Stories from the Borderlands
"Stories from the Borderlands" is an exciting program sponsored by LULAC Council 8 and UTEP's Chicano Studies Program. It inaugural program occurred at the UTEP Library in March 2023, coinciding with UTEP's Cesar Chavez birthday celebration. Dr. Irma Victoria Montelongo, Ph.D., director of the Chicano Studies Program, was instrumental in organizing the program to ensure a memorable experience for attendees.
The 2023 program attracted over 175 students, LULAC members, and interested members of the public. The atmosphere was filled with anticipation as everyone eagerly awaited the start of the program.
Five authors were carefully chosen to present their recent publications. They represented different perspectives of the community, showcasing the diverse experiences of the El Paso borderland. Each author captivated the audience with summaries of their works, evoking laughter, tears, and introspection. The
The program encouraged dialogue, and attendees had the opportunity to ask questions to the authors. Topics ranged from the creative process to the social and cultural themes in their works. The engaging discussions provided valuable insights into the authors' intentions and interpretations.
"Stories from the Borderlands" left a meaningful impact on all who attended, celebrating the literary talents of the El Paso borderland and promoting unity through storytelling. The program fostered a sense of pride in the region's heritage and inspired creativity and cultural appreciation among attendees.
Meet the Professors
Dedication. Expertise. Passion.
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Irma Victoria Montelongo, Ph.D.
Interim Director
Chicano Studies Program
2018 Regents' Outstanding Teaching Award Recipient
UTEP Distinguished Teaching Professor
915-747-7612
Dr. Cynthia E. Orozco
Professor Emeritus, Eastern New Mexico University, Ruidoso
Topic: Alonso S. Perales, Pioneer of Mexican-American Civil Rights. Alonso S. Perales, born in Alice, Texas, in 1898, was the principal founder of LULAC. Dr Orozco examines the life and work of one of the most influential Mexican-Americans of the 20th Century. He was an attorney, civil rights activist, author, and US diplomat.
Miguel Juárez, MLS, MA, PhD
Lecturer in History Department, Humanities Program, and Women's and Gender Studies Program at UTEP
Topic: Redlining, Building El Paso's Early Freeways and Damage to Displaced Communities. Redlining was a process that devalued property based on race. There were also Racial Covenants that
kept African Americans and Mexicanos from living in certain neighborhoods. He has published two
books (Colors on Desert Walls, the Murals of El Paso, 1997, and Where Are All the Librarians of Color,
the Stories of People of Color from Academe, 2016).
915-202-1649
Dr. Jonna Perrillo
Associate Professor English. Dr. Perrillo received her PhD in English from New York University in 2005.
Topic: Educating the Enemy: Teaching Nazis and Mexicans in the Cold War Borderlands.
Education historian and Professor of English Education. She has a PhD in English from New York University. In 2022, she won the prestigious Bolton-Cutter Award from the Western History Association for an article from Educating the Enemy.
915-747-5334
Dr. Alana De Hinojosa
Topic: “Remembering El Chamizal: Reckoning with the Afterlives of the Chamizal Treaty of 1964”
Dr. Alana de Hinojosa is Postdoctoral Research Scholar in the School of Transborder Studies at Arizona State University. She is a public historian whose research focuses on the Chamizal Dispute and aftermath of the landmark Chamizal Treaty that settled this international territorial conflict. The treaty displaced more than 5,600 Mexican Americans from their homes in South El
Paso. Alana holds a doctorate in Chicana/o Studies from UCLA.
Yasmín Ramírez, MFA
Associate Professor of English | Writing Center Coordinator El Paso Community College, Valle Verde Campus
Topic: Ándale, Prieta! A Love Letter to My Family and The Importance of Reading Memoir.
Associate Professor of English, Creative Writing, and Chicanx Literature at El Paso Community College, Valle Verde Campus. Ms. Ramirez is a Mexican-American writer from El Paso whose debut memoir was released on April 19, 2022, from Cinco Puntos Press. Ms. Ramírez highlights the importance of growing
up in a non-traditional family of tough Mexican American women. Her debut memoir, ¡Ándale Prieta! reveals the experience of a young Latina growing up on the U.S-Mexico Border searching for herself and her fulfillment after the passing of her grandmother.