Happy Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month!
Please join Glendale Library, Arts & Culture as we celebrate Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month beginning today, September 15, as the kick-off to our yearlong “Be the Change” initiative. Over the course of the month you can attend virtual events, enjoy a variety of themed online content, and check out titles from recommended book lists for every age--as we pay tribute to the remarkable contributions that Hispanic and Latinx people have made to our history, culture, and society at large.
The Library is proud to present the virtual literary event Stealing Home. Join us online as author and journalist Eric Nusbaum discusses his new book, Stealing Home: Los Angeles, the Dodgers, and the Lives Caught in Between, with Los Angeles Times columnist and author Gustavo Arellano at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 24. The virtual program is part of the Be the Change event series, which is focused on inclusion, diversity, equity and antiracism, in order to build collective understanding of systemic racism, elevate the voices and stories of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, and inspire our community to be the change. In conjunction with the author talk there will also be a podcast, airing on September 17, called “Stolen Homes–Displaced in Los Angeles.” Listen to learn all about the displacement of Hispanic/Latinx and other communities in Los Angeles with host Greg Gonzalez from L.A. Meekly.
Later next month, the Library will also commemorate Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a Mexican tradition that is celebrated throughout Mexico, as well as in different parts of the world, including the United States. Day of the Dead is a celebration of life, where the living and dead come together one more time and celebrate with food, drink, and happy memories. In this spirit, the Library will be offering virtual programs around the holiday, including “Calaveras y Flores de Papel” on October 24, a live art program where you can follow along to make calaveras and paper flowers, using materials distributed at our curbside pickup prior to the event. There will also be interviews that explore the holiday through the eyes of the community, as well as a series of Spanish language book reviews. We hope you’ll join us for all of the festivities!
Our librarians have also compiled several book lists focusing on a range of topics relating to Hispanic/Latinx Heritage for various audiences. For adult readers, you’ll find recommendations for books on Displacement and Geography, the Chavez Ravine, and Spanish language reads. There are also lists of picture books, chapter books, and nonfiction books for children, as well as teens, honoring the Hispanic/Latinx cultures, histories, traditions, and people. The celebration will also be reflected in our online children’s programming, including book talks, story starters, standalone stories, and storytimes.
There is a wealth of literature and resources to be explored. We hope you’ll join the Library over the course of the next month as we pay tribute to Hispanic and Latinx Americans of the Glendale community and beyond, in celebration of history and culture, and in recognition of the community’s struggle for inclusion and equity.