Chicanas Changing History: The First 100 Symposium

Chicanas Changing History: The First 100 Symposium at the University of Michigan is a two-day event that will explore how Chicana historians have transformed the way we do and understand history, as well as who is included in U.S. history. The symposium will highlight the challenges Chicana historians have faced and continue to confront in the academy while we celebrate their outstanding accomplishments and contributions to the field of history, with a particular focus on alumni and faculty from U-M. At this convening, we will celebrate the official launch of the digital archive of The First 100: Chicanas Changing History, which is maintained at the University of Michigan Library in Ann Arbor. The digital oral history archive is complemented by the project’s material artifacts, which are housed at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

The Chicanas Changing History symposium will include opening remarks by Dean Rosario Ceballo, a keynote lecture by U-M alum Dr. Natalia Molina, panel discussions, public receptions, an exhibition tour of La Raza Art and Media Collective, 1975 – Today, at the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA), and a ribbon-cutting to officially launch the digital archive at the U-M Library.

Through oral histories, data collection, exhibitions, and public programs, this project honors the contributions of the first 100 Chicanas to earn doctoral degrees in any field of history. It is also an intervention: interrogating the academy’s organizational culture that systematically excludes Chicanas is at the core of this initiative. The First 100: Chicanas Changing History was founded by Dr. Lorena Chambers, who received her doctorate from the History Department at the University of Michigan.

Join us February 20-21, 2025, to learn about this archival project and how and why we need initiatives like this to create positive change. All symposium events are free and open to all.

Participants: John Carson, Rosario Ceballo, Lorena Chambers, David Choberka, Elizabeth Cole, Raevin Jimenez, Jim Leija, Earl Lewis, Natalia Molina, Edras Rodriguez-Torres, George Sánchez, ToniAnn D. Treviño, and Félix Zamora Gómez.

Chicanas Changing History: The First 100 Symposium is organized by the Inclusive History Project, the Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies, the U-M Library, the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA), and UMMA’s exhibition, La Raza Art and Media Collective, 1975-Today. It is presented in partnership with the LSA Latina/o Studies Program, LSA Department of American Culture, Stamps School of Art & Design, and the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies.

For questions or more information, please contact [email protected].

Event Schedule

Day 1

Thursday, February 20, 2025, 4:00pm – 7:00pm at University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA), 525 South State St., Ann Arbor, MI, USA 48109 (View map)

4:00pm – 5:30pm

• Welcome, opening remarks, and introductions by Elizabeth Cole, Jim Leija, Dean Rosario Ceballo, and John Carson
• Documenting Our Place in History keynote lecture by Natalia Molina
• Q&A

5:30pm – 7:00pm

• Reception with light fare in the Vertical Gallery
• Exhibition tours of La Raza Art and Media Collective, 1975–Today by co-curators David Choberka and Félix Zamora Gómez

Day 2

Friday, February 21, 2025, 10:30am – 2:00pm at Hatcher Graduate Gallery, Hatcher Library North, First Floor, Room 100, 913 S University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI, USA 48109 (View map)

10:30am

• Opening remarks by Earl Lewis

10:35am – 11:45am

• Session 1: Panel discussion
  • Building Archives, Documenting Our History – Why is it Critical?
    • Panelists: Lorena Chambers, Raevin Jimenez, Natalia Molina, and ToniAnn D. Treviño

11:45am – 12:15pm

• Lunch (served onsite and open to all)

12:15pm – 1:15pm

• Session 2: Presentations
  • The Significance of The First 100 Oral History Project to Our Future
    • Presenters: Edras Rodriguez-Torres and George Sánchez
• Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to officially launch the opening of the digital archive at the U-M Library

1:20pm – 1:30pm

• Closing remarks by Elizabeth Cole

1:30pm – 2:00pm

• Closing reception

Additional event details & accessibility information

Dates and Locations
Thursday, February 20, 2025, 4:00pm – 7:00pm at University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA), 525 South State St., Ann Arbor, MI, USA 48109 (View map)

Friday, February 21, 2025, 10:30am – 2:00pm at Hatcher Graduate Gallery, Hatcher Library North, First Floor, Room 100, 913 S University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI, USA 48109 (View map)

Catering
Food and beverages will be available.

Captioning & ASL
CART and sign language interpretation will be available for in-person and remote audiences. In-person attendees can view CART captions displayed on a monitor in the room and on a personal device at myumi.ch/mZrz4. Presenters will use microphones.

Restrooms and Lactation Rooms
UMMA
Restrooms are located on Floor 2 and on the Lower Level. Gender-inclusive restrooms are available on Floor 2. Changing tables are available on the Lower Level. Restrooms are accessible by wheelchair and strollers.

Hatcher
Visit Hatcher’s navigation guide for information about lactation rooms and single-stall, all-gender, and accessible restrooms.

Building Accessibility
UMMA
Power doors are located at the West entrance in the new addition and at the Northeast corner. There are no steps or inclines at either entrance.

Hatcher
Visit Hatcher’s navigation guide for information about ramp and elevator access.

Parking

• Metered street parking is available, and parking fees are $2.40 per hour. Meters are free after 6:00 p.m.
• Visitor parking is available at the W13 Parking Lot at 400 Thompson St. Parking fees are $2.20 per hour.
• Public parking is available at the Maynard Parking Structure, located at 324 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104. The structure is a 7-minute walk from UMMA and Hatcher, and its parking fees are $1.50 per hour. It includes accessible parking spaces for vans and cars.
• For U-M employees, blue permit parking is available at the Thompson Street Parking Structure.