Ramón Gutiérrez, “New Mexico’s Moses: Reies López Tijerina and the Religious Origins of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement” ♥

A presentation of the Reimagining the Latinx Experience in America book talk series

In New Mexico’s Moses, Ramón A. Gutiérrez dives deeply into Reies López Tijerina’s religious formation during the 1940s and 1950s, illustrating how his Pentecostal foundation remained an integral part of his psyche even as he migrated toward social-movement politics. An Assemblies of God evangelist turned Pentecostal itinerant preacher, Tijerina used his secularized apocalyptic theology to inspire the dispossessed heirs of Spanish and Mexican land grants fighting to recuperate ancestral lands throughout northern New Mexico and the Southwest. Using Tijerina’s collected sermons, Gutiérrez demonstrates the ways in which biblical prophecy influenced Tijerina throughout his life from his early days as a preacher to his leadership of the Alianza Federal de Mercedes. Tijerina sought justice for those who had lost their lands and was determined to eradicate the most egregious forms of racism and to valorize the language and culture of mexicanos. Translated into English for the first time here, Tijerina’s sermons serve as a blueprint for the religious origins of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement. Read more >

Ramón A. Gutiérrez is the Preston and Sterling Morton Distinguished Service Professor of History emeritus at the University of Chicago. He is the author of many publications including When Jesus Came, the Corn Mothers Went Away: Marriage, Sexuality, and Power in New Mexico, 1500–1846 and the coeditor, with Kathleen Belew, of A Field Guide to White Supremacy.

Wednesday, September 7, 2022
12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PDT

Zoom details will be emailed to registered attendees.

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The Reimagining the Latinx Experience in America book talk series is part of The Future of Latinos in the United States: Law, Opportunity, and Mobility initiative. This initiative has been underway through the American Bar Foundation and now has a campus home at UCI Law. The initiative focuses on how law and policy can shape the incorporation of Latinx people across the nation through four key drivers of opportunity and mobility: immigration, education, economic participation, and political participation and civic engagement. As part of this initiative, UCI Law is hosting book talks for scholars committed to addressing issues affecting the Latinx community to present their recent scholarship. This series will push attendees to think about the realities––past and present––of Latinx people in the U.S. and how the future may look different, including better access to justice, resources, and opportunities. UCI Law is thrilled to spotlight these scholars and to provide an opportunity to learn from and host a dialogue on this important work!