Redwood City libraries highlighting Peruvians

Both educational and entertaining for the whole family, the performance is a unique opportunity to experience Peruvian culture through history, music and storytelling, Jenny Barnes, division manager of Youth Services and Community Engagement, said. 

“I think that’s the goal, to make people feel proud of their heritage and honored to be a part of it,” Barnes said. “And to also show people who may not know what Peruvian culture looks like, what traditional outfits look like, what the music sounds like.” 

Focusing on Peruvian culture was an intentional choice to make sure the library highlights various Hispanic ethnicities during the month. Often, Mexican culture and celebrations are at the forefront of Hispanic Heritage Month due to the significant population in California. 

“We hadn’t done anything about Peruvian culture so we wanted to focus on that this year,” Barnes said. “We celebrate the month every year, and every year we take the opportunity to highlight parts of our community.”

The group Asociación Cultural Kanchis is a Bay Area based Peruvian dance organization with various members connected to staff at the Redwood City Public Library, Barnes said. 

The group will perform a second time Oct. 4 at the library located downtown at 1044 Middlefield Road. The performance will begin at 11 a.m., and attendees will have a chance to win Peruvian surprises, and children’s books will be given away as supplies last. 

“I think it’s nice for people to learn something new and also see themselves in library programming,” Barnes said. 

National Hispanic Heritage Month is observed from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. 

The Redwood City Public Library has also published a reading list for those interested in reading more stories about Hispanic and Latino culture. Titles on the list include “Inventing Latinos” by Laura Gómez, “So Many Stars” by Caro De Robertis and “Crying in the Bathroom” by Erika Sánchez.