Election Deadline May 15: ALLA members vote for a new President and three board members this spring. Long term board members Carmen Ferradas and Vilma Santiago–Irizarry are candidates for President. Member-at-large board candidates include Martha Menchaca and Luis Plascencia (Seat 4); Marie Miranda and Michael Montoya (Seat 5); Ana Aparicio and Karen Holliday (Seat 6). Members also vote on two proposed changes to our By-laws. The first, to change the President’s term of office from one to two years; the second, to fill one of six member-at-large board positions (Seat 1) with an elected student member thereby formalizing student representation on the board.

Discussion of these proposed changes and candidates’ statements are available on the ALLA Web Site, www.aaalla.org. Expect to receive friendly reminders to vote via our LISTSERV).

Featuring 2005 ALLA Sessions: All of us miss sessions we wish to attend at the AAA Annual Meetings because of programming conflicts, running into colleagues/students on our way to panels among other reasons. Utilizing ALLA technological resources and this column, we aim to better disseminate members’ scholarly conference presentations. To start, the ALLA 2005 Invited Sessions and Special Event cosponsored by CAE are featured in this and subsequent columns. Presentations are highlighted here with a link to the ALLA Web Site where the papers can be read in their entirety. Members are also encouraged to post comments to panelists and membership thereby continuing the dialogue begun at the sessions.

EL GRITO: A Retrospective of Pioneer Latino Anthropologist Octavio Romano-V’s Contributions to Anthropology, Public Health and Latino Publishing [thanks to Diego Vigil who contributed to this section]. Octavio I. Romano-V’s death on Feb 26, 2005 occasioned this ALLA Invited Session organized to revisit long standing discussions about an anti-racist, anti-imperialist and relevant anthropology through an examination of Romano-V’s professional and political legacy. Octavio Romano-V was a pioneer in Chicano Studies and a decolonized anthropology, having written some of the first works that addressed the Mexican American population in a distinctively different way. His seminal publications in El Grito, a journal he started with the aid of Latino graduate students, and his classic essay, “Sociology and Anthropology of the Mexican American,” were a clarion call for the first generation of Chicana/o researchers; a powerful legacy remembered and respected not only by those who knew him personally but by generations of scholars who followed and also attempted to heed his call for anti-imperialist, anti-racist and relevant social science.

This session featured several generations of Latino/a anthropologists personally, professionally or intellectually influenced by this innovative scholar and publicist of Latino social science and literature including Thomas Weaver, Diego Vigil, Steven Arvizu and Paule Cruz Takash. A younger colleague invited to participate was asked to assess if his generation of post 1990s Chicano/a anthropologists was influenced by Romano-V and if not, why not. Although unable to participate, several graduate students in the audience shed light on this question (read their comments at www.aaalla.org).

Takash opened the session providing background on Romano-V’s life and work. Born in Colonia Rosa, Mexico City on February 20, 1923, he was soon after brought to National City, California by his mother and upon her death, raised by his grandmother. According to Octavio, the family lived on “the wrong side of the tracks” and frequently worried about being deported. Despite aspirations of becoming an architect, he dropped out of high school, became a dishwasher before joining the U.S. Army, attended college on the GI Bill, and eventually earned a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley. Although there is some question regarding Romano-V being the first Chicano Ph.D. in anthropology, he was the first Chicano faculty member at UC Berkeley in the School of Public Health where he taught until1989. Romano-V was also the first Chicano to found a publishing house, Quinto Sol, later called TQS Publication, that helped launch the careers of many now well-known Latino writers and scholars.

Thomas Weaver and Romano-V were students and contemporaries at the University of New Mexico and UC Berkeley. Weaver recalled the NIMH rural health survey of New Mexican villages they worked on in 1957 and an earlier project on Mexican American families directed by William Madsen in which Octavio participated. Romano-V strongly disagreed with social scientists’ depiction of Mexican Americans at that time, a position that fueled his subsequent critique of social science and his research career. Steve Arvizu and Diego Vigil recounted being intellectually and politically influenced by Romano-V who, despite being a self-professed curmudgeon, took the time to counsel them and other young Chicanos. To read more about this panel and post your reminisces or comments, go to www.aaalla.org.

In Memoriam: The ALLA Executive Board pays tribute to “Warrior Woman” Beatrice Medicine, the great American Indian (Sioux Nation) anthropologist, activist-scholar and educator, and tireless comrade who passed away in December 2005 shortly after attending the AAA Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. Those of us fortunate to have known her personally or through her writings, miss Bea greatly but celebrate her life by carrying on her work toward a greater understanding of and social justice for all peoples.

Send comments to Contributing Editors, Paule Cruz Takash, paulect69@aol.com or Mariela Nunez-Janes, nunezjan@pacs.unt.edu.

Submitted by Paule Cruz-Takash

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Improving Section Member Communications. While the AN Section News column has served as the traditional vehicle of communication to ALLA members, ALLA more recently has provided additional means of communicating to and by section members. ALLA launched its more interactive Web Site, December 2004 (www.aaalla.org) and its member ListServe, November 2005 (ALLA@aaalla.org). A major goal of the Executive Board is to have our Web Site become the primary source of current and archival information about ALLA’s scholarly and applied endeavors, the efficacy of which also depends on members consulting and contributing to it on a regular basis.

Among items on the web site is information regarding ALLA Invited Sessions for the AAA Annual Meeting, process for submitting sessions and events for ALLA review, and corresponding link to the AAA Web Site. Under discussion is a page dedicated to and maintained by ALLA student members. ALLA’s annual report is posted as are minutes to ALLA business meetings conducted at the AAA and/or other annual meetings. The latter allows members unable to attend the conferences to nonetheless be kept informed. Also hosted are Forums developed by members that allow interactive discussion regarding any number of topics. Direct questions regarding Forums you may wish to develop or other web related questions to ALLA Web Editor Ruben Mendoza at webeditor@aaalla.org.

The ListServe is useful to more rapidly inform members of ALLA business and events. Updated information about ALLA panels and meetings at the 2005 AAA Annual Meeting in Washington, DC was sent to all members just before the meeting. More recently, ALLA Program Editors Takash and Carmen Ferrada solicited all members to organize and submit sessions and events for our review, for this year’s Program at the 2006 AAA Annual Meeting in San Jose. Members have also used the ListServe to send their own communiqués to the membership.

Board Elections. This year ALLA has 6 candidates running for 3 At-Large Board seats and 2 candidates running for President. Candidates’ statements are on the AAA Spring election ballot and on the ALLA web site. Members will also consider mandating an at-large board member seat be filled by a graduate student member charged in particular with representing the interests of our student members. All members are strongly encouraged to vote and return the election ballot.

2006 AAA Annual Meeting, San Jose. ALLA seeks to expand our presence on the 2006 AAA Annual Meeting Program in San Jose, CA. While this year’s conference theme is “Critical Intersections/Dangerous Issues,” ALLA is soliciting sessions, papers, posters and special events on any topic related to ALLA’s interest in Latina/os, native born, transnational or in comparative contexts. The deadline for on-line submissions is April 1, midnight EST. ALLA special events may be held at the San Jose Mexican American Heritage Plaza and may include a tour to the nearby Fremont Mission organized by ALLA board member Ruben Mendoza. Consult the ALLA Web Site for more information and/or Program Editors Paule Cruz Takash, paulect69@aol.com or Carmen Ferrada, ferrada@binghamton.edu. An ad hoc student member committee is discussing hosting a student member orientation meeting and reorganizing the “Mentoring” special event, canceled when the AAA pulled the Annual Meeting out of San Francisco in 2004. For more information contact Student Representatives Aide Acosta, acosta1@uiuc.edu or Andrea Robledo, andrear@dsa.admin.unt.edu.

Please send comments or inquiries to Contributing Editors, Paule Cruz Takash, paulect69@aol.com: tel 310/450-1428; and/or Mariela Nunez-Janes, nunezjan@pacs.unt.edu.

To: Association of Latina and Latino Anthropologists (ALLA)

From: Paule Cruz Takash, ALLA President (2004-2006).

Re: ALLA Sessions, Meetings & Reception at the AAA Annual Conference, Washington, DC , November 30-December 4, 2005

Dear ALLA Members:.

The 104th Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association is right around the corner. I and the other members of the ALLA Executive Board hope to meet all of you at our General Membership Meeting & Reception jointly sponsored by the Society for Latin American Anthropology (SLAA)..

We strongly encourage you to attend this year's Membership Meeting to contribute to plans to further strengthen our Section, elect new Board Members, and propose Invited & volunteered sessions for the 2006 AAA Annual Meetings, among other agenda items. We especially want to invite ALLA student members to attend the meeting to provide us with your ideas for sessions and special events to enhance your experiences at the Annual Meetings & contribute to your professional development goals..

The SLAA/ALLA Joint Cash Bar Reception is always a big hit. We are typically joined by colleagues from Urban Anthropology, the American Indian Native American Alaskan Native (AINAAN) Interest Group, Association of Black Anthropologists (ABA), Association for Feminist Anthropology (AFA), Society of Lesbian & Gay Anthropologists (SOLGA),and Society for North American Anthropology (SANA) among others..

We also encourage you to attend the ALLA Sessions. Dates & times of ALLA meetings, sessions & events are listed below..

Hasta pronto, Paule Cruz Takash)

________________________________________________________________

Prog # Sess ID Title Schedule.

2-078 1601 Executive Board Meeting FRI, 12/02/05, 12:00-2:00 PM. All past ALLA Presidents and Board Members are also invited to attend this meeting..

2-196 1602 Members Business Meeting FRI, 12/02/05, 6:15-7:30PM. All welcomed; please recruit and bring new members..

3-069 1607 Invited Session: Anthropology & Latina/o Public Policy Issues, Domestic & Transnational. SAT, 12/03/05 1:45-3:30 PM.

We are joined on this session by Ms. Angela Arboleda, Latino civil rights policy analyst at National Council of La Raza (NCLR), a Washington, DC based Latino think tank. A half hour is also allocated for audience participation in a discussion about anthropologists' participation in public policy affecting Latina/os in the U.S..

Organizer/Chair: Paule Cruz Takash/Carmen Ferrada Discussant: Diego Vigil (Latino family public policy) Discussant: Leo Chavez (Immigration/2005 Citizenship Reform Act) Discussant: Javier Tapia (Education reforms/No Child Left Behind) Discussant: Angela Arboleda (Latino civil rights policy).

3-111 1603 EL GRITO: A Retrospective of Pioneer Chicano Anthropologist Octavio Romano-V's Contributions to Anthropology , Public Health & Latino Publishing. SAT, 12/03/05 4:00-5:45 PM.

This session was organized to recognize the diverse contributions of the late Chicano anthropologist Octavio Romano-V who influenced generations of Latina/o anthropologists and other social scientists. Members in the audience who also knew and/or were influenced by Romano-V will also be given an opportunity to contribute to the discussion..

Organizer/Chair: Paule Cruz Takash/Diego Vigil Discussant: Steve Arvizu Discussant: Thomas Weaver Discussant: Diego Vigil.

SLAA/ALLA Joint Cash Bar Reception SAT, 12/03/05 7-8:30 PM Organizers: Gabriela Vargas-Cetina/Ramona Perez (SLAA) Paule Cruz Takash/Norma Gonzalez (ALLA)

Any ALLA member who would like to obtain a copy of the annual report may contact Paule Cruz-Takash at paulect69@aol.com..

The following agenda constitutes that information discussed at the annual Business Meeting held in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on April 9, 2005. Our Business Meeting, and sponsored sessions were had at the annual meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology meetings in Santa Fe. Our agenda was as follows:.

Current membership: 171 total (102 regular; 69 students); Budget: $13,365.82 (2/14/05)..

Expenses for 2004, and projected 2005: AAA Meeting activities; Website development; Outreach; Changes in bylaws or governance. Need for By-Laws Committee to revise as needed..

Future Plans: Membership drive; New means to solicit Invited & Volunteered Sessions; Use of New ALLA website. ALLA Board Candidates: Need for nominations committee. AN Newsletter Column: Need for Co-Editor and submissions..

Report and recommendations by Vilma Santiago-Irizarry; Chair, ALLA Awards Committee; Need for Committee members. 2005 AAA Conference and ALLA sessions planning. ALLA publication of Latina/o Pioneers or other publications. Discussion on further website development..

Submitted from Santa Fe, New Mexico, on April 9, 2005.

The Society for the Anthropology of North America announces the St. Claire Drake Student Travel Grants Award for the 2005 SANA / CASCA / UADY conference in Merida, Mexico, May 3-8. For more conference information see sananet.org.

To apply submit your paper or session abstract, contact information, and a cover letter detailing your relationship to the anthropology of North America. The paper/ session submission and registration deadline is February 15, 2005. To apply for the travel grant, please submit you materials by March 15, 2005.

Email your complete application to sanatravelgrant@yahoo.com. The student travel grant will be awarded on a competitive basis and reviewed by a committee comprised of members from the SANA board. Eligible candidates will meet the following criteria:

(1) This travel grant is intended for currently enrolled graduate students without a PhD. Only students who are presenting at the conference will be considered for the award.

(2) Preference will go to those students who have previously applied for the SANA travel grant and have not yet received one.

(3) The total dollar amount allocated to travel grants is limited, therefore the number and dollar amount of grants awarded depends on the number of applicants and their travel needs.

(4) Travel grants will not be awarded to any individual two years in a row.

SANA is an intentionally inclusive community of anthropologists and encourages every student to apply for the St. Claire Drake award regardless of society’s labels or anthropology’s disciplinary boundaries.

[Announcement courtesy Ramona Lee Perez]

THE ASSOCIATION OF LATINA AND LATINO ANTHROPOLOGISTS (ALLA) WILL MEET IN SANTA FE AT THE SfAA MEETINGS, APRIL 5-10, 2005.

ALLA is pleased to announce that our Section will hold its Executive Board and General Business Meetings and five of its organized sessions at the Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA) Meetings in Santa Fe, New Mexico, April 5-10, 2005.

ALLA will also co-sponsor with the SfAA and other participating organizations, "Santa Fe/New Mexico Day," a series of events featuring author John Nichols and a screening of the movie based on his book, "The Milagro Beanfield War;" a mini-film festival featuring young, Native-American film makers; and talk by a cultural/architectural  historian who has written a book on Santa Fe.

ALLA Sessions now confirmed to present at the SfAA Meetings include:

(1) Public Anthropology, Cultural Critique and Mexican Immigration.  Co-organizers Lynn Stephens and Richard Flores.

(2) The US- Mexican Border: Now You See It Now You Don't: Anthropological Uses and Abuses of the Borderlands As An Allegorical Trope.  Organizer Victor Ortiz, Chair Martha Chew-Sanchez.

(3) On the Complexities of Being Brown: Globalization of Indigenous Identities."  Organizer Antonio Chavarria; Chair Paule Cruz Takash.

(4) Health Issues Among Latinos in the US: Approaching Latinos' Diversity By Crafting Innovative Research Approaches. Organizer Anahi Viladrich, Chair Delia Easton.

(5) Border Lives in the Heartland: Exploring the School and Community Contexts of Latinos in the Midwest.  Co-organizers Katherine Bruna and Karen Haslett.

ALLA Sessions/Workshop that have been canceled include:

(1) Performing Mexicanidades: Popular Culture In A Transnational Context. Organizer Olga Najera-Ramirez.

(2) Latino Studies: A Dialogue On The Implications Of Critical Scholarship In The Field.  Organizer Suzanne Oboler, Chair Karen Biegel.

(3) Contemporary U.S. Latino Issues: Housing, Identity, Education, Criminalization & Military Service.  Chair, Karen Mary Davalos.

(4) Mentoring Latina/o Student: Building Networks Through Individual Advising.  Workshop Organizer, Ramona Lee Perez.

ALLA members are strongly encouraged to attend the SfAA Meetings.  Consult the SfAA website at [www.sfaa.com ]www.sfaa.com for the conference program & registration, hotel accommodations and flight information.

There will be no ALLA organized sessions at the AAA Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, December 15-19, 2004.   ALLA President Paule Cruz Takash  will however represent our section at AAA Section Assembly and AAA Business Meetings.  ALLA members planning to attend the AAA Meetings are asked to contact Takash at paulect69@aol.com to help determine if there are enough members and interest to hold an ALLA business meeting or informal gathering there.

New ALLA Website and Discussion Forum at [www.aaalla.org] www.aaalla.org.  For updates regarding this and other ALLA business, check out ALLA's new website developed by former ALLA President Ruben G Mendoza (CSU Monterey Bay)  Launched in October 2004, the ALLA website now includes three active database features, including discussion forums, internal ALLA email accounts, and an ALLA news page that permits members of the ALLA executive committee to auto-post announcements and related news items.

Questions?  Please contact ALLA President Paule Cruz Takash at [ www.sfaa.com ]paulect69@ aol.com.