Located on the first and third floors of Fondren Library is a rare collection of photos, documents and memorabilia of the Latine community at Rice University since its inception, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.
Curated by University Historian Portia Hopkins, “Recuerdos y Futuros (Memories and Future) of Latine at Rice University” showcases some of the first Hispanic graduates from Rice as well as oral histories and visual representations showcasing alumni, student, athletic and other groups that have contributed to the rich and diverse history of Rice over the years.
“The exhibit we created tells the story of the history of Latinos at Rice since its inception,” Hopkins said. “Their presence is here, and it has been here. It’s just a matter of us uncovering those things and trying to find ways to tell those stories visually, because we’re a visual culture.”
The exhibit is split up into five cases — one on the first floor of Fondren and the other four on the third floor in front of the Kyle Morrow Room.
The first case downstairs introduces students to the Hispanic community at Rice through sports. This includes photos and information about the Da Camara brothers — two brothers, Shirley and Lawrence, who played baseball at Rice in its early days. There also is a Rice News article about Jose Cruz and his son, former Rice baseball player and current head coach Jose Cruz Jr., written by David Medina, who is now the director of multicultural community relations at Rice.
Upstairs is a case highlighting Primitivo Leija Niño and Francisco Chairez, two of the first Hispanic graduates from the university in the late 1920s. The case also features quotes from the two students.
Next to the early graduates case is the oral history case, featuring quotes and letters from students dating back to 1928. There’s also a QR code leading to a bevy of oral histories.
Another exhibit highlights student groups and their origins. It examines the establishment and histories of groups like the Chicano organization, Rice Mariachi Club, Hispanic Association for Cultural Enrichment at Rice (HACER), Los Buhos Spanish Club and more.
Rice alumni are also prominently featured, highlighting the community they built through the years on and off campus.
“Portia Hopkins has done us a wonderful service in pulling together an exhibit that commemorates the presence and legacies of the Latine alum, faculty and staff at Rice,” Jose Aranda Jr., professor of English, Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American studies at Rice, said at the opening reception.
“Looking through the glass cases that feature mementos, letters, photographs and articles of those who came before us, I was simultaneously pleased and humbled by how the past informs our present,” he said”I know as this exhibit grows in depth and diversity, it will inspire future generations to take what they learned and earned at Rice and spread those gifts wherever they go. I have no doubt that those same gifts will return to Rice as recuerdos to cherish.”
HACER co-presidents Camila DeAlba and Pamela Duarte spoke at the exhibit’s unveiling event, sharing their pride in being a part of the moment.
“This exhibition is not just a collection of stories from the past but a reminder of where we’ve come from and how far we can go,” DeAlba said.
“We hope this exhibition serves as a testament to the strength and beauty of the Latinx community at Rice, and we encourage everyone to learn, celebrate and be inspired by what you see,” Duarte said. “Our stories are still being written, and this is just the beginning. ¡Gracias!”
To gather the collections for the exhibit, Hopkins connected with working groups on campus organized by the Office of Multicultural Community Relations, put out a call for information, documents, pictures and visual elements from people in the Rice and Houston communities, pulled from the library’s digital archives and worked with the Digital Media Commons and Woodson Research Center staff.
“It was such a team effort,” Hopkins said. “Being in the archives and finding these little jewels has been really rewarding. And hearing students say they feel seen because of our work just makes me feel such pride in what we’re doing.”
One of the main takeaways from gathering information and items for this exhibit was just how much Rice’s Hispanic population and culture has grown over the past century, Hopkins said.
“The thing that we kept hearing over and over again from people was ‘When I was here, there were only 10 of us,’ or ‘There were only eight of us,’” she said.
Yvonne Romero, vice president for enrollment, said about 19% of current Rice students are Hispanic or Latino.
“You think about 1928 and Primitivo Leija Niño walking through Sallyport, and there are like four (people identifying as Mexican or as a Mexican national) — all the way to almost 20% of our student population now being Latinx inside of 100 years,” Hopkins said.
“To know that that type of progress is being made in an institution with such a storied and rich history is incredible. And we want to tell those stories.”
The exhibit will be on display in Fondren through October.