Conmemorando a la Comunidad

To be a member of the Latinx community at Trinity University is to be a part of a deep and resilient history. Now, Trinity's Mexico, the Americas, and Spain (MAS)program and the University Archives in Coates Library have partnered to preserve this history through stories.

Conmemorando a la Comunidadis a platform designed to present current Latinx students at Trinity with histories in which they can identify and start to create a sense of belonging with people that came before them. The collaboration also invites alumni, faculty, and staff to revisit their experiences at Trinity in a common history of resilience and validation through action. The project serves as a starting point to connect with similar projects around San Antonio and situate the Trinity experience within the larger Latinx community in the city.

We asked Dania Abreu-Torres, Ph.D., Spanish professor and director for MAS, and University Archivist Abra Schnur, to share more about the community-driven project and the work being done by Trinity undergraduates in the digital humanities to bring it to life.

Why is it important that Trinity is supporting and undertaking this work?

The mission of the project is to bring to the forefront the presence of the Latinx community at Trinity. For many years, we have heard Latinx students talking about their struggles to feel they belong to Trinity and that Trinity belongs to them. This lack of belonging comes from not knowing who was here before them, a lack of knowledge of pieces of our Trinity history. By going into the archives and learning from Latinx alumni in their oral histories, Latinx students learn about the importance of the Latinx community in Trinity history and the contributions they brought and are bringing to campus. Most importantly, this is work done with students so they can develop ownership of Trinity history as well.

What one thing do you want the community to know about the project?

This is a project for everyone. The voices we are highlighting are the Latinx voices, but the project is for the Trinity community to learn and understand that the standard view that is usually portrayed about Trinity isn't all there is to share. Since the beginning, Trinity has been a place of multicultural and diverse voices. Our work acknowledges the gaps and oversights that Latinx history has endured and brings back the stories and experiences to make them part of an equal history of Trinity University.

What is something that has surprised you about the work?

We have been surprised by three things: one, how far back the activity and activism of the Latinx community at Trinity is (between organizations, interdisciplinary programs, and programming, these students were everywhere); two, how involved and connected Chicano students at Trinity were to the early Chicano movement here in San Antonio; and three, how art and culture are the primary manifestations of the Latinx Trinity community activism and search for representation. The Latinx alumni have done so much to represent Trinity values; we need to bring their stories to the forefront.

Visit Conmemorando a la Comunidad onlineto explore the stories and archives.

Have a story to share? Complete this online formto contribute to the project's digital exhibits.

The first image depicts Dania Abreu-Torres, director for MAS, working with two students in the Coates Library Special Collections Archive.