Latino Americans: 500 Years of History

September 11, 2015

Santa Fe College has received a competitive Latino Americans: 500 Years of History grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the American Library Association (ALA) to hold public programs this fall, including public film screenings, scholar-led discussion groups and poster exhibitions about Latino history and culture. Events will be hosted in collaboration with the Lawrence W. Tyree Library at Santa Fe College as well as community organizations including the Alachua County Library District, Latina Women's League, University of Florida, and the Alachua County Coalition against Human Trafficking.

Santa Fe College will be showing the six-part, NEH-supported documentary film Latino Americans: 500 Years of History created for the Public Broadcasting Service 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. Santa Fe College will sponsor four, scholar-led viewings of this series. Visit the Latino Americans website to learn more about the series or to see an episode guide of this six-part documentary.

Fall Program Schedule

Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the SF Fine Arts Hall at 7 p.m.

Lecture: Migration is the Story of My Border
Dr. Santiago Vaquera-Vásquez

Dr. Santiago Vaquera-Vásquez, Professor of Latin American and U.S. Latino Literature at the University of New Mexico and the University of Iowa, will share his recently published book, One Day I'll Tell You What I've Seen, which highlights the individual stories of Latino immigrants trying to cross the U.S.-Mexican border.

Saturday, Sept. 19, at Alachua Co. Library Headquarters, room A at 11 a.m.

Lecture and Book Reading: One Day I'll Tell You What I've Seen
Dr. Santiago Vaquera-Vásquez

Dr. Santiago Vaquera-Vásquez, Professor of Latin American and U.S. Latino literature at the University of New Mexico and the University of Iowa, will share his recently published book, One Day I'll Tell You What I've Seen, which highlights the individual stories of Latino immigrants trying to cross the U.S.-Mexican border.

Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Harn Museum at 2 p.m.

Film: La Jaula de Oro (The Golden Dream)

Join us for a public screening of the 2013 Mexican film, Jaula de Oro (The Golden Dream), which dramatizes the plight of young, undocumented Latino immigrants from Guatemala. The film was directed by Diego Quemada-Díez and has won 33 international awards, including the Best Picture Award at the 2014 Ariel Awards in Mexico, Best Iberoamerican Film Award at the 2014 Goya Film Festival, and A Certain Talent Prize at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

Thursday, Sept. 24, at SF Lawrence W. Tyree Library lobby at 3:30 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 27, at Alachua Co. Millhopper Library, room A at 2 p.m.

Film: Latino Americans, Ep. 1: Foreigners in their Own Land (1565-1880)

Join Dr. Bill Little, Professor of Romance Languages and Latin American Literature for a screening and discussion of Latino Americans, 500 Years of History Episode 1: Foreigners in their Own Land (1565-1880). The film examines conflicts between the British and Spanish colonial systems as Manifest Destiny pushed the U.S. into the Mexican territories of the South West, and the Mexican American War.

Tuesday, Sept. 29, at Santa Fe College, room WA-108 at 7 p.m.

Discussion: Understanding Immigration Reform and the Role of Faith-Based Institutions
Dr. Manuel Vasquez, Chair of the Religion Department at the University of Florida
Dr. Philip Williams, Director of the Latin American Studies Center at the University of Florida

The panel discussion features two experts on Latino immigration in the U.S. Dr. Philip Williams will explore the socio-political context of immigration reform. In his presentation, "Immigration Reform: How did we get here and where are we going," Dr. Vasquez will explore the role religious institutions played in Latino immigrants lives through his lecture, "Re-Moralizing the Discourse on Immigration: The Contribution of Faith-Based Organizations."

Oct. 12-Nov. 15, at SF Lawrence W. Tyree Library lobby

Exhibit: Images of Valor: U.S. Latinos and Latinas in WWII

Images of Valor: U.S. Latinos and Latinas of World War II (on loan from Humanities Texas) provides a historical overview of U.S. Latino participation in this 20th century conflict and features photographs from the U.S. Latino & Latina WWII Oral History Project archives and current photographs of men and women of the WWII generation by photojournalist Valentino Mauricio.

Oct. 13, at Santa Fe College, room S-29 at 2 p.m.

Lecture: Race and Latino Immigration
Dr. Rosana Resende, Professor of Latin American Studies at the University of Florida

Dr. Rosanna Resende will lead us in an exploration of race in Latin America and discuss how globalization and immigration have impacted race relations in the region. Her discussion focuses on the role of race and racial identity among Latino immigrants to the United States.

Oct. 21, at Santa Fe College, Building E auditorium at 7 p.m.

Panel Discussion: Exposing Local Sex Trafficking

The Alachua County Coalition Against Human Trafficking in partnership with FIGHT Inc., the Junior League of Gainesville and Santa Fe College hosts a symposium on sex trafficking. Sex trafficking is a multi-million dollar industry that affects millions of individuals, particularly women. Florida is one of the primary entry points for sex illegally from Latin America. The panel comprises sex trafficking victims and survivors as well as Mark Hunter from the Columbia County Sheriff.

Nov. 10, at SF Lawrence W. Tyree Library lobby at 2 p.m.
Nov. 15, at Alachua Co. Library Headquarters, room A at 2 p.m.

Film: Latino Americans, Episode 3: War and Peace

Join Dr. Paul Ortiz, Professor of History and Director of the Oral Histories Project at the University of Florida for a screening and discussion of Episode 3 of the documentary, Latino Americans: 500 Years of History (1942-1954). World War II is a watershed event for Latino Americans with hundreds of thousands of men and women serving in the armed forces, most fighting side by side with Anglos. The experience during the war pushes Latinos to fight for civil rights back home. Although Latinos make significant gains, the journey for equality is far from over.

This program on Latino Americans: 500 Years of History has been made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the American Library Association (ALA). Additional information on this grant may be found at https://apply.ala.org/latinoamericans. Santa Fe College has relied on the generous support of the Alachua County Downtown Public Library, the University of Florida, the Latina Women's League, and the Alachua County Coalition Against Human Trafficking for this programming.

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.

About the American Library Association

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 mission of the American Library Association is to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all. Additional information about the American Library Association is available at www.ala.org.

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