Honoring History: Library and Museum shine new light on Latino heritage and culture
This fall, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library launches a year-long series of programming aiming to highlight the contributions of Latinos in the community and examine Latino history and culture. These experiences complement the Levine Museum of the New South’s ¡NUEVOlution! Exhibit (Sept. 27–Oct. 30), which explores the ways that Latinos are shaping the South and the South is shaping Latinos.
“Offering these programs is a celebration of Latino culture. And it’s also important to community understanding,” said Beatriz Guevara, who, along with librarian Ed McDonald, is coordinating the program series. Guevara is manager of the Scaleybark branch of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and is also President of Reforma, the National Organization to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking. These roles make her acutely aware of the value of sharing insight into the Latino experience. “Latino Americans are the country’s largest minority group, with more than 50 million people, and still many people are unaware of their rich and varied history and culture.”
The series has been made possible through a $3,000 grant to the Library from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association.
The Library has also received the six-part, NEH-supported documentary film “Latino Americans,” created for PBS in 2013 by the WETA public television station. The award-winning series chronicles the history of Latinos in the United States from the 16th century to present day. For more on the series, visit http://www.pbs.org/latino-americans/en.
The Library and Levine Museum have joined together to offer experiences that aim to inspire better understanding of the powerful, complex and often-challenging experiences of Latinos living in the United States. The two cultural partners will host screenings of the “Latino Americans” series episodes in October, along with discussions lead by local academic experts and artists. Attendees of the events hosted at the Levine Museum will provide guests the opportunity to visit the ¡NUEVOlution! Exhibit.
Guevara notes that the series is also an opportunity to highlight the influences Latinos are having in the Charlotte area. “In addition to the public programs, we have collaborated with Norsan Media to produce a short video profiling the experiences of twenty Latinos in Charlotte.” The Library plans to share the video on social media in September and October.
“Through these efforts, we’re aiming to provide better understanding of our shared experiences living and working in the Charlotte community, and of the richness of Latino culture and history,” said Guevara. “Libraries are always striving to bring people together. Through better understanding, we believe this is possible”
Here are the events taking place in October. All are free to attend. Registration is not required.
Thursday, Oct. 1, 6 p.m. at The Levine Museum of the New South, 200 E. 7th Street, Charlotte
Showing "Episode VI: Peril and Promise (1980-2000)" with Davidson College professor Dr. Luis Peña
In partnership with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, the Museum hosts a screening of an episode of the PBS documentary series, Latino Americans, followed by a discussion with Dr. Luis Peña. Guests will also have the chance to visit the ¡NUEVOlution! exhibit. 704-333-1887
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Sunday, Oct. 11, 2 p.m. | At the Levine Museum of the New South, 200 E. 7th Street, Charlotte
Showing Episode IV: The New Latinos (1946-1965) with UNCC professor Dr. Vivian Correa
In partnership with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, the Museum hosts a screening of an episode of the PBS documentary series, Latino Americans, followed by a discussion with Dr. Vivian Correa. Guests will also have the chance to visit the ¡NUEVOlution! exhibit. 704-333-1887
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Thursday, October 15, 6 p.m. | At the Scaleybark Library, 101 Scaleybark Road, Charlotte
Showing Episode II: Empire of Dreams (1880-1942) in Spanish with Mexican Artist Rosalia Torres
In Spanish. Charlotte Mecklenburg Library hosts a screening of an episode of the PBS documentary series, Latino Americans, followed by a discussion with Mexican Artist Rosalia Torres. Torres will speak about the “Papalote Art Project” and the experiences of deported immigrants. Learn more. (Más información.) 704-416-6401
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This program series supports the mission of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library: to create a community of readers and empower individuals with free access to information and the universe of ideas. To learn more about the wealth of upcoming programs available from Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, visit www.cmlibrary.org/programs.
Latino Americans: 500 Years of History is part of the NEH initiative The Common Good: The Humanities in the Public Square. The initiative awarded grants to more than 200 libraries, museums and other nonprofit organizations to highlight Latino American history.
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency that supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy and other areas of the humanities by funding selected proposals from around the nation. For more information, visit www.neh.gov.
The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with approximately 58,000 members in academic, public, school, government and special libraries. The association supports the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship.
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