MSU Denver Reveals Program Name Change for 2021 Professorship

Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU) recently announced the 2021 Richard T. and Virginia M. Castro Distinguished Visiting Professorship. The program has long honored Richard T. Castro, an influential community organizer, social worker and Colorado state representative, and now it also recognizes the important contributions and longtime leadership of his wife, Virginia.

Photo: Courtesy MSU Denver María Hinojosa will give a virtual keynote address for the 2021 Richard T. and Virginia M. Castro Distinguished Visiting Professorship.

Originally started as the Richard T. Castro Distinguished Visiting Professorship, the program was initiated in 1997 to foster multiculturalism, diversity, and academic excellence at Metropolitan State University of Denver. This year, the name has been changed to Richard T. and Virginia M. Castro Distinguished Visiting Professorship to recognize the labor and passion that Virginia brought to the Chicano movement in Denver with Richard. The professorship brings renowned Latinx scholars, artists, and leaders of distinction to MSU Denver to conduct classes, seminars, performances, and lectures for students, faculty, staff, and the larger Denver community.

Virginia Castro was one of the first instructors of Chicana/o Studies at Metropolitan State University of Denver and was a social worker and advocate with Denver Public Schools. She also was a partner and supporter of her late husband’s political career and remains active in various community-service endeavors. Virginia is the President of the Auraria Historical Advisory Council. She has been recognized with numerous awards, including the MSU Denver’s 2019 MLK Peace Award.

“Virginia Castro has been committed to the values and goals of social justice, political empowerment and access to education for Chicano/a and Mexicano/a communities in Denver and especially for those with historic ties to the Auraria Campus,” said Adriana Nieto, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Department of Chicana/o Studies. “It’s important to (add) her name to the professorship because it recognizes the critical role that women and spouses play in not only handling the domestic responsibilities of a family with a very public figure but also how important her voice and perspective were to shaping both the House and la casa.”

Virginia Castro is the President of the Auraria Historical Advisory Council. She has been recognized with numerous awards, including the MSU Denver’s 2019 MLK Peace Award.

In fact, the program’s 2017 theme, “Taking Care of Business in the House and La Casa,” was in part inspired by the conversations around the invisible and uncompensated labor of Chicanas.
This year’s theme of “RePRESSente: Broadcasting, Nuestras Historias” highlights Latina journalists who tell the stories of Latina/o and other marginalized communities and features a virtual keynote address by 2021 Richard T. and Virginia M. Castro Distinguished Visiting Professor María Hinojosa.

Hinojosa is an award-winning multimedia journalist who explores and gives a critical voice to the diverse American experience. Her nearly 30-year career includes reporting for PBS, CBS, WNBC, CNN and NPR. She is the anchor and executive producer of the Peabody Award-winning radio program “Latino USA” and founded Futuro Media. The independent, nonprofit newsroom creates multimedia content from a POC perspective, empowering people to navigate the complexities of an increasingly diverse and connected world. She also co-hosts Futuro Media’s award-winning political podcast “In the Thick.”

“Virginia Castro has been committed to the values and goals of social justice, political empowerment and access to education for Chicano/a and Mexicano/a communities in Denver and especially for those with historic ties to the Auraria Campus.”
Adriana Nieto, Department of Chicana/o Studies/MSU Denver

In her new book, “Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America,” Hinojosa tells the story of immigration in América through her family’s experiences and decades of reporting, painting an unflinching portrait of a country in crisis.

“Also, as the firing of three Latina journalists from local station 9News broke, we thought it was important to bring (these women and Hinojosa) together in conversation about the importance of representation,” Nieto said. “They are not only committed to being good journalists but also have come forward to tell their own stories of discrimination, bias and racialized sexism and sexist racism.”

The event will be held on Tuesday, September 7, at the MSU Denver, Jordan Student Success Building, 890 Auraria Parkway, Denver, CO 80204. The day begins with a moderated conversation followed by live audience Q & A, 10:30am-Noon; a community panel will be held from 1pm-2pm; and a virtual reception meet and greet, 6pm-7pm. The event is free and open to the public.

See the website for more details on events and RSVP information.

By Lindsey Coulter

Lindsey Coulter, Communications, Metropolitan State University of Denver.

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