Library announces programs for Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration
Press Release September 7, 2001

The Newark Public Library announced its schedule of free programs for its Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. The programs, which run from September 20 to November 17, will be held at the main library, 5 Washington Street. They cover a variety of topics: family history, dance, literature, music, theater, education/health, and two exhibitions—including a special traveling exhibition of works of art created by school children in Vieques, a sister island of Puerto Rico.

A reception on September 20 will formally open the exhibitions and programming for the celebration. The keynote speaker for the evening will be Assemblyman Wilfredo Caraballo. Additionally, the reception will include a video presentation of the creation of the “Vieques” exhibition, musical entertainment, and refreshments.

One exhibition is entitled Images of Our Hispanic Heritage in Original Prints and Posters, featuring La Ciudad Infinita: Versiones de San Juan/The Infinite City: Versions of San Juan, a new gift from the City of San Juan. This exhibition will be on view, during library hours, in the lobby and second-floor gallery of the main library, from September 15 to November 15. The library’s William J. Dane curated Images of Our Hispanic Heritage.

A second exhibition entitled Queremos Paz Para Vieques"/We Want Peace for Vieques will be on view in the second- and fourth-floor galleries. It is a traveling exhibition brought to the library through the collaboration of Councilman Luis Quintana, Taller Guasamara, and KUUMBA HABLA of Quest Youth Services. Curated by teachers Glorimar Ojeda Cruz and Ibis Cintrón Díaz of Vieques, the exhibition comprises selected works of art created by school children in Vieques.

In addition to the sponsors of Queremos Paz Para Vieques, the library’s Hispanic heritage celebration is sponsored in part by Vincent Perez, United Community Corporation, The Mayor’s Committee on Hispanic Heritage Month, Amigos de la Cultura Latina, and Club Juan Pablo Duarte of New Jersey.

Following is the complete list of the library’s “Hispanic Heritage Month” programming. For more information about these free programs, patrons are invited to call the library’s Sala Hispanoamericana at (973) 733-7772, or they may visit the library’s home page at www.npl.org.

Exhibitions

         Images of Our Hispanic Heritage in Original Prints and Posters, featuring La Ciudad Infinita: Versiones de San Juan/The Infinite City: Versions of San Juan. Lobby and 2^nd Floor Gallery, September 15 to November 15.

      Queremos Paz Para Vieques"/We Want Peace for Vieques. A traveling exhibition of works of art created by school children in Vieques, a sister island of Puerto Rico. 2nd and 4th Floor Galleries, September 15 to November 15.

S E P T E M B E R

  20  Opening Reception for programming and exhibitions. The keynote speaker will be the Honorable Wilfredo Caraballo, Associate Minority Leader, from Legislative District 28. Festivities include a film on the Vieques exhibition, musical entertainment, and refreshments. Centennial Hall, 6pm.

  29  Hispanic Genealogy Workshop: Tracing Your Family History, to be presented by the Hispanic Genealogical Society of New York. For those whose families originated in a Hispanic country, this engaging workshop will demonstrate how to trace their history. Auditorium, 2pm.

O C T O B E R

  6  Vieques: Una isla forjando futuros/Vieques: An Island Forging a Future. This award-winning documentary, in English and Spanish, illustrates the peaceful resistance movement against the bombing practices of the U.S. Navy in Vieques, Puerto Rico. Johanna Bermúdez Ruíz, the film’s director, will introduce the documentary and hold a question-and-answer session. Auditorium, 3pm.

  13  Nuyorican Dream, a film about a Puerto Rican family in the Bronx who battles on a daily basis drugs, the prison industry, and a host of illnesses and social obstacles. Laurie Collyer’s camera captures the minute details and places them in a crucial larger political context. Auditorium, 2pm.

  20  “Reencuentro” Tarde de Poesía, Cuentos y Música. The library presents, in Spanish, an afternoon of music, poetry and short stories by Latin American authors and musicians residing in New Jersey. The Mayor’s Committee on Hispanic Heritage Month and Amigos de la Cultura Latina are cosponsoring this event. Auditorium, 2pm.

  27  A theatrical program, entitled Yo Soy Latina, presented by Latino Flavored Productions, Inc. The program is a compelling theatrical journey into the lives of six very diverse Latino women—different nationalities, races and age groups—who try to make sense of what it is to be a Latina in America today. Auditorium, 3pm.

N O V E M B E R

  3  A lecture and demonstration on the traditional music and folklore of the three largest Caribbean islands: Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, cosponsored by Club Juan Pablo Duarte of New Jersey. Centennial Hall, 2pm.

  10  An educational forum entitled "How Parents Can Help Kids Prepare for College.” This workshop will inform parents how young people—starting in elementary school—can prepare to enter competitive universities. Free information on current pre-college programs at NJIT and other New Jersey colleges will be available for students in fifth grade and higher. Auditorium, 2pm.

  10  A health forum entitled "What Every Woman Needs to Know." Dr. Debbie Salas-Lopez will discuss health issues of particular importance to Latinas and what to do about certain health risks. A question-answer session is included. Auditorium, 3:30pm.

  17  An afternoon of tango presented by TEATRO SÍ Tango. Traditional musicians and singers will accompany the performance. A free tango lesson will be offered after the show. Centennial Hall, 2pm.