History Conference Features TAMIU Grad Students, Alums
An academic conference featured a session presentation made up entirely of current Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) graduate students and alums.
The first-ever Alliance for Texas History (ATxH) Conference, happened May 15 – 17 at Texas State University in San Marcos and included a session presentation by the following TAMIU students and alums:
- Zachariah Nora, TAMIU MA in History/Political Thought alum and current PhD. student at the University of Oklahoma;
- Pablo Rangel, MA in History/Political Thought alum and College of Arts and Sciences writing consultant; and
- Rebecca Romero, MA in History/Political Thought graduate student and University College academic advisor.
Serving as a moderator for the session was Dr. Leah LaGrone, assistant professor of History at Weber State University who also holds a Bachelor of Arts from TAMIU.
Commenting at the session was Dr. Deborah Blackwell, TAMIU associate professor of History. She noted the need for these opportunities to further rigorous historical research through critical thinking practices.
“To understand the past, we need to be able to appreciate both its differences from our own times and the ways in which that past influences our lives,” said Dr. Blackwell.
She continued, “That means that we cannot settle for simple, single-causation answers to the complex questions that face us in the modern world but rather need to apply analytical tools to the world that came before us. If we do this well and with minds that are open to the multitude of perspectives in our world, we can become the kind of civic-minded and empathetic citizens that make for a strong country.”
Rangel, whose research entitled, “Bridging the Knowledge Gap: Dorthy Fuldheim’s Lectures in South Texas,” offers a distinctive chance to highlight Laredo’s history as told through the lens of civic education in Texas.
“My research offers substantial benefits to the history of education, public discourse, and grassroots movements in the United States… shed[ing] light on the role of decentralized efforts in shaping public discourse, Dorothy Fuldheim’s impact on regional journalism and public thought, and local and regional histories,” said Rangel.
Romero’s research, “Reproductive Rights In South Texas: Race, Class, and Gender in the 20th Century,” focuses on women in South Texas and the prominent challenges regarding their reproductive autonomy, offers insight into religious, state and federal policies.
“This research seeks to contribute to the fields of women’s history and reproductive justice by highlighting an underrepresented community in scholarly discourse. This study aims to enhance our understanding of how local and federal policies have disproportionately impacted Mexican American women in South Texas and to consider how race, religion, and geography intersect in the shaping of reproductive care,” said Romero.
Nora’s research, “Tales of Sorrow: Laredo and the Influenza Pandemic, 1918 - 1920,” centers on low-income neighborhoods that were disproportionately affected by the virus, charting the history of the disease through death records, Census data, maps and other documents.
“This research contributes to the histories of race and disease in a way that demonstrates how the presence of disease not only represented a threat to public health but served as a vector for the construction and reinforcement of racial, class, and social hierarchies. Low-income Laredoans were often scapegoated and treated as inferior by state and public health authorities keen on maintaining a semblance of control. Historians can learn from the history of race and disease in Laredo which open new lines of inquiry into the ways marginalized communities on the Texas-México borderlands resisted forms of state control and violence through various forms of protest,” said Nora.
Founded in 2024, the ATxH "focuses on a 21st Century approach to historical analysis, dialogue, and perspective." The organization notes that it includes academic and avocational historians, local organizations and institutions, educators, public historians, archivists, librarians, and more.
More information on the ATxH, including its mission statement and upcoming events, is available at https://www.alliancefortexashistory.org/
For more, contact Blackwell at 956.326.2628 or email dblackwell@tamiu.edu.
Registration for TAMIU’s Summer, and Fall 2025 is underway online via Uconnect.
For more on TAMIU’s story, visit its social media channels: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube, and online at tamiu.edu.
Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) students, faculty and alums attended the first-ever Alliance for Texas History (ATxH) Conference, May 15 – 17 at Texas State University in San Marcos. Pictured, from L – R is Zachariah Nora, Rebecca Romero, Dr. Deborah Blackwell and Pablo Rangel.
