- Simone Braithwaite
- Simone.Braithwaite@asm.ca.gov
(SACRAMENTO, CALIF) - Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D – Sacramento) and Senator Richard Pan (D- Sacramento) will be presenting a $1 million check to the Latino Center of Art and Culture (LCAC) on Wednesday, September 15th at 3:30pm.
Founded in 1972 – during the Chicano Civil Rights Movement of the 1970s -- as La Raza Bookstore, the center has become a hub to Sacramento’s Chicano artists. In 2014, the Center became the Latino Center of Art and Culture.
The LCAC provides programs that help artists and communities affected by either race, class, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or immigration status. LCAC offers new insights into contemporary, emerging Latinx art, while supporting and maintaining centuries-old cultural traditions that speak to and reflect Latino identity and history.
The funds from Assemblymember McCarty and Senator Pan were made possible through the 2021 California budget and will be used to renovate the building at Winn Park, which will then be occupied by LCAC.
“The Latino Center for Arts and Culture provides a safe haven for artists and for the Latin Community to congregate, learn and share their rich culture,” said Assemblymember McCarty. “It’s a much needed space during these divisive times.”
“I am excited to support the Latino Center for Art & Culture, which celebrates, and preserves art and culture of Chicano, Latino, and Native populations in Sacramento, in establishing a new home in Winn Park thanks to state dollars we secured,” said Dr. Richard Pan. “The Center’s new home will enable growth of the artistic and cultural contributions of Sacramento’s Latinx community to our region’s rich, diverse cultural offerings.”
“The Latino Center for Arts and Culture is a critical institution in our community,” said Councilmember Katie Valenzuela, who will be speaking during the event. “Helping them find resources and space to conduct their programming has been a high priority for our office. This $1 million will help them establish a cultural hub and further activate Winn Park. I applaud Assemblymember McCarty for making this dream a reality!”
“The Latino Center of Art and Culture, Sacramento’s second oldest cultural institution, is honored to have a new home in Winn Park. We thank Assemblymember Kevin McCarty, Senator Richard Pan and Councilmember Katie Valenzuela for making this new home a reality,” said Latino Center of Art & Culture Executive Director, Marie Acosta.
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Kevin McCarty represents California’s 7th Assembly District, which include the cities of Sacramento, West Sacramento and unincorporated Sacramento County. McCarty serves as Chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance.