CLAS stands in solidarity with the UAW strike - events postponed

November 16, 2022

We the staff of the Center for Latin American Studies stand in solidarity with the 48,000 academic student employees on strike for a cost-of-living pay increase and additional demands that the University of California administration should honor, including disability justice, support for working parents, job security, and free passes for public transportation passes, among others. We cannot overemphasize how important graduate student participation is and has been for the Center of Latin American Studies. In organizing workshops and lectures, inviting guest speakers, and producing field-changing research, graduate students and postdocs are vital to the mission and success of the Center. Therefore, as an organization dedicated to supporting the research and teaching of students and faculty across the Berkeley campus, as of Monday, November 14th we have postponed all events and programs until the university engages in fair bargaining.

Among the important demands of the UAW 5810, UAW 2865, and SRU-UAW, one in particular directly concerns what we do at the Center of Latin American Studies: the "International Scholar Rights" agenda which includes the demand for full remission of Non-Resident Supplemental Tuition, the reimbursement of all visa fees, and longer appointments for international scholars to permit longer visas. Meeting these demands will drastically improve the Center´s ability to continue our vibrant international dialogue with leading scholars, artists, and activists from Latin America.

In solidarity,

Natalia Brizuela, Class of 1930 Chair of the Center for Latin American Studies, Professor of Film & Media and Spanish & Portuguese

Julia Byrd, CLAS Vice Chair

Janet Waggaman, CLAS Program Coordinator

Greg Louden, CLAS Technology and Visual Design


Our screening and director's talk for Dos Estaciones that was scheduled for this Friday, November 18 at 5 pm is POSTPONED; we look forward to showing the film in Spring 2023.

For those interested, Dos Estaciones will be screening at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco this Saturday and Sunday, November 19 and 20, with director Juan Pablo González and lead actor Teresa Sánchez for an in-person Q+A. More information

We will update our community as circumstances warrant, and wish you a good Thanksgiving week.