Families packed the large meeting room at the National City library on Sept. 16 to celebrate Hispanic Heritage month with craft projects, children’s storytime, a photo station and a game of Loteria, all topped off with a goodie bag stuffed with Mexican candy to enjoy later on at home.
Children, parents and grandparents alike chatted and laughed while they decorated their projects with craft paint, squeezing in one more person at each table as the room grew full. Just as they were hitting a lull, librarian Jesus Lopez launched storytime, complete with a bit of light heckling from fellow librarian Sarah Ruiz.
“We’re going to need your help because he doesn’t know how to make the donkey sound,” Ruiz said, shaking her head slowly in pretend sadness before cracking a smile.
Library and Community Services Director Joyce Ryan later said Ruiz is a former employee of the United States Consulate in Tijuana and was one of several library employees who said it was important to organize an event honoring Hispanic Heritage month. Census bureau statistics for 2020 indicate nearly 62% of National City residents identify as Hispanic or Latino while 9% identify as more than one race.
That crossover of cultures was spontaneously illustrated on Friday when attendees sang a round of ‘Happy Birthday’ to honor a young child, then tentatively segwayed into ‘Las Mañanitas’, voices slowly growing stronger as the Mexican song to rouse a birthday child filled the room.
When staff asked for a show of hands and asked “Who wants to play Loteria?” little arms shot up at every table and Lopez shifted to a vantage point where everyone could see and participate in the card game.
Others headed outside to the photo stand to take a family shot against the colorful plastic sheet hung as a backdrop. One shot featured as many babies as could be gathered from families in attendance while another few were snapped by a group of young teens taking selfies.
Scattered children around the room wore flowered headdresses, not unlike the ones worn by Frida Kahlo in paintings which graced the covers of books on display along the walls of the large room along with a few books on other artists.
“Frida Kahlo is used a lot because of her familiarity but there are some incredible artists with a Hispanic heritage we’d love to feature in future events. We used to have a ‘Behind the Artist’ event series where we’d talk about the artist, their background, their cultural milieu,” Ryan said.
Although some of their programming was cut short by the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic, Ryan said the library will be expanding their offerings over the next year and she hopes they can host a Fiesta Patrias celebration in 2023.
“Music and dance are part and parcel of the Fiesta Patrias celebration which is definitely geared more towards the general public but I’ve also been speaking with our senior librarian about art programs,” Ryan said.
National City was incorporated on Sept. 17, 1887, which nearly coincides with Mexico’s Independence day celebration on Sept. 16 each year, lending itself well to a library arts event for the general public.
With the library fully open again— with newly extended hours— staff members have been advocating to open up more events, Ryan said, including the Hispanic Heritage month celebration which was staff-driven because “they felt this should be done” for the community.
“Actually, a lot of our staff live in National City, they see their fellow residents and patrons, they’re able to have their finger on the pulse of what’s going on in the city. They’re always looking for suggestions, reaching out and talking to people,” Ryan said.
Coming up, the library is launching a bilingual storytime specifically to reach kids in the community who do not speak English at home and planning a Filipino Heritage event for October.
Ryan said she likes to think they get the word out and people get excited about not being in lockdown and the libary is going to be offering more programming, help people get in the door.
“It’s important for us to celebrate the cultures of our local residents, sure but it is also important for us to celebrate all cultures, period. The more we know about other cultures and other people in the community besides ourselves expands our knowledge of others, our sympathy for others and it broadens our understanding of the world in general,” Ryan said.
