Tabula Raza: A New Table for People-Centered Conservation

As a kid, Laura Dominguez would sit under the kitchen table during tamale season, listening to family stories as the grownups handed her corn husks to play with. Now she’s one of the people setting a new table for heritage conservation, with community as the centerpiece. In this episode, Laura shares the personal roots of her professional path, her doctoral research into the origins of conservation in Los Angeles, and a glimpse of the future she’s helping to shape.

	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. She is a founding board member of Latinos in Heritage Conservation and chairs its Education & Programs Committee.
	Podcast co-host Cindy Olnick recently interviewed Laura about her thesis and career since. Cindy is a communications pro who loves L.A. and thinks historic places are magical.

Want to know more about some of the ideas and places mentioned in this episode? Check out:

[Thesis] Este Lugar Si Importa: Heritage Conservation in Unincorporated East Los Angeles, by Laura Dominguez

REGISTER NOW for Congreso 2022 (April 28 – 30, 2022) – three days of content focused specifically on the topic of Latinx heritage conservation!

Latinos in Heritage Conservation

Huntington-USC Institute for California and the West (ICW)

ICW podcast, Western Edition

Community-Led Advocacy: Saving Places and Building Power featuring Rosalind Sagara, previous Save As episode mentioned

USC Heritage Conservation Programs

Music from this episode:

“Whittier Blvd.,” by Eastside band Thee Midniters

“Mambo No. Five,” by Pérez Prado and His Orchestra (Laura’s grandfather toured with him!)

“Abuelita,” by Willie Colón with Héctor Lavoe

 Credits on About page