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Community Resources
We've put together a list of campus, local, and national resources on harassment and discrimination, immigration, and wellness to support our community.
- This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Department of Latina/Latino Studies. We caught up with former professor Alejandro Lugo, who was there at the beginning in 1996 and played a significant role in the formation of the program. We asked him to share his favorite memories, reflect on the importance of the anniversary and tell us about what he's working on now. Read his interview. Read full story
- More than 450 people joined a 1992 protest demanding greater institutional support for Latina/o students. Their activism helped create the Department of Latina/Latino Studies, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2026. Read full story
- She'll serve as vice president from 2027-28, before serving as president in 2029-30. She currently serves on the executive committee of the association as an at-large representative. Read full story
Video
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Why Study Latina/Latino Studies?
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Why Study Latina/Latino Studies?
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Professor Mirelsie Velázquez shares the value of the major, favorite spots in Champaign-Urbana, and why the Latina/Latino studies department is the best kept secret on campus in an interview with the College of LAS.
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Alumni Spotlight
Antonio Ortega ’14 – Instructional Technologist, School of Professional Studies, Northwestern University
Being a first-generation college student, I remember electing Latina/Latino Studies 100 as one of my initial courses during my first fall semester at the University of Illinois. I was so enthralled by what I was learning. The history of the Latino/Latina population in the United States. Subjects and topics that were never discussed in my elementary and high school history classes. The history of “mi gente.” I was so fascinated that I chose Latino/Latina Studies as my second major to go along with my History major.
I became an elementary school teacher in the South side of Chicago and took...
Faculty Spotlight
Elena Guzman
Elena Guzman is an Afro-Boricua documentary filmmaker, educator, and anthropologist. She is currently writing her book manuscript tentatively titled, "Chimera Geographies: Spiritual Borderland Performances of the Afro-Caribbean," which focuses on the way Black women and non-binary people throughout the African diaspora use ritual performance in African diaspora religions.