news history peeps – dr sonia hernandez associate professor of history june 27 2022 history peeps – dr sonia hernandez associate professor of history dr hernández far left front row as a jr rotc high school student in pharr texas as a professor of the us-mexico borderlands dr sonia hernándezs enthusiasm for history is deeply personal the child of mexican immigrants hernández was the first member of her family born in the united states she remembers growing up in a colonia or unincorporated town of the rio grande valley near mcallen texas she was first drawn towards her scholarship by a desire to better understand her own familys past and how the intersection of mexican and american history influenced their story dr hernández argues that educators should seek first and foremost to spread conocimiento a word that denotes awareness of a historical figures idiosyncratic experiences her goal is to help students see the contemporary value of learning history and to situate their own personal stories within a larger historical narrative her most recent publications include for a just and better world: engendering anarchism in the mexican borderlands (2021 with the university of illinois press) and co-edited an anthology reverberations of racial violence: critical reflections on the history of the border (2021 with the university of texas press); hernández is working on her third monograph por un compatriota: transnational networks state violence and the case of gregorio cortez that examines the tragic history of state-sanctioned violence including the race-based lynching of ethnic mexicans in the us-mexico borderland from a gendered labor and greater norteño perspective dr hernández has been a professor at texas a&m for eight years and remembers being drawn to the university for its committed support for latina(o) studies at most public university its rare for a history department to have more than one expert on this subfield by contrast the tamu history department boasts five professors whose expertise is listed as latinx & mexican american it also participates in conjunction with other departments in the liberal arts college in a chicano and chicana working group for graduate students and faculty to discuss their research and meet likeminded scholars influenced by her maternal grandfathers career as both rancher and musician dr hernández is also a regular on the dance floor since her days in public school she says she loves dancing to country tejano conjunto pop or really any other genre of music thats being played to what historical figure would dr hernández like to say howdy if given the chance she would like to meet texas state house representative jose tomas ‘jt canales canales was the only mexican american texas state legislator in 1919 when he led a movement to investigate unprovoked violence by the texas rangers against tejano americans opponents denounced him as a disloyal texan and even a greaser from brownsville but the canales investigation would go on to produce overwhelming evidence of ranger misconduct shocked into action the legislature reconstituted the rangers as professional police force with safeguards to prevent future violence against tejano communities as a figure she admires for his steady resolve even when attacked dr hernández would want to ask him how it felt as a powerful legislator to have his professionalism and citizenship questions just for being mexican american and how he maintained his calm demeanor (patrick grigsby) faculty history peeps