Join Chicago Public Library in celebrating Latinx History Month from September 15 to October 15. Our theme this year is "Pa’lante Con Nuestro Poder/Moving Forward with Power." The Latinx communities across Chicago and the nation were among the hardest hit during the pandemic and thus our committee focused on providing creative programming that honors these communities, shares joy and nurtures a healing spirit.
We invite you to attend our many virtual and in-person programs honoring the vast diaspora of cultures in the Latinx community. We’ll kick off the celebration with an exploration of Peru with the Peruvian Folk Dance Center followed by a special Afro-Caribbean jazz performance by the Ruiz Belvis Collective, a tour of Chicago’s Latinx Queer Spaces, a two-part workshop series Altar-ing: A Latinx Creative Nonfiction Zine Workshop from fourth generation Tejana educator Bonnie Ilza Cisneros and more!
Learn about Latinx contributions to space exploration, how climate change is impacting immigration patterns and visit the Lozano branch for an in person program about poetry and plants. See our event listings below for more information on our program offerings.
Events
See all our Latinx History Month events. Highlights include:
Opening Event
- Discover Peru/Descubre Peru with the Peruvian Folk Dance Center: 12 p.m. Saturday, September 18
Kids and Families
- Mars and Latino Contributions to Space Exploration with the Chicago Astronomer: 12 p.m. Saturday, October 2
- Paint Your Own Alebrije with Puech Ikots' Carlos Orozco: 6 p.m. Tuesday, October 5
Adults and Teens
- Transfomismo: Queer Latinx Culture in Chicago: 5 p.m. Tuesday, September 21
- Salsa with Latin Rhythms: 5 p.m. Monday, September 27
- Bachata with Latin Rhythms: 5 p.m. Tuesday, September 28
- Latinx Chicago Trivia with the CPL Games Team: 6 p.m. Thursday, September 30
- Climate Change and Migration: 6 p.m. Monday, October 4
- Plants Are Poetry with Deivid Rojas: 4:30 p.m. Monday, October 11
Coloring Page
Print our coloring sheet by Chicago artist Jose Perales.
Artist Statement: The piece features the national flowers of various countries such as Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Colombia and Puerto Rico to show the diversity Chicago has among its Latino communities. I chose 3 popular neighborhoods in Chicago La Villita, Pilsen and Humboldt Park as landmarks to show a part of Chicago that is recognizable to many. The significance of the flowers and community is to show the way when one takes care of its flowers/plants they grow and flourish. During this past year with so many things going on in the country such as the pandemic and social injustices the community stood together no matter where you were from in the city as one came together to stand and overcome against obstacles, I believe this made the city grow and communities grow together.
Reading Recommendations
Want to read more about Latinx History Month? We recommend:
