Cultural Erasure

Thank you for including a piece about Mariachi Herencia de Mexico performing at The Hult Center (“Look Back to Heritage,” March 14). I unfortunately was unable to attend but it was pleasing to see it in your weekly.

So, onto the other reason I am writing you. In your article you state that this helps students connect to their heritage and to provide exposure. Up until this summer, the Eugene Public Library had a weekly “Cuentos y Canciones” (story and music time) at the Bethel branch. It was a staple of my family’s routine.

My daughter does not have access to the Spanish language or her Mexican heritage as much as I would like, and going to “Cuentos y Canciones” every week was my way of making up for the deficit. Going to “Cuentos” was a way for me to help her bridge the gap between her two cultures. It was always a fun event and I loved all the different artists that came to perform.

It is greatly missed and I wish the Eugene Public Library would have either asked families or better explained why they abruptly stopped it. It almost seems like a purposeful erasure of culture.

Sara Victoria Lopez

Eugene

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