Honoring the Legacy of Dr. Louise Año Nuevo Kerr
October 2, 2026
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM America/Chicago
Location
153 BSB (Behavioral Sciences Building)
Address
1007 W. Harrison Street, Chicago, IL 60607
Cost
Free
Calendar
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Join us for Honoring the Legacy of Dr. Louise Año Nuevo Kerr: 50 Years of Chicana/o, Women’s, and Oral History, a daylong symposium commemorating the 50th anniversary of Dr. Kerr’s groundbreaking dissertation, The Chicano Experience in Chicago, 1920–1970, completed in UIC’s Department of History.
Dr. Louise Año Nuevo Kerr was the first Mexican American woman in the United States to earn a PhD in History. Throughout her distinguished career in higher education, she advanced Chicana/o, women’s, oral, and public history while helping create space for future generations of Latina scholars, historians, and university leaders.
This symposium will bring together historians, scholars, students, and community members to reflect on Dr. Kerr’s foundational scholarship, her influence on higher education, and the ways her legacy continues to shape historical research and public engagement today.
Also to note, this gathering builds upon the Mexicans in Chicago: Honoring the Legacy of Dr. Louise Año Nuevo Kerr conference in 2016, which brought together more than 225 scholars, students, artists, and community leaders to examine Dr. Kerr’s pioneering research and the history of Mexican communities in Chicago. Photos and video from the 2016 conference are available here.
The 2016 conference also helped serve as a catalyst for the Great Cities Institute’s Latino Research Initiative, which continues Dr. Kerr’s legacy through community-engaged research, policy-relevant scholarship, collaboration, and support for emerging Latino researchers.
RSVP link is bit.ly/louisekerr50 or also click below.
Date posted
Jul 23, 2026
Date updated
Jul 23, 2026