Contact: Sarah Nicholas

STARKVILLE, Miss.— Mississippi State University’s interdisciplinary lecture series—Race in America—spotlights the health disparities between native and foreign-born Mexicans of distinct racial backgrounds in a Feb. 7 campus event.

Presented by Guadalupe Marquez-Velarde, an assistant professor of sociology at Utah State University, “Challenging the Myth of Racial Homogeneity among Mexicans in the U.S.” will explore “how Mexicans of distinct racial backgrounds fit into recognized patterns of racial health disparities and demonstrate that Mexican Americans and Mexicans in the U.S. are not homogenous nor equally advantaged in terms of health,” said Marquez-Velarde.

The event is Feb. 7 at 4 p.m. in Griffis Hall’s Honors Forum, Room 401 and is free and open to the public.

“Dr. Marquez-Velarde is a leading sociologist who studies intersectional population health, social demography, and racial and ethnic relations,” said MSU Assistant Professor of Sociology Gabe H. Miller, event coordinator and core faculty member in MSU’s African American Studies program. “Her work challenges the typical ways we think about and understand race and ethnicity, and how race and ethnicity impact health.”

“Literature on health outcomes and mortality among Mexican Americans and foreign-born Mexicans in the U.S. suggests that both native and foreign-born Mexicans have a health advantage in relation to non-Hispanic whites, what we call the ‘Hispanic Paradox.’  However, the work Dr. Marquez-Velarde will share with us suggests otherwise. Her talk will examine how Mexicans of distinct racial backgrounds fit into—or don’t fit into—these recognized patterns of racial health disparities,” Miller said.

“Dr. Marquez-Velarde’s talk is timely as MSU offers its rich programming during Black History Month in February,” said Miller. “Her talk also will touch on the history of Blackness in Mexico and highlights the experiences of Black Mexicans in the United States today.”

The Race in America lecture series is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Sociology and the African American Studies program. Additional organizers include Margaret “Maggie” Hagerman, associate professor and graduate coordinator in the Department of Sociology, and Sanna King, a sociology assistant professor.

A division of the College of Arts and Sciences, more information about the African American Studies program is available at www.aas.msstate.edu. For more information about the Department of Sociology, visit www.sociology.msstate.edu. For complete details on the College of Arts and Sciences, visit www.cas.msstate.edu.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.