Jorge Chinea

Twenty-nine years ago the HBA began recognizing individuals that contributed to the quality of life in the Hispanic community. Chinea will be honored during the Excellence Awards Gala on Friday, April 18, at the Roostertail Banquet facility in Detroit.

"I am thrilled to be so honored by a major community organization whose mission chimes so well with the economic development initiatives we are currently engaged in at CBS," said Chinea.

Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Spanish Harlem, New York City, Chinea holds a Ph.D. degree from the University of Minnesota, where he specialized in colonial Latin American history. He has been awarded fellowships and grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Society for Irish Latin American Studies.

Recognized in the 1996 edition of "Who's Who in the Midwest," he is the recipient of Wayne State University's President's Award for Excellence in Teaching (1999) and a WSU Board of Governors Faculty Recognition Award (2006). His articles and book reviews have appeared in "Caribbean Studies," "Revista Mexicana del Caribe," "Mesoamerica," "Journal of Latin American Studies," "Colonial Latin American Historical Review," "New West Indian Guide," "The Americas," "Ethnic Studies Review and the Journal of Caribbean History."

A book, "Race and Labor in the Hispanic Caribbean: The West Indian Worker Experience in Puerto Rico, 1800-1850," was published in 2005 by the University Press of Florida. He currently is a contributing editor for the "Handbook of Latin American Studies" and was Secretary of the Caribbean Studies Committee, Conference on Latin American History, from 2005-2007.

The Center for Chicano-Boricua Studies originated as the Latino en Marcha Leadership Training Program in 1971. It was established by Wayne State University, the Latin Americans for Social and Economic Development (LA SED), and New Detroit, Inc. In 1972 it became an academic center. CBS was one of the first undergraduate academic programs for Latinos in the Midwest.

CBS serves metropolitan Detroit through a multi-faceted mission of student services programs, Latino advocacy on campus, community outreach and research. The center has served as a training ground for Latinos in the Detroit metropolitan area working in labor organizing, education, government, private industry and the non-profit sector.

The HBA provides access to a valuable and expanding network of business resources that contribute to the economic growth and development of the Hispanic Community. HBA's goal is to promote and support the economic development of business and individuals by providing opportunities for networking, procurement and partnership.

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 11 schools and colleges to more than 33,000 students.