Professor Aldana, Jordan Porterfield '25 Discuss 'Voices of Resistance'

Professor Raquel Aldana and Jordan Porterfield ’25 spoke as part of the Chicana/o/x Studies Department’s spring symposium “Humanizing a Dehumanized Experience: The Voices of Resistance at UC Davis” on May 12. The event was co-sponsored by the Undocumented Student Resource Center and the Cross Cultural Center.

Aldana discussed the shifting historical landscape of responses to immigrants, and the role of institutions (like UC Davis) in including/excluding undocumented immigrants.

Porterfield addressed how her work as a student in the Immigration Law Clinic advanced and supported the community’s collective action and resistance. Porterfield also was the student speaker at the Class of 2025’s commencement on May 16.

Raquel E. Aldana joined UC Davis in 2017 to serve as the inaugural Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Diversity and returned to full-time law teaching in 2020. Aldana’s research has focused on transitional justice, criminal justice reforms and sustainable development in Latin America, as well as immigrant rights. She has authored or edited five books and published over 30 law review articles or book chapters. She is a graduate of Arizona State University and Harvard Law School.