By Lauren Walker
Staff Writer
“¡Adelante! Latinx Activism in California” is a year-long commemoration at California State University, Dominguez Hills to remind the community of the struggles and triumphs of the Chicano/a activist movement during the 1960s and 1970s that continue to reverberate today.
¡Adelante!, translates to “moving forward, and Latinx is a non-gendered term used instead of Latino or Latina.
Part of the exhibition will be on display through Dec. 14 in the University Library Cultural Arts Center (LIB 1940). It focuses on significant events in Chicano activism during the 1960s and 1970s, ranging from the work of Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers, to the East Los Angeles High School Walkouts of 1968. It also features Chicano/a activist art and murals from Los Angeles, as well as the history of Chicano/a studies at CSUDH.
“We had a lot of fun putting the exhibit together,” said Gregory Williams, director of archives and special collections. “We go back and forth with history during this specific movement.”
Visitors can see photos of the 50th anniversary of the 1968 East Los Angeles walkouts, personal photos from the Brown Beret Movement and an anti-war moratorium in 1970, and an array of artwork and other pieces that demonstrate different views on the movements that took place.
Some of the exhibits pertain directly to CSUDH, such as a section that highlights the university’s history and shows the education of Chicano/a students. Another is the official document for Dominguez Patent, which insured the Dominguez family could keep their land after California became part of the United States.
The exhibition is available for viewing from Feb. 6 to Dec. 14. The University Library Cultural Arts Center is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In a Jan. 25 campus-wide email from the Office of the President, President Dr. Willie J. Hagan stated:
“¡Adelante! Latinx Activism in California explores important moments in our region’s history, embraces the strength that is derived from diversity, and will foster a deeper understanding of the Latinx communities that CSUDH serves for students, alumni, and external communities, including civic and cultural leaders.” Hagan further said, in the statement, that the yearlong thematic salute continues the university’s “mission-driven focus in recent years to critically analyze important themes in our regional history and culture— such as the 50th anniversary of the Watts Commemoration and 75th commemoration of the Japanese incarceration during WWII…we seek to empower CSUDH communities and build capacities for peace-building among all communities that are defined by heritage or national origin.”
Along with the ongoing exhibit, special events across the campus are planned throughout the year. Upcoming events include:
March 7:
Action for Health Equality in the Latinx Community. An afternoon symposium featuring speakers and activities focused on health disparities in the Latinx community in Southern California, held in the Loker Student Union from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
March 7:
A screening and discussion of the Edward J. Olmos-directed 1968 film, “Walk Out.” University Theater, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
March 8:
¡Adelante! Latinx Activism in California since 1968. An afternoon and evening symposium focusing on the past, present and future of activism in the Southern California Latinx Community. South Library, fifth floor, 2:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
March 8:
Official opening reception of “¡Adelante! Latinx Activism in California: An Exhibition.” University Cultural Arts Center, LIB 1940, 5:30 p.m.
