UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center

10/30/2025

Mexican culture embraces death, la muerte — sometimes with a solemn celebration, other times with a light-hearted tone.

As Día de los Mu***os approaches, this annual ritual of creating colorful altars in honor of the departed has traditionally also included satirical poetry. For Día de los Mu***os these poems are known as “calaveras” or “calaveras literarias,” which translates to “skull literature.” Calaveras are rhythmic poems that mock the dead or serve as satire to mock the living.

Among the wealth of historic collections archived at the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Library, we found this 4-page graphic illustration titled “La Vida Breve: Calaveras Mexicanas” by Mascarones, A.C., published in Coyoacán, Mexico, D.F. It includes calaveras for farmworkers, Mexican politicians, the Vietnam War, Angela Davis, Cuba, and “boricuas, negros y chicanos,” and even for the Mexican sandwich bread, bolillos.

Citation: “La Vida Breve,” Box 5, Folder 1, Devra Weber Papers (Collection 61), Chicano Studies Research Center, UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles.

Photos: UCLA CSRC
***os

10/29/2025

IN THE NEWS
Rosa María Navarro, a Latina Futures 2050 Lab Fellow and sociology PhD candidate at UC Santa Cruz, wrote an OpEd published in TIME about how the recent expansion of the H-2A agriculture guest worker program is negatively impacting across the U.S., especially in the state of Washington.

Rosa has been researching and documenting the lives of H-2A guest workers in the Pacific Northwest. Her research reveals the population of workers that is now primarily being impacted: women.

Latina Futures is spearheaded by the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center (CSRC) in collaboration with the UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute.
UCLA University of California UC Santa Cruz Social Sciences Familias Unidas por la Justicia

Agricultural workers fear being replaced by H-2A guest workers, writes Rosa Maria Navarro.

10/27/2025

Thank you to the UCLA Film & Television Archive for their attention to preserving and making accessible the public affairs program "Reflecciones" (1972-74), episodes of which were on videotape and in storage for decades at the CSRC.

Read the reflections of Marley Saldivar-Lozano. a second year UCLA student in the Master of Library and Information Science degree program with a specialization in Media Archival Studies, on her role in supporting the digitization of this historic television program by creating new descriptive metadata. Read her account on the FTVA blog: ucla.in/3JuET8G

10/22/2025

RESEARCH NEWS
Last week Latina Futures 2050 Lab, The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, and TransLatina Coalition, announced the release of two research reports : “Una Fuerza Más de Cien Mil: LBTQ Latinas in Los Angeles County” and “Experiences of Transgender and Nonbinary Immigrants in Los Angeles.”

Both reports document the lived experiences, well-being, and needs of and in Los Angeles County.

We thank all research authors, supporters, sponsors, and the beautiful community who showed up to Bar Flores in Echo Park to celebrate the launch of these in-depth, much-needed studies.

Latina Futures is spearheaded by the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center (CSRC) in collaboration with the UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute.

Photo credits: UCLA Williams Institute and Latina Futures 2050 Lab.

Access both reports:
Una Fuerza Más de Cien Mil: LBTQ Latinas in Los Angeles County: https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/lbtq-latinas-la-county/

Experiences of Transgender and Nonbinary Immigrants in Los Angeles: https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/tnb-immigrants-in-la-county/

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ Center California Latinas for Reproductive Justice Alliance for a Better Community Lindsey Horvath Assemblymember Mark Gonzalez

10/15/2025

We are proud to see California Freedom Summer, a UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center (CSRC) community-engaged research project, included in UCLA's campaign.

10/14/2025

Today! Tuesday, Oct. 14, 3-4 p.m. (PT)! Join us online!

You are invited to the UCLA Institute of American Cultures Fall Forum, featuring 2025–26 Postdoctoral Scholars and center representatives from UCLA’s four ethnic studies research centers, on Tues Oct 14, 3–4 PM (PST). This event will be on Zoom. RSVP: https://uclaea.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YIqZJl9DSQKYDfR2_visfw #/registration

10/10/2025

The UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center (CSRC) is proud to cosponsor this screening series taking place October 17-18 at the Billy Wilder Theater at the UCLA Hammer Museum. Please join us!

10/08/2025

NEW RESEARCH: Latina Equal Pay Day 2025

A new report, Latina Wage Gap Disparities Across California Counties, co-authored by Veronica Terriquez, director of the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center and co-founder of the Latina Futures 2050 Lab, focused on Latina wages in 35 California counties.

Report highlights:

· Overall, in California Latinas earn 49 cents for every dollar earned by a non-Hispanic white man.

· In wealthier counties (median household incomes are above $100,000) such as San Mateo, Santa Clara, Latinas earn just 38, 37, and 34 cents per dollar, respectively.

· In other counties (median household incomes below $100,000), such as Humboldt, Shasta, and Imperial counties, Latinas earn 80, 78, and 74 cents, respectively.

“On this Latina Equal Pay Day, it is important to drive this message: we cannot ignore existing pay gaps endured by Latinas—the largest ethnic racial group among California’s female workers,” Terriquez said. “Disparate earnings not only affect Latinas and their families, their comparatively low earnings negatively impact their communities and local economies. When it comes to quality of life, this means they have less income to pay for groceries, housing, childcare and healthcare needs.”

The report is published by the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center, which spearheads the Latina Futures 2050 Lab in collaboration with the UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute. Jonathan Ong co-authored this report with Veronica Terriquez.

Link to news release in Comments below.

University of California Justice for Migrant Women California Latino Legislative Caucus

10/06/2025

NEWS: Latina Futures 2050 Lab supports Dolores Huerta Foundation in the creation of new educational lesson plans

On Monday, Oct. 6, the Dolores Huerta Foundation released an Instructor’s Guide and educational lesson plans for elementary and high school students that incorporate and draw from the life and legacy of Dolores Huerta.

These resources are available to educators and the general public through the Foundation’s website: https://doloreshuerta.org/lesson-plans/ The California FAIR Education Act mandates instructional materials for primary and secondary school history-social science classes accurately portray the cultural and racial diversity of society, including contributions of various groups like Mexican Americans, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with disabilities, with an aim to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of history and society.

The lesson plans were developed in partnership with the Dolores Huerta Research Center for the Americas, UC Santa Cruz (UCSC) and funded by the Latina Futures 2050 Lab, a research initiative spearheaded by the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center (CSRC) in celebration of California’s Dolores Huerta Day, April 10.

The material, which includes lesson slides, handouts, and other educational resources, is organized into two age-appropriate collections that meet California state standards: Kindergarten through 8th grade and high school.

For more information: https://www.chicano.ucla.edu/about/news/latina-futures-2050-lab-supports-dolores-huerta-foundation-creation-new-educational

10/03/2025

*EVENT*

4th Annual Welcome: Rooted Together - Our Community, Our Future
Tuesday, October 14, 4-6 p.m.
UCLA Wilson Plaza

Join us for an afternoon filled with community, connection, and celebration as we give a warm bienvenida (welcome) to campus! Enjoy a live performance by Afro Latinx Connection, music by DJ Olea, a campus resource fair, and remarks from UCLA leadership, plus food and refreshments. This celebration is free and open to all, with a special invitation to UCLA undergraduate, graduate, and professional students!

Presented by the UCLA Latinx Success Center.

While this is not a ticketed event, an RSVP is strongly encouraged: https://forms.gle/2SxQoyKTvdEGQQxP8

UCLA Institute of American Cultures

10/02/2025

We are looking forward to this talk by Mario A. Gómez Zamora, a member of the 2025-26 cohort of UCLA Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellows! Join us October 15 in person or on Zoom.

Join us for conversation with Mario A. Gómez Zamora, presented by the Center for Mexican Studies:

WEAVING Q***R INDIGENOUS RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES OF RESISTANCE AND DIGNITY: Agarrándonos Hasta de lo Imposible

🗓 Wednesday, October 15, 2025
⏰ 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM (Pacific Time)
📍 Bunche Hall, Room 10383 & Online: https://ucla.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_y3fSlCe5Tb-IZ-lsAPPg4Q #/registration

Explore how q***r Indigenous methodologies challenge and reimagine research through resistance and dignity.

UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center UCLA César E. Chávez Department of Chicana/o and Central American Studies UCLA Department of Spanish and Portuguese