McHenry County Latino farmworkers invited to preserve family roots

Preserving vintage photographs and records is a great way to ensure that the rich history of McHenry County’s Latin farmworker community is documented and accessible for future generations.

With that in mind, Raices Latinas — a history preservation project funded by the Community Foundation of McHenry County — will host a Community Scanning Day from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 28, at the Woodstock Public Library, 414 W. Judd St.

The history initiative, funded through a grant by the Community Foundation of McHenry County, seeks to document the contributions of Latino/Latine agricultural workers — today and in the past — as part of a permanent county archive.

Volunteers will digitize photos, letters, newspaper articles and other pertinent documents in an effort to piece together the many and varied contributions.

All participants donating the use of their scanned photos to the McHenry County Historical Museum collection, will be asked to sign a release form transferring ownership of the scanned documents to the museum.

With the donor’s permission, the museum shall have the right to use, display, reproduce, publish, and distribute the materials for historical, educational and promotional purposes. The event is open to both English and Spanish speakers, and translators will be on site.

Digital copies will be available to participants, as a thank you, to those who bring a thumb drive or provide an email. For additional information or visit www.raiceslatinasmc.org or email raiceslatinasmc@gmail.com.