Celebrate Hispanic Heritage month with Special Collections & Research! From September 15th to October 15th, we are spotlighting the rich history and contribution of Hispanic and Latino Americans with a new mini exhibit showcased in the Oklahoma Room. 

The mini exhibit highlights notable Oklahomans such as Manuel Perez Jr., Rufino Rodrigues, Tony Casillas, Shannon Calderon Primeau, Cecil Gomez, Anita Martinez, Rosa Quiroga King, and Juanita Zamora, among others. On display are a variety of materials such as photographs and booklets documenting the ongoing history of Church of the Little Flower and the Shrine Our Lady of Mount Carmel, located in the Capitol Hill district of Oklahoma City. Programs, booklets and cookbooks from the John Dunning III Collection and Community Cookbooks Collection are also featured. 

Additionally, books selected from the Oklahoma Room's library, which contain invaluable information about the history of the Hispanic and Latino American communities in Oklahoma, are included in the exhibit. Books include: Latinos Presentes! created by the Oklahoma Centennial Hispanic History Project, The Mexicans in Oklahoma by Michael M. Smith, These are the Words by Max González, The Perpetual Present: The Poetry and Prose of Octavio Paz, and two publications by Cecil Gomez, A Mexican Twilight and West Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1939, Before and After: The Greatest Little American Town (That Once Was).

We welcome your feedback! Email us at Special.Collections@MetroLibrary.org with your thoughts and ideas for future articles and posts. All images showcased here are part of Metro Library’s Special Collections and Research archives.