For Immediate Release s132

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact José Centeno-Meléndez, M.A. June 21, 2016 Phone (301) 787-3704 Email [email protected]

JOSÉ CENTENO-MELÉNDEZ TO COMMENCE FELLOWHIP AT THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION

AAP Alumnus and Ronald E. McNair Scholar José Centeno-Meléndez is spending his summer at the Smithsonian Institution in the Nation’s Capital

Hyattsville, Maryland native José Centeno-Meléndez is off to do a Fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution’s Latino Center.

Centeno-Meléndez will be working on the project “Latino D.C. History Project – Recovering Racial Notions of D.C.’s Latino Community 1930s-1960s” within the Latino Museum Studies Program. This multi-year initiative will document and share stories of Latinas/os and their contributions to the social, cultural, and economic fabrics of the nation’s capital.

“Washington, D.C. has been and continues to be a very important hub for Latina/o communities. As a Salvadoran who grew up in the immediate D.C. area, I am excited about the opportunity to document multiple histories and perspectives on this city from the vantage point of Latina/o communities. Since D.C. residents are currently experiencing rapid social, cultural, and demographic changes, there is a higher need for community- based institutions to document Latina/o histories at this moment,” said Centeno-Meléndez, who earned a bachelor’s degree in American Studies with a minor in U.S. Latina/o Studies from the University of Maryland, College Park. As a fellow, Centeno-Meléndez will contribute to the identification of material artifacts that can be preserved by the Smithsonian Institute and other community-serving institutions. He will also interview long-time Latina/o D.C. residents to get a better understanding of their lived experiences during the final era of Jim Crow and subsequent desegregation.

Centeno-Meléndez is currently a PhD student in the Department of American Studies at The University of Texas at Austin. The focus of his dissertation project will be on Salvadoran place-making practices in the diaspora while emphasizing their every-day lived experiences, as well as their involvement in immigrant rights movements. He envisions a career as a professor in Latina/o Studies where he can also work with local community organizations for the purpose of preserving local histories.

The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum and research complex, with 19 museums and galleries and the National Zoological Park. The total number of objects, works of art and specimens at the Smithsonian is estimated at nearly 138 million, including more than 127 million specimens and artifacts at the National Museum of Natural History.

If you would like more information about this Smithsonian Internships, Fellowships, and Research Associates, please contact the Office of Fellowships and Internships at 202-633-7070 or check out their website smithsonianofi.com

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