Author visits bring Latin American stories, languages to life in K-16 classrooms

The Center’s outreach program continues to promote Latin American Studies with children's and young adult literature. In addition to donating classroom sets of books with Latin American and Latino/a/x themes, the Center also sponsors virtual visits from authors to engage in discussion with students in the classroom.

Author Andrea Olatunji of Cuentacuento spoke to ten elementary school classrooms across the U.S., reaching over 800 students. Her interactive visits introduce readers to Omar the Jaguar and other rainforest protagonists who teach simple Spanish vocabulary and impart life lessons through encounters with their peers.

The Center also sponsored author Alexandra Diaz to visit middle school ELA classrooms as well as pre-service teachers from Florida Gulf Coast University. Her young adult novel The Only Road tells the story of a young boy who must make the arduous journey from Guatemala to the U.S. to live with his older brother when it's too dangerous to stay in his hometown. Reflecting on the novel after the virtual visit, one middle school student shared: “The book really gave me insight on how dangerous the journey is and the sacrifices that anyone has to make just for their safety and freedom. What I took away from reading this book was that it’s important to remember that no matter what background or ethnicity someone has, everyone is human and deserves to be treated fairly and equally.” ◆