Thalía Cataño is a graduating senior this year and a minor in Chicano Hispano Mexicano Studies at the University of New Mexico. She fits our profile of an “Earth Shaker” because she is someone who advocates for social justice and Chicana and Chicano Studies. Thalía talked about the impact that Chicana and Chicano Studies has had on her education and her experiences as a community organizer with Somos Un Pueblo Unido. Thalía will be traveling to the National Association of Chicana and Chicano Studies annual conference in Chicago, Illinois, on March 14, 2012, with Senaida García and Oscar Ortega, Chicano Hispano Mexicano Studies (CHMS) minors, and Irene Vásquez, Director of CHMS. The group will present on a panel that examines High Impact practices in Chicana and Chicano Studies.
Thalía Cataño is a community organizer with Somos Un Pueblo Unido, a Sante Fe-based immigrant rights organization, that has been one of the driving forces behind the recent movement to maintain driving privileges for all New Mexicans. Somos’ mission states,
“Because we believe that every person should have the freedom to move in order to pursue a better life, Somos Un Pueblo Unido works to build a community that does not discriminate against people based on their national origin, that institutes humane immigration policies, and that protects the human rights of everyone irrespective of where they are born or what documents they carry.”
Somos has worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for immigrant communities and fight off punitive state legislation. In 1995, they passed a legislative memorial condemning California’s passage of Proposition 187. In 2000, Somos successfully organized to prevent the building of a for-profit immigrant prison in Sante Fe, New Mexico. A leader in the area of educational access for undocumented students, in 2005, Somos worked to pass legislation that enabled students to pay in-state tuition and access state financial aid regardless of their immigration status.
Due to the organizing actions of Somos and other organizations in behalf of immigrant rights, New Mexico has been a leader in the country for ensuring some basic civic protections for all individuals regardless of their status. In the past few years, several New Mexican politicians, including Governor Susana Martinez, have attempted to overturn a 2003 state law that permits individuals regardless of their immigration status to obtain drivers’ licenses. In 2012, Representative Andy Nuñez (I-Hatch) carried House Bill 103, which sought to rescind the 2003 state law by requiring social security numbers for all drivers.
Following reactionary legislative efforts, Somos quickly went into action waging a regional struggle to maintain driving privileges for all New Mexicans. In response to HB 103, the Senate passed its own bill, which affirmed access to driver’s licenses with stricter residency regulations and reporting requirements. The legislative session ended and with it, House Bill 103. Somos quickly celebrated its victory by posting messages to supporters of driver’s licenses for all new Mexicans on its website and Facebook page.
Thalía Cataño who has been active with Somos, shared some of her learning and professional experience with this pioneering immigrant right organization.
“We’ve passed some legislation that has helped our communities here in New Mexico like driving licenses for all regardless of social security numbers. We were one of the first states to pass in-state tuition and in-state financial aid for all students regardless of their immigration status…And now we focus a lot on, we always talk about that its not just immigrant rights, its not just one sort of thing…we’re not just talking about having papers of not having papers. We are taking about institutional racism; we are talking about workers’ rights and what that means in the context of immigrant communities. So we focus a lot on workers and racial justice. So all that we do falls in between those two things.”
Thalía talked about how her work with Somos and being a minor in Chicana/o Studies has encouraged her to think about a career as a community organizer. She credits her Chicana/o Studies professors for encouraging her to be active in community based learning. Thalía said, “It was beneficial to me to be a Chicana Chicano Studies minor student because I was very active on campus and in the community and so sometimes that conflicts with my studies whether it is attending class or something… My Chicana/o Studies professors were always a lot more willing to listen to what I was doing in the community and how I can incorporate that with my studies. I was able to do community work on my free time and also incorporate that into my studies.”
Since the founding of the discipline of Chicana and Chicano Studies, community-centered learning has been emphasized as a core component of academic study and service learning. Students in the Chicano Hispano Mexicano Studies program at UNM have been actively engaged in community-based learning. In fall 2012, CHMS will inaugurate the Community Based Learning in Chicana/o and Hispana/o communities. CHMS aims to build on the experiences of students like Olivia Chávez and Thalía Cataño, as well as many others, to highlight the transformative effects that community based learning produces in Chicano and Mexicano communities and in colleges and universities.
Undergraduate students at UNM are interested in supporting the further expansion of Chicana and Chicano Studies and the development of a major in Chicana and Chicano Studies. Students, like Thalía, demonstrate the critical role Chicana and Chicano Studies plays in the lives and educational pathways of undergraduate students. Thalía noted,
I think it is important for colleges and universities to offer Chicano Studies courses because again it’s a different perspective. They [Chicana/o Studies Programs) are giving a more holistic view about our society here in the United States… People want to know different perspectives, different struggles from their point of view and giving everyone the platform to tell their stories. And, I think that is important and I think that if we are truly talking about higher education then that is what it should be doing…. giving everyone a space to talk about their own struggle, their own history, their own perspective and then having a conversation about what all of that means in relation to each other.
Thalía will be graduating with a double major in Philosophy and Portuguese. Although her minor is in Chicano Hispano Mexicano Studies, Thalía clearly indicates that Chicana Chicano Studies has greatly influenced her career pathway and her critical understanding of the world. Thalía Cataño, earth shaker and community organizer, has been a part of social justice efforts in New Mexico. Her future path will be brightly lit as she carries her torch of commitment to social justice.
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