Saturday, October 10, 2020

Marla O. Anderson And Graciela de la Cruz To Be Honored With The UW-Milwaukee Roberto Hernandez Center's Annual Hispanic Heritage Awards For Their Roles In The 1970's Higher Education Activism

The Roberto Hernandez Center (RHC) at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee confirmed that the 2020 RHC's Latino Heritage Awards will be awarded to the late Marla O. Anderson and Graciela de la Cruz on Thursday, October 22, 2020, at 5:30p.m. during a virtual recognition event celebrating the SSOI/RHC 50th Year Recognition, link at http://bit.ly/SSOIRHC50th.

By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

October 10, 2020

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On October 22, the Roberto Hernandez Center at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) will award its RHC's Annual Latino (Hispanic) Heritage Awards to the late Marla O. Anderson (Posthumously) and Graciela de la Cruz for their 1970's higher education activism that led to the removal of the discriminatory education barrier that was practiced and kept local Hispanics from enrolling at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee under then Chancellor J. Martin Klotsche at Chapman Hall. "Discriminatory treatment was the norm," cited from Myraid Magazine UWM 1990.

Anderson's decision to join Jesus Salas, the late Roberto Hernandez, Armando Orellana, the late Dante Navarro and Ernesto Chacon in 1970 led to the actiive participation of hundreds of families to back, join and march in support of the UWM takeover of Chapman Hall to gain access to higher education for Latinos and their children.

Anderson originally from Camargo, Tamaulipas, Mexico was well known for her leadership and instrumental role in the August 27, 1970 University of Wisconsin Milwaukee takeover of Chapman Hall, where she along with four men, Jesus Salas, Dante Navarro Gregorio "Goyo" Rivera and Jose Luis Huerta-Sanchez were arrested in a peaceful protest. They were protesting UWM's discriminatory policy that prevented Latinos from enrolling.

In 1970, only 14 Hispanic students including Hernandez,  Salas and De la Cruz were enrolled compared to 25,000 White students and there were no Latino faculty at UWM at the time. Anderson's role helped open the doors of education for thousands of Latinos in the state of Wisconsin UW-System. 

Their success in 1970 helped create the Spanish Speaking Outreach Institute (SSOI) at UWM, which focus on recruitement, advising and retention of Hispanic university students. The SSOI was later renamed in 1996 the Roberto Hernandez Center and since 1970 thousands of Hispanics have graduated.

Anderson enrolled at UWM and later graduated from the School of Education with a Bachelor of Science degree in May 1978, while raising six children. 

De la Cruz also graduated from UWM and became a teacher with the Milwaukee Public Schools System. She later retired as a Bilingual Reading Specialist from MPS.

The current RHC Casa Abrieta "Open House"  program has been very successful and as of fall 2016, Hispanic students made up 9.5 % of the student body and as of fall 2020, there are 2,340 registered Hispanic students, which is 12.4% of undergraduates at UWM, according to Alberto Maldonado, the Director of the RHC for the last five years.


Update: 

WI: The Roberto Hernandez Center Golden 50th Anniversary Virtual Celebration from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, (recorded: 10/22/2020) video link: https://bit.ly/3mf3sFv and YouTube link: https://youtu.be/8FFVYmRKOO0

UW-Milwaukee published two articles on October 22, 2020. 

El Movimiento https://bit.ly/38KF8ai 

The Roberto Hernandez Center Celebrating 50 years at UWM https://bit.ly/34lZh4M


Update WI: In behalf of the entire Marla O. Anderson family and extended family, we would like to thank the Roberto Hernandez Center (RHC) at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) including Alberto Maldonado, the Director of the RHC-UWM, staff and the UWM administration for presenting the 2020 LATINX HERITAGE MONTH AWARD to Marla O. Anderson (Posthumously) during the SSOI/RHC 50Th ANNIVERSARY RECOGNITION 

In lower photo: On December 19, 2020, H. Nelson Goodson, the proud son of Marla O. Anderson accepts the 2020 LATINX HERITAGE MONTH AWARD to Marla O. Anderson from Alberto Maldonado, the Director of the RHC-UWM.



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