The Latinx and Democracy Cluster (LDC) 

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Overview

The Latinx and Democracy Cluster (LDC) is a group of researchers and scholars at UC Berkeley dedicated to catalyzing social change for Latinx populations. The LDC seeks to promote a thriving interdisciplinary intellectual community that supports individual and collaborative research to enhance justice, equity, and inclusion for Latino people in California and nationwide. 

Comprising sociologists, historians, public health scholars, political scientists, and social welfare scholars, the LDC brings together seven new leading researchers working across disciplines to contribute to transforming UC Berkeley into a primary hub of Latinx-focused social science scholarship.

The LDC members are Dr. Jenny S. Guadamuz (School of Public Health), Dr. Kristina Lovato (School of Social Welfare), Dr. Lorena Oropeza(link is external) (Ethnic Studies), Dr. Laurent Reyes (School of Social Welfare), Dr. Michael Rodríguez-Muñiz (Sociology), Dr. Nicholas Vargas(link is external) (Ethnic Studies), and Dr. Stephanie Zonszein (Political Science).

News:

Upcoming Immigration Teach-In, April 23rd, 4-6pm at Latinx Research Center

Past LDC Speaker Series Event April 22, 2025 with Dr. Luis H Zayas

This event took place on Tuesday, April 22nd, from 2:30-4:00pm, in partnership with Berkeley School of Social Welfare, the Latinx and Democracy Cluster (LDC) Speaker Series, and the Center on Immigration and Child Welfare Initiative. A guest lecture was held by Dr. Luis Zayas, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on “Immigration Enforcement: Facing A New Reality of An Age-Old Phenomenon.”

First Spring 2025 LDC Speaker Series Event with Dr. Arturo Vargas Bustamante on 2/25/25

Our first Spring 2025 event took place on Thursday, February 25, from 12:40 to 2 p.m. in Berkeley Way West (2121 Berkeley Way College Room 1104, 1st Floor) with 60 participants present. In partnership with the Health Policy Colloquium, the Latinx and Democracy Speaker Series, and Dr. Jenny Guadamuz, Assistant Professor of Public Health at UC Berkeley, a guest lecture was held by Dr. Arturo Vargas Bustamante(link is external)(link is external), "Barriers & Bridges: Accessing Health Care for Immigrants and Limited English Proficient Patients." Click to read more.