Chicanas Changing History: The First 100 Symposium

Explore how Chicana historians have transformed the way we do and understand history, as well as who is included in U.S. history. The symposium will highlight the challenges Chicana historians have faced and continue to confront in the academy while we celebrate their outstanding accomplishments and contributions to the field of history, with a particular focus on alumni and faculty from U-M. Please register for this two-day event (food and beverages will be available):

• Thursday, February 20, 2025, 4:00pm – 7:00pm at University of Michigan Museum of Art
• Friday, February 21, 2025, 10:30am – 2:00pm at Hatcher Graduate Library

At this convening, we will celebrate the official launch of the digital archive of The First 100: Chicanas Changing History, which is maintained at the University of Michigan Library in Ann Arbor. The digital oral history archive is complemented by the project’s material artifacts, which are housed at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. 

The symposium will include opening remarks by Dean Rosario Ceballo, a keynote lecture by U-M alum Dr. Natalia Molina, panel discussions, public receptions, an exhibition tour of "La Raza Art and Media Collective, 1975 – Today," at the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA), and a ribbon-cutting to officially launch the digital archive at the U-M Library.

Through oral histories, data collection, exhibitions, and public programs, this project honors the contributions of the first 100 Chicanas to earn doctoral degrees in any field of history. It is also an intervention: interrogating the academy’s organizational culture that systematically excludes Chicanas is at the core of this initiative. "The First 100: Chicanas Changing History" was founded by Dr. Lorena Chambers, who received her doctorate from the History Department at the University of Michigan.

Join us to learn about this archival project and how and why we need initiatives like this to create positive change. All symposium events are free and open to all.

Friday's schedule

10:30am: Opening remarks by Earl Lewis

10:35am – 11:45am: Session 1, "Building Archives, Documenting Our History – Why is it Critical?" with panelists Lorena Chambers, Raevin Jimenez, Natalia Molina, and ToniAnn D. Treviño

11:45am – 12:15pm: Lunch (served onsite and open to all)

12:15pm – 1:15pm: Session 2: "The Significance of The First 100 Oral Histories to Our Future," with presenters: Edras Rodriguez-Torres and George Sánchez, followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially launch the opening of the digital archive at the U-M Library

1:20pm – 1:30pm: Closing remarks by Elizabeth Cole

1:30pm – 2:00pm: Closing reception

"Chicanas Changing History: The First 100 Symposium" is organized by the Inclusive History Project, the Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies, the U-M Library, the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA), and UMMA’s exhibition, La Raza Art and Media Collective, 1975-Today. It is presented in partnership with the LSA Latina/o Studies Program, LSA Department of American Culture, Stamps School of Art & Design, and the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies.

Visit the Inclusive History Project site for complete event details and accessibility information. For questions or more information, please contact inclusivehistory@umich.edu.