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What We're Fundraising For
La Tiendita Student Pantry
Since 2017, La Tiendita has been addressing food insecurity among our students by proving non-perishable food items, toiletries, household cleaning products, and more. Our donation-based pantry is completely anonymous and is located on the second floor of the Gordon-White Building.
With the rising cost of living in the Austin area, we have seen an exponential increased usage of La Tiendita. Our resources are limited and quickly depleting. This year we are asking for your help to keep La Tiendita stocked for many semester to come!
We thank you for your support.
40 for Forty
40 hours of fundraising can go a long way if your friends support you! On April 10th and 11th UT Austin launches its annual giving campaign 40 Hours for the Forty Acres, and Latino Studies is raising money for our free student pantry La Tiendita and Latino Studies as a whole. Make a donation or sign up to be a Latino Studies Ambassador and reach out to your network to find donors who are willing and able to give. There are all sorts of goodies and incentives to Ambassadors who help to get the word out! Thank you!
Become an Ambassador
Make A Donation
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Presenting MALS' new Artists-in-Residence
MALS’ birthday wishes are coming true, in duplicate! We were really only looking for ONE Artist-in-Resident and Muralist when we put out our 10th Anniversary Open Call back in September, but then we met Ernesto & Cindy Hernández, a dynamic husband-and-wife muralist team who have exceeded our expectations in every regard. Ernesto and Cindy have been chosen from among a talented pool of Austin-area artists to design and install a beautiful mural along a large swath of wall in the Latino Studies’ office space.
Commissioning a 10th anniversary mural was the brainchild of MALS Chair Karma Chávez, who felt such a visible testament would be appropriate for a Latino Studies department that, she believes, is on the precipice of being the best program of its kind in the country.
We're Celebrating a Decade of Scholarship!
Latino Studies has something muy grande to celebrate! The Department of Mexican American & Latina/o Studies (MALS) is commemorating 10 years as a thriving academic department at UT Austin. One of three units in Latino Studies, MALS passionately maintains its decade-long mission of empowering scholars with knowledge and purpose. That’s why we’ve chosen Knowledge is Power as our unifying theme for the 2024-25 academic year as we roll out an extensive line-up of events and projects this year in recognition and celebration of this auspicious 10th anniversary milestone.
One of the most exciting & visible things we have planned involves the commissioning of a fabulous expansive artistic mural on the walls of the Latino Studies office space. The MALS Mural Masterpiece will stand as a testament to our continued dedication and important presence on the UT campus. Stay up-to-date with the mural developments and all upcoming MALS 10-year anniversary events and celebrations by checking the Events + News tab on our website.
Photo Credit.
Ernesto and Cindy Hernández with their "Taking Flight" mural at Mueller's Branch Park Pavilion.
“I’ve always felt that it’s important for us to figure out ways to bring art into the center of what we do. I really wanted something to put an imprint on this important moment of us reaching 10 years amid a political climate that is very challenging," said Dr. Chávez.
Dr. Chávez considers it a bonus that the winning muralist applicant turned out to be a husband-and-wife team. "I love the fact that we'll get multiple perspectives based on gender. One of the things that is really cool about them is that they're going to really reflect about what is unique about our program, which is that it's embedded in thinking about the diversity within the community and not just having everyone fall in line and be the same thing."
Onyx and Xyon helping their parents measure the Latino Studies' office wall space before painting begins.
Cindy and Ernesto have been creating murals together for three years, and they describe their collaborative process as dynamic and fluid. “We are an ever-evolving artist team. We learn from each other and find inspiration in each other's art. As soon as we have an idea we get to share it with each other, which keeps us in a continual creative space.”
The Hernández family came to Latino Studies recently to measure the wall space where the mural will make its home come January 2025, and we were able to meet their twins, Onyx and Xyon. Cindy and Ernesto make a point to involve their kids and anyone else who is interested in helping to paint and install their murals.
“We feel that when the community gets to help paint, they feel a part of the process and have a sense of belonging. We especially enjoy watching how those that don’t consider themselves artists are so proud and joyful.”
Be Part of the Celebration
Ernesto and Cindy extend an invitation to any interested UT students to come and help them paint the mural at the start of January 2025 semester. Sound like your jam? Enter your name into the lottery by December 13th.
We can’t wait to see the design our Artists-in-Residence create for us! We'll be documenting the whole process here on our website and on our social media channels, so stay tuned for updates!
Left to right: Ernesto, Onyx, Xyon, Cindy, and Karma
Students at our Pop-up Pachanga in 2019.
Three Units. One Mission.
Latino Studies is a powerhouse of Latino thought and advocacy at The University of Texas at Austin, fearlessly upholding the mission of ethnic studies by creating space to explore and understand the lives of Latinos in the U.S. while using our knowledge and resources to support Latino communities everywhere. Since 1970, we’ve grown from a student initiative calling for courses on Mexican American topics to a substantial organization of recognized stature encompassing three program units: as the oldest unit, the Center for Mexican American Studies (CMAS) builds on its legacy of collective action by connecting our students to the Austin community through outreach and public events. The Department of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies (MALS) offers a full spectrum of interdisciplinary courses that challenge traditional narratives through emboldened scholarship. The newest of our units, the Latino Research Institute generates data and research that is vital to sustaining healthy, productive and just environments for Latinos, working closely with policy makers, activists, and other community partners to turn research on topics like immigration, women’s and mental health, and education into practice. Together as Latino Studies, all three units are fiercely committed to the empowerment of students, scholars, and communities for the purpose of realizing a just and affirmative future for all.
Visit the other units in Latino Studies
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210 W. 24th Street
GWB 2.102, F9200
Austin, TX 78712
Phone: 512-471-4557
Fax: 512-471-9639
Email: latinostudies@austin.utexas.edu