La Raza Galeria Posada Name Change This Week

A renaming ceremony for one of Sacramento's oldest Latino nonprofit groups will be held later this week.

La Raza Galeria Posada is changing its name after 40 years to the Latino Center of Art and Culture.

Some critics say the new name is too anglicized. But during Insight with Beth Ruyak Tuesday, Executive Director Marie Acosta says the change will broaden its audience while honoring its legacy.

"What we have to do now is enlarge that spirit, grow that spirit and be that organization that everyone can flock to, that everyone feels that they are welcome to participate in," says Acosta.

Acosta says the new name is more appropriate.

"To expand and reflect more of what we do," she says. "It says more about what we do and what we represent at this time."

Acosta says another reason for the change is that California's Latino population has broadened.

"We're not only immigrants of Mexicans," says Acosta. "We're immigrants of many countries from Latin America and indeed we're almost all immigrants. And we want to be able to reflect that diversity that is here in Sacramento as well as the state of California."

The center is dedicated to celebrating the art and culture of Chicano, Latino and Native populations. The ceremony will be held Thursday at the center in Sacramento's Miller Park.