#lmsp

My time in the Smithsonian Latino Center’s Latino Museum Studies Program (LMSP) was one of the most significant experiences I have had in my doctoral studies. As a graduate student, a great deal of the work I must accomplish – research, reading, writing – is often done on an individual level, which can induce a state of isolation at times. Despite the archival-focused nature of most history dissertations, my study into the development of Spanish-language media in Los Angeles requires me to look beyond the limited institutional archival holdings that relate to this topic and instead engage persons involved with these media outlets as well as to look for a variety of objects that can help me piece together the story I am trying to retell.

Building upon the skills I have honed during my graduate program, the LMSP has allowed me to not only engage with the material objects and archival holdings related to Spanish-language broadcasting held at the National Museum of American History (NMAH) but to also build strong connections with distinguished historians and NMAH curators Kathleen Franz and Mireya Loza. Working with Drs. Franz and Loza I have broadened my understanding of what I am researching by exploring the different archival objects they have collected for the NMAH’s “Spanish-Language Broadcasting Collection” which covers a wide range of topics, personalities, and communities ranging from the humble origins of Spanish-language television at KCOR-TV (later KWEX-TV) in San Antonio, Texas (one of the precursors for the Univision media leviathan) to the personal recollections of Puerto Rican theater, movie, and telenovela actress Gilda Mirós. In this point in my research I have become aware of the dearth and difficulty of finding extant primary documents from Spanish-language television and radio stations from the early years of these industries. The ephemeral nature of broadcast media also complicates the ability of researchers to reconstruct historical narratives and provide analysis on these broadcasts’ contents. Through their resources at NMAH, Drs. Franz and Loza have made important strides in gathering a growing collection of oral histories and artifacts pertinent to the story of la televisión en español en los Estados Unidos.

During the summer I wrote finding aids for items within this collection, including one for Ms. Miros and another for the popular 1985 Telemundo telenovela Tainairí. Part of my responsibilities also included transcribing an oral history interview with an important figure in the early history of KMEX-TV Channel 34, the first Spanish-language TV station in Los Angeles. Working with these documents and objects is exciting because they are pieces of a greater narrative that still must be retold and studied by scholars. In the case of Gilda Miros’s career, it is exciting to historicize her trajectory as a Puerto Riqueña in telenovelas, journalism, the stage and even the big screen in her appearances in Nuyorican and Mexican films in the 1960s (the latter of which included appearances in films from the waning years of Mexican Cinema’s golden age with her role in the 1967 movie El Santo Contra la Invasión de los Marcianos (El Santo vs. The Martian Invasion). In my work with Tainairí I consulted NMAH’s growing collection on documents related to Telemundo to describe this successful 1985 telenovela produced in the network’s founding station, WKAQ-TV in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Starring Von Marie Mendez and Juan Ferrara in a series produced by Diomara Ulloa and directed by playwright Dean Zayas, Tainairí is a historical fiction telenovela which explored the struggle for abolition in late colonial Puerto Rico and examined race, gender, sexuality, and class. Tainairí is memorable as well for being one of the last great telenovelas produced by Telemundo before the rise of the network on the continental U.S. after 1987 and the ascendancy of the Miami affiliate WSCV-TV in novela production.

Beyond helping me see the larger picture of the dissertation project I am grappling with, Drs. Franz and Loza provided me with a great deal of career advice in how to enhance my scholarly career in these early stages. The enormous contribution LMSP has thus far provided to my career is also highlighted in the numerous professional relationships this experience has allowed me within NMAH and the different branches of the Smithsonian Institution. As a former high school teacher, one of my biggest motivations as a graduate student is to develop a way of linking my passion for history and learning with the larger public and leaving an educational impact on it. The public history/curatorial aspects of the LMSP curriculum has shown me some ways in which I can engage with the public at large and make scholarly work relevant. From building new professional relationships, to new friendships with other talented up-and-coming scholars, to living in such a culturally-vibrant and historically-rich city like Washington, D.C., the Latino Museum Studies Program has left an indelible mark on my long-term trajectory as a scholar and as an individual.

From left to right: Dr. Mireya Loza and Dr. Kathleen Franz of the National Museum of American History and Verónica Méndez (a fellow LMSP scholar) and myself observe a poster-size publicity advertisement in Variety magazine demonstrating the expansion of the Spanish International Network, SIN (the precursor to Univision) as of 1976. Photograph courtesy Hannah Gutierrez.

Following Dr. Kathleen Franz’s guidance on best practices for object handling, I inspect a pair of sneakers donated by Dunia Elvir, a Honduran American anchor at Telemundo 52 KVEA-TV in Los Angeles, California. Dunia’s sneakers feature a hand-drawn toucan bird, the Honduran flag, and a small Telemundo 52 logo, all crafted by one of Dunia’s fans.

A close-up of me inspecting one of the sneakers given to Telemundo 52 KVEA-TV (Los Angeles) anchor Dunia Elvir by a devoted viewer. In addition to learning about the provenance of the material objects held in NMAH’s Spanish Language Broadcast Collection, I learned about the proper method of handling these and other material objects so that they may not wear out over time and thus be available to future scholars.

¡Hola gente! Thank you for taking the time to check out my #LMSP2017 #fellowtakeover blog post where I will share my experiences as a Latino Museum Studies Program Fellow at the National Museum of American History (NMAH).

Véronica Méndez standing in the Many Voices, One Nation exhibit in the National Museum of American History.  (Photo by Rudy Mondragón) I’d like to start by introducing myself.  My name is Véronica A. Méndez and I am a Ph.D. candidate and mama scholar in the Department of History at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I was born in México and grew up in San Antonio, Texas (Go Spurs Go!). My doctoral research lies at the intersection of Borderlands Studies, Chicana/o Studies, Latin American and U.S. History.  Broadly, my dissertation interrogates how Tejanas, (women of Spanish-Mexican origin) experienced and influenced the course of empire and nation-state formation during the nineteenth century in San Antonio, Texas, across Spanish, Mexican, and Anglo-Texan rule.

Dr. Mireya Loza, project lead of Documenting Spanish-Language Television, and Véronica Méndez, 2017 LMSP fellow. (Photo by Carlos Parra)

Under the direction of Dr. Mireya Loza, and in collaboration with Dr. Katherine Franz, from the Division of Work and Industry at the National Museum of American History, I am working on a project titled ¡Escuchame!: the History of Spanish Language Broadcasting in the U.S. My primary role is processing oral histories related to the development and rise of Spanish language television. The oral histories collected document the experiences of producers, reporters, chief engineers, writers, camerawomen, anchors, and set designers across six Spanish television networks: KMEX (Los Angles), KVEA (Los Angeles), SIN, WKAQ (San Juan), WNJU (New Jersey and New York), and WSCV (Miami). Together, these oral histories provide an in-depth historical perspective as new broadcasting technologies offer new and far-reaching avenues for the Latina/o communities to represent themselves and claim space within the larger fabric of the nation.

Weekly meeting at the NMAH. From left to right: Dr. Mireya Loza, Dr. Kathleen Franz, 2017 LMSP fellows Véronica Méndez and Carlos Parra. (Photo by Hannah Gutiérrez) Currently, my research focuses on the life and career of Gilda Miros, a Puerto Rican born, Nuyorican identified, author, theater and screen actress and television and radio broadcaster.  Miros immigrated from Santurce, Puerto Rico to the Bronx in New York City as a small child; she later relocated to Mexico City to pursue an acting career and eventually becoming a radio and television broadcaster for SIN, WAPA, WXTV, Telemundo, WADO, JIT, and SBS. Miros’s oral history helps us understand issues of representation in media and television, along the lines of race, gender, and class, ethnicity, and nation, as well as the transnational networks that informed the development of Spanish-language broadcasting.

Handling Gilda Miros material at the National Museum of American History. These particular items document Miros travels to Vietnam as a presenter with the USO during the Vietnam War.   A Puerto Rican serviceman gifted the green army hat to Miros. (Photo by Carlos Parra)

In addition to processing oral histories, I have received training in best practices for handling and processing objects acquired for the collection. These items will be utilized for an upcoming exhibit. The Smithsonian Archive Center at the National Museum of American History also houses the Spanish Language Broadcasting Collection, 1963-2015. This collection includes photographs, film stills, design plans, ratings statistics, programming, advertising, and programming for WNJU, WKAQ as well as material documenting Gilda Miros work as an actress, model, radio announcer and television talk show. Together, these objects capture significant moments in history and help frame the narrative on Spanish Language Television. 

Jenarae Alaniz, Museum Specialist in the Division of Work and Industry, and Véronica Méndez looking through recently processed ¡Escuchame! objects at the National Museum of American History. (Photo by Rudy Mondragón)

Handling a large collection press badges belonging to Cuban-American journalist José Díaz-Balart. (Photo by Rudy Mondragón)

I am excited to be a 2017 Latino Museum Studies Program fellow and contribute to the ¡Escuchame! project. The history of Spanish-language media serves as a rich archive for documenting the hopes and anxieties of a growing Latina/o community, across time, as well as underscoring the rich diversity that defines it.

¡Saludos a todxs! My name is Christina Azahar, a half Salvadoran/half gringa, born and raised in Georgia. I am currently a Ph.D. Candidate in Ethnomusicology at the University of California, Berkeley. Thank you for reading through my #FellowTakeover to learn more about my #LMSP2017 experience!

As an ethnomusicologist, I’m broadly interested in how music functions as a form of community-making, and how it can sustain movements toward social justice. My dissertation research, titled “Noisy Women, Imagined Spaces: Gender, Mobility, and Sound in Chile’s Popular Music Scenes,” examines how contemporary Chilean women artists like Ana Tijoux and Pascuala Ilabaca use sound as a way to navigate the physical and figurative spaces of post-dictatorship Chile. I also have also written on protest song during El Salvador’s civil war, and have a passion for teaching music in the U.S. Civil Rights era. 

So, what brings me to the Latino Museum Studies Program? In 2013 I interned at Smithsonian Folkways Recordings under curator Daniel Sheehy to gain firsthand experience conducting album research and promotion. After seeing the range of ways music fit into exhibits and programs across the institution, I wanted to find a way to develop my research skills while also gaining experience in museum outreach and education. This is what led me to apply for the Latino Museum Studies Program practicum at SITES, the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.

Christina Azahar with Practicum Lead, Maria del Carmen Cossu, outside the SITES office. Photo by Andrew Holik.

SITES functions as an exhibit ambassador for the Smithsonian outside of Washington D.C., so the office’s primary role is to travel exhibits to community centers, museums, college campuses, and other venues around the country. More than a collection of objects or banners, these traveling exhibits are meant to serve as catalysts in each community for public programming, outreach, and educational activities. 

My practicum lead, Maria del Carmen Cossu, is the Project Director for Latino Initiatives at SITES. Her role involves developing exhibitions that further an understanding of the U.S. Latino experience, creating culturally sensitive community engagement and educational resources to be circulated with the exhibits, and (lucky for me!) mentoring emerging Latinx professionals in museum studies. 

One of the things I’ve enjoyed most about my SITES practicum has been seeing how this office collaborates with staff and curators from across the Smithsonian. From going to off-site storage units to prepare banners for shipping, to sitting in on project proposal meetings with staff from the National Museum of American History, in my four weeks here I’ve come to understand how different Latino traveling exhibits come together from start to finish.

Christina speaking with SITES registrar Josette Cole about designing, fabricating, and shipping exhibits to venues around the country. The banners we prepped here were from the exhibition “Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program, 1942-1964,” which has been traveling for nearly ten years. Photo by Maria del Carmen Cossu.

Christina sitting in on a meeting with curator Margaret Salazar-Porcio and a team from the National Museum of American History to discuss the proposal for a potential new exhibit, “Latinos in Baseball.” Photo by Maria del Carmen Cossu.  

The main SITES exhibit I’ve worked on this summer is “Dolores Huerta: Revolution in the Fields/Revolución en los Campos,” an adaptation of the exhibit “One Life: Dolores Huerta” curated by Dr. Taína Caragol at the National Portrait Gallery. One of the main goals for the summer was to develop a new traveling exhibit script and create a storyboard for interviews with Dolores to be included as an AV addition to the text and images. In the script and AV footage, we wanted to provide an intimate look at Dolores’s personal life while also celebrating her role as an organizer of the California Farmworkers movement, and contextualizing her work within the broader civil rights movements occurring in the 1960s.  

There’s so much to tell about Dolores Huerta’s history and the history of the Farmworkers movement which can’t fit into a single banner exhibit, so I also worked to develop educational activities and community outreach topics which would be published as resources to complement the exhibition. One deliverable was a lesson plan on protest song and cultural revival in the Farmworkers movement in which students learn how Chicano music became a tool for organizing strikes and promoting union activity. I also proposed that SITES draw on the history of Filipino and Chicano collaboration in the movement to create outreach materials which will spark conversations acknowledging the history and potential of inter-racial solidarity and political organizing across the country.  

As I wrap up my time at the Smithsonian, I realize on the one hand that I’m hugely inspired by the cutting-edge exhibitions and programming being done here to support Latinx culture and community. I mean, the Smithsonian has a “Latinx Digital Curator” position? That’s amazing! On the other hand, I’m hugely overwhelmed by the immense challenges of sharing Latinx stories with broader audiences without eliminating voices or diminishing experiences of struggle. Rather than attempt to reconcile these complex issues now though, I look forward to staying in touch with the brilliant Latinx scholars, activists, and cultural workers I’ve met here to continue imagining new ways of serving our communities, and celebrating our art in all its many forms.

I cannot express how influential the Latino Museum Studies Program has been in my life since my participation in the Summer of 2015. This was a time of transition and change in my professional life. Prior to becoming a Latino Museum Studies fellow for the Smithsonian Latino Center, I had accepted a new position at Holocaust Museum Houston as Associate Director of Education Spanish Outreach and Latin American Initiatives. Audience engagement and public programming were the main components of my role at the museum. I took this into consideration when choosing my practicum during the five-week long fellowship. Being new to the museum world, I chose a department that would develop my skills as a researcher and as an educator.

My experience during the fellowship was empowering and eye-opening, especially when coming from a background in Education and Labor History. I was ecstatic when I learned that we were going to view the One Life: Dolores Huerta exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery and have a behind the scenes view of how the exhibit had been curated. It was a privilege to be so close to the objects that had been only been images in a book or film to me. This was one of the experiences prior to beginning my LMSP practicum that motivated me to learn more about inclusive exhibitions in institutions.

(Photo: Michelle Tovar during her LMSP fellowship in 2015, viewing the Dolores Huerta exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery) Working with my mentor, Maria de Carmen Cossu, Project Director for Latino Initiatives at the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Services (SITES), was engaging and incredibly insightful. Not only did I learn the ins and outs of SITES project development, but it was amazing to connect with a fellow Latina and learn about Maria’s Peruvian background and history at the Smithsonian. Her practice in museum studies and research provided me with the knowledge I needed during the practicum. My work focused on the traveling exhibition, Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program 1942-1965, in which I worked with institutions across the country to learn about how they had engaged with their communities. In my study, I learned about the impact of the bilingual texted exhibits on audiences and how public programming was essential in creating opportunities for engagement.

(Photo: NMAH Associate Curator Stephen Velasquez speaking with HMH docent group.) Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program 1942-1965 became the main project of my work at SITES and I was able to learn, with Maria’s guidance along with Josette Cole and Katherine Krile, what SITES entailed. Upon returning to Houston, Texas, I decided that Bittersweet Harvest needed to be held at Holocaust Museum Houston. Maria and her team made it possible and in December 2016 we displayed our first bilingual Spanish/English exhibition at Holocaust Museum Houston. This exhibition provided me with the opportunity to create inclusive public programming that focused on Latino/a History and Labor History in the United States. Scholars such as NMAH Associate Curator Stephen Velasquez, Dr. David Romo, Dr. Lori Flores, and LMSP alumna and NMAH Curator Dr. Mireya Loza, provided a new lens in history for our Houston audience. The exhibition was able to reach 19,900 students during school tours and the 7 public programs brought in as many as 400 attendees in the 5 months that we had the exhibit on display.

What I appreciated the most was the feedback we received from our guests:

“This is a part of history that I had never been exposed to in my 41 years of life as a Texan. Thanks for working to share it.”

“Please bring more of this history to Houston, Texas. Never forget our cultural and historical stories.” These comments and the many other stories that we were able to collect in our local Bracero oral history project were examples of how important it is to create a space for cultural experience. Exhibitions that include narratives that reflect the community provide a space for inclusiveness that is beneficial to all.

(Photo: Michelle Tovar and Dolores Huerta, Houston, Texas. Photo by Ricardo Garcia) Recently, I learned that SITES has been developing a traveling exhibition of the National Portrait Gallery’s One Life: Dolores Huerta exhibition and hope that it can be displayed at Holocaust Museum Houston in the future. I had the honor of meeting Dolores Huerta at the Second Annual Houston Latino Film Festival during a screening of the documentary film based on her, Dolores. In the brief moment I had with her, I mentioned my LMSP experience and praised her efforts in bringing the Latinx experience to the Smithsonian. I am forever grateful to everyone at the Smithsonian Latino Center for providing us with once in a lifetime opportunities and for the bonds that were created during the fellowship.

Hello everyone! Thanks for making time out of your day to check out my #LMSP2017 #Fellowtakeover! In this post, I share a little bit about myself and my experience as a Latino Museum Studies Program (LMSP) fellow!

My name is Ismael Illescas and I am a doctoral student in the department of Latin American and Latino Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz. I was born in Ecuador but grew up in the working class neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles. I am passionately interested in identity formation and how interethnic and interracial solidarities are forged through the use of expressive cultures, particularly graffiti and street art. My doctoral research examines how the creative self-activity of working class youth who produce graffiti and street art offers us an alternative form of social belonging grounded in unconventional and democratic ways of conceptualizing and using public space in an era marked by the relentless privatization of space.

As an LMSP fellow, I have the great opportunity of working with Melissa Carrillo, the Director of New Media and Technology, at the Smithsonian Latino Center (SLC) on the practicum titled “Latinos in the 21st Century: A Digital Experience for All.” This project is an innovative and ongoing initiative that utilizes a multi-platform museum model for representing and accessing the immense amount of Latino collections and educational resources with an emphasis on digital storytelling. This digitally-centered initiative draws from existing content from the Smithsonian Latino Virtual Museum, SLC public programs, exhibitions and educational products and outreach as well as Latino/a related content and materials located across Smithsonian museums. As such, it operates and is situated within a larger Smithsonian-wide digital framework.

The New Media and Technology Director, Melissa Carrillo, and Ismael Illescas in front of a canvas in homage to Don Tosti’s “Pachuco Boogie” at the Smithsonian Latino Center. Photo Courtesy of Jose Ralat-Reyes.

My participation in this practicum includes digitally curating content for the Mobile App Project as a way to expand the SLC’s presence online through testing visitor engagement in preparation for the Latino Gallery. Specifically, I engage in researching the Smithsonian collections and exhibition database while also providing support with the rapid prototyping of ideas through mini workshops. One of my main tasks includes researching the vast collections across the Smithsonian museums online in order to locate assets that pertain to Latino/a art, culture, and history that can be leveraged and included in the Mobile App.

Ismael Illescas engaging with user interaction technology at the National Museum of African American History and Culture Photo Courtesy of Diana C. Bossa Bastidas.

Participating in this practicum has provided me the opportunity to find historically significant materials on Latino/a expressive culture that advances both my academic research and contributes to the development of the Mobile App Project. One of the most exciting tasks has been digitally curating the oral histories of early Chicano/a muralists such as Willie Herrón, Frank Romero, as well as recorded discussions between Lady Pink and Lee Quiñones, both Latino/a pioneers of graffiti writing culture. These muralist and graffiti artists serve as examples that it has been Chicano/a and Latino/a artists who have been at the forefront of offering a radically different conception and uses of public space at the service of aggrieved communities.

Ismael Illescas in front of the “Petitioning With Your Feet” in the “American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith” exhibition at the National Museum of American History. Photo Courtesy of Veronica Mendez.

Another important assignment was undertaking a case study that involved critically analyzing cultural competency books on Latino/a community to test the Presente framework of the forthcoming Latino Gallery. After a critical assessment of the book, I presented my findings during a roundtable discussion on digital storytelling which engaged and prompted questions from both museum and industry collaborators on how to best represent and interpret the complexity and diversity of the Latino/a in the U.S.

Ismael Illescas using the “In the Studio Producer Console” at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Photo Courtesy of Diana C. Bossa Bastidas.

As a former graffiti artist who greatly admires the wild styles produced by Los Angeles graffiti writers, locating the works of Charles “Chaz” Bojórquez, the Grandfather of Cholo graffiti, within the vast Smithsonian collections and exhibition database has been truly amazing. Having the opportunity to apply my skills, knowledge and cultural competency to projects that acknowledge the important artistic and historical contributions of Latino/a artists is both an honor and a political act. This opportunity to grow as a scholar and activist would not have been possible without the Smithsonian Latino Center.

Rudy Mondragón standing outside of the National Museum of American History. Photo Credit: Veronica Mendez

What’s up y’all! First and foremost, I would like to thank you for taking the time to check out my #LMSP2017 #fellowtakeover blog piece where I will share a little bit about myself and my experiences with the 2017 Latino Museum Studies Program (LMSP).  

My name is Rudy Mondragón and I am a Ph.D. student in the Chicana and Chicano Studies Department at the University of California, Los Angeles. I grew up in South Gate, a city located in South East Los Angeles. In the early 1990s, my father introduced me to the sports of baseball, boxing, and soccer. As a result, I developed an interest in soccer and eventually earned a scholarship to play division-1 soccer for the University of California, Irvine. Though I participated in soccer, I developed a passion for boxing that started off as a hobby and is now the subject of my life’s work. My doctoral research utilizes the sport of boxing as a site to interrogate the ways in which boxers perform race, masculinity, and citizenship as well as how boxers perform subtle forms of resistance through the politics of fashion and soundscapes while situated in their specific socio-political and historical contexts. 

Rudy Mondragón and Dr. Margaret Salazar-Porzio working inside a National Museum of American History processing room. Photo Credit: Luke Perez

As part of the LMSP practicum component, I am supporting Dr. Margaret Salazar-Porzio on the Latinos and Baseball: In the Barrios and the Big Leagues project. This multi-year community collecting initiative is situated in the National Museum of American History (NMAH) within the Division of Home and Community Life and is in collaboration with the Smithsonian Latino Center. This collecting initiative focuses on the historical role that baseball has played as a social and cultural force within Latina/o communities to explore how racial, ethnic, gender, national, and cultural identities are forged within an increasingly globalized world. By using baseball as a site of analysis, this project builds on original research, oral histories, and collections by and with partners that are found all over the country.

Rudy Mondragón and his practicum lead, Dr. Margaret Salazar-Porzio, collectively viewing an object from the Latinos and Baseball project. Photo Credit: Luke Perez

My role with this project is to focus on the baseball objects collected from our partners at the Kansas City Museum. Some of these objects include baseball uniforms from the Aztecas and Eagles teams from Latino baseball leagues, a pair of baseball cleats, helmet, baseball bat, catcher’s mitt, and a beautiful Aztecas letterman jacket from the 1960s. I have been tasked with writing descriptions and documenting the condition of each object. In addition, I have conducted phone interviews with the donors of these artifacts to gain more contextual information. The stories that the donors share help bring each object to life and provides us with an opportunity to explore the historical significance that baseball has played for Latinos in forging communities despite the forces of racism, segregation, and discrimination that are at play. 

Jack Johnson collectible cards that were included in early cigarette packages. This card was part of a 1910 series included in Hassan Cigarettes

As a Chicano Sports Scholar, working at the NMAH has proved to be a valuable resource for me. I have had multiple opportunities to meet sports curators who are doing important work in sharing critical stories through a material culture approach. Recently, I had the chance to browse the sports collections at NMAH with Eric W. Jentsch, the Deputy Chair and Curator of the Division of Culture and the Arts who specializes in the history of sports and pop culture. During our hour long meeting, I viewed Roberto Clemente’s Pittsburgh Pirates jersey, a baseball signed by Jackie Robinson, and Hank Aaron’s Milwaukee Brewers number 44 jersey. Outside of baseball, I viewed collectible cards of boxing great Jack Johnson that were included in early 20th century cigarette packages, a Muhammad Ali robe, Joe Louis gloves, and an Irish-American Boxing Trophy Belt made in the 19th century. I left this meeting wanting to know more stories about each of the objects I viewed. This reflection reminded me that the vision of collecting sporting artifacts and unveiling the multiple stories that accompany them is an ongoing project that will require collaborations, innovation, and creativity.

Eric W. Jentsch (left) and Rudy Mondragón (right) holding Irish-American Boxing Trophy Belt, 1850-1900.

Being a part of the Latinos and Baseball: In the Barrios and the Big Leagues project and working with Dr. Margaret Salazar-Porzio and her team has been an enriching experience. I feel empowered to take the skills I have learned here and put them to practice with my own research to better serve my communities. I am thankful for being a part of the LMSP because the Smithsonian Latino Center staff has created a space where scholars, intellectuals, and practitioners can come together to discuss the ways in which Latina/o and Latinx communities can be represented inside of museums in socially just and humanized ways.

You can follow me on social media at the following handles: Twitter: @boxingintellect Instagram: boxingintellect

Additional Photos

Muhammad Ali (1942-2016) "The Greatest" gained fame for his boxing skills, charisma and the controversy he generated outside the ring. In 1976 the Smithsonian acquired Ali's boxing gloves and robe for an exhibition on the American Bicentennial, A Nation of Nations. Photo Credit: Rudy Mondragón

The American Stories exhibit features “A Segregated Game,” objects that tell a story about race and the exclusion of Black players from major league baseball. The Negro Leagues offered Black players an alternative space to play ball. Photo Credit: Rudy Mondragón.

The Latino Museum Studies Program fellows had a special behind the scenes tour of the Museum’s offsite facility as part of the program schedule. This photo finds Rudy Mondragón standing in front of the Lowrider ‘Dave’s Dream’, an object not currently on view. This 1969 Ford LTD is an example of Latina/os forging community through the cultural art form of low riding. Photo Credit: Diana C. Bossa Bastidas

Stephanie Huezo at the Smithsonian Latino Center. Photo by Diana C. Bossa Bastidas

Hola todxs! I’m Stephanie Huezo, PhD candidate in History with a minor in Latino Studies at Indiana University-Bloomington. I’m excited that you are joining me in my #LMSP2017 #FellowTakeover post!

I research Salvadorans in both El Salvador and the United States. My dissertation focuses on the emergence of popular education in El Salvador, a community-based education that critically examines everyday experiences to raise consciousness of the oppressed. Specifically, I analyze how community organizers used popular education as a tool for resistance and a strategy for survival against hegemonic powers during the civil war and neoliberal democracy in El Salvador. My work examines community organizers beyond the nation state to demonstrate how popular education, as a practice of resistance, transfers and reconstitutes itself in the diaspora, serving as a strategy to navigate racial, class, and economic tensions through community organizing. It is within these spaces where Salvadorans create new forms of identities and meanings of belonging while keeping preexisting moral ethos that equipped many during the civil war.

I was drawn to the Smithsonian’s Latino Museum Studies Program because of its commitment to increasing the representation, research, and knowledge of Latino history. As a program fellow, I am working with the Smithsonian Latino Center’s Exhibitions and Public Programs Director, Ranald Woodaman, on the Latino DC History Project. This important multi-year project focuses on showcasing the presence and contributions of the Latinx community in the D.C. metropolitan area. I have the privilege of conducting oral histories with Central American Women for this year’s theme on Central American Women’s Work. As a transnational scholar who spends most of my time interviewing people in El Salvador, I came prepared for the job. However, conducting interviews with working women of different social classes in a busy city was not the same as my experience in a small town in El Salvador. I had to adjust to a new setting and new group. Thanks to the LMSP workshops and experiences of Smithsonian staff, I quickly adapted to my new environment and went on to conduct nine oral histories!

I conducted an interview with Jackie Reyes, the first Salvadoran to hold the position of Director of the Office of Latino Affairs for the government of the District of Columbia. We talked about her experience immigrating to D.C., her involvement in the Latin American Youth Center, and her work with the D.C. Latinx community.  Photo by the DC Mayor’s Office of Latino Affairs.

Ranald Woodaman and I in front of the iconic Celia Cruz at the Smithsonian Latino Center offices. Photo by Diana C. Bossa Bastidas

My practicum has also prompted me to visit many places in the District, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) area and participate in local events to recruit potential interviewees. I attended an event for Latino Conservation Week hosted by the National Parks Service, visited the Latin American Youth Center, attended a workshop for day laborers, met with scholars from the University of Maryland, and visited the Salvadoran Consulate for an exhibition on the effects of the Salvadoran civil war in the diaspora. These visits helped me understand the intersection of belonging and space. What was once a Latinx barrio (the Columbia Heights, Mt. Pleasant, and Adams Morgan neighborhoods) is now a gentrified space. Many Latinxs have moved to the suburbs in the last two decades because of the high cost of living. My work with the Smithsonian was even affected because that meant I had to travel longer distances to conduct interviewees. However, many of my interviewees still expressed an attachment to these neighborhoods and some even still consider these spaces home even if their literal home is in the suburbs of Maryland. It was in these areas that the Latinx community felt, what Dr. Ana Patricia Rodriguez calls, Wachintonians.  

I attended the “Making a New Home: The Founding of Latino D.C.” tour co-sponsored by the National Parks Service and the Latin American Youth Center. By the end of the tour, I ended up helping and translating the tour for the many Spanish speaking attendees.  Photo by Mayela Caro.

The Latino Museum Studies Program has provided me the opportunity to grow as a scholar and an activist. Even though I am not a D.C. resident, I encouraged myself to participate in as many activities with the local Latino community to learn about them and their experiences in the nation’s capital.  It’s important for me to represent a varied and nuanced history of Central American women in D.C. and their contributions to the workforce in my research and I believe the only way that is to be done is by understanding the Latino community’s everyday lived experience. Working with the Smithsonian has strengthened my commitment to community-based research where I, as a scholar, will also work and give back to the community I study. With the LMSP fellowship, I have contributed, even if in a small way, to bringing the stories of the Latinx community to life but more importantly, as a Salvadoreña, I have been inspired by the Salvadoran community in D.C. to continue the work I’m doing both in academia and in my own community. 

¡Hola y muy buenas tardes! My name is Mayela Caro. I am a Ph.D. student in the department of history and public history at the University of California in Riverside, and I am a Latino Museum Studies Program (LMSP) 2017 fellow working at the National Portrait Gallery. 

My research field is in 20th century U.S. cultural history with an emphasis on the representation of race and gender, and Latinidad, in material, popular and print culture, film, and media of the 1920s through the mid-1940s. It is an honor to be part of the 2017 LMSP cohort and to have the experience of working with, and learning from, talented Latinx scholars from all over the country. 

Mayela Caro, Ph.D. student in history and public history at the University of California, Riverside and 2017 LMSP fellow, posing in front of the National Portrait Gallery. (Photo by Diana C. Bossa Bastidas)

As an LMSP fellow at the National Portrait Gallery, I have had the pleasure of working closely--and to be mentored by--Dr. Taína Caragol and Dr. Leslie Ureña. It is a great experience to learn from such exceptional academics and museum professionals. My practicum, “Piecing Together: Latinx Art and History in the 19th Century,” has granted me the opportunity to receive a well-rounded view into exhibit research and development, and object-based research, by being involved on two projects at very different stages. During the first half of my practicum, I conducted research on the work and life of prominent photographers in New York City during the 19th century. This generation of photographers was instrumental in popularizing a new aesthetic that consisted of painted backdrops, elaborate props, and costuming. By studying these photographers and those who posed for them, we can learn about the social and leisurely life of the elite in 19th-century New York.

Mayela Caro (left) and Dr. Leslie Ureña (right), assistant curator of photographs, looking at cartes de visite from the mid-19th century inside one of the storage rooms.  (Photo by Diana C. Bossa Bastidas)

My research skills as an historian, as well as my training in visual analysis and methodologies (particularly in popular culture), have served me well during my practicum. During the 19th century, cartes de visite which showcased famous socialites, or stage celebrities, were the popular culture of the time, and served as a type of pre-cursor to the fan magazines which featured Hollywood celebrities of the 20th century. It has been a wonderful experience to engage in detailed, in-depth research into the lives of these photographers utilizing the vast resources available through the Smithsonian Libraries. A highlight of the practicum has been the ability to partake in the rudimentary stages of preliminary research for potential future projects at the National Portrait Gallery. It is enlightening to see how a prominent national institution develops research questions, identifies voids in the scholarship, and determines ways in which the work at the National Portrait Gallery can make an intervention, a contribution, or bring out Latinx artists from obscurity. As a doctoral student, observing active and ongoing research projects at such early stages is especially motivating as I continue my doctoral journey and prepare to write my dissertation.

Mayela Caro sorting research documents into color-coded files. Caro is extremely grateful to the National Portrait Gallery for providing her with her own office for the duration of the fellowship. One of Caro’s favorite documents in the files are passenger logs from the mid-19th century, “It is interesting to learn how people were labeled and classified, and to see what personal information was deemed relevant from one decade to the next,” said Caro. (Photo by Diana C. Bossa Bastidas)  

During the second half of my practicum, I am assisting with the research for an upcoming exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery. I will be conducting historical research on the Spanish-American war and participating in the process of identifying artworks and objects of potential interests for future exhibits and projects. Being an LMSP fellow has been a highlight of my academic career.  I am always thrilled to go into work, whether it be at the National Portrait Gallery or at the Latino Center. I am humbled by the immense privilege to work and collaborate with some of the best museum professionals and academics in our nation—an absolute dream come true.

Mayela Caro looking at one of her favorite photographs in the exhibit, “America Now: JKF 100,” at the Smithsonian American Museum of Art.  It is a photograph of 17-year-old Bill Clinton shaking the hand of then President John F. Kennedy on July 24th 1963, four months before Kennedy’s assassination. 

Caro explains, “What I love about its photograph is that there is something almost magical about past and future coalescing in such a way.  This photo captures a truly unique and serendipitous moment in time. Had the photographer not been there, this moment would have been lost, and so it is a real treasure.” (Photo by Diana C. Bossa Bastidas)