Teachers Share Latinx Stories – Daily Trojan

In honor of Latinx Heritage Month, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and the Center for Latin American and Latinx Studies hosted Latinx Stories of Los Angeles on Wednesday. At the Facebook Live event, three speakers – Distinguished Professor of American Studies and Ethnicity Natalia Molina, Professor of Sociology Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo and Professor of American Studies and Ethnicity and History George J Sánchez – gathered for a discussion moderated by Associate Professor of American Studies Studies and Ethnicity Juan de Lara on their respective books chronicling the history of different Latinx communities in Los Angeles, from Echo Park to Central LA to Watts to South Central.

“Place-making at Nayarit: How a Los Angeles Mexican Restaurant Nurtured Its Community” by Molina focuses on the role of a Mexican restaurant in supporting the local community in Echo Park and providing space for Mexican immigrants – who were generally seen as “invisible” city workers – to regain their voice and find a place of belonging. “Boyle Heights: How a Los Angeles Neighborhood Became the Future of American Democracy” by Sánchez traces the neighborhood’s history, starting at the turn of the 20th century and spanning decades in Boyle Heights’ journey to from a multiracial and ethnic area populated by Japanese, Jews, African Americans and other groups to a community reconfigured by an influx of undocumented immigrants and the departure of other groups.

A rapidly changing Los Angeles neighborhood was also at the center of Hondagneu-Sotelo’s book “South Central Dreams”, co-authored with distinguished professor of sociology and American studies and ethnicity Manuel Pastor. “South Central Dreams” explores how a historically significant African-American neighborhood has transformed into a predominantly Latin American community over the past 40 to 50 years and the implications of such a transformation for the daily lives of residents.

After the presentations, the speakers engaged in a conversation about the changing nature of “Latinidad,” or what it means to be Latinx, fueled by the interactions and connections between Latinx and other racial groups in the communities.

Hondagneu-Sotelo shared an excerpt from the history of South Central. During the 1980s and 1990s, residents of neighborhoods such as Watts faced job losses, deindustrialization and street violence, and black families, especially those who could afford it, struggled with it. moved to the suburbs. Meanwhile, first-generation Mexicans and Central Americans have settled in the area for its affordable housing and proximity to employment. In a similar vein, Sánchez reflected on the parallels between Boyle Heights and South Central in the gradual process of integration between Latinx and other ethnic and racial groups and how he shaped the Latinx experience and identity in Boyle Heights. First-generation immigrants to Boyle Heights in the early 1900s also often stayed away from other racial groups, Sánchez said. Trade unions and the school system have become essential in bringing together and bonding people of different races.

“That didn’t mean Boyle Heights hadn’t been through some very rough times,” Sánchez said. “The periods I spoke of [were] Repatriation of Mexicans followed by internment of Americans of Japanese origin during World War II. People watch what happens to their neighbors [and] to their classmates, and they end up with a civil rights tradition emerging in Boyle Heights.

The speakers also shared their thoughts on the place of their works in Latinx history and scholarship, and their impacts on understanding the complex landscape of LA. Sánchez said their books all portray LA as a Latinx city and explore Latinx experiences where changing communities welcome new residents to their neighborhoods, a perspective that differs from those of the past.

Molina added that their books also explore LA as a racialized city. Examining the similarities between the Latinx experience and the experiences of other racial and ethnic groups in Los Angeles is one way to bring the different groups together on common causes.

“To me, the message of these three books is a message of hope,” Molina said. “We may have different racial and ethnic experiences, but we understand that there are commonalities in terms of access to health care, access to education, how we are experiencing the pandemic. This is a very important time to have this message of hope and common cause, as we see the inequalities that the pandemic has brought to the fore completely, as we go to elect a new mayor, as we have just finished. go for a reminder. “

Given that the Latinx communities occupy a strong position in terms of population in Los Angeles and, therefore, great political power as well, Pastor – who replaced Hondagneu-Sotelo in the middle of the event – stressed the importance multiracial organization and city-wide coalitions in the future. Pastor said the Black and Brown organization seeks to find common ground on common issues and link up with larger progressive movements. Black organizers and community members in South Central rely not only on black votes, but also worker and Latinx votes. Likewise, Latinx politicians carefully examine their relationship to the black political establishment and organizational efforts.

“Latinos in southern LA have developed the ability to form face-to-face, neighbor-to-neighbor coalitions just like blacks in southern LA,” said Pastor. “It’s an important skill that we need across the city. “

The event concluded with De Lara expressing his gratitude for the accomplished Latinx scholars at USC working on issues that cut across disciplines. De Lara also encouraged the public to read the books presented in the afternoon.

In a separate interview, Molina spoke about what she hopes event attendees will take away from the conversation.

“I hope people have a more informed and diverse sense of what it means to be Latino,” Molina said. “In the mainstream media we see Latinos as workers, maybe just immigrants, and don’t really see their lives. I think these books give you a rich history of how Latinos have been an integral part of what it means to be a good neighbor, what it means to protest, what it means to shape democracy, what it means to participate in politics.