LEH Receives $10,000 “Latino Americans” Grant
A partnership between several Louisiana organizations will bring new attention to the history and culture of Latino Americans in the Lafayette region. The LEH has received a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the American Library Association to produce a series of programs in 2015 and 2016. The council will join with the Lafayette Public Library, University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Edith Garland Dupre’ Library, Lafayette International Center, and the Consulate General of Mexico to host Latino Americans: 500 Years of History, a public programming initiative produced by the NEH and the (ALA), is part of an NEH initiative, The Common Good: The Humanities in the Public Square.
The cornerstone of the project is the six-part documentary film “Latino Americans,” created for PBS in 2013 by the WETA public television station and supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The award-winning series chronicles Latinos in the United States from the 16th century to present day. The initiative in Lafayette will offer six different programs that give Lafayette residents new options for accessing this important local history. These programs will address issues of immigration, Louisiana’s unique relationships with the Spanish-speaking world, cultural integration, and the economic impact of Latino Americans in Acadiana. In each case, the LEH will create new bilingual opportunities to engage all Lafayette residents in this history.
“We’re proud of the strong partnerships that generated this opportunity,” said LEH Executive Director Miranda Restovic. “The Latino Americans programs offer multiple ways that we can engage in this vital part of Louisiana’s culture.” The council’s award-winning magazine, Louisiana Cultural Vistas, will include new articles about Latino Americans in Lafayette. The first program, scheduled for September 2015 at the Lafayette Parish Library’s main branch, includes a film screening and the debut of the official poster for the 2015 Latin Music Festival. For more details, contact LEH VP of Content Brian Boyles at [email protected].
