Día de los Muertos

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Mayra Linares

A Día de los Muertos altar.

A Día de los Muertos altar.

media release: Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a Mexican holiday that invites us to remember those who have died by coming together for a festive celebration. This October, Dane County community members can join one of two free public events at Waunakee or Fitchburg public libraries hosted by Midwest Mujeres. 

The programs will include a community altar, traditional foods like pan de muerto (traditional sweet bread) and champurrado (Mexican hot chocolate), plus kids activities and an opportunity to learn more about the beautiful cultural elements and traditions that make up this meaningful time of year. 

Día de los Muertos at Fitchburg Public Library, 5530 Lacy Road, Fitchburg, WI 53711, Saturday, Oct 19th | 11 AM - 1 PM

Día de los Muertos at Waunakee Public Library*, 201 N Madison St, Waunakee, WI 53597, Saturday, Oct 26th | 10 AM - 1 PM

*Includes a showing of Disney’s Coco 

The libraries and their partner, Midwest Mujeres, hope to foster feelings of belonging for Latinos in the public libraries, as well as provide an avenue for cultural exchange and community-building. These events are an outgrowth of the Dane County public libraries’ shared commitment to growing culturally relevant outreach and services for Latinos. 

"Waunakee Public Library has been working to increase accessibility for our Spanish speaking patrons by adding programming, books and other materials in Spanish to our collection, so we are excited to be able to share a celebration of the Day of the Dead with the community and encourage more library engagement,” said Caitlin Klabacka, Youth Services Librarian.

Research shows that immigrant Latinos are less likely to use public libraries than other groups, including U.S.-born Latinos. However, those who do use libraries tend to place high value on these resources. In Dane County, Latinos make up 6.9% of the population, the largest ethnic minority group in the area. As the Latino population continues to grow in Dane County, initiatives like these help create lasting connections between libraries and immigrant communities. 

Araceli Esparza, a first-generation Latina speaker, consultant, and director of Midwest Mujeres, recognizes the significance of building bridges between Latino communities and public institutions. “This work is important to build initial relationships with public spaces and Latinas, to ensure they are welcomed,” says Esparza. The Midwest Mujeres Ambassadors are the Latina mujeres organizing these events and hired as community ambassadors to strengthen those connections.

Esparza emphasized how these events are celebrations of a rich cultural tradition and opportunities to introduce Latina women to public spaces and resources in Dane County. "We were able to bring Latina women together to bridge this important cultural event to a larger rural Dane County community," she noted.

The partnership with Midwest Mujeres is funded by Beyond the Page, an endowment that was created by and for the Dane County public libraries to support humanities programs and collections. In 2021, the libraries expanded this unique resource to grow their diversity, equity and inclusion work, including through forming four regional equity teams. Beyond the Page has helped Dane County public libraries to offer more diverse programming and collections, put a spotlight on intellectual freedom during Banned Books Week, and strengthened collaboration between the libraries around equity work in general. 

“The evolution of Beyond the Page from its inception to where it is now is stunning,” said Deerfield Public Library Director, Leah Fritsche, “I know there was some reluctance about the way DEI work infiltrated at first, but it has provided such a great value to the libraries.”