Publications

Abstract

Lawyer and civil rights activist. Collection documents leftist movements and radical politics in Puerto Rico and the United States and the role of the Puerto Rican Socialist Party in the United Nations. Also contains information on the decolonization of Puerto Rico as an issue before the UN, the Wells Fargo robbery in Hartford, and Puerto Rican political prisoners. Includes letters, memoranda, reports, flyers, pamphlets and newspaper clippings.

Abstract

Community activist and journalist. Collection contains correspondence, articles, photographs, and printed matter pertaining to the participation of Juanita Arocho in the Masons and the movement for the independence of Puerto Rico.

Abstract

The Records of ASPIRA of New York, Inc. are an integral resource for the study of early and innovative efforts to aid and increase the educational attainment of Puerto Rican and Latino youth in New York City. The collection consists of correspondence, memoranda, minutes, photographs, flyers, clippings, proposals, reports, speeches, videotapes, slides and financial statements.

Abstract

Juan Avilés was a poet from Puerto Rico who was the editor and director of publicity for the Hispanoamerica film company and Commissioner of the Commission for Human Rights of New York He also held leadership positions in several Hispanic writers organizations. This collection includes newspaper articles, certificates, correspondence, poems, a copy of Aviles’ book, personal writings, flyers, publications, photographs and pocket diaries.

Abstract

The Frank Bonilla Papers are an important resource for the continued study of the career and contributions of this most seminal of individuals in the fields of Puerto Rican Studies, Latin American Studies and Political Science. The materials in this collection consist of personal documents, clippings, photographs, remarks, speeches, writings, awards, certificates and correspondence.

Abstract Educator, community organizer and activist. Developed civil rights and educational reform organizations. Collection documents the right to equal educational opportunities in the Puerto Rican and Latino community of New York City, advocacy for bilingual education, community efforts to get Latino representation on the Board of Education of the City of New York, and the reform of district boards. Also provides history of the Puerto Rican/Latino Education Roundtable and the National Congress for...

Abstract Pioneering advocate for Puerto Rican and Latino arts and culture, affectionately known as “La Madrina de las Artes.” Sister of activist Evelina Antonetty and library administrator Lillian López. Collection chronicles career with organizations including the Association of Hispanic Arts (AHA), Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, Center for the Media Arts, Hostos Community College, Bronx Council on the Arts and Girl Scouts of the USA, as well as her relationships with Puerto Rican and Latino...

Abstract

The CHARAS/El Bohío Cultural and Community Center Records are an important resource for studying Puerto Ricans and other Latino communities in the Lower East Side (known as Loisaida), New York from 1970 to 2010. The collection consists of correspondence, memoranda, minutes, photographs, flyers, clippings, posters, proposals, reports, financial statements, and artifacts.

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...

Abstract

Genoveva de Arteaga was a pianist, organist, teacher and choir director. Her Papers can support research in the musical and cultural history of Puerto Rico. The collection also documents the development of musical, literary, cultural, and civic organizations among Puerto Ricans in New York. The Papers include personal documents, correspondence, flyers, writings, invitations, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, and photographs.

Abstract This small collection offers insight into the work of community leaders in East Harlem. Founded in 1979 by residents and community leaders in El Barrio, the East Harlem Council for Community Improvement focused on delivering a broad range of human services to the residents of Manhattan’s Community Planning Board #11. It later expanded its reach and provided services in communities in the South Bronx, Lower East Side, and Central and West Harlem. It consists primarily of news articles,...

Abstract Politician, lawyer, community activist. First Puerto Rican elected to public office in the U.S. An important source for the study of early Puerto Rican political life and of the existent conditions of the East (Spanish) Harlem community in the first part of the twentieth century. In addition, it provides a viewfinder into labor politics and the political and social alliances created amongst emerging ethnic communities in New York City. Collection consists of correspondence, speeches,...

Abstract This collection documents Roberts Garcia’s career as U.S. Representative of the South Bronx (1978-1990), at the time, the poorest congressional district in the country. The papers chronicle his work on the Post Office and Civil Service Committee, the Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee, and his legislative work on issues of interest, such as immigration reform, bilingual education, and teen pregnancy. The collection also contains administrative and...

Abstract The Institute for the Puerto Rican Hispanic Elderly, a non-profit organization, has a mission to improve the quality of life of the Puerto Rican Hispanic elderly residing in New York City. More broadly, they also advocate and program for Latinx, minority, immigrant and elderly populations in the United States. The IPRHE materials consist of institutional documents, including programming and fundraising brochures and photograph albums, as well as issues of the Institute’s quarterly newspaper...

Abstract

The Anthony López Papers highlight the life and work of a charismatic community leader, with a demonstrated commitment to educational opportunity and leadership development for Latino youth, as evidenced by his years at ASPIRA of New York, Inc., among other organizations. The collection consists of letters, clippings, flyers, memoranda, minutes, reports, photographs, proposals, programs, newsletters and notes.

Abstract Library administrator, among the first Puerto Rican librarians in the New York Public Library system (NYPL) and a pioneer in providing services and creating programs for underserved communities. Collection contains information on the programs developed by NYPL to address the needs of its Puerto Rican and Latino constituents, her activist sister, Evelina Antonetty, and librarian and folklorist, Pura Belpré. Consists of letters, news clippings, photographs, audio and videocassettes,...

Abstract New York State Senator (1978-2004) and first Puerto Rican woman elected to a state legislature in the continental United States. Senate district included East Harlem, parts of the South Bronx, Roosevelt Island and Washington Heights. Collection spans her 13 consecutive terms in the Senate, documenting her legislative functions and constituent service, as well as her leadership and advocacy on behalf of Puerto Ricans, Latinos and other underserved communities. Collection also serves as rich...

Abstract Distinguished himself in the area of public service and civil rights. He is also a prolific and capable photographer who has been documenting Puerto Rican subjects for over forty years. He worked for the Equal Economic Employment Opportunity Commission and was Director of the New York City Commission on Human Rights and the New York State Division of Human Rights. He involved himself with Puerto Rican politics on the Island and the pro-statehood party, Partido Nuevo Progresista (PNP - The...

Abstract The José F. Morales The Toxic Avengers Collection was created and donated by José F. Morales, an environmental activist and alternative high school teacher. The collection documents the organizational activities of Morales’ brainchild, The Toxic Avengers. The Toxic Avengers (1987-1993) was a youth group formed by Morales at El Puente Community Center in order to educate the community on environmental issues and combat health hazards in the immediate area of Brooklyn. This is a mixed media...

Abstract The Sonia Nieto papers chronicle Nieto's 50 year career as an advocate and educator in the field of bilingual education. The collection, dating from 1950 to 2016, contains files related to her research and scholarship; teaching career at Brooklyn College, New York City's P.S. 25 Bilingual School in the Bronx, and the University of Massachusetts; her postgraduate education; and her books and writings. It is a valuable resource for tracing the history and evolution of bilingual education...

Abstract Muriel Pagán is the former director of Bilingual Education for the Division of Special Education within the New York City Board of Education. She was also the Assistant Principal from 1968 to 1979 at PS 25 in the Southeast Bronx, the first totally bilingual school in the United States Northeast region. Throughout the years, Pagán saved many documents pertaining to her professional career as educator and a pioneer of the bilingual programs in New York City, including P.S. 25 – The Bilingual...

Abstract

The Antonia Pantoja Papers provide are an invaluable resource for information on organizational efforts within the Puerto Rican community and the strides in community development achieved by one of its greatest advocates. Collection consists of correspondence, memoranda, minutes, photographs, flyers, posters, clippings, proposals, reports, speeches, videotapes and audiocassettes.

Abstract The Richie Pérez Papers are an important resource for the study of political activism and grassroots organizing on the part of Puerto Ricans and their allies in New York City over the past forty years. In addition, they provide insightful documentation on anti-police brutality movements and on a number of community organizations. The materials in this collection consist of personal documents, clippings, articles, photographs, speeches, certificates, flyers, correspondence, audiocassettes,...

Abstract

The Pedro Pietri Papers are an invaluable resource for information on the eclectic career of one of the Puerto Rican community’s most prolific and experimental writers, as well as one of the founders of the Nuyorican poetry movement. Collection consists of correspondence, memoranda, photographs, flyers, posters, writings, artifacts, artwork, videotapes and audiocassettes.

Abstract

Author of numerous books of poetry and literary criticism and a Poet Laureate of Puerto Rico. Distinguished academic and founder of the Ateneo Puertorriqueño de Nueva York. Collection documents cultural expression among Puerto Ricans in New York City, artistic and literary activities, and the work and history of the Ateneo Puertorriqueño de Nueva York. Consists of letters, minutes, articles, books, programs, newspaper clippings, audiotapes and phonograph records.

Abstract

The Raquel Z. Rivera Hip Hop/Reggaeton Collection helps document Puerto Rican contributions to the creation and development of hip hop and reggaeton both in the United States and Puerto Rico. Highlights of the collection include an extensive audiocassette and compact disc collection, essays written by Rivera on hip hop and reggaeton and paper documentation on numerous artists.

Abstract The Helen Rodríguez-Trías Papers help chronicle the professional activities and contributions of a dedicated and well-respected public health advocate and practitioner. A Puerto Rican pediatrician, public health leader and women’s rights activist, she worked tirelessly throughout her career to expand the range of health care services available to women and children, especially those in underserved and marginalized communities in Puerto Rico and across the United States. The collection is...

Abstract

The Felipe N. Torres Papers are an important resource for the study of early Puerto Rican political life in New York City, as well as about the contributions of Puerto Rican pioneros to law, politics and civic life. The materials in this collection consist of personal documents, clippings, photographs, speeches, certificates and correspondence.

Abstract The Torres-Ortíz’s were a three generations Puerto Rican middle class family that migrated to New York in the 1920s. The Torres-Ortíz experiences and successes in a “separate but equal” United States highlights the privileges they brought with them from the island. It seems that the family not only self-identified; but were also often treated as white by other white Americans. Their higher economical standing also accounts for their unique experience in the US compared to other struggling...