The University of New Mexico will host Laura Hooton, a New Mexico State University historian who will give a talk about her first solo book “Little Liberia: A Dream of Black Freedom in the US-Mexico Borderlands.” The talk, presented by the Center for the Southwest and the Department of Africana Studies, takes place Tuesday, Nov. 17 from
2-4 p.m. in the history department common room in Mesa Vista Hall.
The history of the borderlands region is often focused on the tensions between the United States and Mexico and often forgets African Americans who were also involved. In “Little Liberia,” an agricultural community in northern Baja California, Mexico. Hooten uncovers a vital, little-known chapter in borderlands history that tells the complete story for the first time of how Black Americans sought freedom and enterprise in northern Mexico.
Established to combat white supremacy in North America, Little Liberia was designed to build African American economic power through agricultural production. During its 11 years of existence, the community had to deal with the political situations of World War 1, the Mexican Revolution and racial persecution.
“Little Liberia’s history is not well known, but it’s especially important because it illustrates the importance of looking at Black Studies and Borderlands Studies in tandem,” said Hooten.
Hooten is a historian of race, ethnicity, and identity in the United States and Latin America. Her research African Americans in the US-Mexico borderlands, social movements, immigration and migration, and comparative race and ethnicity, particularly Black and Latine histories. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara in 2018 with my Ph.D. in history and an interdisciplinary emphasis in Black Studies.
For event questions, contact cntrsw@unm.edu. To learn more about Hooton's work, visit her website.
