.  The presentation was in Spanish with simultaneous English interpretation.

All community and UNO members were welcome. Refreshments were served.

For more information contact: Lucy Garza Westbrook, OLLAS Project Coordinator at 402- 554-3835.

OLLAS/Film Streams Cinemateca Film Series
View Bilingual Flyer
August 29–October 2
Ruth Sokolof Theatre, 14th and Webster Streets

Five weeks, ten films, and six different countries. Film Streams at the Ruth Sokolof Theater and the OLLAS proudly announced the lineup for their collaborative “Cinemateca” series (August 29 – October 2), the first in an ongoing partnership between the two groups. The “Cinemateca” series began Friday, August 29. A full schedule of the “Cinemateca” series could be found on the above flyer. Each week brought two new films to Film Streams’ Ruth Sokolof Theater, for a total of ten films in five weeks. The series featured weekly, post-show discussions led by OLLAS faculty members and special guests. The discussions took place each Tuesday evening at 6:30 pm and focused on a particular film in the series.

The product of two years of planning between Film Streams and OLLAS, the “Cinemateca” series was intended to showcase a variety of films representing different countries, time periods, directors, and genres, appealing to a broad and diverse audience.

Series generously sponsored by Sam Walker and Elizabeth Emlen Walker.

For more information call Lucy Garza Westbrook at 554-3835. For information on ticket pricing visit www.filmstreams.org or call (402) 933-0259.

OLLAS Charla Series:
Urban Challenges, Globalization, and Navigating a New Culture:  Lessons from a Service Learning Class in Lima, Peru -- A Presentation by UNO Students and Faculty
View Event Flyer
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
Centennial Hall, UNO’s Alumni Center (67th & Dodge)

A presentation was given by UNO students who participated in a pilot international service learning course. Nine students traveled to Lima, Peru for the Latin America Study Abroad (LLS 4950) course. Several of the students shared pictures, film, and experiences.

For more information contact Lucy Garza Westbrook at 402-554-3835.

OLLAS International Workshop on Migration and Development:
Agendas de desarrollo, movilidad humana y sociedad civil transnacional en Suramérica
View Spanish Program
April 24-25, 2008
Caracas, Venezuela

Omaha - As a member of the board and executive council of the International Network on Migration and Development, Lourdes Gouveia, director of the Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS) at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), co-organized a workshop on migration and development in Caracas, Venezuela, April 24-25, 2008.

The main objective of the workshop, the second in a series funded by the MacArthur Foundation, was to contribute to policy agendas that effectively re-link the artificially separated issues of economic development and migration.

“For too long we have failed to understand migration as an integral part of socioeconomic development and globalization processes,” Gouveia said. “Instead, especially in the United States, the ideological discourse has derailed us into looking at migration simply as a problem that needs to be solved."

She added: "We need to understand the root causes of this phenomenon, and the changes it then causes in sending and receiving communities, to best address the fact that migration is not going away in the context of globalization and development policies that lead to precarious employment and new motivations to migrate, both internally and internationally.”

Gouveia said OLLAS is honored to have been selected as one of the international cosponsors of the workshop, adding that the event brought further international prestige to the group’s work and will encourage additional OLLAS partnerships of scholars, students, and policymakers interested in this issue as well as funders to continue to support OLLAS.

OLLAS Charla Series: Immigration in America, Our Shared Values
View Event Flyer
Wednesday, April 9, 2008

A conversation with Alan Potash, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League Plains Region.

The topic of immigration and the shared value system that shapes our view of immigration in the United States was explored. The Anti-Defamation League Plains Region is committed to addressing the issues of prejudice and discrimination that affect the people of Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas, in order “to secure justice and fair treatment for all citizens.” The office provides numerous educational programs to the region, monitors and exposes racial and religious extremists, and advocates the enforcement of hate crimes legislation.

One Heart, One Community: A Dialogue on Police Reform
Monday, November 26, 2007

OLLAS, Native American Studies, and the Black Studies Department at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) co-sponsored the first of several forums to address community concerns over unwarranted police force in the Omaha metro area, particularly among communities of color.

Panelists reviewed recent events involving the Galvan-Pekas family, Reinaldo Rodriguez, and Alejo Clark. They included Willie Hamilton, of Omahans for Justice Alliance; Ben Salazar, editor of Nuestro Mundo newspaper; and Moses Brings Plenty, of the Strongheart Civil Rights Organization. UNO student organizations also supported this event.

Dia de los Muertos
View Event Flyer
Friday, November 2, 2007

OLLAS, UNO Art Gallery, and the Mexican Consulate hosted this annual event to celebrate life and remember the dead. A presentation accompanied the celebration on the history of this precolonial tradition in Mexico. Students, faculty, and community members were invited to view the altar and share a piece of genuine Day of the Dead bread and a cup of Mexican hot chocolate. This year the celebration was in honor of the indigenous populations of the Americas. A presentation by OLLAS historian, Dr. Maria Arbelaez, began at noon.

OLLAS Charla Series:
True Stories of “Illegal” Border Crossings: Narrating the Non-Nation
View Event Flyer
Friday, October 12, 2007

The first decade of the new millennium has seen a flurry of non-fiction books telling engrossing stories of undocumented immigrant crossings, deaths, and mutilations at the border. What, if anything, do these stories--often written with the gripping intensity of novels--have in common with Humanitarian Aid groups such as No Mas Muertes (No More Deaths) and Humane Borders? How might they be read as enacting various forms of ethical intervention, similar to that of Latin American testimonios in earlier decades? And how likely is such intervention to actually work?

UNO Cultural Awareness Programs, the Department of English and OLLAS hosted Dr. Caminero-Santangelo’s (University of Kansas) presentation. 

OLLAS Charla Series:
Margarito Rodriquez: A Literary Testimonio of the Midwest
View Event Flyer
Friday, September 28, 2007

Ramón Guerra examined contemporary Chicana and Chicano narratives that resist and expand established literary historiographies. His dissertation, “Literature as Witness: Testimonial Aspects of Chicano Self Identity Narratives,” investigates how Chicana/Chicano narratives provide self-historicizing perspectives. These testimonios revealed previously erased interpretations of literary history.

The UNO Department of English and OLLAS hosted Guerra, a doctoral candidate in the UNL Department of English.

OLLAS Student Luncheon
View Event Flyer
September 27, 2007

OLLAS faculty and staff welcomed new Latino students, Latino/Latin American Studies majors, and Chicano/Latino Studies minors back to the UNO campus. A brief program introducing faculty, UNO resource staff, Next Generation Leadership scholars, and student organizations followed.