Outreach Events

Throughout the 2023-24 academic year, a wide variety of outreach activities filled the calendar for the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS). These include CLACS events ranging from the weekly Merienda Series to joint activities with the other area studies centers, such as the Traveling World Languages Fairs.  The combination of CLACS-only and multi-center events held on campus and in the surrounding area engaged a total of 4205 participants!  Participants came from KU, public and private K-12 schools, community colleges, minority-serving institutions, non-profits, businesses, U.S. and international colleges, universities, & organizations, and the general public. The activities and events are too numerous to list, but some of the highlights are listed below. 

In addition to the conferences that CLACS hosted on its own (see Conferences Section), CLACS also contributed to the joint conference, “When Global East Meets Global South: East Asia & Latin America”.  This was a collaboration with the Center for Global and International Studies (GIST) and the Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS).  It was a hybrid, interdisciplinary conference that brought together scholars from a variety of fields, including politics, history, economics, religion, anthropology, business, literature, and the arts, to explore the historical and contemporary links between East Asia and Latin America and to rethink dominant narratives and knowledge production by the West and Global North.  (March 29, 2024) 

Educator Workshop - 

“Journeys: Exploring the Complexities of Migration and Its Impacts on Individuals and Our Communities” This was a highly successful experiment, changing the format and location from previous workshops. Designed as a professional development workshop around the theme of migration, it was open to K-16 professionals. It included a field trip to the Kansas City non-profit Catholic Charities, which serves refugees and immigrants in our region.  Experts offered a highly informative presentation and educational activity, and a visit to New Roots, a community garden training program that empowers refugees, immigrants, and English Language Learner farmers to develop sustainable businesses.  The afternoon session, held at our host location of Johnson County Community College (JCCC), included more formal presentations addressing the daily realities and needs of refugees and immigrants from around the world.  The day-long workshop ended with a sharing session that challenged educators to internationalize their curricula by incorporating what they learned into their teaching. The workshop was a collaboration between the Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies, the Center for Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies, and the Kansas African Studies Center, JCCC, Catholic Charities, and Della Lamb Community Services.  (July 12, 2024)

Additional events and activities -

Multicultural Storytime offered an opportunity to engage with Lawrence’s youngest community members at the Lawrence Public Library.  The children and parents learned about Kaqchikel Maya and Brazilian Portuguese through age-appropriate stories, creating a craft related to the story, and sampling regional snacks. Instructors Emily Tummons presented the Kaqchikel information and Ana Laura Marques taught about Brazil.  The children were totally captivated by our talented instructors!  (March 24, 2024 and April 14, 2024) 

CLACS participated in two Traveling World Languages Fairs with Outreach Coordinators and language instructors from all 4 KU National Resource Centers.  They went to Topeka High School and Dodge City High School to give brief immersion experiences in different languages and promote FLAS scholarships and enrollment in KU academic programs. CLACS offered mini lessons in Quechua and Kaqchikel.   (April 8 & 26, 2024)

IRC Academic WorldQuest in Kansas City

As one of the International Relations Council’s (IRC) organizational members, KU and their area studies centers, including CLACS, participated in the Academic WorldQuest in Kansas City by presenting information about international studies opportunities, funding for language study, and resources for teachers.  This competitive event offers high school students the chance to showcase their knowledge of world affairs, geography, history, and world events.  (March 2, 2024)

The KU World Languages Fair provided an opportunity for middle and high school students to attend mini-lessons in a range of languages, presentations on target cultures, and discussions of how intercultural competence can enhance different fields of study. Organized by the KU Open Language Resource Center (formerly, the Ermal Garinger Academic Resource Center - EGARC) with collaboration from the KU area studies centers, the KU WLF invited language students from across the state to hear presentations from KU instructors and speakers from other state institutions. For CLACS, Emily Tummons introduced Kaqchikel Maya words and phrases, and Ana Laura Marques & Laryssa Rodrigues taught greetings in Brazilian Portuguese.  (April 13, 2024) 

The International Career Series gave students and the public an opportunity to attend nine sessions to learn about working internationally and how that could be done locally, domestically or abroad. Topics addressed in different presentations included funding for foreign language study and graduate school, resources at the Career Center, marketing international experience, international internships, teaching abroad, and more. The International Career Series was a collaboration of 12 internationally focused units at KU, including Global & International Studies and the 4 KU National Resource Centers.  (August ’23 – February ’24) 

ISS Atlas Series:  Belize

CLACS partnered with International Support Services to host an Atlas Series program about Belize.  An international KU student from Belize provided an enlightening presentation about the culture of this small but diverse nation.  Participants enjoyed tasting a home-cooked buffet of Belizean food. (March 26, 2024)

“Car Art: How Lowriders Teach Us About Chicanx and Mexican-American History” was spear-headed by Araceli Masterson-Algar.  American Studies partnered with CLACS, the Spencer Museum of Art, and the Dept. of Spanish & Portuguese to sponsor this public event with an overflow crowd! It featured a presentation by Erik Erazo and Tommy Lomeli with an opportunity for participants to see in-person examples of Lowriders. (Sept. 28, 2023) 

Día de los Muertos exhibit at the Hablemos: Spanish Conversation Table – The Spanish conversation table sponsored by the KU Graduate Student Association of Spanish and Portuguese (GRASP) collaborated with CLACS to exhibit and use part of our collection of Día de los Muertos artifacts at the Lawrence Public Library. The event featured cartonero artist, Juan Hernández, from San José Iturbide, Guanajuato, Mexico (pictured in the middle).  (October 26, 2023)

Merienda Series - 

This year, the long-standing tradition of the CLACS Merienda Series continued with 18 different talks given by Tinker Field Research Grant recipients, faculty, visiting scholars, experts, and artists. Scholarly presentations on Latin American topics are always accompanied by a meal of rice and beans with subjects ranging from the inequities of health care in Brazil or the Colombian civil conflict to biodiversity of bee populations or body-part terms in the Me’phaa language; from health challenges in Maya communities in Kansas or the concept of ghosts in Maya communities to cartonero art in Mexico or the teaching of Maya languages in Mexico.  (October '23 - April '24).

Global Brunch -

Global Brunch is part of Hawk Week and offers undergraduates the opportunity to learn about study abroad, languages taught at KU, and how to internationalize their degree at KU both on and off campus. Hundreds of students enjoyed free food and connecting with the KU global community at large. With the help of their students, instructors Emily Tummons (Kaqchikel Maya) and Heaven Snyder (Quechua and Yucatec Maya) engaged, entertained, and informed undergraduates about languages and funding opportunities offered through CLACS. (August 20, 2023).

Kaqchikel Maya Language Table - 

The Kaqchikel Maya Language Table offers students the opportunity to practice the language in a creative and fun learning environment.  Among numerous activities, instructor Emily Tummons oversaw 12 engaging sessions that ranged from perusing and drawing glyphs to singing Kaqchikel songs with a variety of musical instruments. 

Outreach to MSIs and community colleges - 

As part of the area studies centers’ mandated efforts to collaborate with minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and community colleges, CLACS and KASC hosted a delegation of students and faculty from Lincoln University, an HBCU in Jefferson City, MO. The visit included lectures, networking, and tours of the Centers, Law School, and KU campus to learn more about languages and graduate study at KU.  In a Joint Session of the KASC Ujamaa Virtual Colloquium Series and CLACS Merienda Series, Dr. Brian Norris, Lincoln University, gave a presentation, “Political Decentralization in the Rural Areas in the Global South: Comparing the Cases of Mozambique, Colombia, and Bolivia.” (January 29-30, 2024)