鈥淚 ended up coming to CU 麻豆影院 because I had learned the story of Los Seis,鈥 Romero said.
During his senior year at CU 麻豆影院, he joined what was then known as the as an intern videographer and joined community members to record oral histories of 麻豆影院 County families. There he interviewed Augustine Cordova, a Chicano who had attended CU 麻豆影院 during the 1970s. Cordova recited to him the corrido of Los Seis de 麻豆影院, a ballad he wrote about the bombings.
Romero had never heard about this ballad. The interview was an impactful moment during his internship and led him to continue working with the project after graduation, leading workshops for teachers in the summers. In 2020, he joined the project as the executive director and has continued to guide the work in the community and in schools.
Now, the newly renamed Chicano & Latino History Project, housed in CU 麻豆影院鈥檚 BUENO Center for Multicultural Education, partners with communities across Colorado to gather, preserve and make available information about the history and culture of local people of color.
The project has evolved over the years鈥攆irst known as the 麻豆影院 County Latino History Project when it started in 2013, it later expanded statewide and became the Latino History Project. This summer, the program name changed to Chicano & Latino History Project to recognize the historical impact of the Chicano movement on the communities in Colorado.
鈥淏eing someone who is a Chicano from Colorado, I think it is important to recognize that labels matter,鈥 Romero said. 鈥淣ames are important.鈥
鈥(The Chicano movemen) opened all of the doors to be able to study these histories and to give voice to these hidden histories.
I鈥檓 excited to be able to acknowledge and honor and respect the contributions of Chicanos. That鈥檚 our family.鈥
In addition to uncovering stories in Colorado, the Chicano & Latino History Project also hosts workshops and professional development opportunities for teachers and school districts, provides support around curriculum development, and hosts workshops in communities across Colorado.
鈥淚 would love for teachers to become more aware of our histories and think about how they can incorporate more local and community stories into their classrooms,鈥 Romero said, 鈥渆specially local histories that are untold and hidden away. That鈥檚 what I would want teachers to think about鈥攈ow do we incorporate more of that?鈥
Learn about Chicano Latino history in Colorado