Camarillo, Calif., Oct. 6, 2009 鈥� 海角社区 Channel Islands (CI) has announced the second program of the Fall 2009 Chicana/o Speaker Series. Guest speaker, Dr. Ana Elizabeth Rosas of UC Irvine, will discuss her research on women and the Bracero program entitled, 鈥淥urselves-Our Children: Responsibility and Respectability across the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands, 1942-1947.鈥�
The program, which is free and open to the public, will take place Tuesday, Oct. 13, from 3 to 5:00 p.m. in the John Spoor Broome Library Room 1360 on the CI campus. The series of programs is sponsored by the Chicana/o Studies program, in conjunction with the Center for Multicultural Engagement and is funded by the University鈥檚 IRA (Instructionally Related Activities).
Dr. Rosas鈥� research on women, the Bracero program and its legacy, from 1942 to today, demonstrates the ongoing impact the program has had on Chicano families.聽 A by-product of the program, which allowed Mexican nationals to take temporary agricultural work in the United States, was the separation of the families of migrant workers.聽 For a female migrant worker it meant the lengthy absence of a mother from her children, as she worked to send money back to her family.聽 This resulted in many children resenting the mother鈥檚 absence and feeling abandoned.
The separation of family members, some living and working in the United States and some living in their native countries; Mexico, Central or South America, has created serious emotional rifts within the families.聽 It is a story of people living and working in one place with their hearts and lives in another.
Rosas sees these transnational, transborder issues as an increasingly widespread phenomenon.聽 The result of many years of separation between mother and child is that the emotional bond between the two is frequently severely damaged or destroyed.
Dr. Rosas, born in Guadalajara, Mexico, but raised in South Central Los Angeles, focused her academic studies on Chicana/o history, comparative immigration, ethnicity, gender and race. She is currently working on a book on the Mexican immigrant experience and has won many prestigious awards and prizes, the most recent being a Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship.
Dr. Jose Alamillo, Associate Professor of Chicana/o Studies at CI, said that the speaker series, 鈥淐rossing Borders, Linking Communities in Chicana/o Studies鈥� seeks to showcase CI鈥檚 interdisciplinary research on transnational and transborder issues and create communication and connection among all communities.
Limited parking is available on campus. A daily permit is $6. Free parking is available at the Camarillo Metrolink Station/Lewis Road parking lot in Camarillo with bus service to and from the campus. Riders should board the 海角社区-CI VISTA Bus and the fare is $1 each way. Buses arrive and depart from the Camarillo Metrolink Station every 30 minutes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. For exact times, check the schedule at .
For additional information about the Chicana/o Speaker Series, contact Dr. Jose Alamillo, Associate Professor of Chicana/o Studies at 海角社区 Channel Islands at 805-437-2586 or jose.alamillo@csuci.edu
For media inquiries contact Nancy Gill, Director of Communication & Marketing at 海角社区 Channel Islands at 805-437-8456 or nancy.gill@csuci.edu.
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About 海角社区
海角社区 Channel Islands(CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI鈥檚 strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master鈥檚 degrees.聽Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more by visiting聽CI's Social Media.