The talk took place on Saturday, March 13, 2021, @ 3:00 pm. A. K. Sandoval-Strausz discusses the themes of his latest book, Barrio America.
Award-winning historian A.K. Sandoval-Strausz challenges the idea that the so-called âCreative Classâ was most responsible for reviving the city, arguing instead that it was actually Latino newcomers who most dramatically transformed entire city neighborhoods, creating some of the most dynamic, stable, and safe neighborhoods in their cities. Barrio America centers on immigrant voices, emphasizing the choices of Latin American newcomers, the motivations that brought them to the United States, and the hopes that lay before them, their families, and their communities.
A. K. Sandoval-Strausz is Director of Latina/o Studies at Penn State University. He was born in New York City to immigrant parents, received his B.A. at Columbia, and went onto the University of Chicago for his Ph.D. He teaches courses in Latina/o Studies, immigration, and urbanism. He is a National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholar and a Distinguished Lecturer of the Organization of American Historians.
