Essays
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​William Henry Ellis—U.S. Slave Who Became a Millionaire by Pretending to be Mexican
William Henry Ellis, also known as Guillermo Enrique Eliseo, was a former African American slave who found his way around the racist Jim Crow system by pretending to be of different ethnicity. The former slave Continue reading... 9/5/20

Mexican American Scholar Challenges San Antonio College Mascot
To the Officials in Charge of Approving the San Antonio College Mascot: My name is Christopher Carmona. I am the writer of the novel, El Rinche: The Ghost Ranger of the Rio Grande, a scholar, and an Associate Professor Continue reading... 11/28/19

Reaching Roma Through Cuaron's Sonic Landscapes
The intimate sonic patterns pulled from Mexico City in Alfonso Cuarón’s Oscar nominated film Roma arrive to our ears as a lifeline straight into the heart of nineteen seventies middle-class family milieu. We enter Cuarón’s childhood with our gaze closely locked on pavement Continue reading... ​2/22/19

Immigration and The Treaty of Guadalupe
The date 1848 and immigration are indelibly linked, but it is a connection that many people, especially those espousing anti-immigrant rhetoric hardly ever make. 1848 is the year the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed and the United States Continue reading... 3/23/18
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El Nuevo Normal: The Coronavirus Crisis & Latin American Apocalyptic Fiction
As I watched the skyline of the Loop rush by on my way to the South Side, uneasy about the maskless Uber driver, I realized I had unconsciously conflated my return to Chicago with the promise of the much speculated Continue reading... 7/2/20

In the Shadows of Statues
For one hundred years we have lived in the shadow of statues. Of monuments. Of the long white blanket of the American schism. This is a place where progress is preached like the word of God itself, while in the dark it whispers that we are not welcome. This is a conquered Continue reading... 6/20/20
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Thieves: Land Ownership in Texas
An old Spanish proverb states, “a thief who steals from a thief is pardoned for a hundred years”. This is a perfect expression when it comes to land ownership/occupation in Texas and the United States in general. However, for the purpose of this essay Continue reading... 9/4/17
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The Hustler: Trump and the Mean Streets of L.A.
On the first day of class, I always inform my university students that I hold two PhDs. One from a premier research institution, UC Berkeley, and the other from one of the toughest neighborhoods in the country, East Los Angeles’ Ramona Gardens housing Continue reading... 9/25/16
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