by V. June Pedraza – NACCS Chair, 2016-2018
On behalf of the NACCS board, I wish everyone a happy new year. I am excited for this year’s NACCS conference as it returns to another corner of the Midwest.
The board has been working to get the panels and presentations ready for “The Queer Turn.” And in this political climate, I believe that discussing critical points of view and concepts in terms of gender and sexuality in Chicana/o/x Studies will help us re-center our ideas in order to continue to fight inequality, misogyny, as well as the social and political violence of the moment. I am grateful that the NACCS membership will have this time and space in Bloomington, Minnesota to engage in community dialogue, socializing, and revitalizing our roles in higher education for our communities.
During the mid-year board meeting, the NACCS board decided to re-organize the conference schedule to allow the board members to be more visible and accessible during the conference, as well as to allow for more panels and sessions to occur during the day. Hence, there have been two important changes on this year’s schedule: the first is the awards luncheon – this year we will have an awards dinner on Friday, April 6th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm, and the second change will be the introduction of a Chair Address – this will be on Thursday, April 5th at 4:00pm. These changes will allow the membership greater intergroup contact, and also time to meet and engage with board members. More importantly, participants will also have greater contact with the NACCS scholar.
In regards to the changes on the NACCS board, we have had the departure of three board members all of whom left for different reasons to pursue other commitments in their lives. I would like to express my gratitude for the participation of all remaining members and for their commitment to continuing to engage in work that matters. This year’s board experienced many adversities over the 2017-218 year, and we had to make tough and crucial decisions to continue doing the work that was vital for NACCS and for this year’s conference. I want to thank the board for its integrity and willingness to take critical roles in difficult times. I thank the membership for keeping the larger picture in mind and to trust that we are all engaged in keeping the mission and goals of NACCS going in this most vital historical moment.
I am pleased to announce that this year’s NACCS scholar is Rosaura Sanchez. Her work in Chicana/o/x Studies has helped, and inspired, our communities to better understand the theoretical framework of Chicana/o Bilingualism in the United States. I am not only exited that NACCS will be presenting this award to Dr. Sanchez, but I believe that discussing her work and honoring her in this way during a time in which our languages and identities are under attack is very relevant and fitting. I congratulate Dr. Sanchez on behalf of NACCS.
In closing, I want to thank the NACCS membership for the work you all do in your respective communities and for continuing to recognize that NACCS is a special space in our work and our community-building efforts. I am eager to see all of you in Minnesota for NACCS XLV.
Thank you for continuing to do work that matters, ¡adelante!