The Library has been awarded $3,000 towards an initiative of the American Library Association and the National Endowment for the Humanities in support of programming for Latino Americans: 500 Years of History, a public exploration of the rich and varied experiences of Latinos, who have helped shape the United States over the last five centuries.

Over two hundred libraries, museums and other non-profit organizations across the country have been selected to participate. The cornerstone of the project is the six-part, NEH-supported documentary film series, Latino Americans, created for PBS in 2013 by the WETA public television station. The Peabody-winning series chronicles Latinos in the United States from the 16th century to present day.  With more than 50 million people, Latino Americans are the country’s largest minority group.

During the fall semester, the Library will screen two programs from the series, and feature two gallery exhibitions.  Participants in this project include Columbia College Chicago faculty Elio Leturia (Journalism), Teresa Puente (Journalism) and Jesus Macarena-Avila (Humanities, History,  and Social Sciences).  Professors Leturia and Puente will lead sections from the series focusing on the years 1965-2000.   A  gallery viewing and Spanish language panel discussion on the topic of visual arts and activism in Latin American diaspora cultures will be led by Jesus Macarena-Avila on his exhibition, Re-examining Borders, in the Pilsen neighborhood. And a gallery viewing and discussion at the National Museum of Mexican Art around the current exhibition, Nuevas Historias, will be led by Chief Curator and Director of Visual Arts, Cesáreo Moreno.

Latino Americans: 500 Years of History, a public programming initiative produced by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the American Library Association (ALA), is part of an NEH initiative, The Common Good: The Humanities in the Public Square.