Historical/Sociological Session
The historical/sociological session featured a panel moderated by Prof. Tianna Paschel (Sociology and African American and African Diaspora Studies, UC Berkeley); and included panelists Prof. Mónica Moreno Figueroa (Sociology, Downing College at the University of Cambridge, UK), Prof. Emiko Saldívar Tanaka (Anthropology, UC Santa Barbara), and Juliana Acevedo (attorney and activist). The panel provided a critical overview of race relations in México; the 2020 Mexican census which took Afro Mexicanos into account for the first time in history; and the social movements that made this unprecedented event possible. The panel was originally held in Spanish with English interpretation. You will find the respective YouTube videos below.
Spanish Version
English Version
Cultural Session
The cultural session featured a talk and documentary screening of Beyond La Bamba by Marco Villalobos, as well as a talk by photographer Hugo Arellanes Antonio, who inaugurated three photo exhibitions that depict the lives and culture of Afro Mexicanos in Oaxaca’s Costa Chica and Ciudad de México. You’ll find links to their talks, documentary, and exhibitions below.
Spanish Version
English Version
Beyond la Bamba
A documentary on Son Jarocho and the Utrera Family by Marco Villalobos
Through the compelling story of a young musician who leaves home to follow his dreams, Mexico’s 300-year-old son jarocho tradition comes vividly to life in Beyond La Bamba. From the rural roots of Veracruz to the urban rhythms of the Midwest, a family of iconic musicians forges a new life but remains true to their music.
Despedimento, by Hugo Arellanes Antonio
Despedimento reflects on the effects climate change will have on the Afro-Mexican community in the Costa Chica, México.
Huella Negra, by Hugo Arellanes Antonio
Huella Negra pushes back against the racist, folklorized ways Afro-Mexicanos have been depicted in the mainstream, and portrays the daily lives of twelve Afro-Mexicanos in a dignified manner.
El Polvito en Tus Zapatos, by Hugo Arellanes Antonio
El Polvito en Tus Zapatos is a photo exhibit on objects that, for Hugo Arellanes Antonio, represent life in La Costa Chica, México.
Participants
Tianna Paschel, PhD
Prof. of Sociology and African American Studies
UC Berkeley
Mónica Moreno Figueroa, PhD
Prof. of Sociology
University of Cambridge, UK
Emiko Saldivar Tanaka, PhD
Prof. of Anthropology
UC Santa Barbara
Juliana Acevedo, Esq.
Lawyer and Activist
Marco Villalobos
Writer and Producer
Hugo Arellanes Antonio
Photographer and Activist
Organizers
Raymond Telles
Laura Pérez
Daniel Márquez
Abraham Ramirez
A Special Thank You To:
Monique Dascha Inciarte, Interpreter
Angela Zawadzki, Interpreter
Frida Pavlova Torres, Web Development
Saraí Montes, Fundraising and Video Editing
Stephanie Gutierrez Rios, Fundraising
Cecilia López, Fundraising
Syrhonda Calhoun, Webinar Support
Michelle Ekwueme, Webinar Support
This Event Was Co-Sponsered By
Land Acknowledgement:
We recognize that UC Berkeley sits on the territory of xučyun (Huichin), the ancestral and unceded land of the Chochenyo speaking Ohlone people, the successors of the sovereign Verona Band of Alameda County. This land was and continues to be of great importance to the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe and other familial descendants of the Verona Band.
We recognize that every member of the Berkeley community has, and continues to benefit from, the use and occupation of this land, since the institution’s founding in 1868. Consistent with our values of community, inclusion and diversity, we have a responsibility to acknowledge and make visible the university’s relationship to Native peoples. As members of the Berkeley community, it is vitally important that we not only recognize the history of the land on which we stand, but also, we recognize that the Muwekma Ohlone people are alive and flourishing members of the Berkeley and broader Bay Area communities today.