Throughout my time at UNCO, I’ve fallen in love with a number of classes. There was GNDR240 (Gender, Race, Class, and Sexuality), which introduced me to intersectionality, the deep-seated racism in voting legislation, and the corrosive gender norms that colonialism placed on other cultures, primarily the Indigenous people of Turtle Island. In ANT313 (Anthropology of Globalization), Dr. Whitney Duncan’s instruction and assignments pushed me to consider how a globalized market and transnational politics contribute to common global narratives of progress.
Thanks to classes like these, I began to piece together a bigger picture. I approached my first Mexican American Studies class as an opportunity to fulfill my LAC history requirement while learning a bit about my own culture. What I ended up walking away with was a new major.
Chicana/o and Latinx Studies (CLAS) at UNCO are taught by professors who are passionate about their heritage and sharing the history of Chicanes and Latines in the Americas, information that has been famously kept from our communities. To some, knowledge is passed on by their lived experiences or shared from relatives. For others, it is something that’s fought for while facing misinformation, racist rhetoric, and numerous paywalls.
A Disappointing Realization
My first class as a CLAS major was with Dr. Dennis Aguirre, who unintentionally predicted the Trump administration’s revival of Nazi imagery and rhetoric to garner support for the DHS and mass deportations. It’s a common tactic that demonizes minority groups by framing them as inherently dangerous or a threat to the nation at large.
One case that exemplifies this tactic is the highly-publicized Sleepy Lagoon murder. In 1942, the body of Jose Diaz was found at the Sleepy Lagoon reservoir in Los Angeles, which led to the arrest and prosecution of 22 Mexican American men despite lack of evidence. Lieutenant Edward Duran Ayres, chief of the Foreign Relations Bureau of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s office, attempted to explain the highly-publicized murder by arguing that Mexican Americans had biologically violent tendencies.
As Dr. Aguirre said during a lecture: “Keep in mind that it’s very important to thoroughly explain Ayres main argument, which is the so-called biological basis of Mexican criminality. Keep in mind that Hitler also used a similar biological argument to justify his genocide of Jewish people.” It’s important to understand how the Latinx population was portrayed as the enemy during what’s considered a “nationally united” time period.
I’d heard of the Sleepy Lagoon murder in the past, but learning about the larger political factors like eugenics served as a turning point. From then on, I decided I needed to know more about the history of Chicanes/Latines in America. And, therefore, myself.
Making Connections
Since declaring my Latina/o & Chicane Studies major, I’ve surrounded myself with a community that emphasizes success, belonging, and support. Having taken courses with each professor within the program, I know that they’re all deeply committed to their craft, their students, and the responsibilities of being a Chicane or Latine in the United States.
I’m proud to be part of a community that prides itself on its legacy of resistance and belonging. To any students considering what major to explore or what history class to take, I encourage them to enroll in a CLAS course.