Book cover for "Las Hijas de Juan: Daughters Betrayed"
UTSA sociologist writes about family and unmasks myths
(Oct. 10, 2002)--In observance of Dia de la Raza and Domestic Violence Awareness Month,, UTSA faculty member Josie Mendez-Negrete will read from her book, "Las Hijas de Juan: Daughters Betrayed," at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12 at Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, 922 San Pedro.
Mendez-Negrete 's story is drawn from her own idyllic youth in Zacatecas, Mexico, spent under the tutelage of widowed tias, assorted family ghosts and a life shaped by experiences including the wonder of seeing eucalyptus trees in California for the first time as a migrant worker, a sister who rode a pig, an encounter with singer James Brown, her questioning of her mother's seeming passivity, and the all-too-common element of a father's violence against his daughters and wife. Weaving the social and political forces oppressing her as a child, she remembers how her father's authority and the isolation of her immigrant status affected her life.
Mendez-Negrete, a professor of bilingual-bicultural studies, has worked with undergraduate and graduate students in leadership training, particularly with youth of color. She has worked with community-based organizations throughout her life, focusing her energy on issues concerning immigrants, Chicana activists and women of color.
The event is co-sponsored by the Americans for the Arts/Animating Democracy (Ford Foundation), Alice Kleberg Reynolds Meyer Foundation, Open Society Foundation's Southern Initiative, Public Welfare Foundation, Southern Funding Collaborative, Texas Commission on the Arts and Andy Warhol Foundation.
There is no admission charge, although a $5 donation is suggested. For more information, contact Vicki Grise or Graciela Sanchez at (210) 228-0201 or visit the Esperanza Center Web site.
----------------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
Institute
of Texan Cultures presents 'Pioneer Sunday'
UTSA sociologist writes about family and unmasks myths
Nominations
requested for 'Who's Who Among Students'
With
much ado, London actors return to UTSA
UTSA
physics professor receives prestigious research award
----------------------------------------------------------
© The University of Texas at San Antonio, 2002