Tulane University

The National Council for Social Studies annual conference was held November 13-15, 2015 in New Orleans. The conference, promoting the theme of ‘Celebrating Social Responsibility’ provided an opportunity for the Stone Center and the Latin American Resource Center to introduce our city to visitors and share some of the connections between New Orleans and Latin America.

The highlight of the week was the keynote speech at NCSS by Sonia Nazario. Nazario is an award winning journalist who spoke to a packed crowd of educators. Her talk discussed her personal journey and how her personal experiences lead her to write about issues of immigration and those who do not have the ability to tell their own stories. She talked at length about her experiences following the trail of migrants trying to enter the United States and the experiences she had along this journey. After her moving talk, she signed books for the educators, which were provided at no cost to these educators by the publisher.

Prior to the start of NCSS, LARC hosted a Pre-conference workshop, Area Studies & Outreach in Social Studies for outreach professionals from around the country to gather and share ideas concerning the best practices in outreach to social studies educators. Outreach professionals who work with a variety of world regions and from around the country gathered to discuss topics ranging from helping educators teach about current and breaking news to ways to internationalize the curriculum without ever having to leave the classroom.

In collaboration with the New Orleans Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank, LARC sponsored a pre-conference clinic for educators on New Orleans, Gateway to the Americas: Trade, History & Globalization. Speakers from the federal reserve, Tulane’s Stone Center for Latin American Studies and the Center for Inter-American Policy and Research, and the Mexican Consulate of New Orleans discussed connections between New Orleans and Latin America, the history of these connections, and New Orleans’ importance as a point of connection between the United States and Latin America. A highlight of the workshop was the walking tour of points of interest to banking and Latin America in New Orleans. Check out some of the resources discussed in the workshop on the workshop website.

To round out the action packed week at NCSS, LARC also presented a panel discussion featuring Nicole Means (West Feliciana Parish High School), Torrence Williams (West Feliciana Parish High School), Ixnal Cuma Chavez (Tulane University), Kawoq Cuma Chavez (Tulane University), and Denise Woltering Vargas (Tulane University) on teaching about indigenous identity, globalization, and human rights. Despite the 8 AM start to the panel, it was well attended and received. LARC also helped sponsor and staff the Consortium of Latin American Studies booth in the exhibit hall where member institutions shared all of the great resources available through these centers. To check out these, and other great resources from area studies centers, visit this site with information on outreach from a variety of world areas.

If you missed any of these great events, don’t hesitate to check out the resources which resulted from them or the pictures from the events.