“Hoosier Latinos” from IHS Press Highlights Lineage of Latinos in Indiana

In the latest release from the Indiana Historical Society (IHS) Press, Hoosier Latinos: A Century of Struggle, Service, and Success, a book made possible by a generous grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., explores how Latino Hoosiers navigated home and belonging in the Midwest from Northwest Indiana to Indianapolis and south to Evansville.

Using oral history and archival records, Hoosier Latinos recognizes the impressive lineage of Latinos in Indiana across time and space. Since the 1800s, Latino and Hispanic residents comingled among Northern and Southern Blacks and a wide ethnic diversity of the Hoosier immigrant population — all who simultaneously called Indiana home.

Authors Nicole Martinez–LeGrand and Daniel Gonzales examine how Latinos have contributed to the quality of life of all Indiana residents through individual and collective efforts. Their book narrates how Latinos enriched the state and national economy through their labor, entrepreneurship and purchasing power, featuring excerpts of interviews from individuals and families giving light to the Hoosier Latino experience.

“Hoosier Latinos also addresses the hard facts of pain and violence faced by many Latinos, honoring Indiana’s past by exploring its complicated reality,” said Sujey Vega, who authors the book’s “Foreword.” “It provides non-Latino Hoosiers a chance to explore the roles of Latinos in their towns and to examine more of the Hoosier experience, while recognizing Hoosier Latinos as contributing members of society. Hoosier Latinos is a must read, especially for educators, who will find the rich interplay between primary materials and oral histories useful for classroom activities.” An accompanying educators guide is readily available for use in classrooms across Indiana.

Hoosier Latinos: A Century of Struggle, Service, and Success is available through IHS’s Basile History Market and other places books are sold.

In addition, join authors Martinez-LeGrand and Gonzales as they share stories of Hoosier Latinos statewide during an upcoming History Happy Hour on Thursday, November 17 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Register for the event here: https://bit.ly/3EciiIP.

History Happy Hours are live virtual conversations via Zoom, with the opportunity for a question-and-answer session with the presenters. The programs are recorded and then posted to the IHS website following the live event.

For more information about the book or History Happy Hours, visit www.indianahistory.org.

About the Authors

Nicole Martinez–LeGrand, a third-generation Hoosier Mexican American and native of Lake County. She has been examining Indiana’s Mexican diaspora as the Indiana Historical Society’s multicultural collections curator. In 2021 she won the Hispanic American Service Award for her work, focusing on community building and development.

An E. Desmond Lee Fellow, Daniel Gonzales earned a master’s degree in museum studies from the University of Missouri–Saint Louis. After working as a researcher, curator and historian, he became director of exhibitions curation at the Indiana Historical Society.

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Title:                            Hoosier Latinos: A Century of Struggle, Service, and Success

Publisher:                    Indiana Historical Society Press

Pages:                         140

Size:                            8.5 x 11

Cover:                         Paperback

Publication Date:        October 2022

Cost:                           $24.95

Print ISBN:                  978-0-87195-462-6

E-book ISBN:              9-780871-9546-26

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