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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.
- A new study co-authored by Saraí Blanco Martinez found that participating in community organizing can increase civic agency and promote healing for Latina/o communities. Read full story
- Richard Flores Jardines, a senior Latina/Latino studies and political science major with a minor in minoritarian aesthetics, received second place for an undergraduate research talk at the 2026 Illinois Summer Research Symposium (ISRS). Read full story
- An interdisciplinary group of faculty members, including faculty from the Department of Latina/Latino Studies, have received a grant from the Center for Advanced Study at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to study sanctuary spaces and borderlands. Their first event is on October 8. 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.
Follow the Department of Latina/Latino Studies on social media for updates, photos, and more!
Upcoming events
Alumni Spotlight
LLS and anthropology alumna Teresa Ramos, (BA, ’04; MA, ’08; PhD, ’12), first secretary of the Illinois Department of Early Childhood
LLS and anthropology alumna Teresa Ramos (BA, ’04; MA, ’08; PhD, ’12; anthropology with a minor in Latina/Latino studies) has been named the first secretary of the Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC). Ramos is currently the first assistant deputy governor for education in Governor JB Pritzker’s office. Pending state Senate approval, Ramos will begin her new role in January and the department will be fully operational by the summer of 2026. The department combines programs currently overseen by several other state agencies including oversight and funding of preschool programs and...
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.