In Summer 2015, the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program was selected to receive a competitive “Latino Americans: 500 Years of History” grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the American Library Association (ALA). SPOHP will receive a cash grant of $10,000 to hold public programming and conduct an oral history project about Latino history and culture in Tampa, Florida.
The grant is coordinated by Sarah McNamara, PhD candidate at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, in connection with scholars at the University of Florida working through SPOHP’s Latina/o Diaspora in the Americas Project. McNamara is a SPOHP alumna and graduate of the History Honors program at the University of Florida.
Planned programs at the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program’s event agenda will include the following (details to come):
October 15, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.: Community Book Group, “Tampa through Testimonios”
A group discussion of Jose Iglesias’ book, The Truth About Them
Tampa Bay History Center, 801 Old Water Street, Tampa, FL 33602
Sponsored by the Tampa Bay History Center
October 17, 4:00 – 6:30 p.m.: Ybor City Walking Tour: “From Immigration to Urban Renewal”
New World Brewery, 1313 East 8th Avenue, Tampa, FL 33605
Sponsored by the Tampa Bay History Center
December 16: “Learning to Listen: Understanding Tampa’s Latina/o Past through Oral History”
Speaker, Sarah McNamara
Florida Conversations Series, Sponsored by the Tampa Bay History Center and University of South Florida
February 2016: PBS Latino Americans Documentary: Prejudice and Pride
Documentary Viewing and Mediated Panel
Sponsored by Hillsborough County Libraries
March 2016: Ybor City through Women’s Eyes: Walking Tour
New World Brewery, 1313 East 8th Avenue, Tampa, FL 33605
Sponsored by the Tampa Bay History Center
March 2016: Latina History and Tampa History: On Film and In Person
Documentary Viewing and Mediated Panel
Sponsored by the Tampa Bay History Center
June 2016: Online Exhibit Reveal
Sponsored by the Ybor City Museum Society
The Samuel Proctor Oral History Program will also 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 present day. (Learn more about the series at PBS).
“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. Paul Ortíz, Director of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program. “I’m thrilled that SPOHP has this opportunity to explore this topic in our communities throughout Florida.”
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.
Dr. Ortíz will also lead events with Santa Fe College on a separate “Latino Americans: 500 Years of History” grant in Fall 2015:
November 10, 2:00 p.m.: “Latino Americans: 500 Years of History, Episode 3”
Documentary Screening and Discussion
Santa Fe Library, 3000 NW 83rd Street, Gainesville, FL 32606
November 15, 2:00 p.m.: “Latino Americans: 500 Years of History, Episode 3”
Documentary Screening and Discussion
Alachua County Library (Downtown), 401 East University Avenue, Gainesville, FL, 32601
About the National Endowment for the Humanities
Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at their website.
About the American Library Association
The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with approximately 58,000 members in academic, public, school, government and special libraries. The mission of the American Library Association is to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all. For more information about the American Library Association, visit their website.
For more details about the Latina/o Diaspora in the Americas Project and other collections, please visit http://oral.history.ufl.edu or call the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program at 352-392-7168.