¡Sí se puede! Dolores Huerta Family Day
Who doesn’t love a good story? Join us this Sunday, October 4, in the Kogod Courtyard as we celebrate Dolores Huerta—a story worth sharing with the whole family. ¡Sí se puede! Dolores Huerta Family Day focuses on stories and storytelling. The National Portrait Gallery’s exhibition “One Life: Dolores Huerta”highlights Huerta’s incredible history. She cofounded the United Farm Workers (UFW), lobbied the government, and negotiated contracts to protect exploited workers, all while raising eleven children. She explained that the work she and her fellow activists did was a family affair: “the whole family strikes together and pickets together.” This family day represents a different kind of family affair—one involving music, art, and crafts.
We are pleased to welcome two gifted artists with special ties to Dolores Huerta. Acclaimed folk musician José-Luis Orozco will sing ballads inspired by Huerta in Spanish and English while interpreters share his lyrics in American Sign Language. Artist Joe Cepeda will share the inspiration behind his illustrations for the children’s book Side By Side/Lado a Lado: The Story of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez. Cepeda will also share ideas for illustrating the personal narrative crafted in the storytelling workshop.
If you get stumped with your story, take inspiration from the temporary photojournalism exhibition “Becoming Dolores.” Mothers from the Fairfax County Public Schools and their children attended a three-day seminar about Dolores Huerta, photography, and photojournalism. Each family created a portfolio of images and text to document their stories of leadership and family.
No Dolores Huerta celebration would be complete without a little social justice, and here we encourage you to get personal. Outside of the special Huerta exhibition the iconic image of Huerta holding a HUELGA sign reminds us of her commitment to workers’ rights. What do you stand for? Make a sign for the cause that matters to you and recreate Huerta’s portrait.
This program will be accessible in English, Spanish, and American Sign Language, and includes a collaboration between the National Portrait Gallery, the Smithsonian Latino Center, the Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access, and Council de Manos. This program is sponsored in part by the Reinsch Family Education Endowment.
Beth Evans, Youth & Family Programs Coordinator
