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Behind The Story: Author Talk with Smithsonian Educators

A CCPL Virtual Author Speaker Series Program

Join us and author Adrián Aldaba and Emily Key to discuss inspiring Latinas and Latinos who have shaped the United States!

Join us in conversation with Smithsonian professionals Adrián Aldaba and Emily Key as they discuss Nuestra América and highlight inspiring stories of Latinos throughout history, as well as their incredible contributions to the cultural, social, and political character of the United States.

The stories in Nuestra América cover each figure's cultural background and childhood, and their accomplishments or contributions to American history. A glossary of terms and discussion question-filled reading guide, created by the National Museum of the American Latino, encourages further research and exploration. The museum has featured twenty-three of these stories in its exhibition ¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States, the first exhibition to feature U.S. Latino history at the national level.

Featuring beautifully illustrated portraits by Gloria Félix, this is a book that children (and adults) will page through and learn from again and again. A must have for every school and home library to help students understand the American story!

Register today to learn more about the rich history of Nuestra América!

About the Presenters:

Adrián Aldaba, a Chicago native, is the national programs manager for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino. In this capacity, he serves audiences of all ages by bringing the Latino Museum’s programs and content to communities where they live and thrive outside of the Washington, D.C. area. He does this through the museum’s national leadership, family, and public programs for adults and intergenerational audiences. He also supports national K-12 efforts facilitating teacher workshops connecting the museum’s literacy initiatives and resources to educators across the nation. Aldaba co-authored Strategies for Engaging and Representing Latinos in Museums, a free resource released by the American Alliance of Museums Latino Network. Aldaba joined the Smithsonian more than a decade ago after working as a research assistant for the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. He earned his A.B. cum laude in Romance Languages and Literatures from Harvard College.

Emily Key is the assistant director of Learning and Public Engagement at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino where she developed the museum’s learning continuum and education vision centered on creating opportunities for visitors to experience, learn, reflect, and transform by sparking curiosity and encouraging life-long learning. Key oversees national bilingual programming, community engagement, K-12 aligned educator resources, publications, and the Young Ambassadors Program, a nationally recognized youth leadership program.Key is also responsible for the creation of the General Motors Learning Lounge and its correlative educational programming for the museum’s Molina Family Latino Gallery that opened in June 2022. Prior to the museum, she led education efforts for the Smithsonian Latino Center and worked in the education department of the National Air and Space Museum. Key holds a graduate certificate in arts and culture strategy from the University of Pennsylvania and a BA from the George Washington University.

To view a recording of this event or to see the full archive of Behind the Story events, click here. Scroll to search for the event you are looking for.

The views expressed by presenters are their own, and their appearance in a program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Charles County Public Library.

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