Updated on May 8, 2021
Observatorio de Las Américas (OLA) is a non-profit organization
and collaborative virtual research center
Vision
To advance social justice, social equity, and build community in/among the Americas (Abiayala) by embracing and promoting the knowledge and actions that bridge the gap between academics, activists, and community stakeholders
Missions
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1. To produce community-informed scholarship by building partnerships with community stakeholders that are characterized by inclusivity, authenticity, respect, and reciprocity.
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2. To cultivate a praxis that is critical and compassionate, integrative and responsive, equity-oriented, and self-aware.​
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3. To counteract an individualist/competitive spirit by (A) serving as a platform for collective learning, skill-sharing, and solidarity (B) hosting accessible (i.e. free, virtual, open to all) educational programming (C) and curating diverse open-access resources/materials.
Values
Observatorio de Las Américas (OLA) and its members are committed to uphold the following values and endeavor to dismantle the systemic hindrances that inhibit their expression:
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Community, Solidarity & Collaboration
Social Justice & Equity
Innovation & Transdisciplinarity
Anticolonization & Antiracism
Linguistic Diversity
Epistemologies of Abiayala
Meet the Team
Observatorio de Las Américas (OLA) offers a democratic platform for junior researchers across the Americas. OLA researchers collaborate to expand access to specialized knowledge about the Americas and are committed to the democratization of various educational platforms in Academia and beyond. The group operates under a shared principle of camaraderie and mutual support toward the development of their own professional skills, research agendas, and teaching interests.
To find out more about each of the current researchers collaborating through this virtual space, click on their names below.
Co-Director
Researcher
Writer | Artist
Researcher | Writer
Researcher
Disclaimer
Nonprofit status of the organization and formal start of operations, opportunities for employment and distribution of funds are pending the formal registration as a 501(c)(3) organization. Updated Feb 20th 2021: The executive board has finalized the formal statutes and constitutive documents. Updated Feb 28th 2021: The organization completed its incorporation in the State of Colorado.
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Observatorio de Las Américas and its kin organization ARUNA Global South are structured as independent committees of the Global Collective for Transdisciplinary Research and Engaged Education nonprofit.