You asked, we answered! We looked at our submissions for Library Lunch Hour requests and chose our top four most popular requests (which you voted on)! The polls are closed and the votes tallied and you voted for Puerto Migration Stateside! We're focusing on our collection of the OGPRUS Identification Program. The Identification and Documentation … Continued
Join us on Tuesday, December 14th at 12 PM EST for our December Library Lunch Hour on La Navidad Puertorriqueña. Puerto Ricans celebrate the holidays like no other people on earth. Join us as we talk about our traditions, music, foods, and drinks that are so special to us during Christmas and Three Kings Day. … Continued
On Wednesday, December 15th at 2 PM EST, we will be hosting a very special Data Hub Coffee Hour, where our data hub team will highlight their Fall 2021 research work and the research associates will present their research plans they will undertake during their Centro residency. Dr. Matthew Nicdao, Dr. Jose A. Laguarta Ramirez, … Continued
Join us on Tuesday, February 8th at 12 PM EST for the first Library Lunch Hour of the Year! We will be joined with documentary filmmaker and President of Balestra Media, Christina DiPasquale, and Centro Library Manager, Aníbal Arocho, as they discuss the groundbreaking PBS series executive produced and hosted by Humberto Cintrón, Realidades. Realidades … Continued
Join us for another Library Lunch Hour, Unboxing the Archives: Contemporary Lit Curated by the Library and Archives on Tuesday, February 22nd, 2022 at 12 PM EST! We will be joined by Centro Library Manager, Aníbal Arocho, as he unboxes and displays the contemporary literature pieces that we have at our Library and Archives. Aníbal … Continued
March is Women’s History Month, and we’re kicking it off with a Library Lunch Hour on Tuesday, March 8th, 2022 at 12 PM EST. In this installment of the Library Lunch Hour, we celebrate the Puerto Rican women represented throughout the Centro Archives. The lives and legacies of these individuals are crucial to the understanding of … Continued
March is Women's History Month and we’re starting off right on Wednesday, March 9th, 2022 at 4 PM EST with a Cafecito con Dr. María Teresa Vera-Rojas! In this very special Cafecito, Centro Researcher Dr. Celiany Rivera Velázquez and Dr. Vera-Rojas will explore María’s book “Se conoce que usted es ‘Moderna’” where she not only focuses on … Continued
Grab your lunch and join us for another Library Lunch Hour on Tuesday, March 22nd, 2022 at 12 PM EST! Centro Library Manager, Aníbal Arocho will be joined by Archivist Juber Ayala to explore the Puerto Rican Community Archives!! Founded in 2002, the New Jersey Hispanic Research & Information Center at The Newark Public Library … Continued
Play ball! Join us for a Library Lunch Hour: Raul Ramos - Baseball Writer on Tuesday, April 5th, 2022 at 12 PM EST. In this event, Centro Library Manager, Aníbal Arocho and baseball writer, Raul Ramos, will discuss legendary baseball player Francisco Pancho Coímbre and Raul’s book, Francisco Coímbre, Los Bates Grandes se Respetan. As … Continued
Join us on Saturday, April 9th, 2022 at 4:30 PM EST for an Afternoon Tertulia Casa Pueblo at The Clemente. We’ll be joined by Centro Research Associates Jennifer Hinojosa Pueblo in discussing community self management and the importance of protecting natural and cultural resources. This event will be streamed on The Clemente’s platforms as well … Continued
Join us for a Cafecito con Amor y Anarquía on Wednesday, April 27th, 2022 at 2 PM EST. We will be joined by Beatriz Llenín-Figueroa, Julio Ramos, Jorell Meléndez-Badillo, Luis Othoniel Rosa, Teresa Peña Jordán, and Raquel Salas Rivera in discussion of Luisa Capetillo’s book, Amor y Anarquía, a century after Capetillo’s death. This book … Continued
Join us on Thursday, April 28th, 2022 at 4 PM EST for a Cafecito con William Caballero: Big Stories with Small Figures. We’ll be joined by filmmaker William Caballero and Dr. Jillian M. Báez to discuss William’s 2017 short film Chilly & Milly, which explores the director’s own experiences with his chronically ill father and … Continued
Join Professor Carmelo Esterrich and Professor Bayram Gascot Hernández on Star Wars Day (May the 4th!) at 4 PM EST for un Cafecito con… Carmelo Esterrich: Star Wars Multiverse. Moderated by Centro Outreach and Partnership Manager (and resident Star Wars fan), Rosa Cruz, Cordero this Cafecito con will explore Esterrich’s latest book, Star Wars Multiverse, … Continued
Join us on Tuesday, May 10th, 2022 at 6:30 PM EST for a Cafecito con… Christopher Sorrentino: Now Beacon, Now Sea. In this event, we will be in partnership with the Calandra Italian American Institute, to discuss Christopher Sorrentino’s memoir: Now Beacon, Now Sea. This memoir depicts the death of Christopher Sorrentino’s mother in 2017, marking the … Continued
Join Centro for a Cafecito con… Arcadio Díaz-Quiñones on May 11th, 2022 at 4 PM EST! This conversation between Dr. Diaz-Quiñones and Sofía Gallisá Muriente will explore Arcadio’s extensive history in Puerto Rican studies across various genres including memory and resistance throughout the diaspora. Dr. Díaz-Quiñones has explored topics of colonial capitalism, militarization, ecocide, massive … Continued
Join The Puerto Rico Syllabus Research and Curricular Fellows Abner Aldarondo, José Gabriel Figueroa Carle, Tania Ríos Marrero, and Daniel Vázquez as they present their extensive work on accessibility, translation, and research which improved The Puerto Rico Syllabus website across a variety of disciplines and contemporary topics. The improved and more accessible website features updates … Continued
Join us on Tuesday, April 26th at 12 PM EST for a Library Lunch Hour: Puerto Rican Poets. Did you know? April is Poetry Month! Tune in to this Library Lunch Hour to learn all about the Poetry Collections that are housed in our archives. Our library manager, Aníbal, will review the meaningful works of … Continued
Join us on May 26th at 12 PM EST for a Data Hub Teach In: Socio-Demographic data of Puerto Ricans in the U.S. and PR: 2010 to 2019. Centro’s Data Hub developed a dashboard showcasing Puerto Rican population data, including in-and-out migration from Puerto Rico, educational attainment and language proficiency, income, employment, housing, health and … Continued
Join us for a Cafecito con Rocio Zambrana on June 8th, 2022 at 4 PM EST. Professor Rocio Zambrana will be in conversation with Dr. Raquel Salaz Rivera in presenting her new book Colonial Debts. Colonial Debts explores neoliberal coloniality out of Puerto Rico’s debt crisis and the ways in which debt functions as a … Continued
Join us on Tuesday, June 21st at 12 PM EST for the final Library Lunch Hour of the year: Queer Identity in Media. This Library Lunch Hour stars Heriberto Gonzalez, the host of HoMoVISIONES, the first television program to cover LGBTQ+ issues from the Latino/Latina/LatinX perspective, as the host of this event. James King, Artistic … Continued
CENTRO's Digital Collections is an ever-growing resource of material digitized from the Archive's holdings. It provides access to over 32,000 photographs, documents, artifacts, art, maps, oral histories, moving images, audio clips, and other material pertaining to the Puerto Rican diaspora. This Library Lunch Hour explores the process of how we digitize collections at CENTRO, an … Continued
The Hell Lady of the Bronx Exhibition at the CENTRO Reading Room Join CENTRO, Hunter College, Hostos Community College, and the Evelina Centennial Committee on September 15th, 2022 at 3 PM EST at the Silberman School of Social Work to celebrate the life, legacy, and immensely impactful work done by The Hell Lady of the … Continued
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is a research library dedicated to the collection and preservation of Black life in America and a partner of CENTRO. It's founder, Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, was an Afro-Puerto Rican determined to uplift our stories. Nearly 100 years later, we have the Schomburg and CENTRO, whose collections ensure … Continued
A new in-person series in celebration of our 50th Anniversary! Join us once a month on Saturday afternoons at our Evelina Antonetty Reading Room in the CENTRO Library & Archives for La Meriendita, a story hour dedicated to children's books. This month's story hour book is Vicki and a Summer of Change! (¡Vicki y un … Continued
Drops of Inclusivity examines race and racism on the island of Puerto Rico by combining a wide-angle historical narrative with the individual stories of Black Puerto Ricans. While some of these Afro-Boricuas, such as Roberto Clemente and Ruth Fernández, are well known, others, such as Cecilia Orta and Juan Falú Zarzuela, have been largely forgotten, … Continued
Join Centro's Project Archivist, Herbert Duran, for a virtual tour and presentation of Centro's archive, focusing on Puerto Rican migration to Hawai'i. Spurred by depressed economic conditions and a hurricane that devastated the island in 1899, between 1900 and 1902 over 5,000 Puerto Ricans left their home island and traveled to the islands of Hawai'i … Continued
Join Yarimar Bonilla, Director of CENTRO, in kicking off CENTRO’s 50th Anniversary Symposium by reflecting on the last few years in the Diaspora and at CENTRO. Dr. Arcadio Diaz-Quiñones and Dr. Yomaira C. Figueroa-Vásquez will provide valuable insight on the institution's emergence during the civil rights movement; the birth of “Aprender a Luchar, Luchar es … Continued
CENTRO has launched a new in-person series in celebration of our 50th Anniversary! Join us once a month on Saturday afternoons at the Silberman School of Social Work for La Meriendita, a story hour dedicated to children's books. This month's story hour book is The Journey of Pura Belpre's Tales by Manuel Morán, a story … Continued
CENTRO has launched a new in-person series in celebration of our 50th Anniversary! Join us on Tuesday, May 2nd at 4 PM ET at the Silberman School of Social Work for La Meriendita, a story hour dedicated to children's books. This month's story hour book is When Julia Danced Bomba by Dr. Raquel M. Ortiz, … Continued
Join us for un Cafecito con... Cuatro Calles, a podcast on history, culture, and memory. Cuatro Calles host, Eric Quiñones is working on archiving the history of Puerto Ricans in New York with the goal of keeping the history and influence of Puerto Ricans in the mainstream in the face of changing demographics. He's joined … Continued
July 20th, 2023 at 3:00 PM ET MAC en El Barrio and CENTRO Artist in Residency, Jacoub Reyes. Join CENTRO and el MAC (Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico) for un Cafecito con... Mac en El Barrio: Jacoub Reyes. This virtual artist talk with CENTRO's Summer 2023 Artist in Residency, Jacoub Reyes, explores his … Continued
Tuesday, September 5, 2023 at 12 PM ET An iconic figure in the Puerto Rican Diaspora, Antonia Pantoja reigns as one of the leaders in community development and as a key figure in the founding of several seminal Puerto Rican institutions. Best known for the inception and creation of ASPIRA, Pantoja was dedicated to the … Continued
Thursday, September 7, 2023 at 6 PM ET Join CENTRO for un Cafecito con... Pepón Osorio featuring his latest exhibition, My Beating Heart/ Mi corazón latiente, on display at the New Museum. Known for his provocative, sweeping, multimedia installations, Osorio creates fantastical scenes inspired by everyday environments—from home interiors to barbershops to classrooms—that advance critical … Continued
Thursday, September 28, 2023 at 6 PM ET Diasporic Journeys: Interviews with Puerto Rican Writers in the United States (2023), edited by Carmen Haydée Rivera is a collection of interviews on contemporary Diasporic Puerto Rican authors publishing throughout the Unites States and whose works have reached national and international reading audiences. The writers examine how … Continued
Wednesday, October 4, 2023 at 3 PM ET Join us for un Cafecito con… Dr. Taína Caragol, Curator of Painting and Sculpture and Latino Art and History, and Historian Dr. Kate Clarke Lemay, both of the the National Portrait Gallery, to discuss their exhibition, 1898: U.S. Imperial Visions and Revisions, currently on display until February 25, 2023. … Continued
Tuesday, October 10, 2023 at 12 PM ET Each semester, CENTRO’s Arts & Culture Department organizes an Artistic Research Residency whose creative results are informed by doing research in the CENTRO Library and Archives and non-traditional research sources, such as community engagement. Aiming to highlight the research process of our community of artists, our residency … Continued
Tuesday, October 10, 2023 at 6 PM ET Join Quintín Rivera Toro and José Ortiz Pagán as they explores their pieces on display as part of the exhibition, Ida y vuelta: Experiencias de la migración en el arte puertorriqueño contemporáneo at the Hunter College East Harlem Gallery. Rivera Toro's The Grass was Greener (2017) and … Continued
Wednesday, October 11, 2023 at 4 PM ET Join CENTRO in East Harlem for Meriendita, a story hour dedicated to children's books! This month's Meriendita features The Coquíes Still Sing/ Los coquíes aún cantan by Karina Gonzalez, a Pura Belpré Honor Book for Children's Text and for Children's Illustration and was chosen as the Read … Continued
Thursday, November 16, 2023 at 6 PM ET Join photographers Máximo Colón & Mónica Félix as they explore their photographs on display as part of the exhibition, Ida y Vuelta: Experiencias de la migración en el arte puertorriqueño contemporáneo at the Hunter College East Harlem Gallery. Explore how these artists have documented the migrations past … Continued
Tuesday, November 21, 2023 at 12 PM ET The CENTRO Archives houses a vast collection of hip-hop and reggaeton records and memorabilia. In fact, both CENTRO and hip-hop were born in 1973 just a few months apart as a form of resistance and since then, have grown and evolved together. Join us for this Library … Continued
Wednesday, November 29, 2023 at 6 PM ET In Esmeralda Santiago’s most recent novel, Las Madres, a close-knit group of three women who, over the course of a decades-long friendship, have created their own kind of family. Their story begins in Puerto Rico in the 1970s, and takes the reader to the Bronx in 2017.A … Continued
Tuesday, December 5, 2023 at 12 PM ET The holidays are right around the corner and it's not too late to find that perfect gift! Our Library Manager, Anibal Arocho loves to gift books and he has a full line up of perfect books to get for your loved ones (or yourself) this holiday season. … Continued
Wednesday, December 6, 2023 at 4 PM ET Join CENTRO in East Harlem for La Meriendita, a story hour dedicated to children’s books! This month’s Meriendita features Paloma's Song for Puerto Rico: A Diary from 1898 by Adriana Erin Rivera. Paloma's Song for Puerto Rico was created in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum … Continued
Thursday, December 14, 2023 at 3 PM ET Join Professor Laura Bravo, curator of Ida y vuelta for un cafecito exploring the origins and development of this exhibition. The exhibit, whose name translates to Arrivals and Departures: Migration Experiences in Contemporary Puerto Rican Art, is curated by Dr. Laura Bravo and features 19 Puerto Rican … Continued
Tuesday, February 6, 2024 at 12 PM ET Roberto Clemente was a trailblazer whose skill on the baseball diamond was matched only by his unwavering commitment to humanitarian causes. Don't miss this chance to immerse yourself in the world of Roberto Clemente – a celebration of a sports icon, a humanitarian, and a complex figure … Continued
Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 3 PM ET Join curator, Carla Acevedo Yates, and CENTRO Directora, Dr. Yomaira Figueroa-Vásquez, for a cafecito as they journey through entre horizontes: Art and Activism Between Chicago and Puerto Rico. Together, they'll explore the intersection of art and activism, and unpack the myriad ways in which creative expression can … Continued
Wednesday, March 20th, 2024 at 4 PM ET Join CENTRO in East Harlem for La Meriendita, a story hour dedicated to children’s books! This month’s Meriendita is Window Fishing, written by DK Dyson and illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez. A heartwarming story following Rudeday, who dreams of creating art that brings people joy but instead, he … Continued
Wednesday, April 3rd, 2024 at 12 PM ET Join CENTRO's archivist Cristina Fontánez Rodríguez and Professor Felicia Kornbluh for a compelling exploration of the life and legacy of Dr. Helen Rodriguez Trias, a pioneering advocate for women's health and reproductive justice. Drawing from CENTRO's Archives and Kornbluh's book A Woman's Life Is a Human Life, … Continued
Puerto Rico is a Spanish-speaking territory of the United States with a history shaped by conquest and resistance. For centuries, Puerto Ricans have crafted and negotiated complex ideas about nationhood. Join Dr. Jorell Meléndez-Badillo and CENTRO Directora, Dr. Yomaira Figueroa-Vásquez, as we explore Meléndez Badillo's latest book, Puerto Rico: A National History, that gives voice to … Continued
Join CENTRO in East Harlem for La Meriendita, a story hour dedicated to children’s books! This month’s Meriendita is Churro Stand, written by Karina González and illustrated by Krystal Quiles. On a hot summer’s day, Lucía and her brother accompany their mother to sell delicious, sugary churros on the bustling streets of New York City. … Continued
Join Marisel Moreno, award-winning author of the book Crossing Waters: Undocumented Migration in Hispanophone Caribbean and Latinx Literature & Art, and Dr. Yomaira Figueroa-Vásquez, CENTRO Directora, for a cafecito as they reconsider the traditional understanding of borders, migration and Puerto Rico's unique position in the migration narrative. Debates over the undocumented migration of Latin Americans … Continued
Join CENTRO Archivist, Herbert Durán, and Gabriela Sanchez, board member and volunteer at the Carmen Pabón del Amanecer Jardín, as they explore the Carmen Pabón del Amanacer Jardín Collection housed at our Library & Archives. Carmen Pabón, dubbed “La Madrina de Loisaida”, was a community leader who transformed a vacant lot into a community garden, … Continued
Join CENTRO for a Cafecito con…Mónica Jiménez and Alvin Padilla-Babilonia as they discuss Jimenez's new book Making Never-Never Land: Race and Law in the Creation of Puerto Rico. This “brilliant study” (Latin American Review of Books) and “insightful analysis of Puerto Rico and how the U.S. government treats it” (Library Journal), examines a larger history … Continued
Join CENTRO's Digital Projects Specialist, Grace Mckenna, on October 15th for a virtual Library & Archives Lunch Hour as she shares her favorite new items that have been added to the digital collections thanks to the support from the National Endowment for the Humanities for our digitization grant project “100 Years of Puerto Rican Arts … Continued
Join CENTRO in East Harlem for La Meriendita, a story hour dedicated to children’s books! This month’s Meriendita is Call Me Roberto, written by Nathalie Alonso and illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez. Roberto Clemente always loved baseball. Growing up in Carolina, Puerto Rico, he swung tree branches (since he didn’t have a bat) and hit tin … Continued