GRU libraries win $10,000 Latin American history grant

Did you know that Martinez, Georgia, was named after a wealthy Cuban refugee? If not, you’re not alone, but a recent grant bestowed to the Georgia Regents University libraries is looking to change that.

In June, GRU’s Reese and Greenblatt libraries received a $10,000 programming grant from the American Library Association called “Latino Americans: 500 Years of History.” Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the grant’s mission is to spread and preserve Latin American culture and history throughout various communities across the United States.

Erin Prentiss, Reference and Instruction Librarian at Reese Library, said the grant has provided both libraries with a tremendous outreach opportunity.

“As you know, we live in an ever-diversifying country,” said Prentiss. “There is a growing Latino population in the Augusta area, and it’s important for us all to appreciate one another’s histories.”

In addition to following the grant’s stipulation of hosting screenings of “Latino Americans,” an NEH-sponsored Public Broadcasting System documentary, the libraries will also host lectures and the recording of local oral histories. Lectures will be presented by GRU’s own Heather Abdelnur, Associate Professor in the Department of History, Anthropology, and Philosophy, and Christopher Botero, Assistant Professor in the Department of English and Foreign Languages.

The Augusta-Richmond County Public Library System and the Greater Clarks Hill Regional Library System will also host related events.

Programming for the grant is set to begin in September and will run until mid-April.

GRU wishes to thank its community partners, the Augusta-Richmond County Public Library System, the Greater Clarks Hill Regional Library System, and the Hispanic American Cultural Association, for making these events possible.

For more information regarding programming, please contact Erin Prentiss at eprentiss@gru.edu.