Laura E. Gómez named Richard T. Castro Distinguished Visiting Professor

Laura E. Gómez, Ph.D., professor of law, sociologist and educator, has been named Metropolitan State University of Denver's 2016 Richard T. Castro Distinguished Visiting Professor.

The professorship, which will be celebrated Oct. 10-12, continues a 19-year tradition of bringing renowned Latino and Latina scholars, artists and community leaders to the University. Gómez's research spans the fields of law and society, critical race theory and the sociology of race.

“Many Americans may not fully understand how racial categories are socially constructed in the United States and what it means for the ways we articulate our own identity and perceive others,” said Chalane E. Lechuga, Ph.D., assistant professor of Chicana/o Studies and chair of the Richard T. Castro Distinguished Visiting Professorship Committee. “Gómez will shed light on how this process has played out for Mexican-Americans in the late 19th century and was reinforced by the ideology of Manifest Destiny.”

Gómez was appointed interim dean of the UCLA College's Division of Social Sciences in June 2016. She is a professor at UCLA School of Law, where she served as vice dean from 2013 to 2015. She was the co-founder and the first co-director of the UCLA's Critical Race Studies Program. Gómez received an A.B. from Harvard in Social Studies, a J.D. from Stanford Law School, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from Stanford University.

She has taught courses in constitutional law, criminal law, civil procedure, race and American law, and law and society.

Her published work has appeared in journals including the Law & Society Review and the Annual Review of Law and Social Science. She is the author of three books: “Misconceiving Mothers: Legislators, Prosecutors and the Politics of Prenatal Drug Exposure” (1997), “Manifest Destinies: The Making of the Mexican American Race” (2007), and “Mapping 'Race': Critical Approaches to Health Disparities Research” (2013, co-edited with Nancy López). She was recognized as one of Hispanic Businessmagazine's 100 Most Influential Latinos of 2011.

Gómez's work complements the Castro Professorship mission by challenging cultural perceptions and encouraging alternative perspectives, and contextualizes law within discussions of race, gender and class.

Founded in 1997 to foster multiculturalism, diversity and academic excellence at the University, the professorship honors civil rights activist and MSU Denver graduate and instructor Richard T. Castro, who served five terms in Colorado's House of Representatives. For more information on the professorship, visitwww.msudenver.edu/castro.

Free community events open to the public include:

Monday, Oct. 10

Welcome Reception 5-8 p.m.

Casa Mayan, 1020 9th St., Auraria Campus

Tuesday, Oct. 11

Keynote Address 11 a.m.

Nuestros Destinos: (Re)Claiming Space, Identity, Power

Luncheon and Book Signing 12:15 p.m.

St. Cajetan's Event Center, Auraria Campus

Community Panel Symposium 5-8 p.m.

Contemporary Manifest Destinies: Gentrification, Cultural Conflict and Negotiation in Denver's Historically Chicana/o/Mexicana/o Communities

Highland Tap and Burger, 2219 W 32nd Ave, Denver CO 80211

Panelists in addition to Gómez:

· Debora Ortega, Ph.D., panel moderator, is a professor of social work and the director of the University of Denver's Latino Center for Community Engagement and Scholarship, an interdisciplinary group of faculty members who participate in scholarship, research and service to benefit the Latino community.

· Jaime Guzman, M.A., panelist, is currently attending the University of Denver, pursuing a doctorate degree in communication studies with an emphasis on critical intercultural communication. He received his M.A. in communication studies from California State University, Los Angeles, with an emphasis in rhetoric. His current research is focused on gentrification.

· Lisa Calderón, M.L.S., J.D.,panelist, is the director of the Community Reentry Project, an initiative of the City of Denver's Crime Prevention and Control Commission, where she supervises six staff who work on behalf of formerly incarcerated persons for their successful reintegration back into the community. She is an adjunct faculty member for CU Denver's Ethnic Studies department and has taught in academia for more than 15 years in the areas of women's studies, sociology and criminal justice.

· Arturo Jimenez, J.D., panelist, is an immigration attorney for his own firm, specializing in spouse visas, immigration reform, deportation defense, naturalization and citizenship, victim visas, temporary protected status and work permits. He is a former Denver Public Schools board member and director of District 5, which includes North and West Denver, Downtown, the Golden Triangle, Globeville, Elyria and Swansea.

·