Latine Research Week (LRW) is a conference that celebrates the scholarship of University of
Michigan students, researchers and faculty who conduct research and who would like to learn
about Latine experiences and connect with other students, faculty, and staff at U-M who share
that interest. LRW provides a unique, interdisciplinary space where scholars across campus can
share their research and build new connections. From February 16 to February 19, 2026,
researchers will be able to showcase their work in oral presentation sessions, a poster session,
and various sponsored events. Additionally, LRW will feature a keynote address and
opportunities to connect with scholars from across disciplines.
Puentes is honored to announce our Latine Research Week (LRW) 2026 theme: Pa’lante! Building on the legacy of our previous themes, 2024’s Illuminating Familismo and 2025’s Raíces y Presencia: Growing a Legacy Together, this year, we invite our community to reflect on resilience, perseverance, and the determination to move forward.
“Pa’lante” is a Spanish contraction of “para adelante,” meaning “forward” or “onward.” Yet its significance extends far beyond a literal translation. Rooted in Puerto Rican and broader Caribbean communities, “pa’lante” has long served as a word of encouragement when times are challenging turning into a word evoking strength, resilience and liberation. In the 1960s, the Young Lords, a Puerto Rican civil rights group established in Chicago, titled their newspaper Pa’lante, turning the word into a call for liberation and collective action. The word became even more commonly used once the Young Lords came to more prominence in communities like East Harlem and the South Bronx in New York. “Pa’lante” became a mindset of strength and resilience during Puerto Rico’s recovery after Hurricane Maria and continues to be used as a word Latines use in recognition of the spirit of moving forward, persisting despite difficulties, and affirmation. “Pa’lante” is spoken as an encouragement: keep going, don’t stop, move onward.
To say “Pa’lante” is to affirm that, even when we encounter barriers, political challenges, or personal struggles, we continue moving forward with the strength of our ancestors, the solidarity of our communities, and the joy of our cultures.
By centering “Pa’lante” as our theme, Latine Research Week 2026 celebrates the ways resilience, joy, and perseverance are interwoven in our scholarship and lives as scholars. Just as Pa’lante insists on hope and forward momentum, our research too pushes knowledge, justice, and community well-being ahead. This theme recognizes our presence as an act of resilience in itself, honors the marks we leave as we push boundaries and reimagine what is possible, and calls us to create legacies that future generations will carry forward.
