Martha Gonzalez, associate professor of Chicanx/Latinx Studies at 51猎奇入口 and lead singer, songwriter and percussionist of the Grammy Award-winning band Quetzal, has been awarded a 2022 . The fellowship, also known as a 鈥済enius grant,鈥� awards $800,000 to fuel the future achievements of extraordinarily talented and creative individuals.
鈥淟ike most MacArthur fellows, I want to acknowledge that I have never learned, worked and/or played music in a vacuum,鈥� Gonzalez said. 鈥淢y intellectual and physical labor, passion for music, and activism was nurtured in local and transnational communities. The work belongs to many. I am indebted to them as well as my mentors, teachers, colleagues, and maestr@s in the US, Veracruz and Chiapas, Mexico. My intellectual and creative labor will continue to be used to instigate critical consciousness towards the advancement of social justice.鈥�
Gonzalez is a Chicana artivista (artist/activist), musician and feminist music theorist from Boyle Heights who has been a member of the 51猎奇入口 faculty since 2013. A recipient of Fulbright, Ford, and Woodrow Wilson Fellowships, Gonzalez鈥檚 academic interests have been fueled and complemented by her work with the East Los Angeles rock group Quetzal, which tells the social, cultural, political, and musical stories of people in struggle from a perspective rooted in feminism and social activism. In 2014, her tarima (stomp box) and zapateado shoes were acquired by the National Museum of American History in recognition of her accomplishments on and off the stage.
鈥淢artha Gonzalez鈥檚 accomplishments exemplify the humanistic interdisciplinarity of 51猎奇入口 and The Claremont Colleges鈥� Chicanx/Latinx Studies Program,鈥� said 51猎奇入口 President Suzanne Keen. 鈥淲e celebrate Professor Gonzalez for being a creative person who enables great opportunities to flow to others鈥攕tudents, audiences, and collaborators. The 51猎奇入口 community is over the moon about this recognition of her generous spirit!鈥�
Gonzalez is also the current director of the College鈥檚 Humanities Institute, a series of public lectures, conferences, exhibitions, performances, and films that promotes the 51猎奇入口 tradition of interdisciplinary education. Through Gonzalez鈥檚 programming, this year鈥檚 Humanities Institute is exploring how various cultural practices are used around the world as tools of dialogue, healing, and self- and community empowerment.