Here at UCSB, we take pride in the strong commitment to the success of Chicanx/Latinx communities. As a Hispanic Serving Institution, we continue to provide students with tools and resources needed to accomplish great feats during UCSB, and beyond. Get involved with El Congreso, a Latinx activist organization, or one of the many professional organizations, like Los Ingenieros. Or hang out at El Centro, where you can learn about these organizations!
Featured Event
Wednesday, Apr. 29 | 7:30 PM | Campbell Hall
National Book Award-winning Poet
Winner of the 2021 National Book Award for Poetry for Floaters, and the only Puerto Rican winner since William Carlos Williams, Martín Espada is one of America’s most impassioned and urgent advocates. He writes with clarity about inequality, labor and migration, honoring the dignity of working people, especially in his own Puerto Rican community. His most recent collection, Jailbreak of Sparrows, confronts injustice with unflinching power and reaffirms poetry’s ability to bear witness. A former tenant lawyer with Su Clínica Legal in Greater Boston, Espada continues to bring the struggles and resilience of working people to the page. Join us for an evening of readings and commentary by one of America’s most vital literary voices, whose words transform resistance and compassion into unforgettable art.
Books will be available for purchase and signing, courtesy of Chaucer's Books
Point of Pride
El Centro
In 1969, the Chicano Coordinating Council on Higher Education met at UC Santa Barbara to draft El Plan de Santa Barbara, a document that served as the foundation for educational curriculum and community organizing across California. Another outcome was the formation of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA).
Alumni Spotlight: Maria
“The community I built at UCSB provided me with the reassurance to take on challenging classes and to not be afraid to shape my own unique educational experience. The friends I made through LEAD all had such diverse journeys when it came to entering the law field, which helped me realize that there is no one specific route to reaching your goals. Despite not entering the law field myself, the lessons and skills I learned at UCSB have propelled me toward starting my journey of earning a Master's Degree in School Counseling that still values the specific tenets I sought after in a career in law.”