Latinx Caucus Newsletter: March 2021
Dear SRCD Latinx members,
It has been such a great honor to serve as chair of the Latinx Caucus for the past two years. During my tenure as chair, we changed the name of the caucus to be more inclusive of who we are and the population we serve. We created a social policy subcommittee, which participated in the development of the Statement of the Evidence Volume of Briefs on Addressing Inequities in Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic (available here), as well as a mentoring subcommittee, which partnered with the National Center for Research on Hispanic Children and Families to sponsor a mentoring event on Monday, April 5th. As a caucus, we contributed to the anti-Racist webinar series developed by the Ethnic Racial Issues Committee (available on SRCD’s YouTube channel).
We have also served as your voice within SRCD Leadership, pushing SRCD to operate in an inclusive, anti-racist, and ethically sound manner in representing all of its members as well as serving as an advocacy organization for representational science. We have seen SRCD move in a positive direction with increased participation of caucus members across committees and within leadership positions. I want to personally thank all of our members for being actively involved, voting, and stepping up for leadership positions when called upon to serve.
I am so grateful for my amazing steering committee who has worked tirelessly to represent the voice of our members and made my work as chair easier. Our social media committee has kept up our presence on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook (make sure you are following us on these platforms) and in partnership with our publications and communications committee, produce amazing spotlights of our members and new research every month. Finally, we are putting together some great programming (including Zumba!) for the Biennial in partnership with our Quad-Caucus friends and look forward to seeing you all at our Virtual Business Meeting on Wednesday, April 7th at 7:45pm as I pass the baton to Dr. Melissa Delgado, our new Caucus Chair, and her newly elected steering committee. In keeping with our tradition, we will also announce our SRCD Latinx Awards winners.
Hasta pronto,
Dr. Lisa López
Congratulations New Elects!
Congratulations to our newly elected Steering Committee members! The following individuals will be serving from 2021 to 2023:
- Chair-Elect: Dr. Doré R. LaForett
- Treasurer: Dr. Diamond Bravo
- Secretary: Dr. Fiorella Carlos Chávez
- Technical Advisor/Social Media Manager: Guadalupe López Hernández
- Members-at-Large: Dr. Margarita Azmitia, Dr. Carola Suárez-Orozco, & Dr. Bárbara Rogoff
- Student Representatives: Jasmín Castillo & Griselda Martínez
Subcommittee Updates
Fundraising & Finance Subcommittee
We have had a fantastic record of membership donations to Latinx Caucus, but currently face limited opportunities for fundraising due to COVID-19. We look forward to reinstating fundraising efforts planned for the Construction of the ‘Other’ conference. Lastly, we’re excited to host a Zumba session during the Biennial Meeting!
- Members: Dr. Rosa I. Toro (Chair), Selena Carbajal, & Melissa Lucas
Membership Subcommittee
We have been working to ensure that new members get added to the listserv. This is something that typically gets done on a monthly basis, and as we get closer to the Biennial Meeting, we will be updating the listserv almost daily. As of early March, the Caucus is at 312 members!
- Members: Dr. Melissa Delgado (Chair), Lorena Aceves, & Dr. Sarah Killoren
Mentorship Subcommittee
Our committee has: (1) developed a mentoring survey that will likely be sent out to the membership this summer, (2) worked with the Quad-Caucus on mentoring sessions for the Biennial Meeting, and (3) put together a mentoring pre-conference session for the Biennial.
- Members: Dr. Margarita Azmitia (Chair), Dr. Mayra Bámaca Colbert, & Dr. Feliz Quiñones
Publications & Communications Subcommittee
We have featured many wonderful members in our monthly spotlights and plan to launch a new mechanism to directly nominate members for future spotlights. In case you missed it, check out our occasional “Thematic Spotlights” series that recognizes members’ service activities that benefit the Latinx community. The first of these focused on mentoring, in honor of Dr. Ray Buriel.
- Members: Dr. Doré R. LaForett (Chair), Dr. Tissyana C. Camacho, Dr. Perla B. Gámez, Dr. Erika Hernandez, & Dr. Alan Meca
Social Media Subcommittee
We have been working to disseminate the accomplishments of the Latinx Caucus on our website and our growing social media accounts. This includes our usual monthly member spotlights as well as our new article highlights. We often ask for input, so keep an eye out on our social media!
- Members: Dr. Erika Hernandez (Chair), Bernardette Pinetta, Saraí Blanco Martinez, & Dr. Fiorella Carlos Chavez
Social Policy Subcommittee
Members of our subcommittee will be participating in two events at the Biennial: (1) Addressing Education Inequities Exacerbated by COVID-19: From SOTE Briefs to Education Policy Research Agendas, and (2) Impacting Educational Policy Through SRCD Statements of the Evidence on COVID-19: A Conversation with the Authors.
- Members: Dr. Lisa López (Chair), Dr. Guadalupe Diaz, Franklin Moreno, Dr. Gabriela Barajas-Gonzalez, & Dr. Cynthia García Coll
Update on the “Reconstructing the Other” Special Topics Meeting in Puerto Rico
The Special Topics meeting in Puerto Rico has been scheduled for May 2 – 4, 2022. Two events were organized in preparation for this meeting. The first was a webinar hosted on December 8th, 2020 titled “Constructing the “Other”: Two Complementary Perspectives on Discrimination, Social Exclusion, and Inequalities” with Dr. Deborah Rivas-Drake, Dr. Melanie Killen, and Dr. Lauren Christine Mims. You can access the recorded webinar here.
The second is a Biennial pre-conference titled “How do we construct the other? Using science to address the social justice crisis?” The preconference will be held on Tuesday, April 6th from 10am – 3:30pm. The cost is $25 and space is limited. Additional information is available here.
Check out our Events at the SRCD 2021 Virtual Biennial Meeting
Monday, April 5th (pre-conference)
11:30am-12:30pm: Attend the Virtual Mentoring Event for Emerging Scholars, held in partnership with the National Research Center on Hispanic Children and Families.
Tuesday, April 6th (pre-conference)
10:00am-3:30pm: Participate in the pre-conference event “How do we construct the other? Using science to address the social justice crisis?”
Wednesday, April 7th
10:30-11:30am: Come Zumba with the SRCD Latinx Caucus.
11:35am-1:05pm: Participate in a Rant y Respira led by our Steering Committee Student Members, Lorena Aceves & Franklin Moreno.
4:20-5:50pm: Take part in the Quad-Caucus Trans-Youth of Color Discussion/Roundtable.
7:45pm: Attend the Latinx Caucus Business Meeting. We will formally transition to the 2021-2023 leadership and Caucus awards will be presented. Following the presentations, enjoy some time to socialize with fellow caucus members. There will be music, trivia, and a lot of virtual fun.
Thursday, April 8th
10:00-11:30am: Visit the Quad-Caucus Intersectional Lounge, Flying Mentoring.
1:10-2:40pm: SRCD Town Hall – come have your voices heard by SRCD leadership on your vision for the future of SRCD.
2:45-4:15pm: Participate in the Anti-Racism Ally/White Working Group Meeting, led by Dr. Alaina Brenick & Dr. Katie Zeiders.
Friday, April 9th
11:35am-1:05pm: Roundtable discussion: Navegando: Grad School Edition – Come hear from some of our graduate student members on how they have navigated graduate school.
3:00-4:00pm: Latinx Caucus Coffee Hour – Come meet our new leadership, network, and reflect on your conference experiences.
Listserv: To post to our listserv, email: srcd-latino-caucus@googlegroups.com
@SRCDLatinx
