Lizbeth De La Cruz Santana
Asst Professor
Weissman School of Arts and Sciences
Department: Black and Latino Studies
Areas of expertise:
Email Address: lizbeth.delacruzsantana@baruch.cuny.edu
> View CV- Biography
- Teaching
- Research and Creative Activity
- Honors and Awards
- Service
Lizbeth De La Cruz Santana is an Assistant Professor in Chicano/a/x Studies at the Weismann School of Arts and Sciences, Black and Latino Studies (BLS) Department at Baruch College. She is a cultural worker and interdisciplinary qualitative Latinx public scholar who studies contemporary migration processes. Her current research project focuses on childhood arrival migrants to the United States. Her academic craft centers Indigenous and feminist pedagogies and methodologies to acknowledge different forms of accessible, reciprocal knowledge-making responsive to community needs. Dr. De La Cruz Santana holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis, specializing in Latin American Literature and Cultures and a designated emphasis on Human Rights.
She is a researcher for Humanizing Deportation, a community-based digital storytelling project that documents the human consequences of contemporary regimes of migration and border control in the United States and Mexico. She is the director of the Playas de Tijuana mural project and the Deported Veterans Diaspora mural project located at the westernmost point of the US-Mexico border, and El Paso del Norte mural project located under the Santa Fe/Paso del Norte bridge in Ciudad Juárez. The murals illustrate the faces and stories of US childhood arrivals and contemporary migration to the US through portraiture and digital storytelling. She is the co-director of the Leave No One Behind Mural project, a participatory multi-site, multi-mural and digital storytelling project that fuses the arts with community political advocacy to visualize the stories of immigrants dismissed from conversations surrounding the future of U.S. childhood arrivals.
Through a Peer-to-Peer Pedagogical Partnerships grant sponsored by the American Political Science Association (APSA) and in collaboration with Dr. Jennifer Martinez-Medina and Dr. Randy Villegas, Dr. De La Cruz Santana is co-developing Teaching Immigration Through Digital Storytelling, which involves creating instructional material on immigration and deportation policy centered on the diverse range of stories and themes curated by the Leave No One Behind Mural project.
As a Social Practice CUNY fellow, Dr. De La Cruz Santana curated the Deported U.S. Veterans Immersive Exhibit.
Currently, Dr. De La Cruz Santana is coordinating two mural projects centered on the post-DACA generation as part of the PSC-CUNY Research Award. The murals will be installed in NYC and California.
Learn more about her public scholarship here: https://lizbethdelacruzsantana.com/
Education
Ph.D., Spanish Latin American Literatures and Cultures, University of California, Davis Davis United States
M.A., Spanish Latin American Literatures and Cultures, California State University, Fresno Fresno United States
B.A., Spanish Latin American Literatures and Cultures, California State University, Fresno, Fresno United States
| Semester | Course Prefix | Course Number | Course Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2024 | ANT | 3021 | The U.S. and Mexican Border |
| Fall 2024 | SOC | 3021 | The U.S. and Mexican Border |
| Fall 2024 | LTS | 3021 | The U.S. and Mexican Border |
| Fall 2024 | LTS | 3059 | Latino/A Lit In the U.S. |
| Fall 2024 | CMP | 3059 | Latino/a Literature in the U.S |
| Fall 2024 | ENG | 3059 | Latino/a Literature in the U.S |
| Spring 2024 | ANT | 3021 | The U.S. and Mexican Border |
| Spring 2024 | LTS | 3100 | Latino Communities in the U.S. |
| Spring 2024 | LTS | 3021 | The U.S. and Mexican Border |
| Spring 2024 | SOC | 3021 | The U.S. and Mexican Border |
| Fall 2023 | LTS | 3012 | Latinas: Soc & Cult Survey |
| Fall 2023 | LTS | 4900 | Sem Blk & Lat Studie |
| Fall 2023 | BLS | 4900 | Seminar Black & Latino Studies |
Artistic and Creative Activities
De La Cruz Santana, L. (2024). El Paso del Norte mural project. Black and Latinx Publics and Office of the Dean at Baruch College.
De La Cruz Santana, L. (2024). El Paso del Norte Mural project portrait exhibition. Student Life at Baruch College.
De La Cruz Santana, L. (2024). El Paso del Norte Mural project portrait exhibition. Art Masters El Paso.
De La Cruz Santana, L. (2024). Deported Veterans Diaspora Mural Project. Office of the Dean.
De La Cruz Santana, L. (2024). Deported U.S. Veterans Immersive Exhibit. Social Practice CUNY.
Book Chapters
(2025). Art Against the Border: Painting US Childhood Arrival Diaspora Narratives . Media, Migrants, and U.S. Border(s) London, England. Palgrave Macmillan.
(2022). Deported US Childhood Arrivals "From the Famous Estados Unidos" Dreaming in Tijuana. Migrant Feelings, Migrant Knowledge: Building a Community Archive (pp. 87-106). Austin, TX. University of Texas Press.
(2022). The Playas de Tijuana Mural Project: Digital Storytelling, Portraiture and U.S.-Mexico Border Art. Critical Storytelling from the Borderlands: En la Línea (p. 31–42). Amsterdam, Netherlands. Brill.
Presentations
De La Cruz Santana, L., Morales, A., & Dutan, K. (2025, October 15). The Luxury of Painting the Archive?: Rascuache Artist Illustrating Deportation Stories at the US-Mexico Border. Arts of the Present (ASAP)/15. The City University of New York Graduate Center
De La Cruz Santana, L. (2025, April 15). El Paso del Norte mural project Portrait Exhibition. Manhattan, NY: Baruch College Student Life.
De La Cruz Santana, L., Perez, M., & Padilla, M. (2025, April 15). Geographies of Migrant Deaths at the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands: A Human Rights DIY Community-Engaged Project in the University Classroom. Chicana and Chicano Studies in the 21st C: The Continuities and Ruptures within the Field. San Francisco, California: 2024 National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies (NACCS) Conference.
De La Cruz Santana, L. (2025, April 15). Muralism and Digital Storytelling on The U.S. Childhood Arrivals Diaspora at the US-Mexico Border. Chicana and Chicano Studies in the 21st C: The Continuities and Ruptures within the Field. San Francisco, California: National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies (NACCS) Conference.
De La Cruz Santana, L. (2025, June 15). ‘If I die today, I can go back’: Premortem Legal Violence Endured By Deported US Veterans. 2024 Latin American Studies Association Hybrid Congress: Reacción y resistencia: Imaginar futuros posibles en las Américas. Bogota, Colombia (Online): Latin American Studies Association (LASA).
De La Cruz Santana, L. (2025, October 15). The Emotional Toll of Policing at the US-Mexico Border: Insights from Migrant Narratives and Knowledge in the Humanizing Deportation Project . Workshop Border Policing, Boundary Creation and Emotions. Netherlands: Border Criminologies Thematic group on Border Policing and Emotion.
De La Cruz Santana, L. (2025, September 15). Children of the Deported: Mixed-Status Families Forced Intro Transit . MexicanEAST Conference. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University.
De La Cruz Santana, L. (2025, March 15). Lo que no se dice / What is Unspoken. Dialogue About American Latino Theater with Marcos Martinez, moderated by Lizbeth De La Cruz Santana. Manhattan, NY: LATEA.
De La Cruz Santana, L. (2025, April 15). Painting the Archive: El Paso del Norte mural project. Papagayo Spring Festival. El Paso, Texas: El Paso Community College.
De La Cruz Santana, L. (2025, October 15). Deportation Stories in the Classroom. Border Crossings: Immigration, intersectionality and Critical Education Guest Speaker Series. San Francisco (Online): San Francisco State University.
De La Cruz Santana, L. (2025, October 15). Demystifying the Academic Job Market for Graduate Students . Online: American Education Research Association (AERA) Division K, Teaching & Teacher Education.
De La Cruz Santana, L. (2025, August 15). Pintando el archivo Humanizando la Deportación en la frontera México-EEUU. Colegio Iberoamericano de Investigación en Psicología y Educación (CIIPE). Mexico City, Mexico (Online): Colegio Iberoamericano de Investigación en Psicología y Educación (CIIPE).
De La Cruz Santana, L. (2025, June 15). Borderland Perspectives: Art Architecture and Design. Case Studies: The Playas de Tijuana Mural Project. INTERSECTIONS: Art and Law at the Border 2024. San Diego, CA: California Lawyers for the Arts.
De La Cruz Santana, L. (2025, October 15). Honoring (Deported) US Childhood Arrival Stories. Introduction to Latinx Studies Guest Speaker Series. Cullowhee, North Carolina (Online): Western Carolina University.
De La Cruz Santana, L. (2025, October 15). Border Crossings: Immigration, Intersectionality, and Critical Education. Border Crossings: Immigration, intersectionality and Critical Education Guest Speaker Series. San Francisco, California (Online): San Francisco State University.
De La Cruz Santana, L. (2025, October 15). Latina Scholar-Activism in the U.S.: Artivism and Digital Storytelling. Latina Activism in the U.S. Guest Speaker Series. Santa Barbara, California (Online): UC Santa Barbara.
De La Cruz Santana, L. (2025, October 15). U.S. Childhood Arrival Stories: The Playas de Tijuana Mural Project. Critical Storytellers from the Borderlands Workshop Series. Crawfordsville, Indiana: Wabash College.
De La Cruz Santana, L. (2025, November 15). Art and Story in Immigrant Rights Advocacy. PPLE 397 Internship Advocacy Course Guest Speaker Series. Salem, Oregon (Online): Willamette University.
Other Scholarly Works
De La Cruz Santana, L. (2024). God Can Use a Broken Man. Humanizando la Deportación.
De La Cruz Santana, L. (2024). Until Someone Listens.
De La Cruz Santana, L. (2024). Warriors Family.
De La Cruz Santana, L. (2024). Home is Wherever My Children Are.
De La Cruz Santana, L. (2024). I Lost My Youth Waiting to Legalize My Status.
Reviews
De La Cruz Santana, L. (1970,January 1). Book Review: Until Someone Listens: A Story about Borders, Family, and One Girl’s Mission (2022). Chiricú Journal: Latina/o Literatures, Arts, and Cultures. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
| Honor / Award | Organization Sponsor | Date Received | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| CTL Spring Open Educational Resources Seminar | Center for Teaching and Learning | 2025-02-18 | |
| 2025 Shared Dialogue, Shared Space (SDSS) Artist Fellowship | Korea Art Forum | 2025-02-10 | The artist will create a large-scale participatory mural amplifying the voices of undocumented youth, particularly those raised in New York City. This project will foster public awareness, empathy, and advocacy on immigration issues while empowering participants as artivists for their community. |
| Faculty Fellowship Publication Program (FFPP) | The City University of New York | 2024-11-15 | |
| Service to Deported U.S. Veterans Challenge Coin | Black Deported Veterans of America | 2024-11-13 | |
| LULAC Medallion | League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) | 2024-08-17 | Advocacy for Deported U.S. Veterans |
| Workshop Certificate | Colegio Iberoamericano de Investigación en Psicología y Educación (CIIPE) | 2024-08-10 | |
| Social Practice CUNY Faculty Fellow | Social Practice CUNY | 2024-07-12 | |
| Mellon Teaching Fellowship | Black and Latinx Publics | 2024-07-09 | |
| The Award for Excellence in Teaching for Full-Time Faculty | Weissman School of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office | 2024-05-06 | |
| CUNY 1969 Project Summer Teach-In Fellow | Baruch Center for Teaching and Learning | 2024-05-05 | |
| CUNY 1969 Project Summer Teach-In Senior Fellow | Baruch Center for Teaching and Learning | 2024-05-03 | |
| Workshop Certificate | The Papagayo Project at El Paso Community College | 2024-05-01 | |
| Mellon Teaching Fellowship | Black and Latinx Publics | 2023-07-17 |
College
| Committee Name | Position Role | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black and Latino Studies Executive Committee | Committee Member | Present | |
| AI Pedagogy Working Group | Member | Present |
Professional
| Organization | Position Role | Organization State | Organization Country | Start Date | End Date | Audience |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn-Birmingham Transatlantic Fellowship Program | Member | Pennsylvania | United States | 9/7/2021 | Present | International |