WCU Latinx Communities Conference

This interdisciplinary conference provides a creative space to enhance the understanding of Latinx issues, contributions, and cultures. This annual conference informs the university and broader community about a wide range of issues concerning the Latinx population in Pennsylvania and beyond, and represents twelve years of working to build and strengthen ties between West Chester University and the community, as embodied in our theme “Building Bridges/Construyendo Puentes.”

This year, the conference will celebrate and commemorate its fifteenth anniversary with the performance of a campus mural by renowned Chilean artist Alejandro Mono González, followed by a reception open to public on September 28th, 2023. For more information on pertinent activities, consult the calendar below or contact the directors.

Latinx Social Justice Collective's Statement on Roe V. Wade.

Ernesto Cardenal's Centennial Conference

 THE 17TH LATINX COMMUNITIES CONFERENCE AT WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY AND THE DEPART- MENT OF LANGUAGES AND CULTURES PRESENT: ERNESTO CARDENAL'S CENTENNIAL CONFERENCE SEPTEMBER 23-24, 2025 SYKES STUDENT UNION WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY BILINGUAL SESSIONS (INTERPRETER ON SITE) On the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Ernesto Cardenal (Nicaragua, 1925-2020), poet, priest, revolutionary, and a central figure in liberation theology, this conference reflects on his enduring impact on literature, community- based art, and social justice movements in Latin America. The interdisciplinary program will open dialogue on the continued relevance of his poetic, political, and spiritual legacy through poetry readings, community activities, keynote presentations, and workshops. Inquiries: Dr. Daniela Johannes djohannes@wcupa.edu Dr. Linda Stevenson Istevenson@wcupa.edu Dr. Cristóbal Cardem il-Krause ccardemil-krause@wcupa.edu Gloria Hernandez ghernandez@wcupa.edu 17TH ANNUAL LATINAXO Communities Conference WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY WCU WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY Department of Languages and Cultures TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 - SYKES STUDENT UNION 11:00 AM-11:50 AM 12:30-1:45 PM 2:00-3:15 PM 4:25-5:45 PM 6:00 - 8:00 PM 4:30-7:10 PM Virtual Panel: Voces Latinoamericanas (Ballroom A) Community education/liberation, poetry and art resistance. Featuring Voces Latinoamericanas Collective. Speakers: Miguel Bacho and David Acosta (Voces); Dr. Ana Sanchez (WCU); Dr. Mirian Jiménez Sosa (PUCMM) Keynote: Dr. Sylma Garda (Puerto Rico) introduced by Dr. Gloria Hernández (Ballroom A) Cardenal's innovative mystical-literary poetics: how his contemplative texts dialogue with global mysticism and how spirituality and contemplation inform structural critique in Latin America. Keynote: Dr. Roger Santiváñez (Peru) introduced by Dr. Daniela Johannes & Dr. Cristóbal Cardemil (Ballroom A) Cardenal's craft, politics, and enduring legacy at the intersection of poetry, activism, and communal practice. Panel: Immigration Rights and Immigration Lives in Chester County (Student Union Theater) Presenters: Lindsey Sweet (immigration attorney) and Dr. Miguel Ceballos. Overview of shifting immigrant rights and local impacts on work, economy, and community life. Film Screening and Discussion: Home is Somewhere Else (2022) (Student Union Theater) An animated documentary sharing the voices and experiences of immigrant youth and their undocumented families. Facilitators: Dr. Miguel Ceballos and Dr. Linda Stevenson. Film Screening and Discussion: Boca Chica (2023)+ director Gabriela A. Moses Q&A in collaboration with the WCU Global Hispanic Film Fest. Registration link: https://wcupa.zoom.us/meeting/register/TLQwpUcyRc-wv8Jk3AwUqw WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 SYKES STUDENT UNION 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 2:00-2:50 PM 3:00-3:50 PM 4:25-6:00 PM Latino Luncheon (Ballroom A Open campus gathering with visiting speakers, students, and faculty. Awarding of Latino Luncheon student scholarship. Special guests from Voces Latinoamericanas Collective: Johann Sarmiento and Dr. Norma Corrales. Workshop: "Archive as Witness: Mushroom Workers through a Liberation Lens" Dr. John Lavin (Rutgers), assisted by Dr. Daniela Johannes (WCU) (Room 210) Hands-on work with archival photographs of Kennett Square mushroom workers to ground Cardenal's faith and philosophy in local labor realities. Students practice visual analysis and connect the community praxis, and ethics of liberation to the oppressions and forms of resistance-visible in workers' lives. Keynote Workshop: Rafael Vizcaíno (DePaul University) Decolonial approaches to the postsecular and Cardenal's legacy. Students engage core ideas from liberation theology and philosophy-traditions grounded in struggles against oppression that center justice, solidarity, and dignity—and connect them to personal, social, and global contexts. Panel: "Winning and Losing a Mushroom Workers' Union in Kennett Square: Reflections on Three Decades of Organizing and Solidarity" (Ballroom A) Panelists: Luis Tlaseca, Art Reid. Discussants: Dr. Janet Amighi and Dr. John Lavin (Rutgers). Moderator: Dr. Linda Stevenson (WCU). Labor organizing histories among Mexican mushroom workers (1989-2001) and the meaning of that struggle in Southeastern Pennsylvania today. Sponsors: Languages and Cultures; Ethnic Studies; Anthropology/Sociology; Political Science; Latin American and Latinx Studies; Latino/a/x Communities Conference.

 

Mono & Mural

Flyer Describing Activities

View the Mono&Mural Flyer

For questions, email the Conference Directors:


Latinx Communities Conference Committee:
 
Chyna Hart (Dowdy Multicultural Center)
Latino American Student Organization (LASO)
Linda Stevenson (Political Science)
Maria Urrutia (Dance)
Michele Belliveau (Social Work)
Miguel Ceballos (Sociology)

The following organizations and offices have contributed to the success of this conference:

The College of Education and Social Work
Department of Political Science
The Institute of Race and Ethnic Studies
Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance
WCU Latin American and Latinx Studies
Center for Creative Writing and Poetry
WCU President’s Office
College of Arts and Humanities
Languages and Cultures Department
Art + Design Department
John H. Baker Gallery
Latin American Philosophies of Education (LAPES)