On Wednesday, January 14, 2026, past students of the Wayne State University Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies (CLLAS), Chicano Boricua Studies (CBS), and Latino en Marcha (LEM) programs braved snowstorm conditions to gather for a historic occasion. Despite the inclement weather, more than 20 alumni met in person and online to discuss the formal launch and future of an alumni association, an idea propelled by two recent successful reunions and an increase of alumni participating in university events supporting current students.
A small steering committee comprised of founding and early program alumni led by Benjamin Esquivel of the original fall 1971 LEM cohort, and including community leaders Ines De Jesus, Belda Garza, Elena Herrada and Ozzie Rivera, had invested several weeks’ time researching association models and planning the launch. Dinner was provided at the in-person location, LA SED’s Youth and Senior Center, by the steering committee. “55 years ago, we met in LA SED’s basement to take classes. We are now back at LA SED to ensure this educational legacy lasts for another 50 years,” stated Esquivel at the meeting’s opening.
LA SED played a pivotal role in the creation of the Latino en Marcha Program over 1970 and 1971, securing funding from New Detroit Inc. for the proposed one-year leadership program for college-aged youth, and partnering with Wayne State University to offer relevant coursework to participating students.
During the first year, the program proved so impactful, with participants demonstrating incredible promise working in teams to address concerns in their communities, and interest from prospective students growing rapidly, that the Wayne State University Board of Governors voted to formally incorporate it into the university as an academic program, Chicano-Boricua Studies, named after the Mexican American and Puerto Rican communities that had mobilized in Detroit to create more educational opportunities for young people.
Over the years, the program grew into a multidisciplinary university center, changing its name to the Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies in 2011. More than 2,500 students have participated in the center’s learning community program since 1971 and thousands more have benefitted from the classes, events and other activities it hosts annually.
Today, participating Wayne State CLLAS students take part in an accelerated summer program to acclimate to college, work with peer mentors and advisors throughout the year, pursue coursework related to Latin America and U.S. Latino/as, develop research projects to present at an annual Latino/a Studies research conference, have access to professional alumni mentors and other community leaders, and complete service learning projects related to their fields of study. CLLAS is open to students of all backgrounds and majors who have an interest in Southwest Detroit, the Latino/a community in Michigan, and more broadly, Latino/as in the U.S.
At the launch meeting, alumni voted the organization into existence as the LEM/CBS/CLLAS Alumni Association, discussed proposed bylaws, and elected the following officers to serve a one-year term to get the association off the ground: President Laura Chavez (of the 1996 CBS cohort); Vice President Nathan Chavez (CBS 2002); Secretary Maricruz Moya (CLLAS 2013); and Treasurer Belda Garza (LEM 1971). The board has representation from all major periods of the program’s long history.
Upon her election Southwest Detroit native and leader Laura Chavez said, “The CBS program was a major factor in me going to college and earning my degree. I am very honored to be nominated and look forward to working together to make our community proud.”
Over the next year, the LEM/CBS/CLLAS Alumni Association Board and members will focus on incorporating the organization and finalizing the bylaws, contacting and mobilizing fellow program alumni, and fundraising to endow and award a student scholarship named after the program’s longtime director, History Professor Dr. Jorge L. Chinea. The next two general meetings are scheduled for February 19 and March 19 (both Thursdays) at 6 p.m., location to be determined. Interested alumni can contact CLLAS@wayne.edu for more details.
