In this closing conference for the Mellon Foundation-funded Sawyer Seminar, seven invited scholars of Latina/o/x studies help wrap-up the ongoing conversation about “Imagining Latinidades.” We make the turn to practices of performing and imaging Latinidades now and into the future by inviting leading scholars in the fields of Performance Studies, Queer Studies, Cultural Studies, and Latina/o/x Studies to participate in a closing conference.

In 2021, the Latino Native American Cultural Center (LNACC) will celebrate its 50th anniversary. Created in 1971 by Chicano and American Indian students, LNACC has a long and important history at the University of Iowa. This exhibition will share that history in depth, and will explore its establishment in the 1970s, its activism and programs, and much more. LNACC continues to be an active advocate, supporter, and resource for Latino and Native American students at the University of Iowa.

2021 Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration of Human Rights is Sunday, Monday, January 25th through Sunday, January 31. Please visit https://mlk.uiowa.edu/ to see events and activities.

At the University of Iowa, Latinx Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15th to November 2nd (Dia de los Muertos).

The LYS co-Chairs, Sarah Lambert and Katie Newcomb, have spent the past several months discussing different formats and ways we could still make the Summit happen, and ultimately there is no way to do so that is equitable and doesn’t put even more work on educators' and students' plates. We truly care about you and the youth you work with, and we have no desire to make things even more difficult for you. While we’re sad we won’t be able to provide this opportunity this year, we believe that the best way we can support you all in this moment is to create space for your rest and restoration. Your health and well-being matters.

McKrina Lopez, Latina/o/x Minor, was chosen as the Student Lead at the Latino Native American Cultural Center for the 2020-21 academic year.

There are currently 82 declared Latina/o Studies minors, and 14 of you are planning a spring 2020 graduation! Congrats to you all! We are proud of you, and can't wait to hear about your journeys. All of our students—whether graduating or returning—deserve a round of applause for your resiliency during this past semester. We know it was difficult to be away from campus, and we thank you for your commitment to your academic work in the face of such adversity!

Lisa Ortiz is one of the 2020–21 provost’s postdoctoral faculty fellows and will be teaching in the Latina/o/x Studies Program. Lisa Ortiz earned her Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies with minors in Latina/o Studies and Gender & Women’s Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2018. She is currently an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Research Fellow for the “Imagining Latinidades: Articulations of National Belonging” Mellon Sawyer Seminar at the University of Iowa.

Lisa Ortiz (Sawyer Mellon Post Doctoral Fellow) and Kristy Nabhan-Warren (Religious Studies and GWSS) have both done research on meatpacking plants and the rural Latin/x communities surrounding them. In this conversation, the scholars discuss the role of churches during the COVID-19 outbreak and how workers are using social media to communicate.

Latina/o Studies Minor Ashley Morrow was awarded the Adah Johnson/Otilia Maria Fernandez Scholarship through the Department of Gender, Women's and Sexuality Studies. Ashley Morrow is from O’Fallon, Missouri, and is a senior majoring in Global Health Studies and Spanish, with a Latino Studies minor.