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Feb. 25, 2005
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Diaz family of Fort Madison, Iowa
Photo courtesy of Iowa Women's Archives
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Kären Mason, curator of the Iowa Women’s Archives at the University of Iowa, will be the featured speaker for “Mujeres Latinas: Preserving Latina History in Iowa” on Wednesday, March 9, at 11:45 a.m. in the UPS Auditorium of the Lincoln Center. The free event is sponsored by Morningside’s Academic and Cultural Arts Series (ACAS) and is open to the public.
Mason will discuss the latest project of the Iowa Women’s Archives, collecting the family and community histories of women of Latin American descent. The goal of “Mujeres Latinas” is to build a foundation of historical material on Iowa’s Latinas so that individuals will have access to their history and scholars will be able to write a more inclusive history of Iowa. Transcripts of oral histories collected from area Latinas will be made available in the future through the Sioux City Public Museum.
Mexican-Americans have lived in Iowa since the late nineteenth century when they were recruited to work on the railroads, then later as migrant farm workers, packinghouse and service industry workers, professionals, and business people.
During her presentation Mason will give a brief history of the Iowa Women’s Archives. She will read from transcripts of oral histories that have already been collected and discuss the types of materials the archives will include in the project, including photographs, letters, scrapbooks, diaries, journals, audiotapes, home movies, and more.
Mason will be in Sioux City from Monday, March 7, until Thursday, March 10, to conduct oral history interviews. Individuals who are interested in contributing to the collection can find out more by visiting www.lib.uiowa.edu/iwa/mujeres.htm or by contacting Mason at (319) 335-5068, or by e-mail at karen-mason@uiowa.edu. Mason will also be available prior to and immediately after the presentation to speak to anyone interested in the project.
The Iowa Women’s Archives was founded in 1992 to preserve the history of Iowa women. Guides to collections are available on the Iowa Women’s Archives Web site at www.lib.uiowa.edu/iwa so that people from across Iowa and around the nation can learn of these resources.
For more information on the event, contact Morningside’s office of Public Relations at (712) 274-5108.
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