Activists from within and outside the university came together April 19 to discuss relations among African Americans and Latinos.
The afternoon symposium, followed by a reception, was designed to foster discussion about relations outside the glare of a crisis situation, said participant Aida Hurtado, a professor of psychology at UCSC.
Hurtado was joined by eight others, including John Brown Childs, professor of sociology; Paul Ortiz, associate professor of community studies; Hardy Frye, professor of African American Studies at UC Berkeley; Nane Alejandrez, executive director of Barrios Unidos; Santiago Casal, cofounder of United in Action; UCSC student Kana Carlisle; and artist Mica Valdez.
The goal of the symposium was to provide a setting in which activists and scholars could share information and their experiences with what Childs calls "transcommunal cooperation."
The symposium also marked the opening of an art exhibition that will run through April 26 at Merrill College's Casa Latina. The exhibit, "Black and Brown Visions," features work by Valdez, Sven(7), Luis Marroquin, and others.
