Visions of America at Capitola Library

As the Semi-quincentennial anniversary of America’s independence fast approaches, the Institute of Museum and Library Services and PBS Books have produced “Visions of America: All Stories, All People, All Places,” a digital-first series of videos and virtual conversations that explore our nation with a renewed interest in the places, people and stories that have contributed to the America we live in today.

Hosted by PBS Books and the sixth director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services Crosby Kemper leads a video tour through three lesser-known historical sites that symbolize an aspect of the spirit of our independence, probing what makes each of these so important to our national identity.

The screening and discussion with local historians and researchers will be Thursday evenings 6-8 p.m. in July at the Captiola Library, 2005 Wharf Road, Capitola. Light refreshments will be provided.

Registration is recommended, not required, to help plan refreshments.

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July 11: A Journey to the Freedom Tower Stories of Cuban Migration with UCSC Latin American and Latino Studies PhD candidate Jennifer Gottleib

The Freedom Tower (or Torre de la Libertad) in Miami has graced the city’s skyline for nearly a century, but it became an important national landmark when it played a crucial role in hosting Cuban refugees in the wake of the Cuban Revolution in 1959.

Register at: https://santacruzpl.libcal.com/event/12401275

July 18: Exploring the Wing Luke Museum

The Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience was established in Seattle in 1967 as the only Pan-Asian Pacific American community-based museum in the country. The episode features a discussion of the resilience of Asian American immigrants, through their early oppression in the U.S. to a now flourishing community in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District.

Register at: https://santacruzpl.libcal.com/event/12401276

July 25: Discovering 18th & Vine

The Negro League’s Baseball Museum was founded in 1990 to keep the stories of its players especially Jackie Robinson alive and how they eventually broke the barriers of segregation in Major League Baseball. While the conversation will lead with baseball, it will wend towards jazz since the museum also shares its building with the American Jazz Museum.

Register at: https://santacruzpl.libcal.com/event/12401277