Cal Humanities

"The understanding of a culture comes from hearing the language, tasting the food, seeing personal interactions, experiencing the traditions, and so much more in context."

— Elizabeth Laval & Candice Pendergrass, Sikh Youth Public History Project

"The understanding of a culture comes from hearing the language, tasting the food, seeing personal interactions, experiencing the traditions, and so much more when it is in context."

— Elizabeth Laval & Candice Pendergrass, Sikh Youth Public History Project

A book sits open and is covered with colorful ribbon and other decorations.

Celebrate the Season At Your Local Library

Celebrate the season and learn more about the cultures and traditions of immigrant communities at a library near you this month. Libraries participating in our Library Innovation Lab: Exploring New Ways of Engaging California’s Immigrant Communities (LIL) 2021 offer exhibits, talks, book discussions, dance, music performances, food, and crafts. Visit the LIL program page and check our online calendar for more information.

Anaheim Public Library continues Ahlan Wa Sahlan/Welcome celebrating the culture and contributions of Arab Americans. On Tuesday, December 7, “Redefining the Hyphen: A Talent Night,” an in-person event, will feature storytelling and presentations by members of local refugee and immigrant communities. On Tuesday, December 14, the library will host a virtual visit with Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour, author of We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders: A Memoir of Love and Resistance. The series will conclude on December 16 with a celebratory program featuring food, crafts, and a performance of traditional dances by Qabila Folkdance Company. For more information, contact Curita Tinker, Library Assistant, ctinker@anaheim.net

Orange Library continues its series Más allá de la historia única: Preserving Latino History in Orange with a Do-It-Yourself Oral History workshop for adults on Saturday, December 4. Dr. Virginia Espino, an oral and public historian affiliated with UCLA, who has produced films, exhibits, and publications, will lead the free, hands-on training two-hour session for adults. For more information contact Librarian Lizette Guerra at lguerra@cityoforange.org.

San Leandro Public Library will conclude its fall series, (be)Longing: Woven into the Fabric of Our Community, with a free, in-person event, “A Community Health Talk: Thriving This Winter and Beyond” on Saturday, December 11, to promote healthy living during the holiday season and beyond. Leafa Tuita Taumoepeau, executive director of Taulama for Tongans, will share healthy lifestyle tips, helpful wellness resources and lead group discussions. In addition, participants can enjoy a to-go tasting box provided by Ofa’s Hawaiian Barbecue. For more information, click here or contact Librarian Patricia Mallari at PMallari@sanleandro.org.

County of Los Angeles Public Library celebrates the diverse multicultural traditions of LA’s immigrant communities with “Stories on Skin.” The project will feature three online presentations by local tattoo artists and culture bearers on Saturdays throughout December. The first program features a discussion about Chicano tattoo artistry, followed by exploring tattooing within African diaspora communities, and culminating with a conversation about Samoan and Japanese tattoo art forms. Community members are invited to share their own stories and images through the website or on the library’s social media accounts. For more information, contact Katrina Lacerna, Asian Pacific Resource Center Librarian, KLacerna@library.lacounty.gov

Library Innovation Lab is an ongoing program of California Humanities that supports responsive and relevant public humanities programming in California’s public libraries by providing a practice-based, capacity-building, professional development experience for library programming specialists. In addition, cash awards to the participating libraries support innovative programming that engages immigrant populations and offers welcoming and inclusive experiences for all community members. The application window for our 2022 Cohort will open in January. Learn more here.

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