Critical Race and Ethnic Studies Division Business Meeting
July 31st, 3 p.m. EST-Online via Zoom
 Participants: Marta Maldonado, Foroogh Mohammadi, Gunercindo Espinoza, Silvia Dominguez, Eileen O’Brien, Junior Hopwood, Khaalis, Nancy Lopez.

* Marta opened the session and welcomed everyone.
* Everyone agreed that the meeting will be recorded.
* Gunercindo introduced himself. Opportunities for sessions in the future.
* Foroogh introduced herself and shared her plans for the next year.
* Marta called attention to the CRES Sponsored and Co-Sponsored Sessions.
* Marta shared the Pre-Conference Event on Critical Migration and Deportation Studies Conference: Marta will share the information in the chat box.
* Division Budget and SSSP Financial Challenges. The necessity of discussing new ideas to move forward with, such as:
o Separating from ASA (or not).
o Possibility of publications as a new source of revenue for SSSP.
o Holding SSSP at less costly venues.
o We have the opportunity to reflect on decoupling SSSP from the ASA meetings to address the ongoing challenges.
o Especially, smaller Divisions are receiving more financial pressure.
o Junior Hopwood: Using university campuses rather than hotels. Going to smaller places would be more financially possible.  
o Nancy Lopez also supported holding the meetings in more affordable places. Also, she mentioned that we can think of ways to include newer generations, younger students, other organizations, etc.
* Gunercindo mentioned that there was not a specific discussion on the budget in the Council of Division meeting, and Marta mentioned that members can reflect on their ideas.
* Marta mentioned that there are concerns over losing participants. The hotel rooms are very expensive, and people are not attending the conferences as much. And whether people necessarily stay at the hotel conferences. 
* Junior Hopwood emphasized that SSSP is partly for students and that having the cheaper venue would make it more accessible. Having a trip from there to NYC would cost at least $3,000 for him.
* Marta: David Embrick as the new SSSP President. Marta proposed folks to propose session possibilities around the theme of “building communities for radical change.”
* Gunercindo mentioned the possibilities of working with other Division leaders like the Criminal and Justice Division. 
* Marta reminded we get 5 CRES-sponsored sessions and other co-sponsored sessions.
* Nancy Lopez: Chicago is an interesting place for ethnic studies and repairing harm and for organizing communities. She believed it would be powerful, and she mentioned that she could connect with other grassroots connections to hold sessions together. 
* Point of information from Gunercindo: 5 CRES Division Sessions and 3 Co-sponsored Sessions.
* Khaalis: mentioned that they are a middle school teacher and proposed a session possibility on: homoeroticism and integrating the youth in more critical ways. 
* Marta motioned that this is an interesting session possibility and we can co-sponsor that with the Sexual Behaviour Division. She said she thinks about racialized immigration processes and responses to state authoritarianism as it is unfolding, and it can be an interesting session in line with the theme. 
* Nancy Lopez: a panel on labour organizing for intersectional liberatory impact might be interesting because there is a renewed labour movement that's happening in the likely places and inviting labour organizers.
* Gunercindo mentioned they shared their email for the folks, as he will be at the next council division meeting where they will discuss co-sponsoring sessions among the division leaders.
* Marta: Encouraged members to contact the Division Leaders about their ideas. 
* Foroogh encouraged everyone to consider nominating for awards next year.
* Marta announced the CRES Award winners of this year (2026) and encouraged folks to volunteer or nominate works to submit for next year’s awards. 
* Marta asked anyone to share announcements, ideas, or concerns. 
* Gunercindo discussed the possibility of starting a graduate writing group, a graduate student writing group for members. 
* Marta closed the session by encouraging everyone to stay connected and to 
* Meeting adjourned at 3:57 p.m. EST.