PBS debuts part one of a six-hour documentary American Latino history on Wednesday, September 17th. Host Maria Hinojosa talks to Vicki Ruiz, a UC Irvine historian featured in the series, and Jose Fulgencio, a young Latino blogger, about the series. The conversation focuses on the birth of anti-Latino immigrant rhetoric during the Great Depression and why this history is not taught in schools.

Photo courtesy PBS.

Vicki Ruiz is a professor of history at U.C. Irvine specializing in Chicano/Latino studies. Her research encompasses 20th century U.S. History, Chicano/Latino history through oral narratives, gender studies, labor and immigration.

 
Jose Fulgencio is a blogger and public speaker. A young Latino first generation college graduate, he has a B.A. In Political Science form Northeastern Illinois University and a Master of Arts in Political Science form Oklahoma State University. His work has appeared in Urban Times, The Washington Times Communities and Policy Mic.