College of Letters & Science
Is there such a thing as “the Latinx Vote?” In the wake of the 2024 election, pundits have been focusing on an apparent shift from Democrats to Republicans by voters of Latin American descent. Former CLS Director Armando Ibarra thinks that abstractions like “The Latinx Vote” may keep us from understanding what’s really going on …
When the New York Times’s Jazmine Ulloa needed background for a story on the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), she turned to UW-Madison’s Benjamin Márquez. The Times noted that LULAC, the country’s oldest Latina/o civil rights organization, had never made an endorsement in a Presidential election until 2024, when it endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris. …
Wisconsin Public Radio recently spoke with CLS faculty member Armando Ibarra about the economic contributions of immigrants, documented and undocumented in Wisconsin. The interview aired November 5th. The occasion for the story was a new report by the New York-based nonprofit Upwardly Global that credits authorized migrants with revitalizing rural communities Great Lakes region. Among …
A joke about Puerto Rico at a Trump campaign rally this past Sunday has left many Puerto Ricans feeling insulted and has focused national attention on the archipelago and its diaspora. To help sort the implications of the incident and place it in context, WPR’s Wisconsin Today turned to Aurora Santiago Ortiz, assistant professor of …
Curious about the constitutional amendment referendum on the ballot for the November 5th election? CLS faculty can help. This week, CLS affiliate professor Ben Márquez joined host Chali Pittman and guest John Nichols on the Tuesday edition of WORT radio’s “A Public Affair” to discuss the proposed change, which would amend Section 1 of Article …
CLS faculty member Armando Ibarra shared his thoughts on migration and the upcoming US election with reporters Alfredo Corchado and Dudley Althaus of the online news outlet Palabra for a recent story about the politics of migration. Centered on profiles of recent immigrants from Nicaragua working in Milwaukee, the story sought to give context for ongoing debates …
Do undocumented immigrants commit more violent crimes than others? The answer might surprise you. Over the summer, CLS affiliate faculty member Michael Light spoke with Emily Auerbach of Wisconsin Public Radio about his research on the relationship between race, crime and immigration. Their conversation covered a range of topics including unauthorized migration and racial disparities …
Every year, UW–Madison celebrates Latine Heritage Month from September 15 through October 15. It’s an opportunity to honor the ways in which Latine communities have contributed to and helped shape American society. In honor of this celebratory month, the Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement asked several Latine faculty and staff members their thoughts …
When PBS needed an expert on Puerto Rican history for its new series “Voces American Historia,” it reached out to CLS affiliate faculty Jorell Meléndez-Badillo. His interview, which is part of the program’s second episode, offers important perspective on the strategic importance of the island and the reasons the US was interested in possessing the …
As the 2024 Presidential election enters its final stretch and debates on immigration become increasingly heated, CLS faculty like Benjamin Márquez are helping journalists and the public understand the situation. In an interview with PBS Wisconsin that airs tonight (October 4, 2024) on the program Here and Now, helps distinguish fact from fiction and explains the …