Stories from the Borderlands
On April 18, 2024, the Chicano Studies Program at UTEP and LULAC presented a remarkable event featuring four authors whose work focuses on the El Paso borderland region. The daylong program at the UTEP Library attracted over 160 students, LULAC members, and community members, creating a vibrant atmosphere of learning and engagement. Dr. Irma V. Montelongo, Chicano Studies Program Director and UTEP Distinguished Teaching Professor, introduced the authors and provided an insightful overview of their contributions.
The featured authors included Tim Z. Hernandez, an award-winning author known for his book All They Will Call You, which recounts the tragic airplane disaster in California that claimed the lives of thirty-two passengers, including twenty-eight Mexican citizens. Dr. Nicholas D. Natividad, an Associate Professor at New Mexico State University, shared his expertise on human rights and his work on the museum exhibit Pasos Ajenos: Social Justice and Inequalities in the Borderlands. Marisa Limón Garza, Executive Director of Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, discussed her extensive experience in advocacy and education along the border. Lastly, Larisa Veloz, an Associate Professor of History at UTEP, presented her research on gendered migrations between Mexico and the United States and her ongoing work on a manuscript covering the 1960s.
The event fostered meaningful discussions and highlighted the diverse experiences and perspectives within the El Paso borderland. It was a day of intellectual enrichment, community engagement, and cultural celebration, leaving a lasting impact on all who attended.
Meet the authors
Larisa Veloz
Larisa Veloz is an Associate Professor of History at UTEP with a doctorate from Georgetown University. Her award-winning research focuses on gendered migrations between Mexico and the U.S. from 1900 to 1950. She is currently expanding her research to the 1960s and preparing a manuscript for publication.
Email: llveloz@utep.edu
Tim Z. Hernandez
Tim Z. Hernandez is an award-winning author, researcher, and performer, known for his fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, receiving the American Book Award and the International Latino Book Award. In 2018, he was recognized by the California State Senate for uncovering the story of the 1948 plane wreck at Los Gatos Canyon, detailed in his book All They Will Call You. He is an Associate Professor with UTEP’s Bilingual Creative Writing program
Email: tzhernandez@utep.edu
Dr. Nicholas D. Natividad, Ph.D.
Dr. Nicholas D. Natividad is an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at New Mexico State University, focusing on transnational and local community practices of human rights. He co-created the museum exhibit *Pasos Ajenos: Social Justice and Inequalities in the Borderlands*, addressing regional justice issues. A former Dean’s Fellow at NMSU and New Leadership Academy Fellow at the University of Michigan, he strongly advocates for community engagement and believes education should enable students to learn from and give back to their communities.
Email: ndn@nmsu.edu
Marisa Limón Garza
Marisa Limón Garza is the Executive Director of Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center with over 20 years of experience in community engagement, advocacy, and education. Previously, she served as the Senior Director for advocacy and programming at the Hope Border Institute, a social justice nonprofit in El Paso, Ciudad Juárez, and Las Cruces. A native fronteriza and Eastwood High School graduate, Marisa holds a master’s in education and bachelor’s degrees in English and Spanish literature from the University of Notre Dame, as well as a certificate in nonprofit management from Georgetown University.