MALCS
Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social
Mission
Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social (MALCS) is a professional organization that:
- Values and recognizes the multiple and ongoing contributions of Chicana, Latina, and Native American / indígena women and gender non-confirming scholars, students and activists;
- Actively works to create, promote, and support an inclusive education pipeline to increase the presence of Chicana, Latina, and Native American / indígena women and gender non-conforming people in undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels; and
- Supports and recognizes knowledge production that is holistic, composed of scholarly, activist, creative, spiritual, and/or communal endeavors.
To learn more of MALCS herstory, visit our Herstory page.
Members
MALCS is made up of self-identified Chicana, Latina, Native American / indígena mujeres and gender non-conforming scholars, students, and activists. Within those identity categories, MALCS acknowledges the inclusion and presence of mujeres and gender non-confirming folk that also identify as Afro Latinx, Asian Latinx, Transgender, and Gender Non-Confirming Queer.
Members receive a subscription to Chicana/Latina Studies: The Journal of MALCS, discounted rates to the Summer Institute (MALCS’s annual gathering), a range of in-person and virtual programs, and a femtoring network of Chicana, Latina, Afro-Latina, Native American and Indigenous, and gender non-conforming academics, students, and activists in higher education and community leadership. To renew your membership or for more information about becoming a member, please visit our Membership page.
Announcements
MALCS IN ACTION
MALCS is guided by a Chicana/Latina/Native feminist praxis for its governance, leadership structure, and meeting spaces. In addition to facilitating an academic conference, MALCS offers virtual workshops, scholarly talks, and social gatherings throughout the year to build community, promote Chicana/Latina/Indígena knowledge production, and femtor younger members along the academic pipeline. Over a dozen chapters throughout the nation also host events on their campuses and in their communities. For over four decades, MALCS has published its flagship interdisciplinary peer-reviewed journal Chicana/Latina Studies: The Journal of MALCS, the premiere journal for Chicana/Latina feminist scholarship.
“Chicana/Latina women were an integral part of the activities collectively recognized as the Chicano Movimiento, most active and visible from 1964 to 1975. By the early 1980s their contributions were barely acknowledged. Sensing this collective loss of voice, feeling highly isolated, eager to extend their knowledge to other women, and desiring to change society’s perceptions, a group of Chicana/Latina academic women gathered at the University of California, Davis, in spring 1982. Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social (MALCS) was established at this first meeting. The MALCS declaration, written one year later at the Berkeley campus, formally established the organization and affirmed the memberships dedication to the unification of their academic life with their community activism.“
– MALCS Quote
