Movers and Shakers Movers and Shakers: SCF Libraries Receive Grant to Feature

BRADENTON — State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF) Libraries have been selected to receive a competitive grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the American Library Association (ALA) to highlight “Latino Americans: 500 Years of History.”

SCF Libraries is one of 203 grant recipients chosen from across the United States. As such, SCF Libraries will receive a cash grant of $3,000 to hold public programming—such as film screenings, discussion groups, oral history initiatives, or performances—about Latino history and culture.

The Library also will receive 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 the present. (Learn more about the series at www.pbs.org/latino-americans/en.)

Planned programs at SCF will include screenings of episodes from the “Latino Americans” film followed by scholar-led discussions, recordings of oral histories to be housed in a digital collection, and a night of storytelling for families, all open to SCF students, faculty, staff and members of the community.

The two screenings of “Latino Americans” will be at 7 p.m. Sept. 17 and 24 in the Library, Building 8, at SCF Bradenton, 5840 26th St. W.

“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 Dr. Tracy Elliott, SCF Libraries Director. “I’m thrilled that the SCF Libraries has this opportunity to explore this topic in our community.”

For a schedule of events, visit scf.edu/latinoamericans or contact Alicia Long at 941-752-5404.

The Latino Americans: 500 Years of History grantees represent 42 states and the District of Columbia, and include 78 public libraries, 68 college/university libraries and organizations, 19 community college libraries, 10 state humanities councils, 12 museums and a range of other nonprofit organizations. Latino Americans: 500 Years of History is part of an NEH initiative, The Common Good: The Humanities in the Public Square.