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DC History Book Talk: Avocado Dreams

Remaking Salvadoran Life & Art in the DC Metro Area

Learn how the creative works of local writers, performers, artists, and artivists helped remake their Salvadoran identity and culture in the nation’s capital.

Salvadoran contributions to the culture of Washington, DC reach far beyond the pupusa.

The largest group of Latinx residents in the nation’s capital and metro area are Salvadoran. And while most DC residents can name the pupusa as a Salvadoran cultural contribution to our city, expert scholar Ana Patricia Rodríguez makes a case for digging deeper.

Join DC History Center and The People’s Archive at MLK Library for a talk about Rodríguez’s new book Avocado Dreams. In conversation with Kristy LiPuma, Rodríguez will cover how culture is created in the nation’s capital, especially as Latin American cultures collided and mixed with DC’s Black communities, among others. Learn how the creative works of local writers, performers, artists, and artivists helped remake their Salvadoran identity and culture in the nation’s capital.

As our city experiences Federal backlash against our Latinx neighbors, this timely work broadens our collective knowledge of Salvadoran diasporic experiences. Come learn why Latinx art, history, and culture is relevant to all Washingtonians.

About the Speakers

Ana Patricia Rodríguez is a Professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese and U.S. Latina/o Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she teaches courses in Latin American, Central American, and U.S. Latina/o literatures and cultures. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her research interests include Central American and U.S. Latina/o literatures and cultures; Central American cultural production in the U.S.; transnational migration and cultural production; diaspora studies; violence and postwar/trauma studies; gender studies; U.S. Latina/o popular culture; community-based research; and Latina/o education (K-16).

Kristy L is a DC-based cultural worker, community-based researcher, and American Studies PhD candidate at the University of Maryland. A lifelong DMV local, her current research focuses on the history, politics, and world-making practices of Washington, DC’s Black and Latinx cultural communities from 1970 to 2000. She collaborates closely with local culture bearers to co-curate public conversations, exhibitions, and creative gatherings that center living history. Her recent work includes an essay “Precarious Systems” in TDR’s special issue on queer nightlife, and oral history interviews for the hometown DC public history exhibition and digital project, on view at libraries across DC through October.

About the Partners

Founded in 1894, the DC History Center deepens understanding of our city’s past to connect, empower, and inspire. As the only community-based nonprofit focused on the District’s history, our vision is to engage with neighborhoods across DC and elevate the stories of Washington’s diverse people, communities, and institutions. The DC History Center’s collection is focused on local DC as opposed to federal Washington but encompasses the city limits and areas that have a direct relationship to individuals, locations, and events within the District, including historical connections with Maryland and Virginia. We are the caretakers of these materials, donated by families, organizations, businesses, neighborhoods, and other communities that comprise Washington, DC.

The People’s Archive at DC Public Library is home to the dynamic collections that preserve and share the stories, histories, and voices of Washington, D.C.’s diverse communities, as well as the Black experience in the Unites States. It features materials—such as photographs, oral histories, documents, and more—that highlight the vibrant local, national and international history of DMV residents, grassroots movements, and cultural milestones, making it a valuable resource for researchers, historians, and anyone interested in learning more about the city’s past and present.

Know Before You Go:

• Registration is free, and walk-ins are welcome.
• Seating is first come, first served.
• Purchase of a book is optional and is only available to buy on the registration page.
• ASL interpretation will be provided.
• If you require accommodation for a disability, please email the DC History Center at programs@dchistory.org or  The People's Archive at peoples.archive@dc.gov with your request as soon as possible. We are committed to making events accessible for all participants.

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