Chicano/Latino Studies Librarian Andrea Salazar McMillan received the Orgullo Latino Award at this year's Brown Pride event.

November 4, 2026 - Karessa Weir

Brown Pride is an annual tradition hosted by Culturas de las Razas Unidas that was brought back in 2025, after a prolonged post-pandemic hiatus. One of its most unique traditions is the Orgullo Latino award.
It was established in the Fall 2012 to recognize and honor a Latino Faculty/Staff person for their dedication and service to students at Michigan State University.

"The award is intended to highlight faculty/staff leaders from Michigan State University and emphasize their story and their contributions to the Latino Student Community," said CRU co-president Rafael Gordillo, a Sociology major with a CLS minor.

McMillan was nominated and awarded for her work renaming the Cesar Chavez collection at the library and her years of supporting students.

“This year, Andrea McMillan Salazar was recognized for her contributions to the MSU community in not only the way she supports students, but her efforts in the Cesar Chavez collection renaming committee. Her work has not started with this committee, as she has always protected and ensured the future of student spaces on campus for as long as we've had the pleasure to know her. We believe Andrea is an unsung hero in the community, and we are honored to be a part of recognizing her and making her more visible on campus,” Gordillo said.

McMillan appreciated the recognition of the work she’s doing in the renaming as well as supporting Latino students.

"I'm so very honored to have received this award. My career within libraries has always been centered around service and student support, but this year has been especially significant with the work that I've been doing to help rename my collection area. I will always continue to advocate for our spaces, collections, and resources in supporting the success of Latino students on campus," she said.

In the past, MSU staff such as Luis Garcia from CAMP, former CLS Director Dr. Isabel Ayala, Francisco Velasquez from Student Affairs, and Jessica Oyoque from CAPS have been recipients.

"Andrea is an invaluable resource for CLS undergraduate and graduate students who are developing and writing their research, whether it be theses, dissertations, or general research for projects in and outside of class. She is also a strong support for CLS faculty, helping them find resources they need for their research. We are so grateful Andrea for her service and to CRU for recognizing Andrea in this important way," said CLS Director Linda Halgunseth.