DEARBORN —The Dearborn Public Library received a competitive Latino Americans: 500 Years of History grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities Snd the American Library Association.
As one of 203 grant recipients selected from across the country, The Dearborn Public Library received a cash grant of $3,000 to offer public programming — such as film screenings, discussion groups, oral history initiatives, local history exhibitions, multi-media projects or performances — about Latino history and culture.
The Public Library 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. (Learn more about the series at www.pbs.org/latino-americans/en.)
Planned programs at the library include four scholar-led viewings of the documentary with lectures and discussions pertaining to different aspects of Latino American history. These are free to the public and will be in the Henry Ford Centennial Library auditorium, 16301 Michigan Ave.
Three special book discussions will feature books by prominent Latino authors with Latino cultural themes, and two classic Latino themed films will be shown.
“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,” said Patty Podzikowski, Librarian II. “I’m thrilled that the Dearborn Public Library has this opportunity to explore this topic in our community.”
For a schedule of events, which run September through November, go to www.dearbornlibrary.org, call 313-943-2817 or email [email protected].
Latino Americans: 500 Years of History has been made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association.
Latino Americans: 500 Years of History is part of an NEH initiative, The Common Good: The Humanities in the Public Square.
About the National Endowment for the Humanities
Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at www.neh.gov.