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Conference to address Mexican-American issues
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Ten years ago, Boise State University inaugurated a biennial Mexican American Studies Conference. Our 2003 conference, March 11-12, will once again offer all Idahoans invaluable opportunities for learning, entertainment and for the positive development of our communities and our state.
Through lectures, panel discussions and workshops, through theater, art, dance and music, an improved understanding and appreciation of the struggles, trials and triumphs of North America’s Hispanic communities will be available.
Such an understanding and such an appreciation will be required of us all in the years to come.
Idaho’s Hispanic population has doubled since the 1990 census. This year, Hispanics became the most populous minority group in the United States.
In its current session, our state representatives are confronting legislation declaring English as the official language of Idaho, and they failed to permit immigrants to obtain a driver’s license without a valid Social Security card (denying many immigrants, even some here legally, that right). At the same time, the Department of Education is attempting to enhance educational standards, but wondering how to successfully incorporate the estimated 20,000 Limited English Proficiency youth, mostly Hispanic, into this process.
The theme of this year’s conference is “La Raza: Identity and Resistance through the Arts.” Along with presentations on education, health, human rights and other topics, Boise State University faculty and community scholars from around the state will be examining how Mexican American life is sustained through the arts. In addition, Boise State University will be proud to host a number of distinguished guests.
Undocumented immigration from Mexico is both a state and national issue. One of our featured speakers, Professor Jorge Durand from the Universidad de Guadalajara, is a leading expert on immigration from Mexico. Co-author of Beyond Smoke and Mirrors, Durand’s work dispels the myths and stereotypes many of us continue to hold about undocumented Mexican immigrants.
As Dr. Durand and his colleges conducted interviews with Mexican American migrants, they collected retablos created by these immigrants. These retablos are small painting on tin dedicated to the Virgin of San Juan de los Lagos. Each was left at a religious shrine in Mexico to commemorate a miraculous event that occurred in the course of a migration to the U.S. Their inspiring collection will be on exhibit at the conference.
Our keynote speaker, Luis Rodriquez, is one of the most important Chicano writers of our day. His Always Running: La Vida Loca is a modern classic. His new book of short stories, The Republic of East L.A., is receiving rave reviews. His works of memoir, poetry and children’s literature have received numerous prestigious awards. A brilliant author, Rodriguez is also an engaging public speaker. His presentations Tuesday night and Wednesday morning promise unforgettable windows into his Chicano experience.
A highlight of our last conference was a play produced and performed by the members of Organizaci