Hispanic/ Latino Heritage Celebrations
National Hispanic Heritage Week was celebrated with bilingual programs until 1989 when Hispanic Heritage Month was declared to provide more time for the nation to celebrate Hispanic culture and achievements. However, one month is still not enough time to celebrate all of the Latino community’s achievements. Therefore, the library hosts annual Hispanic Heritage/ Latino Celebrations throughout the fall.
Kicking off in conjunction with Hispanic Heritage Month, the library hosts the acclaimed Latino Celebration with an exhibition and series of public programs. Each year the celebration focuses on a different theme based on a specific New Jersey Latino community or single topic that binds all Latinos.
On display are photos and memorabilia of past Hispanic Heritage/ Latino Celebrations.
Hispanic/ Latino Heritage Celebration Themes 1987, 1990-present
| 1987 | Puerto Rico: 35th Anniversary of the Commonweath Prepared by Ingrid Betancourt and Curt Idrogo |
| 1990 | A Unique Visual Expression: The Poster and Print Art of Puerto Rico Curated by William J. Dane |
| 1991 | Hispanic Visions Organized by the Foundation for Hispanic Women Arts and and curated by the Division of Recreation and Cultural Affairs (DORCA) |
| 1992 | The Puerto Rican Statewide Parade of Newark: A Thirty-Year Legacy Curated by Ingrid Betancourt |
| 1993 | Courage, Passion, and Sacrifice: The Journey of the Puerto Rican People, 1493-1993 Curated by Ingrid Betancourt and Clark L. Beck |
| 1994 | Homar: An Exhibition in Appreciation of Lorenzo Homar and His Graphic Work, 1954-1994 Curated by William J. Dane |
| 1995 | Newark Latinoamericano: The Hispanic Presence in Northern New Jersey & An Exhibition of Prints by Prominent Puerto Rican Artists: José R. Alicea, Antonio Martorell, Nelson Sambolín, and Rafael Tufiño |
| 1996 | Art Beat: Unheard Voices of Latin America Curated by Gustavo Valdés (guest curator) |
| 1997 | Images from Our Hispanic Heritage Curated by William J. Dane |
| 1998 | Puerto Rico 1898-1998: A Century of Change and Uncertainty Curated by Alma Concepción & Casitas: Gardens of Reclamation Photographs by Eljat Feuer |
| 1999 | Había una vez y dos son tres: Hispanic Children's Literature in the United States Curated by Ina Rimpau |
| 2000 | Diamond of Hope and Glory: The Life and Times of Latin Americans in the Negro Leagues Curated by Dr. Lawrence Hogan and Todd Bolton with Juan E. Cintrón |
| 2001 | Images of Our Hispanic Heritage in Original Prints and Posters Curated by William J. Dane & Queremos Paz Para Viequez A traveling art exhibit created by children from the Eugenio María de Hostos and Playa Grande Middle Schools in Viequez, Puerto Rico, curated by Glorimar Ojeda Cruz and Ibis Cintrón Díaz |
| 2002 | UMDNJ and The Newark Public Library Celebrate Latino Graphic Art |
| 2003 | Dominicans in New Jersey: A Community on the Move Co-curated by Maria Teresa Feliciano, Wendy Martinez and Charles F. Cummings |
| 2004 | The Newark Public Library Honors Lorenzo Homar (1913-2004) Curated by William J. Dane |
| 2005 | Colombians in New Jersey: Creating New Horizons Curated by Martha Lucía Bahamón, Manuel Humberto Arévalo, Gloria Montealegre, and María del Pilar Salamanca, in collaboration with a select group of members of the Colombian community in NJ, assisted by Ingrid Betancourt |
| 2006 | Roots of Rhythm: Dance in Latin America Curated by Ina Rimpau |
| 2007 | Ecuador Expocultura 2007: New Jersey Curated by Mariana Cando Mendieta in collaboration with a select group of members of the Ecuadorian community in NJ assisted by Ingrid Betancourt |
| 2008 | Reel Diversity: Film in the Hispanic World Curated by Ina Rimpau in collaboration with Ingrid Betancourt and Juan E. Cintrón |
| 2009 | A Journey from Ancient Times: Peruvians in New Jersey Curated by Ingrid Betancourt in collaboration with members of the Peruvian Exhibit Organizing Committee |
| 2010 | Latina Voices and Visions Curated by Ingrid Betancourt |
| 2011 | Journey from Aztlán: Mexican Heritage New Jerseyans Co-curated by Guest Historian Darius Echeverría, Rutgers University, and Ingrid Betancourt in collaboration with members of the Mexican Community Advisory Committee |
| 2012 | Invisible History: The African Spirit in Latin America Curated by Ingrid Betancourt |
| 2013 | Mesoamerican Mosaic: New Jersey’s Guatemalan, Salvadoran and Honduran Communities Curated by Ingrid Betancourt |
| 2014 | Edible History: How Latin American Food Evolved and Transformed the World Curated by Ingrid Betancourt |
| 2015 | Beyond Exile: Cubans in New Jersey Curated by Ingrid Betancourt |
| 2016 | The Rhythm and the Beat: Drums and Percussion in Latin America Curated by Ingrid Betancourt |
| 2017 | Boricuas in the Garden: The Story of Puerto Ricans in New Jersey Curated by Ingrid Betancourt, Yesenia López, and Kristyn Scorsone |
| 2018 | The Crossover: Are Latinos Transforming the US? Curated by Yesenia López with the assistance of Juber Ayala and Phil Napoli |
| 2019 | Andean Culture Alive in New Jersey Curated by Nélida Silva (guest curator) and Yesenia López |
| 2020 | ¡Sí Se Puede! Latinx Civil Rights Movements in the US |
| 2021 | The Library & the Latino Community: Celebrating 40+ Years of Partnership Co-curated by Yesenia López, Juber Ayala, and Vanessa Castaldo with the assistance of Tammy Galarza and Angie Ruiz |