Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social (Women Active in Letters and Social Change - MALCS) began in 1982 as an outgrowth of the Chicana Academic Issues Conference at the University of California, Davis. Seeking to support Chicanas/Latinas and Native American women academics, students, and activists, MALCS publishes a newsletter as well as the journal Trabajos Monograficos. In 1986 it held its first Summer Research Institute, which would become an annual event and the centerpiece of its service. Throughout the years, MALCS has grown beyond its California roots to be a national organization. The Summer Institute has convened in Texas, Illinois, Colorado, Minnesota, Washington, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Ohio, Wyoming, and Massaachusetts.