2/11: See Me! A Conversation with Author & BUSSW Prof. Luis Alvarez-Hernandez
Thank you to everyone who joined this incredible event! If you weren’t able to attend, you can still get a copy of the book – in print or online.
- Download the digital version from Boston University Libraries (free): open.bu.edu/items/bd7f573e-05ee-4e5c-b894-adbc6aa91146
- Purchase the print book: amazon.com/See-Me-Latinos-Testimonios-Discrimination/dp/B0DR5WLNSG/
[Edited Feb. 11, 2025]
In our current climate, it is more important than ever to support and stand witness to the lives and experiences of marginalized people.
BU School of Social Work is proud to host a book launch event on 2/11 for BUSSW Prof. Luis Alvarez-Hernandez’s new book, “See Me! Gay and Trans Latinos’ Testimonios on Mental Health, Discrimination, and Joy in South Texas.”
We have partnered with BU School of Public Health (SPH), BU LGBTQIA+ Center for Faculty and Staff, and the BU Arts Initiative (BUIA) to highlight how the fields of social work, public health, and creative arts can collaborate to promote advocacy and storytelling for disadvantaged groups.
Event Date & Location
Tuesday, February 11
5:30–7 pm ET/Reading/Q&A
7-8 pm ET/ Reception
BU Howard Thurman Center/Zoom
Room 104
808 Commonwealth Ave.
Brookline, MA 02446
Details & Registration
This event is free and open to all BU community members and the public.
In the book BUSSW professor and author Luis Alvarez-Hernandez, along with collaborator and professional photographer Nys Sanchez, share the compelling life stories of gay and trans men living in South Texas.
At the event Professor Alvarez-Hernandez will read from the book and join photographer Nys Sanchez (via Zoom) for a conversation moderated by Dr. Carlos Rodriguez-Diaz from BU School of Public Health.
The event will explore how the testimoniadores (storytellers for social change) in this book tell their life stories as gay and trans men living in South Texas. A photography exhibit with a selection of black and white images featured in the book will be displayed outside of the BU LGBTQIA+ Center for Faculty and Staff office on the 2nd floor of The Thurman Center, as well as a long-term photo gallery installed outside of the BU Arts Initiative office on the second floor of the George Sherman Union Building.
The first 15 registrants will receive a free copy of the book at reception and the books will also be available for purchase and for signing by the author and photographer. The digital version of the book is available for free from the Boston University Library!
Register here to join the conversation
Author – Luis Alvarez-Hernandez
Dr. Luis R. Alvarez-Hernandez is a social work practitioner, researcher, and assistant professor in the Clinical Practice Dept. at Boston University School of Social Work. He spent over 10 years as a bilingual social worker in healthcare and mental health settings with Latine, LGBTQ+, and immigrant communities. This inspired his research in the structural and social determinants of health of Latine, LGBTQ+, and immigrant communities with a particular attention to the liberating experiences of people living at the intersections of these identities. Originally from Morovis, Puerto Rico, where he started his studies in social work, Prof. Alvarez-Hernandez now lives with his husband in Boston, Massachusetts.
Photographer – Nys Sanchez
Nys Sanchez is a professional photographer known for his black-and-white editorial portraiture photography. Inspired by his friends, community, fashion, and film, his unique vision and authenticity has led to collaborations with nonprofit organizations, universities, and fashion models. As a transgender male, he has also made appearances as a guest speaker for Transgender Day of Visibility. Originally from Rio Hondo, Texas, he now lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with his fiancée and their family.
Moderator – Dr. Carlos Rodriguez-Diaz
Dr. Carlos Rodriguez-Diaz is an academic activist. His professional work focuses on engaging the social determinants of health to address health inequities among populations made vulnerable by racism, colonialism, homophobia, transphobia, incarceration, and HIV status. Rodriguez-Diaz conducts community-based participatory research in Puerto Rico, the continental United States, and the Caribbean region. He has several funded projects to improve primary care, HIV prevention services, health services with sexual minority men, and primary care for Latinx and transgender populations.