The Garfield County Libraries will be offering a series of free public events to lead our community in an exploration of Latino American history and culture. The New Castle and Parachute branch libraries were selected to receive a competitive grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the American Library Association. “Latino Americans: 500 Years of History” is a nationwide public programming initiative that supports the exploration of the rich and varied history and experiences of Latinos, who have helped shape the United States over the last five centuries and who have become, with more than 50 million people, the country’s largest minority group.
The cornerstone of the project is the six-part, NEH-supported 2013 documentary film, “Latino Americans.” The award-winning series chronicles Latinos in the United States from the 16th century to present day.
Throughout February and March, the New Castle and Parachute branch libraries will screen the “Latino Americans” documentary in English and Spanish, facilitate local history gathering, and host family programs to help start a conversation about Latinos’ important impact in our region. The New Castle Branch Library will hold its events every Thursday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m. during the month of February. The Parachute Branch Library will hold its events in March.
To learn more about this program series, visit gcpld.org/la500.
This article originally appeared in the Post Independent on Thursday, January 27, 2016.