National Hispanic Heritage Month Events Twice
The Fayetteville Public Library will celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month with two special events including an author talk with award-winning journalist, Juan González and a documentary film screening of an episode of Latino Americans: 500 Years of History. Both events are free and open to the public.
The Fayetteville Public Library in partnership with the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation will welcome author and award-winning journalist, Juan Gonzalez on Wednesday, September 2nd at 6pm in the Walker Community Room. Juan González will discuss his influential book, Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America, an important study of Latinos in U.S. history and spans five centuries-from the first New World colonies to the first decade of the new millennium. Latinos are now the largest minority group in the U.S. and the fastest growing group in Arkansas. González will talk about the history of Latinos in the U.S. and the South.
Following his presentation, González will join a panel of local community and business leaders for a discussion of how the growth of the Latino community has changed and enriched Northwest Arkansas. A book signing will follow. Gonzalez is also a columnist for the New York Daily News since 1987. He frequently co-hosts the radio and television program Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman.
Also at FPL a screening of The New Latinos (episode 4)documentary film series, Latino Americans: 500 Years of History. In partnership with the University of Arkansas the screening happens on Thursday, September 10 at 5:30pm. The New Latinos traces families who left their homes in Latin American countries (Puerto Rico, Cuba, Haiti, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic) in search of a better life. Receiving segregated educations, struggling to find jobs, and fighting prejudices, many Latino Americans went on to find successful careers in acting, writing, and politics. Following the film, Dr. Juan José Bustamante, Assistant Professor of Sociology in the Latin American and Latino Studies Program at the University of Arkansas will discuss the impact Latinos have on America today.
Dr. Bustamante leads the research program The Southern Latina/o and Migrant Voices Project, which conducts fieldwork and gathers interviews and visual materials to document and study significant life events of Latina/os who are new to Southern communities.
Latino Americans: 500 Years of History is a public programming initiative produced by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the American Library Association (ALA) and is part of the NEH initiative The Common Good: The Humanities in the Public Square. Pastries from Ayala’s Panaderia will be served.
Press Release
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