Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Commons^™

El Último Viaje, Gaspar Pedro González

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

Gaspar le hizo una oferta a la revista: publicar uno de los capítulos de su último libro, Hojas de Onoño. El capítulo, titulado El Último Viaje, narra el último viaje de un anciano a la comunidad de su juventud, ubicada en el departamento de Huehuetenango, Guatemala. De forma lírica y metafórica, el autor describe cómo se desvanecen los recuerdos y la tristeza por las personas que ya no están. El poeta Daniel Caño escribió una breve reacción personal a la historia que incluimos al final de esta.

Full Issue - Maya America V7, I2, Maya America Editors

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

Full issue of Maya America, volume 7, issue 2.

Living Experiences Of Indigenous Health Practice: Belizean Maya Communities And Belize Migrants, Kristina Baines

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

Belize Maya communities, like many indigenous communities around the world, have long experienced challenges to maintaining health as they interface with an ever-expanding globalized model of development. This essay explores the relationship between traditional ecological practices and health in the context of a holistic understanding of what makes healthy bodies, healthy communities and healthy lives. Using the author’s Embodied Ecological Heritage (EEH) framework and a phenomenological lens, the essay shares how sensory experiences become embodied through everyday practice, promoting health and general wellbeing. This grounded theory, developed in and with Maya communities, helps us understand ways to consider and support …

Princesa Chnab’Jul Un Espacio Para La Mujer Maya Huehueteca Que Florece A Través Del Empoderamiento, Silvia Patricia López Juan

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

Este documento recoge la historia viva de las mujeres mayas de Huehuetenango que, a lo largo de las décadas, han representado a sus pueblos en espacios de incidencia cultural. Más que un recuento de coronas, títulos y certámenes es un homenaje a la resistencia, la dignificación y el despertar de voces que durante mucho tiempo fueron silenciadas por el racismo y la exclusión. El surgimiento del certamen de la Princesa Xinabajul no fue casual: nació en un contexto marcado por la marginación de los pueblos originarios, donde la mujer maya no fue considerada apta para ser Reina Departamental. A pesar …

Enduring The American Dream, Edward Grattan

Capstones

Martha and Rene - both Colombian nationals – have made the difficult decision to self-deport from the United States in the midst of the Trump Administration’s unprecedented immigration crackdown and deportation campaign. After working as day laborers in The Hamptons, New York for nearly eight years, the couple shares their experience of leaving their current life behind as anti-immigrant rhetoric and policy escalates across the country.

The Trump administration has transformed the landscape for immigrants living in the United States, regardless of documentation status, by eliminating paths for legal residency, charging The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency with …

A Quest For Identity, Josephine Magar

Student Scholar Symposium

In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie delves into the story of an adolescent boy growing up on an Indian reservation, wrestling with hard medical issues and the typical emotional turmoil associated with coming of age. Arnold, who goes by Junior, also faces complex issues such as racism, less-than-ideal family relationships, and identity. Alexie approaches Arnold’s experiences with humor and storytelling that can only be found in the genre of young adult literature. This paper finds Alexie’s notion of identity construction as an unstable, shifting process often shaped by the opinions of others. The structure …

Stonewall:The Spark Of Queer Culture, Mariah M. Geisler

Undergraduate Research Symposium

The rebellion classified as Stonewall didn’t birth the gay liberation movement but spread it farther than it had gone before. Stonewall challenged people’s understanding of the laws pertaining to gender expression. The history was portrayed as being a reflection of white centralism, while the reality is that the event was built off the backs of racial minorities. Through a further understanding of 1960s gay counterculture, people can better realize the reasons for Stonewall. Stonewall was the historical event that popularized the spread of gay liberation movements, it gave people hope for a more accepting future. The present still feels the …

Kalunga Crossings: Waterscapes Of Terror And "Teachment" In The African Atlantic World, Dianne M. Stewart, Tracey E. Hucks, Solimar Otero

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

In this article, we think alongside historian of religions Charles H. Long to analyze the relationship between water and empire, explore theoretical approaches to water and modernity, and probe the significance of water in Africana ecologies and spiritual cultures, highlighting its suggestive contributions to restorative epistemologies of ecological co-habitation. Our investigation advances an Africana religious framework of “waterscapes of terror and ‘teachment’” that centers diaspora bodies of water as loci for analyzing history, materiality, and ecological regard. Teachment is an anti-colonial linguistic irruption, an all-encompassing term for Africana pedagogies and epistemologies that defy antiblack and anti-African colonial instruction. Examining how …

Ethnic Studies December Newsletter, Department Of Ethnic Studies

Ethnic Studies Department Newsletters

Student spotlight, faculty spotlight, event

The Tenth Annual Report Of The American Society For Colonizing The Free People Of Colour Of The United States: With An Appendix, Tembani D. Barro Jr.

Publications and Research

The Tenth Annual Report of the American Society for Colonizing the Free People of Colour of the United States (1827) outlines the objectives, activities, and ideological foundations of the American Colonization Society during the early nineteenth century. The report details efforts to promote the relocation of free African Americans to the colony of Liberia, emphasizing arguments related to moral reform, racial coexistence, and national stability. Included financial statements, correspondence, and administrative updates document the Society’s organizational growth and political support. The appendix supplements the report with speeches and supporting documents that reflect contemporary attitudes toward race, freedom, and colonization. As …

Best Integrated Writing Fall 2025 - Complete Edition, Wright State University School Of Humanities And Cultural Studies, Tracy Smith, Kristie Mckiernan

Best Integrated Writing

Best Integrated Writing includes excellent student writing from Integrated Writing courses taught at Wright State University.

'That All May Be One’: Incarnation, Solidarity, And Anti-Racism In Jesuit Education, Yancy Hughes Dominick

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

Jesuit colleges and universities in the US have been striving to become anti-racist. This work is often tied to mission and to a shared commitment to Jesuit and Catholic values like a faith that does justice and the dignity of all persons. At the same time, however, many Jesuit institutions frame their commitment to anti-racism in language that does not appeal to specific aspects of Jesuit tradition; likewise, mission and Jesuit identity is often described in ways that make no overt reference to anti-racism. A robust anti-racism, I argue, arises necessarily out of Jesuit Catholic thought, and fully realized Jesuit …

Star Wars: Andor – An Abolitionist Study Guide, Marcelo Garzo Montalvo, Isaac Ginsberg Miller

Feminist Pedagogy

This study guide provides a set of activities for teaching abolition through Season 1 of the speculative fiction TV series Star Wars: Andor (2022). Through the practice of critical literacy (viewing, reading, and analysis), we offer various ideas on how to engage Andor as a relevant pedagogical tool for studying and teaching abolitionist movement histories and methodologies. By guiding students through a critical analysis of this widely-circulated, mainstream cultural text, we seek to activate an abolitionist pedagogical lens that can be applied across various genres and media – making tangible connections between popular culture and political struggles writ large. These …

Las Voices: The Impact On Black Young Males In A Critical Mentorship Program In The Las Vegas Valley, Sean C. Tory

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In America, Black young males face an enormous amount of pressure regarding their social and racial identity. They battle with racial macro/microaggressions, stereotypes, racism, and socialization from various industries and systems. The community organization, King of Jewels, has been able to adopt effective strategies to help Black young males navigate these issues through critical mentorship. This paper will first demonstrate the importance of critical mentorship, Black Racial Identity Development, and will then outline the steps necessary to fill the gaps found in mentorship and Black Racial Identity Development literature. This qualitative study investigates the use of critical mentorship (CM) and …

Telling Herstory: The Preparation, Perspectives, And Persistence Of Novice Black Women Principals, Dana Roseman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Being a Black Woman public school principal is an intensified, all-encompassing yet rewarding role, marked by disparities that our white counterparts are not forced to navigate. Inspired by the daily, distressed calls from novice Black Women principals seeking support in their roles and personal experience, this qualitative study employs the Sista Circle Methodology (SCM) to explore their perceptions of principal preparation programs, professional support, and persistence strategies within the first five years of appointment in a large urban school district. Framed by Black Feminist Thought (Collins, 1990), the study examines the social, gender, cultural, and experiential contexts unique to Black …

The Maroons: The First Black Nationalists Of The Americas, Marquise K. Camp

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Maroon communities are seldom discussed in academic discussions about Black nationalism. This suggests that the goals and achievements of the Maroons differed from those of Black nationalists, and that there are no significant historical links between the two. This project argues that Black nationalists and the Maroons are closely related, not only because of their shared roots in the African diaspora but also because they both sought independence and self-governance for Black people. The aims of Black nationalists like Marcus Garvey and Malcolm X closely resemble those of the Maroons. By examining the Maroons alongside Black nationalism, one can gain …

Diplomacy Derailed: Discrimination’S Detour On Route 40, Gage A. Kivlen

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The 1961 Route 40 campaign in Maryland became a critical battleground where three competing approaches to addressing racial segregation revealed deep contradictions in Cold War America. Route 40, a major highway between Washington D.C. and New York, became an international embarrassment when African diplomats from newly independent nations were repeatedly refused service at restaurants and hotels. This crisis prompted responses from three distinct actors: the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), which employed grassroots organizing and direct action; the State Department's Special Protocol Service Section (SPSS), which pursued top-down diplomatic solutions; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which conducted extensive …

A World Between Worlds: The Hidden Disconnect Of Chinese Autistic Individuals, Joy Lu

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

This paper examines the complex challenges faced by Chinese autistic individuals navigating both Western autism communities and broader Chinese cultural contexts. Drawing on personal experience, community observation, and cultural analysis, it explores how language barriers, cultural stigma, and differing values create a unique form of disconnection for the Chinese autistic community. This paper argues that current neurodiversity discourse is dominated by Western frameworks that often fail to account for this disconnect, resulting in the exclusion of entire groups. By centring Chinese perspectives, it calls for a more culturally responsive approach to autism advocacy: one that bridges linguistic, cultural, and historical …

When Writing Becomes Community: Reflections On The She Writes Circle For Racialized Graduate Students, Bahareh Razavian

Critical Internationalization Studies Review

No abstract provided.

Quien Soy Sin Mi Idioma Nativo?: The Loss Of The Spanish Language And Its Effects On Identity, Wilzaid L. Santiago-Maldonado

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

Language is a mechanism of cultural preservation. The history of language has two parts: 1. the technical aspects and 2. how it is diffused and/or becomes extinct. According to the U.S. Census Data, the Hispanic population has grown immensely over the past several decades, particularly from 1980-2020. Even so, there has been significant loss of the Spanish language. The researcher examined this phenomenon in two phases. First, 14 peer-reviewed articles published between 2008-2024 were assessed to determine emerging themes. Results showed that articles cited “the lack of knowledge/use” of Spanish and the “language/cultural dominance.” Second, the researcher conducted four focus …

Citizens Bank Of Jacksonville Statement Slips

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

Document: Statement slips from Citizens Bank of Jacksonville with handwritten notes. Undated.

R. F. Bowden, Tax Collector Payment Form

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

Document: Payment form to the order of R. F. Bowden, Tax Collector, Jacksonville, Florida. Handwritten on reverse: R. E. Kimmell. Undated.

You Are Invited To Open A Charge Account That Builds Dollars Banking Brochure

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

Brochure: The Citizens Bank of Jacksonville brochure regarding opening a charge account. Undated.

Denise Oliver-Vélez - Part 2, Mark Naison, Steven Payne

Oral Histories

Denise Oliver-Vélez not only has one of the most remarkable lives to be recorded for both the BHS and Bronx African-American History Project archives, she also possesses a beautiful spirit, simplicity, and generosity in her personality. It would be expected for a person of such prowess to sound the part and be hard to comprehend in all her sophistication. Despite deserving this podium, Oliver-Vélez’s life is a testament to the power that lies in understanding others, rather than acting above them. In finishing an exceptional interview, she makes sure to leave a piece of advice to future communities and those …

Trading Posts And "Old Pawn": Diné Navajo Trade And The Native Art Industry, Dustin Roberto

Native American Studies Student Publications

"Old pawn" is widely used to describe antique Native American jewelry and goods once pawned for credit at trading posts in the Four Corners region. This article traces how the trading post pawn system influenced Diné Navajo economic life from 1868 through the 1970s, when federal regulators documented exploitative practices such as inflated interest, withheld mail, and items sold without notice. Weavers and individuals pawning jewelry typically received store credit or overvalued commodities instead of cash, a result of the power dynamics of the setting. Today, "old pawn" functions as a marketing label for vintage goods, often without documentation. The …

Sanando La Herida Abierta: The Open-Borders Debate, Latinx Feminist Voices, And Spiritual Activism, Amely Logan

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

This thesis addresses the current discourse in philosophy—specifically, immigration ethics—that harms migrants, would-be migrants, and Latinx people in general. It proposes that these harms can be healed by taking seriously the contributions of Latinx feminists and paying special attention to spiritual activism. The thesis first introduces the open-borders debate in the philosophical literature and the harmful language and framing that affects migrant autonomy within the debate, specifically by looking at the work of Christopher Heath Wellman as a representative example. It reveals how, while border enforcement often results in literal mass casualties among immigrants, the language and framing around immigration …

King’S Wigwam: Atlanta’S Forgotten Black Summer Resort, Andrew J. Bramlett, Seneca Vaught

Symposium of Student Scholars

From 1915 to 1920, the only summer resort for Black Atlantans was King’s Wigwam, located north of the small farming community of Kennesaw. Situated on over forty acres owned by Auburn Avenue entrepreneur Cornelius King, the summer resort saw a host of notable visitors during its short five years of existence. During the 1919 season, a guest named Bertram Hamilton was falsely accused of rape in nearby Cherokee County. He was taken to the county jail as an angry mob gathered. The county sheriff, who had been part of the mob that lynched Leo Frank four years before, believed Hamilton …

Painting The Past: Trauma And Identity In The Best We Could Do, Ellie Heslon

Student Scholar Symposium

Born in Vietnam in 1975, three months after the fall of Saigon and the establishment of the communist regime, Thi Bui experienced her first few years of life in a nation wrought with crisis and confusion. Bui’s graphic memoir, The Best We Could Do, paints an intimate history of her family’s journey as refugees from Vietnam to America. She details a personal record of the traumas of displacement, concretizing a biproduct of war often overgeneralized. Through shape and color, Bui portrays a non-linear narrative of stories that are both connected and disconnected, blending where identity and heritage begin and end. …

The Evolution And Impact Of The Token Black Friend Trope In American Media, Sophie E. Rice, Kurt Milberger

Symposium of Student Scholars

Abstract

This research explores the history of the token Black friend trope in American media and how these misrepresentations continue to influence popular culture and negatively impact Black Americans. Historically, the token Black friend stereotype singles out Black characters to fill gaps in the plot through comedy, intelligence, or self-sacrifice, all while being excluded from the white protagonist’s larger narrative. The prevalence of this trope is apparent through several contemporary and classic examples, which are used to evaluate the effects of the token Black friend trope on American culture. To deconstruct these misrepresentations, this essay supplements these examples with scholarship …

Edward Lowe - Part 1, Mark Naison, Steven Payne

Oral Histories

In 1960, Lowe’s parents moved to Paulding Avenue, and they lived right next to the Fordham Rose Hill campus and the Bronx Zoo. At this time, Lowe’s mother had recently graduated from Brooklyn Law School in 1954, and was now getting her Masters in law at Columbia University. When he wasn’t bothering his mother studying, Lowe and his friends would often play around Paulding Avenue, visiting the Rose Hill campus and the Bronx Zoo. He also had a sister named Leslie and they both went to PS 59 on 183rd and Bathgate together. His family then moved to Teaneck, New …