As part of the Education & Ethnics Studies Summit, the Leatherby Libraries collaborated with the Donna Ford Attallah College of Educational Studies to host an art exhibit by Santa Ana Valley High School students.

This event was Chapman University’s 6th Annual Education and Ethnic Studies Summit and the Leatherby Libraries’ 4th time hosting the exhibit. The theme of the summit this year was Embodied Resistance.

The Santa Ana Valley High School Ethnic Studies class studied articles by writer and journalist Gustavo Arellano, focusing on the history of racism in Orange County.

The exhibit* titled “The Anti-Mexican History of Orange County” depicts the struggles people of color had and continue to endure in Orange County, including immigration, housing, and police abuse. The students used wheat paste as their medium for the art. Both wheat paste and mural-making are forms of social justice movements. Artists usually use these methods to spread ideas to the larger society.

Dean of the Leatherby Libraries, Dr. Kevin Ross, with the artists and educator Benjamin Vazquez.

*The exhibit is on display in the Leatherby Libraries Hall of Art (Library 1st floor), and it will be up through May 31, 2022.

The Leatherby Libraries’ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts align with the Chapman University Strategic Plan for Diversity & Inclusion, fostering a diverse and inclusive campus climate.