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Joaquín Colón-López Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS 48

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of documents and 262 photographs dating from 1917 to 1947. Included among the documents are biographical information, articles, and a typewritten manuscript of Colón-López’s book, Pioneros Puertorriqueños en Nueva York 1917-1947. This manuscript was submitted by Centro and published by Arte Público Press in 2001. The photographs include personal and family photos as well as political activities and events.

Dates

  • 1917-1947

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Open to researchers without restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Making copies of published material in collection is restricted. Permission must be obtained from donor.

Biographical / Historical

Joaquín Colón-López (1896-1964) was a Puerto Rican activist, community leader and writer. He migrated to New York City with his younger brother, writer Jesús Colón in 1917. Although he moved in different political circles from his brother, they shared their activism –building organizations and working hard on behalf of our incipient Puerto Rican communities in New York City, particularly in Brooklyn, from the 1920s through the 1940s.

Colón-López co-founded Club Democrático de Brooklyn with J.V. Alonso, and was a founding member of the International Workers Order, Hispanic Section, and Vanguardia Puertorriqueña, for which he also served as the President. He served in high ranking leadership roles in a number of other organizations, including as President of the De Hostos Democratic Club, Inc., President of the Puerto Rican Hurricane Committee, Vice President of the Porto Rican Democratic Club, and Chairman of the Confederación de Clubes Unidos Democratas. He was editor of the first Hispanic newspaper in Brooklyn, El Caribe (1923) and of Alma Boricua, as well as a collaborator with other publications, such as Vida Alegre, El Curioso, and La Voz. Colón-López was also a member of Liga Puertorriqueña.

In 2002, Colón-Lopez’s book Pioneros Puertorriqueños en Nueva York 1917-1947 was submitted by Centro and published by Arte Público Press.

Extent

0.50 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

English

Spanish; Castilian

Abstract

Joaquín Colón-López was a Puerto Rican activist and writer, brother to writer Jesús Colón. He also co-founded Club Democrático de Brooklyn with J.V. Alonso. The Joaquín Colón-Lopez Papers consists of documents and 262 photographs dating from 1917 to 1947. Included among the documents are biographical information, articles, and a typewritten manuscript of Colón-Lopez’s book, Pioneros Puertorriqueños en Nueva York 1917-1947. This manuscript was submitted by Centro and published by Arte Público Press in 2001. The photographs include personal and family photos as well as political activities and events.

Arrangement

The collection is divided into the following series:

I. Writings and Publications

II. Photographs

Other Finding Aids

English / Spanish finding aid available upon request. Contact Centro Library & Archives.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection was donated by Olimpia Colón-Aponte, his daughter.

Related Materials

Jesus Colón Papers also located at Centro.

Title
Joaquín Colón-López Papers
Status
Completed
Author
Processed by Christopher R. Medina, Archivist Assistant under the supervision of Pedro Juan Hernández.
Date
August 2005
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Revision Statements

  • July 30, 2020: Final arrangement and description by Senior Archivist Pedro Juan Hernandez completed on July 30, 2020.
  • May 2021: Guide was revised by Wendy Jimenez.

Repository Details

Part of the Archives of the Puerto Rican Diaspora Repository

Contact:
Silberman Building, Hunter College
2180 Third Ave. Rm. 122
New York New York 10065




About the Collections

Our collections consist of personal papers from prominent Puerto Rican artists, elected officials, social activists, writers, as well as the records of community-based organizations. Our largest collection, the Offices of the Government of Puerto Rico in the United States (OGPRUS) Records, measures approximately 2,900 cubic feet and contains an extraordinary amount of information regarding Puerto Rican migrants and the government institutions established to assist them. The collections date from the 1890s to the present, and document Puerto Rican communities in the Northeast, Midwest, Florida, California and Hawaii.