<p style="text-align: center;">This resource is designed to accompany the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History's and the Smithsonian's Latino Center's video <em>Latinas Talk Latinas:  Diosa Costello, <strong>Latina Broadway Star</strong>.</em> After watching the video, which is located in the second tile of this collection, please return to this page to learn more about the assets we have in our digital collection as well as additional resources that will help you further explore the topics and themes presented in the video.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Diosa</em> Costello was a pioneering <em>Latina Broadway performer</em><em>, building a decades long career with her talent in </em><em>music, dance, and acting. She </em><em>starred in movies such as Too Many Girls! and the legendary Broadway show South Pacific.</em> Her foundational story paves the way for many of our beloved Latinas actress and musicians of today! </p>

<p>This Learning Lab is designed to accompany the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian's Latino Center's video <em>Latinas Talk Latinas: Selena, Crossing Over Cultural Boundaries. </em>This resource is meant to be experienced chronologically, starting with the second title. Learn more about the Smithsonian collections and additional resources on Selena. The goal is for users to 1) learn who Selena was  2) explore the assets on Selena across the Smithsonian Institution, and 3) understand why Selena is so important to Mexican-American women -- and the Latino community at large. </p> <p>Selena Quintanilla was a pioneering performer who started as a young girl within the Tejano music scene and eventually moved into several genres of Spanish-language music and crossed over into mainstream English-language music in the United States. This Learning Lab explores her legacy, across the United States and through the Smithsonian collections</p> <p>A note on the flowery aesthetic of the Lab: flowers hold a special significance for Selena and her fans. The Quintanilla family requested that everyone carry a single white rose to Selena's funeral because it was Selena's favorite flower. The flowers in the titles are also a nod to one of Selena y Los Dinos' greatest hits, "Como la Flor."</p>

<p><br><strong>Introduction: </strong>What is <em>Civil Intersections</em><strong>?</strong> </p> <p><em>Civil Intersections</em>: Asian-Latino Solidarity Movements and Cross-Cultural Dialogue is a new educator resource kit and capacity-building workshop developed by the Smithsonian’s Latino Center (SLC) and Asian Pacific American Center (APAC). Entering its pilot year (2021) with Cobb County School District in Georgia, <em>Civil Intersections</em> strives to serve as a multi-year effort in partnership with school districts across the United States. SLC and APAC educators are aiming to present US Latino and Asian American regional and national histories to middle and high school educators who are looking to weave first-voice Latino and Asian American narratives and primary source materials into their curriculum. For its pilot year, <em>Civil Intersections</em> centers its resource kit and workshop on the story of the Farmworkers’ Movement and the organizers behind it, Larry Itliong, Cesar Chavez, and Dolores Huerta. The story of the Farmworker’s Movement and the leaders behind it is an important story in American history because it secured better pay, established workers’ rights to organize, and created better working conditions on many farms. </p> <p>While this history took place in Delano, California, it has national resonance as many Latino and Asian migrants and immigrants are working on farms and other industries across the United States to make a living. According to the organization Farmworker Justice, an estimated 2.4 million farmworkers work on farms and ranches in the United States in 2015-2016—of this number, 49% of farmworkers were immigrants, and 75% of the workforce were foreign-born. Women make up 32% of the agricultural workforce, and there have been increasing numbers of new migrants arriving in the U.S. from indigenous communities in Mexico and Guatemala. According to the US Department of Agriculture, in 2017, a higher proportion of Asian producers in the US identified as female, and younger on average, showing there are many farmers are at the beginning of their careers. Asian producers account for 0.7% of the country’s 3.4 million food producers and are primarily located in California and Hawaiʻi. Woven into these numbers are historic and contemporary stories of migration, immigration, belonging, identity, and equity. The legacy and impact of the Farmworkers’ Movement can be seen today through better pay and working conditions—however, inequities that Latino and Asian workers face in farming, and other industries, persist today. The COVID-19 pandemic unraveled issues of race, belonging, workers’ rights and safety, access to healthcare, and equity. The impacts of the pandemic have disproportionately impacted Latinx farmworkers in the US, who are deemed essential workers unable to practice preventative measures, such as staying at home and working from home. As we reflect on the history of the Farmworkers Movement, how can we bridge the past to current events impacting communities today? What have learned, and not learned, from the Farmworkers’ Movement, and who are the leaders today fighting for equity and justice? How can the practice of civil discourse lead to change? </p> <p><em>Civil Intersections</em> aims to spark new conversations with educators and students </p> <p>We hope that this resource kit and methodology leads to new conversations between educators and students in the classroom, and that it sparks new ideas for bringing first-voice narratives into the classroom. We also hope that the story of the Farmworkers Movement inspires users to think about the humanity of Asian and Latino communities throughout the United States, not solely through a contributions lens, but through a lens of belonging, identity, and equity, with all of its triumphs and challenges. </p> <p>How do I use this resource kit? The Civil Intersections resource kit comes in two collections. The first collection, part one, dives into historical context of the Farmworkers Movement, and the second collection, part two, dives into the kit’s six-step methodology. As you use both collections, look for a yellow paperclip in the left-hand corner of the tiles. The paperclip indicates that there is more information in the tile--simply click on the tile to see what more information is included. Some tile annotations include discussion questions, or more information about the step or resource. There is a specific order for how to navigate each collection--start with the top left tile and move left to right, moving down row by row. </p> <p>Overall, the two collections include access to: </p> <ul><li>Primary source materials from the Smithsonian Institution and community organizations across the United States, </li><li>Multimedia, such as short videos, </li><li>Images of objects, photographs and other archival materials from the Smithsonian Institution and community organizations, </li><li>A six-step methodology that focuses on reflection, transferable skills, and more, </li><li>Discussion and reflection questions and worksheets that you can use with colleagues and students </li><li>Strategies for using and applying primary source materials into existing curricula, </li><li>Ways to send in your feedback to the project’s developers. </li></ul> <p>Civil Intersections is an ongoing project, edited and informed by educators like you. We welcome feedback on the design, framing, and usability of this methodology and resource kit at any time. </p> <p>If you would like to contact the organizers of this kit to discuss its content and approach, please email: </p> <ul><li>Emily Key (Director of Education, Smithsonian Latino Center) at <a href="mailto:KeyE@si.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">KeyE@si.edu</a> </li><li>Andrea Kim Neighbors (Manager of Education Initiatives, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center) at <a href="mailto:NeighborsA@si.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NeighborsA@si.edu</a> </li></ul> <p>With your feedback and insights, we will continue to develop and refine this methodology and accompanying resources based on your feedback. We aim to make Smithsonian and community-created resources usable and relevant for educators across the United States so that a fuller American story may be shared with students and future generations. </p> <p>This resource kit received federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center. </p> <p> </p>

<p>This resource is designed to accompany the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Latino's book <em>Paloma’s Song for Puerto Rico</em> created in collaboration with Capstone written by Adriana Erin Rivera and illustrated by Eugenia Nobati.<br></p> <p>It is 1898, and twelve-year-old Paloma lives in Puerto Rico with her Papi, Mami, and little brother, Jorge. They are coffee farmers, and Paloma loves the chickens and fruit trees that she helps to care for. She also loves music―the song of the coquí frogs who sing her to sleep, and the melodies from Papi’s tiple guitar. But Paloma’s world begins to change when war arrives on Puerto Rico’s shores. What will happen to their culture, the island? As Paloma and her family navigate changes they can’t control, they hold tightly to each other and hope for a better future. In diary format, the <em>Nuestras Voces</em> series profiles inspiring characters and honors the joys, challenges, and outcomes of Latino experiences. </p> <p>This Learning Lab helps identify objects in the Smithsonian's collection that could be found in <em>Paloma's Song for Puerto Rico.</em> They are grouped into themes for easier viewing.</p> <p>What is in a collection? It has objects that were used or worn by someone. Examples of objects include articles, photographs, artifacts, and videos. Objects can be anything from a baseball to a piece of clothing. It could even be a space shuttle! Objects help museums tell more complete stories. Museums also take care of objects. That way, future visitors can see them, too.</p> <p>Each Learning Lab includes a thinking routine. They are from the Harvard Graduate School of Education's Project Zero. These questions can help create discussion around the stories and objects here. This Learning Lab can serve middle school and high school students. Especially if they are interested in Latino culture. It can help with a Spanish project exploring family traditions. <br><br></p> <p>For more information on the <em>Nuestras Voces </em>series, please visit www.latino.si.edu.<br><br><br></p>

<p>This resource is designed to accompany the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Latino's book <em><em>On the Home Front with Valentina </em></em>created in collaboration with Capstone and written by Claudia Oviedo and illustrated by Juan Manuel Moreno.<br></p> <p>In 1940, eleven-year-old Valentina lives in El Paso, Texas, with her Mami, Papi, and two older brothers, Hugo and Kiki. Valentina loves reading and learning, and she hopes to go to college and become a teacher and writer someday. Her brother Hugo was in college, but with World War II looming—and Kiki eager to join the military—Hugo decides to join the National Guard with Kiki. Trying to help her family navigate wartime changes, Valentina takes on a lot more at home. She writes to her brothers, keeps her parents updated on news about the war, and helps with the war effort on the home front—all for a country she’s not so sure accepts Mexican American families like her own. In diary format, the <em>Nuestras Voces</em> series profiles inspiring characters and honors the joys, challenges, and outcomes of Latino experiences. </p> <p>This Learning Lab helps identify objects in the Smithsonian's collection that could be found in <em>On the Home Front with Valentina.</em> They are grouped into themes for easier viewing.</p> <p>What is in a collection? It has objects that were used or worn by someone. Examples of objects include articles, photographs, artifacts, and videos. Objects can be anything from a baseball to a piece of clothing. It could even be a space shuttle! Objects help museums tell more complete stories. Museums also take care of objects. That way, future visitors can see them, too.</p> <p>Each Learning Lab includes a thinking routine. They are from the Harvard Graduate School of Education's Project Zero. These questions can help create discussion around the stories and objects here. This Learning Lab can serve middle school and high school students. Especially if they are interested in Latino culture. It can help with a Spanish project exploring family traditions.<br><br></p> <p>For more information on the <em>Nuestras Voces </em>series, please visit www.latino.si.edu.</p>

<p>This learning lab collection explores the origins and history of the Cuetlaxóchitl (phonetic spelling cuet-lax-o-chitl) plant. Find out interesting facts about the plant that we have all come to know as the Christmas plant. Discover the legend behind the plant and the science behind the magical color. Then, try your handicraft skills out and make your own poinsettia plant using materials found at home or in the classroom. The learning lab includes additional resources and videos to continue exploring. </p>

<p>This resource is designed to accompany the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Latino and National Museum of American History's video <em>Latinas Talk Latinas, Gilda Mirós: From the Journalist's Desk</em>. After watching the video, which is located in the second tile of this collection, please return to this page to learn more about the objects and resources we have in our digital collection as well as additional information that will help you further explore the topics and themes presented in the video.<br></p> <p>Gilda Mirós is an entertainer, radio personality, and TV journalist that has covered major events in U.S. history from the reporter's desk. She has been an active member of the Latino community, championing Latinas and Latinos and ensuring the community has access to the important news of the day. </p>

<p>This resource is designed to accompany the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Latino and National Museum of American History's video <em>Latinas Talk Latinas, Cynthia Vidaurri Talks About Jovita González: Documenting a Community. </em> After watching the video, which is located in the second tile of this collection, please return to this page to learn more about the objects and resources we have in our digital collection as well as additional information that will help you further explore the topics and themes presented in the video.<br><br>Jovita González was one of the earliest folklorists to document the border between the United States and Mexico as its own cultural zone. She wrote several groundbreaking books with innovative documenting and writing techniques.</p>

<p><strong>This resource is designed to accompany the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Latino and National Museum of American History's video <em>Latinas Talk Latinas, <strong>Margaret Salazar-Porzio Talks About Sylvia Mendez: From Classrooms to History Books</strong>. </em>After watching the video, which is located in the second tile of this collection, please return to this page to learn more about the objects and resources we have in our digital collection as well as additional information that will help you further explore the topics and themes presented in the video.</strong></p> <p><strong>Sylvia Mendez has dedicated her life to bringing awareness of discrimination in schools. Her activism began as a young child attending school in Southern California. During the 1940s, her family joined others to fight for fair schooling for non-white children.</strong></p>