Hispanic Heritage Celebration

In celebration of the riches of Hispanic Heritage, Barnes & Noble will host family fun activities on Saturday, September 29 from 11am-3pm.   Children are invited enjoy free crafts, activities and bilingual storytimes with authors James Luna (The Runaway Piggy) and Laura Lacamara (Floating on Mama’s Song).  A panel of authors will discuss their books, including Julia Amante (Say You'll Be Mine), Paula Jaramillo (The American Southwest: Pride-Prejudice-Perseverance) Sandra Lopez (Esperanza: a Latina Story), and Julie Prestsater (You Act So White.) Additionally, Mark A. Ocegueda, co-author of Mexican American Baseball in the Inland Empire will be on hand to talk about this newly released book and the involvement of immigrants and their families in baseball’s history around the turn of the 20^th century.  Antonio Vasquez and Genevieve Carpio, authors of  Mexican Americans in Redlands, will also join the festivities. Antonio Gonzalez Vasquez is a documentary filmmaker and the founder of Inland Mexican Heritage. Genevieve Carpio is an advocate of community-based history and a doctoral candidate at the University of Southern California.  Photo exhibits will be on display.

In tandem with the Barnes & Noble celebration, Norton Space and Aeronautics Academy of San Bernardino will host crafts, activities, and more storytimes.  NSAA is a dual immersion charter school whose goal is for all students to be able to speak, read, and write in English and Spanish in all academic areas after continued attendance in the program for five years.  Barnes & Noble will donate a percentage of related purchases to the school when customers mention NSAA at any register.

Hispanic Heritage Month is an annual celebration of Hispanic Americans' positive contributions to the United States through their heritage and culture. September 15th marks the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Additionally, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18, respectively.

For more information, contact Laurie Aldern at 909-793-4945.