MALCS Archive

(MALCS) Women Active in Letters and Social Change

MUJERES TALK Pensamientos from the “Field”: On Mexican Women Caring for North Americans

We have renovated the page for Mujeres Talk, the new MALCS web project featuring blog essays by members and allies on current issues and research.  This latest post is by Professor María Ibarra.  We invite all members and allies to write for Mujeres Talk.  Send entries of 500 – 1000 words to gro.sclamobfsctd-59893b@asereht/archive-2017 with a brief author bio.  Thank you!

by Maria Ibarra, Ph.D.

I am an anthropologist who studies the labor of Mexicana elder care providers. Every year I spend time in the field, in my long-standing research site of Santa Barbara, and I record women’s stories and experiences about work.  I am always affected by the many types of violence that are inherent to the lives of Mexicanas on either side of the border. How many times have I put down my pen and held a woman’s hand, stroked her forearm, while she cries and tells me how much it hurts?

Essay continues at Mujeres Talk

 

Update on Betita Martinez’ health from Tony Platt

Veterana Scholar-Activist Betita Martinez (a bio here) is increasingly frail, and has been moved from her Mission District Apartment to a residential care facility in SF by friends and family.  Several MALCSistas have suggested that local MALCS honor Betita’s accomplishments and hold a fundraiser for her medical needs…..

This post will be updated regularly and includes:

If you can offer direct financial support, please send to:  Tony Platt, Prof Emeritus CSUS, 1607 Josephine Street, Berkeley, CA 94703 USA

[Read more…] about Update on Betita Martinez’ health from Tony Platt

Belated obituary: Shifra Goldman, 1926-2011

“I was never in the mainstream, never in all my life. I was born on the margins, lived on the margins, and have always sympathized with the margins. They make a lot more sense to me than the mainstream.” – Shifra M. Goldman, September 1992

Shifra Goldman (1926-2011), a pioneer in the study of Latin American and Chicana/o Art, and a social art historian, died in Los Angeles on September 11, 2011, from Alzheimer’s disease. She was 85. Professor Goldman taught art history in the Los Angeles area for over 20 years. She was a prolific writer and an activist for Chicana/o and Latino Art. In Dimensions of the Americas: Art and Social Change in Latin America and the United States, one of her award winning publications, she stated that part of her life’s work was to “deflect and correct the stereotypes, distortions, and Eurocentric misunderstandings that have plagued all serious approaches to Latino Art history since the 50s.” [Read more…] about Belated obituary: Shifra Goldman, 1926-2011

New leadership

Congrats to MALCS 2011-12 Officers


Chair Monica Torres in middle, surrounded by (clockwise from left) at-large representatives Brenda Sendejo and Ella Diaz, Treasurer Ester Hernandez, chair-elect Theresa Delgadillo, ex-oficio Keta Miranda, admin coordinator Lupe Gallegos,  Secretary Judith Flores Carmona, Membership coordinator Marivel Danielson, and at-large representative Susan Mendez.

Not pictured:  LBTQ Caucus Co-chairs Isabel Millan and Adilia Torres
WINC Caucus Chair:  ?

MALCS: A Brief History of the Organization’s Fiscal Status

Fourth in the series from the Executive Committee

We know that many of you are interested in MALCS’s status as an organization. Of particular interest is this question: Are we a 501c3 organization? The short answer to that question is no. Currently, we are an organization registered in California operating under the fiscal agency of The Chicana/Latina Foundation (CLF), a 501c3 organization. If you’d like more information about this organization, you can meet Olga Talamante, the Executive Director, at the Summer Institute. She will be presenting a workshop on Friday, August 5, 9-10:15 a.m. If you aren’t going to the Institute this summer, please feel free to check out the CLF website. You can find it at https://www.chicanalatina.org/   What I present here is an explanation of our organization’s fiscal status.

A Short History
At its inception, MALCS thought of becoming an independent organization but because it was housed at UC Davis, it was under the auspices of the Chicana/Latina Research Center for many years. This partnership with the Center and the University was financially advantageous. While there were some donations that supported the journal, the journal was largely funded by the university. In addition, all financial business was conducted via the university.

In the early 1980s, Dr. Ada Sosa Riddell, our founder, registered MALCS as a state organization in California. She also established a bank account for our membership funds. Although Dr. Sosa Riddell and others looked into getting federal status as a 501c3, they did not complete the process.

As MALCS separated itself from the Chicana/Latina Research Center and the University of California, Davis, we began to conduct all our MALCS business via the institutions with which we had working relationships: the universities that organized our summer institute and the universities that hosted the journal. We were able to process all necessary financial transactions through these institutions. In addition, we were generating less than $10,000 a year. At the time, there seemed to be no need to pursue 501c3 status. [Read more…] about MALCS: A Brief History of the Organization’s Fiscal Status

News From the Exec: Proposed By-laws Revision

Third in the series from the Executive Committee 

Summary of Major Changes

In the spring of 2010, the Executive Committee undertook a major revision of the MALCS bylaws, the first revision since 1991. Since that time, the Executive Committee has visited and revisited drafts, taking care to deliberate thoughtfully on the document that sets out the organizational structures and practices of MALCS. It is important to note that during our deliberations, we made every effort to be mindful of our organizational history. At the same time, we worked hard to understand changes in the broader cultural environment that might impact how an organization like ours operates.

What follows is a summary of major changes that the MALCS Executive Committee is recommending for the organization’s bylaws. The section headings below correspond with the draft that is being circulated for consideration. Under each heading, we provide a description of changes that differ significantly from the previous version of the bylaws. A draft of the proposed bylaws follows this summary. [Read more…] about News From the Exec: Proposed By-laws Revision