About this event

Session Block D, 2:10-3:10

Room 356, Rita Laden Senate

(Panelist 1)

Title: Latinx Hyper-Criminalization: A Gender Divide

Description: This paper uses hyper-criminalization and surveillance studies to analyze how Latinx communities, particularly in Chicago’s Little Village, are disproportionately targeted by the criminal legal system. Mass incarceration and related policies have long been tied to racial inequality, depriving poor communities of color of rights, resources, and social mobility while perpetuating systemic harm. Hyper-criminalization not only impacts individuals but also damages families, friendships, and entire neighborhoods. By examining literature on criminalization and focusing on gendered experiences in Little Village, this study highlights how institutions of social control surveil and marginalize Latinx people, underscoring the urgent need for community-centered justice.

Presenter: Luz Acosta

(Panelists 2)

Title: Directing Queer Stories on Campus: Exploring Gender Identity through a Trans Character, Camelia Margarita

Description: Noche tan linda, by Venezuelan playwright Pablo García Gámez, subverts patriarchal and homophobic tropes by portraying José Macario—also Camelia Margarita—as a dignified, resilient transgender woman in 1980s Venezuela. The 2023 university production, directed by Martín Balmaceda, emphasized authenticity and inclusivity, creating a safe space for students to explore gender diversity, representation, and social justice through theater. Rooted in collaborative dramaturgy and embodied storytelling, the process fostered empathy, solidarity, and personal growth among the ensemble. This staging demonstrated how theater can serve as resistance and symbolic justice, reimagining marginalized identities with complexity and care. Ultimately, the production affirmed queer Latinx narratives while positioning theater as a transformative tool for education, activism, and cultural healing.

Presenters: Martín Balmaceda & Pablo García Gámez

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Room 403, The Great Room, Gilberto Cárdenas Panelists

Generously moderated by Eduardo Díaz

(Panelist 1)

Title: Embodying Sin Fronteras: Gilberto Cárdenas’ role in connecting artists and ideas from across the Americas.

Description: This presentation highlights Gilberto Cárdenas’s role in creating inclusive spaces for Latino/a/e artists through the perspective of Lilian Garcia-Roig. A Cuban-born academic and artist, Garcia-Roig will reflect on her experiences at UT-Austin (1991–2000) and how Cárdenas’s mentorship and support broadened opportunities for artists beyond Chicano/a and Mexican American circles. She will discuss his commitment to bringing together diverse Latino communities through communal spaces like print workshops and his advocacy for Caribbean artists, especially women, in cultural institutions. Her testimony underscores how Cárdenas fostered belonging and visibility for Latino/a/e artists across backgrounds.

Presenter: Lilian García-Roig 

(Panelist 2)

Title: Cineastas Latinos y de Descendencia Latina en Nueva York: Identidad, Migración y el Puente entre Dos Mundos

Description: Este trabajo analiza el cine independiente realizado por cineastas latinos y de descendencia latina en Nueva York como un espacio de diálogo entre migración, identidad y pertenencia cultural. A través de obras de Adrián Miranda, Anthony Rojas, Juan Pablo Daranas Molina, Marissa Vélez y el Ministerio de la Mujer de República Dominicana, se muestra cómo estas producciones visibilizan el desarraigo, la resiliencia y la nostalgia, al tiempo que mantienen un fuerte vínculo con las raíces culturales. El cine se presenta como un puente simbólico entre la vida en la metrópoli y la memoria de los países de origen, reafirmando su papel como herramienta de visibilidad, empoderamiento y activismo cultural. Este estudio sitúa el cine latino independiente neoyorquino como parte esencial de la narrativa cultural estadounidense, en línea con el legado del Dr. Gilberto Cárdenas en la defensa de las artes latinas.

[This paper examines independent films created by Latino and Latinx-descendant filmmakers in New York City as a space for dialogue between migration, identity, and cultural belonging. Through the works of Adrián Miranda, Anthony Rojas, Juan Pablo Daranas Molina, Marissa Vélez, and the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Women, it highlights how these productions make visible themes of displacement, resilience, and nostalgia while maintaining strong ties to cultural roots. Film emerges as a symbolic bridge between metropolitan life and the memory of countries of origin, reaffirming its role as a tool for visibility, empowerment, and cultural activism. This study positions contemporary Latino independent cinema in New York as an essential part of the U.S. cultural narrative, aligning with Dr. Gilberto Cárdenas’s legacy of advocating for Latino arts as central to American culture.]

Presenter: Arilyn Martínez Cora

(Panelist 3)

Title: From Advocacy to Leadership: Gilberto Cardenas and the Rise of Latino University Leadership in the U.S.

Description: This paper examines two connected transformations in U.S. higher education: the pioneering work of Gilberto Cárdenas in advancing Latino visibility in academia and the growing presence of Latinos in top university leadership. Cárdenas integrated Latino scholarship and culture into major institutions, legitimizing research on migration, urban life, and cultural production. In parallel, Latino representation in university presidencies has risen from 3.9% in 1993 to 5.8% in 2022, with over 60 Latino leaders projected by 2025. While still below population parity, this progress reflects broader institutional shifts toward equity and inclusion. By linking Cárdenas’ advocacy with leadership trends, the paper highlights how past efforts laid groundwork for today’s Latino academic leaders and anticipates continued growth in representation.

Presenter: Mauricio Hernández Ramírez

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Room 422

Title: "Rebirth, Shapeshifting and Activism in the Works of Latinx Undocupoets"

Description: This essay analyzes the work of Latinx Undocupoets Javier O. Huerta, Yosimar Reyes, and Javier Zamora, focusing on how their poetry navigates borderland identities to advance political consciousness and advocacy for marginalized communities. Three recurring themes—rebirth, shapeshifting, and activism—emerge as strategies for creating decolonial imaginaries that challenge stereotypes of undocumented identities. Their poetry situates marginalized individuals in empowered, complex social locations within a borderlands framework. In doing so, Undocupoets produce counternarratives that function as protest literature and ethically guided citizenship.

Presenter: Daniel Enrique Pérez

Format: Research Paper

Complexity: Advanced

Additional information

• Attendance type: In person