CENTRO Media

With a diverse group of filmmakers, journalists, and content creators, CENTRO’s Media Team is invested in ensuring that our work educates and inspires audiences as we aim to highlight stories of the Puerto Rican diaspora and preserve our history as it continues to evolve. Recently, our television show titled "Puerto Rican Voices" won two Emmy Awards!

Puerto Rican Voices
Documentaries & Films
Youtube Channel

The Emmy Award Winning TV show Puerto Rican Voices has in the past featured individual portraits of Puerto Ricans in the Diaspora and in the aftermath of Hurricane María it documented stories of resilience in Puerto Rico. This series focuses on investigative storytelling, looking at the Puerto Rican experience through a transnational lens, building a bridge between the Diaspora, and the archipelago. Our purpose is to cover themes of actuality based on new migration patterns, population shifts, transformations in racial identity, new queer expressions, and the impact of the economic crisis, ongoing disasters, and pandemics. View current season & discussion guides

Puerto Rican Voices Episodes & Discussion Guides

Puerto Rican Voices

Episode 5: The Tax Paradise

May 02, 2023

Don’t miss the final episode of season five of Puerto Rican Voices “The Tax Paradise,” directed by Ana María García, premiering May 1st on CUNY TV and May 2nd on YouTube. In the last decade, Puerto Rico has become a major destination for Americans seeking to evade federal taxes. Incentives provided by the Puerto Rican government are spurring gentrification and housing insecurity. In communities like Puerta de Tierra, community leaders are challenging not just the new arrivals, but also the local politicians that have betrayed them.

Puerto Rican Voices

Episode 4: Burning Ashes / El peso de las cenizas

February 20, 2023

For over two decades the AES coal in the Southeast coast of Puerto Rico generated 800 tons of toxic ash a day day that blew into residents' homes and leached into the groundwater. Residents in the surrounding communities of Salinas, Guayama, and Peñuelas have experienced rare skin diseases and climbing cancer rates are on the rise. A group of cancer patients now struggles to close the coal plant and obtain accountability.

Puerto Rican Voices

Episode 3: After the Boats Left

January 24, 2023

Elba Dávila (a community leader in Fajardo) organizes the community of Maternillo to demand better public services for an aging community facing displacement after the Ferry Service to Vieques and Culebra was moved to the town of Ceiba. The community has collapsed without the economic activity provided by the Ferry transit and local fishermen fight to maintain their livelihoods.

Puerto Rican Voices

Episode 2: Tito Matos: Ahora Sí

December 21, 2022

Following the death of legendary artist Tito Matos, mourners filled the streets to commemorate his legacy as a musician, cultural worker, mutual aid organizer and agitator. Archival footage reveals Tito’s contributions to the transformation of Plena as both a musical tradition and a trans-diasporic movement.

Puerto Rican Voices

Episode 1: Privatized Resilience

November 15, 2022

After the government of Puerto Rico transferred the electrical distribution service to a private contractor, the energy crisis deepened and hundreds of workers were displaced. Many are calling for the cancellation of the controversial contract, and asserting their right to clean and reliable energy. Meanwhile, solar energy is becoming a booming business.