If you’ve watched West Side Story, enjoyed the infectious rhythms of Latin Jazz, heard of musical giants like Thelonius Monk, Nina Simone, explored the Arturo Schomburg collections, or even attended events at The Palladium Ballroom in your youth, then you—in some way, shape, or form—have been impacted by the legacy of San Juan Hill. Despite … Continued
Join FIT Associate Professor José Blanco F. and independent researcher Raúl J. Vázquez-López who will present their new book, Dress, Fashion, and National Identity in Puerto Rico, in conversation with MFIT’s Senior Curator of Education Tanya Meléndez-Escalante. The book explores national identity and nation formation as well as past and current practices in Puerto Rican … Continued
Come join Dr. Raquel Ortiz for a special book talk on When Julia Danced Bomba /Cuando Julia bailaba bomba at the Bronx Library Center Auditorium on October 10th. The booktalk will be followed by a screening of the award winning Julia's Dance: A Bomba Flamenco Bedtime Tale and an interactive dance lesson. Suggested ages prekindergarten … Continued
Little is published in both the academic and lay literature about the ties between Spiritism, women, and colonialism. However, Puerto Rican women as practitioners of Spiritism, helped transform Puerto Rican society during its disruptive colonial transition from Spain to the United States.Join Rooted + Relational faculty presider, Jillian Baez, and author Dr. Clara Román Odio, … Continued
Celebrate the work and legacy of photographer Frank Espada with his son & Poet Martin Espada alongside a multi-generational cohort of acclaimed Nuyorican photographers including Máximo Colón, David Gonzalez, and Erika P. Rodriguez! Nuyorican photographers have long sought to document and preserve Puerto Rican history in the city and beyond. Their talents have gifted us … Continued
A Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Blanca Vázquez Erazo Join us in celebrating the life of Blanca Vázquez: mentor, educator, activist, advocate, journalist, and creative spirit! Blanca Vázquez’s life (December 1947-July 2025) was defined by an unyielding commitment to justice and solidarity. She carried that same fierce energy standing against U.S. Navy bombings … Continued
Join CENTRO and the Nuyorican Poets Cafe for another exciting night of poetry! Come listen to (and recite!) some poetry and connect with your favorite poets in the heart of El Barrio. Across cities, islands, and generations, Boricuas remain connected - by memory, by struggle, by love. This open mic invites poets and performers to … Continued
The struggle of labor and workers’ rights is directly intertwined with the struggle of undocumented laborers - Kathy Andrade knew this and made an everlasting impact on the lives of all laborers in NYC. Grab your lunch and join CENTRO archivists Herbert Duran & Grace McKenna virtually for a Library & Archives Lunch Hour as … Continued
CENTRO and the International Puerto Rican Heritage Film Festival (IPRHFF) present a conversation with talented Puerto Rican actors and directors who will share their experiences, challenges, and insights into the future of Puerto Rican representation in film and television. Join us as we bring together some of the most talented Puerto Rican actors and directors to … Continued
The CENTRO Diasporican Arts in Motion Docuseries is being screened at Regal Battery Park as part of this years International Puerto Rican Heritage Film Festival! The DAM Docuseries presents in-depth testimonies from 10 Puerto Rican artists living and working in the NYC area, documenting their diasporic experiences while exploring how cultural memory, identity, and resilience … Continued
Join us for the New York premiere of STREET SMART: Lessons from a TV Icon, a new feature documentary that celebrates Sonia Manzano—known to millions as “Maria” from Sesame Street—who made history as the first Latina on American television in a regular role. Through candid interviews, archival footage, and animation, STREET SMART explores Sonia’s groundbreaking … Continued
Did you know Bilingual Education in New York has direct ties to the struggle, leadership, and advocacy of the Puerto Rican community? From Sonia Nieto, Diana Caballero, Alice Cardona, Evelina Antonetty and more, the fight for equity and accessibility in bilingual education lives on today! Skip class 😉 and RSVP today to celebrate the 25th … Continued
Moderated by Jessica Lopez Lyman, this panel features muralists Olivia Levins Holden and Colectivo Moriviví, and highlights how artivism—a combination of art and activism, solidarity movements, and mural traditions rooted in Chicanx feminism—is essential to how they work in community. Co-sponsored by the Katherine E. Nash Gallery at the University of Minnesota. This event is … Continued
Looking to expand your reading list? Join CENTRO for a virtual Library & Archives Lunch Hour on December 2nd as we highlight new books in Puerto Rican Studies. The field of Puerto Rican studies is rich and diverse in both its subject matter and those who write about it, and there’s something for everyone this … Continued
On December 3 at 4:00pm at the Seminario de Historia del Arte in the Faculty of the Humanities, join us for a screening of West Side Story (1961), a film based on a musical of the same name released in 1957, precisely at the time when the relocation of the Puerto Rican neighborhoods of Lincoln Square and San … Continued