ASU's Hispanic Research Center relaunches to explore Latino diversity

Arizona State University is relaunching its Hispanic Research Center to foster a greater understanding of the state's diverse Latino population.

Why it matters: Latinos are economic drivers , political decision makers and artistic influencers — but politicians, reporters and academics often misunderstand them.

The big picture: The Hispanic Research Center launched in 1985 and has spent the past few decades focused on Chicano art and literature.

• When the federal government designated ASU a Hispanic Serving Institution in 2022, the university decided to expand the center's mission to provide more research opportunities and a space for Hispanic organizations to collaborate with the school, new director Stella Rouse told Axios.

State of play: The center organized its first poll of Arizona and U.S. Latinos and will release the results later this month.

• Rouse, whose background is in political science, said her team will continue polling Latinos regularly to find the pulse of political sentiment and key issues.
• "The needs and the policy priorities of this community are not going to end when the presidential race is over with, despite the media leaving town," Rouse said.

The intrigue: The Hispanic community represents people from 21 countries . There are significant religious , political and cultural differences among community members, but they are often viewed as a monolithic group, the center's associate director Anita Huizar-Hernández told Axios.

• She said the center plans to conduct research to highlight nuances within the Latino population and the diverse needs and perspectives that inform their worldviews.
• "We're here for the complexity," Huizar-Hernández said.

Between the lines: The center will still operate its bilingual press and display its large collection of Chicano art.

• A portion of the collection is displayed at the ASU Art Museum through June 2025. The exhibition will rotate prints in January to showcase more artwork.
• Huizar-Hernández said the center is pursuing opportunities to showcase the art at other Arizona galleries as well.

What's next: The center is hosting a block party to reintroduce itself to the community, from 11am to 3 pm Oct. 17 at the Interdisciplinary A building.

• The event, which is also open to non-ASU community members, will include an art show, book sale, car show, food truck and Hispanic organization fair.