EXHIBITION: Valencia Voices: Oral Histories of Immigration in Osceola County–Archive, Exhibits and Forums

The “Voices of Immigration” is an exhibition designed and created by the Humanities Department at Valencia College-Osceola Campus. This interactive exhibit will feature stories of ten Valencia-Osceola students and staff who have recorded their stories of separation from their countries of origin and their arrival in the United States and Central Florida. Interpretive panels in Spanish and English and personal artifacts will show immigration as an individual experience, a watershed moment for men, women and children that has enriched Osceola County as much as setting the trajectories of people’s lives. Immigration from foreign countries and from Puerto Rico has left a profound mark on the Osceola community. Over 55% of Osceola County’s population was listed in as Hispanic or Latino in the 2020 Census, and over a fifth of the county’s rapidly growing population as foreign born. Students and staff who have recorded their immigration stories for the Valencia Voices archive of oral histories will recount their experiences as immigrants and as participants in this project at a roundtable discussion at each venue. This exhibition and related programming is funded in part through a Florida Humanities Community Project grant in partnership with Valencia College. Locations: Valencia College Osceola Campus January 18 – February 17, 2022 Roundtable Discussion January 18, 2022, 1 pm Osceola Historical Society March 2 – June 30, 2022 Roundtale Discussion March 22, 2022, 6 pm