Democratizing and Documenting Latinx Heritage
[Theme: Resources]

Facilitator:

Moira Nadal

Speakers:

Laura Dominguez, Latinos in Heritage Conservation

Mika Selly, Archivist

Tamil Maldonado, Raíces Brewery

Moira Nadal is a Historic Preservation Specialist with the District of Columbia Historic Preservation Office. She was previously at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the New Jersey State Historic Preservation Office, and Heritage Consulting Inc. Moira holds a bachelors in the Growth and Structure of Cities from Bryn Mawr College and a Masters of Science in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania. She currently serves on the Board of the Latrobe Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians and has recently also served on the Board of the DC Chapter of the Association for Preservation Technology and the Executive Committee of Latinos in Heritage Conservation. Moira grew up mostly between New Orleans and Santo Domingo and is proud to call the barrio of Mount Pleasant DC her current home.

Laura Dominguez is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History at USC, where she studies race, heritage, and place-making in the American West. Her research examines the making and unmaking of settler histories, memory sites, and ancestral practices among Black, Indigenous, and immigrant communities in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Los Angeles. Born and raised in Southern California, Laura holds a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and a master’s degree in historic preservation from USC. She previously served as Communications and Programs Manager for San Francisco Heritage and Preservation Manager for the Los Angeles Conservancy. An advocate for preservation justice and equity, she is also a founding board member of Latinos in Heritage Conservation and chairs its Education & Programs Committee. From 2019-2021, she was a member of the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office Civic Memory Working Group. Her writing has appeared in the Western Historical Quarterly, Journal of American History, California History, and Lost L.A. She is a new mother to Diego.

Mikaela Selley is a native Houstonian with eight years of professional experience as an archivist and hands-on experience in the preservation, documentation and digitization of historical manuscripts and photographs significant to Houston’s Hispanic and Latina/o heritage. Additionally, she has curatorial experience for history and cultural heritage exhibits. Selley works as an Independent Consultant offering research, strategic planning, archival and exhibit design services for personal, business, and cultural heritage projects. She is also part-time Program Manager for the Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage Project at Arte Público Press where she oversees the workflow and implementation of the CLIR Hidden Collections grant awarded by the Council on Libraries and Information Resources.

In 2019, Tamil Maldonado Vega co-founded Raices Brewing in Denver, Colorado. Raices is a Latino owned and operated brewery that also acts as a reference center for those interested in learning about Latin culture.