News Release




BOISE STATE NEWS RELEASE / April 3, 2009

Boise State Multi-Ethnic Studies Program, State Historical Society Offer Local Ethnic History Seminar

Boise State University’s Multi-Ethnic Studies program and the Idaho State Historical Society are jointly sponsoring an afternoon program to explore and discuss resources available for the study of local ethnic history.

The one-time program will feature scholars from Boise State discussing research on Idaho’s Latino history and a collection of one-of-a-kind historical documents that tell stories of biography, ethnicity and immigration. The program will be held at the Idaho Public Archives and Research Library at 2205 Old Penitentiary Road from 4-5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 9. The event is free and open to the public.

“The past is ever-present in Latino culture,” said Sergio Romero, assistant professor of sociology and director of Boise State’s Multi-Ethnic Studies program. “Knowledge of our past – the individual stories, family biographies, and the social and historical era these relatives lived under – gives us a greater understanding of how we got here.”

Here’s a look at what the afternoon will include:
  • Students from Romero’s Seminar in Multi-ethnic/Mexican-American Studies course will present research findings of their family history projects stretching at least four generations. Their research assignment proposes to document migratory and settlement patterns in their genealogical lineage within a social and historical context.
  • Carolina Valderrama, McNair Scholar and sociology major at Boise State, will talk about her experiences using oral history in a research project focused on the experiences of Mexican-American students in the public schools.
  • Errol Jones, professor of history at Boise State, will talk about his research on the role of churches of various denominations in Idaho’s Latino history. Jones will focus his talk specifically on his use of a large manuscript collection, the records of the Southern Idaho Migrant Ministry.

After the presentations, participants will have a chance to view material from the State Archives collections that tells the story of Latinos in Idaho, including newspaper clippings, prison records, governors’ correspondence, immigration records, property deeds, maps and more.

“People are always surprised by what they can find here at the Archives,” said Kathy Hodges, state oral historian. “And I love to hear about the research that’s going on at Boise State. This is an interesting collection of people and research topics. I like looking at the combination of ethnic studies and local history and I'm excited to hear what everyone will have to say about their research.”

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Media Contact: Mike Journee, University Communications, (208) 426-1517, mikejournee@boisestate.edu

Boise State University is “The New U Rising” with record student enrollment, new academic buildings, additional degree programs and a growing research agenda. Learn more at www.boisestate.edu. 

 


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Last reviewed on Friday, April 03, 2009