Engaging the local Mixteco community at the Soliz Library

Submitted by NoseyNoober on
Children with adults preparing for a dance recital

In 2018, the Ventura County Library was awarded a small grant through California Humanities to run an outreach program at the Albert H. Soliz Library, a small branch location in the unincorporated community of El Rio, adjacent to the city of Oxnard. The goal of the project was to engage with the Mixteco community in Ventura County, some 20,000 members strong, in order to promote their use of the library and the resources it offers, as well as to make others in the community more aware of the rich history and culture of this indigenous immigrant group.

The project included a series of family-friendly programs held at the Soliz Library in September and October, all leading up to a larger festival at the end of month. This festival included performances, food vendors, speakers and presenters, and children’s activities—all focused on the traditions surrounding observance of Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. Working with us on this festival were partner organizations including local radio station 94.1 FM Radio Indígena, the El Rio First 5 Neighborhoods for Learning, and the Mixteco/Indígena Community Organizing Project (MICOP).

In addition to this festival, the project also included the purchase of new library materials focusing on Mixteco and Oaxacan culture, design and creation of a mural by CSU Channel Islands students and faculty commemorating Mixteco culture in the library, and the hosting of several speakers at the Soliz Library and elsewhere in the system who presented on elements of Mixteco heritage. Following the execution of this program and with the help of organizations like MICOP, the Soliz Library has begun hosting numerous community groups in the library on a regular basis, on topics such as parenting, domestic violence issues, and the arts.

We are proud to have been able to provide such a meaningful slate of programming with the help of California Humanities and our many wonderful partners. Our gratitude goes out to everyone who helped make this program a reality.

Full list of program partners:

  • California State University, Channel Islands (CSUCI)
  • University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB)
  • Mixteco/Indígena Community Organizing Project (MICOP)
  • County of Ventura
  • Ventura County Library
  • 94.1 FM Radio Indígena
  • California Humanities
  • El Rio First 5 Neighborhoods for Learning
  • El Rio School District

Flor de Pina Dancers

Flor de Pina Dancers

father and child view a Day of the Dead Altar

woman handing books to children

 

 

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