Hecho En Iowa
Since the 1880s, Latinos/as have built homes, established communities and worked in fields and factories across Iowa. More recently Latinos/as have found employment in Iowa's packinghouses, service sector industries and established thriving businesses. According to the Iowa Division of Latino Affairs in 2006, Latinos/as comprised 3.8% of Iowa’s total population. Despite their significant presence and extensive contributions, Latinos/as are largely invisible in our state’s historical documents, with one exception. The Mujeres Latinas project of the Iowa Women's Archives collected and preserved materials including photographs, letters and oral histories that document the lives and contributions of Latinas, their families and their communities to Iowa history.
On September 19- 20, 2009, join others in celebration at the Iowa Latino Heritage Festival, the largest ethnic event in the state, at the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines.
Learn more and explore the changing demographics of Iowa’s fastest growing population at Hecho En Iowa, the Eleventh Annual Strengthening and Valuing Latino/a Communities in Iowa conference on October 9, 2009 at Grand View University in Des Moines.
