November 2022 marks the 90th anniversary of the first bilingual book published in the country, Pura Belpre’s “Perez y Martina”! This Puerto Rican folktale regales the adventures of Martina, a Spanish cockroach of high degree, and her many suitors. Join William Walker of SUNY Oneonta, Paloma Celis Carbajal of the New York Public Library, and … Continued
Bianca Graulau is a Puerto Rican independent journalist who has worked with a variety of media outlets, reporting on Puerto Rico's political climate. After working as a local TV reporter in the states, she moved back to Puerto Rico to care for her family and produce independent media. Her work on austerity measures, colonialism, and … Continued
Join CENTRO & The Whitney for a FREE community viewing of the exhibition, "no existe un mundo poshuracan": Puerto Rican Art in the Wake of Hurricane Maria, on February 2nd from 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM. The exhibition, on display at the Whitney Museum of Art from November 23rd, 2022 – April 23rd 2023, explores … 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
Dr. Caraballo Cueto’s latest research evaluates some of the macroeconomic prospects that Puerto Rico could expect after a change in its political status. This shift would probably result in considerable changes in education, health, transportation, environment, housing, and other aspects of life quality. However, this research is only concerned with the economic consequences of changing … Continued
Puerto Rico’s natural environment and political landscape are fertile terrain for many artists in no existe un mundo poshuracán: Puerto Rican Art in the Wake of Hurricane Maria; their works explore how the archipelago’s ecology and infrastructure are entwined. In this panel moderated by Yarimar Bonilla, Director of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at … 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 turns 50 this year! We're kicking off our 50th Anniversary with a symposium aimed at reflecting on our vibrant history as a hub for activism, academic research, and community-based leadership.
Edith Diaz, Miriam Colon, and Tina Ramirez, amongst others, are all Puerto Rican actresses and performers for whom the concept of working twice as hard for half as much is not foreign. Despite being critically acclaimed and leaving a lasting impact in the world of performing arts within the U.S, they all faced an uphill … Continued
Can grief and mourning be catalysts for political change? This conversation with artists Garvin Sierra Vega, Gabriella N. Báez, Sofia Córdova, Awilda Sterling-Duprey, Elle Pérez, Lulu Varona, and Edra Soto considers aspects of loss, whether personal or societal, and the inextricable relationship between art and politics in Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria. The discussion is moderated … Continued
Known as the island donde hasta la piedras cantan – “where even the rocks sing” – Puerto Rico is home to a dizzying breadth of musical expression. From the lyrical boleristas of the 1930s, to the electric salseros of the ’70s, to the reggaetoneros of today who have taken music from the margins and made … Continued
Despite Puerto Rico’s fertile land and year-round tropical climate, the archipelago has poor conditions for farming. Beginning with the displacement of farmers and destruction of farmland to make way for a wave of industrialization coupled with natural disasters that are growing in intensity as a result of climate change, it’s easy to see how we’ve … 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
Gather around with us for a Centro Town Hall event on Tuesday, March 28th, 2023 at 2 PM EST. Centro’s Mellon grant coordinator, Cristel Jusino Díaz, and the Co-conveners of Centro’s new Decolonization Study Group for a brief discussion of Centro’s new program “Bridging the Divides” funded by a $1.2 million grant from the Andrew … Continued
What would be the implications of Puerto Rico shifting its status from an unincorporated territory to a state? As part of the Bridging the Divides Decolonization study group, CENTRO Directora will have a conversation with Prof. Christina D. Ponsa Kraus and Rep. José Bernardo Márquez. This event is part of a series including discussions of … Continued
Join CENTRO and Hunter East Harlem Gallery for the opening night of “Ida y Vuelta: Experiencias de la migración en el arte puertorriqueño contemporáneo” at the Hunter College East Harlem Gallery on March 30th. The exhibit, whose name translates to “Arrivals and Departures: Migration Experiences in Contemporary Puerto Rican Art,” is curated by Dr. Laura … Continued
Join Anaida Hernández as she explores her work, La rueda de la fortuna - el sueño americano (1999), 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. La rueda de la fortuna was part of Hernández solo exhibition … Continued
How can painting, and art more broadly, be a method for resisting imperialism and colonization? In this conversation, artists Armig Santos, Danielle De Jesus, Gamaliel Rodríguez, Rogelio Báez Vega, and Miguel Luciano discuss their individual practices and collectively explore painting’s possibilities as a medium of opposition to and critique of Puerto Rico’s colonial condition. The … Continued
The U.S. Census Bureau has collected data on race since the first census in 1790 and on Hispanic or Latino origin since the 1970 Census. How these topics are measured, and statistics on them are collected and coded, has changed nearly every decade throughout the history of the census, reflecting social, political and economic factors. … Continued
Join CENTRO and the UPR - Ponce Campus Choir at the People's Church in East Harlem for a live musical performance! The University of Puerto Rico in Ponce concert choir is a non-profit organization that works as a creative space of excellence, where students of different specialties with economic needs come together to perform traditional … Continued
Looking for a new book to read? Look no further! Join us for another Library & Archives Lunch Hour on 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 lunch hour. … Continued
Join our Directora, Yarimar Bonilla, for a conversation with two renowned activists and educators from the Puerto Rican Diaspora, Iris Morales and Dr. María Josefa Canino, to learn more about the rich history of Puerto Rican activism in New York City. We will screen clips from the documentary "Pa'lante, Siempre Pa'lante" as well as hear … Continued
Join CENTRO and Hostos Community College in celebrating the life and legacy of the great Puerto Rican musician, Tito Puente! April 20th, 2023 would have been Tito's birthday and we're celebrating in style as we dive into his impact on the American music scene and explore the variety of music he produced across genres. He … Continued
Poetry has always been a proud outlet for Nuyoricans, and before the famed cafe, there were poets like Victor Hernandez Cruz. Named one of the greatest American poets by Life Magazine in 1981, his work concerns “the history of immigration in a world-wide sense; the idea of civilization coming into other civilizations.” Join Victor and … Continued
CENTRO is a repository for the archives of many famous and influential Puerto Ricans. However, it has also been a place to keep our own history - CENTRO's history. Join his special Library & Archives Lunch Hour to explore the history of CENTRO as it's maintained in the archives. We'll dive into primary sources dating … 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
Our new "Activism Across the Territories" Cafecito series is focused on highlighting the work of scholars and activists working in and with communities in the US territories. To kick off this series, we welcome Dr. Tiara Na'puti (Assistant Professor of Global and International Studies, University of California-Irvine) to speak with us about her work on … Continued
The latest Data Hub tool aims to visualize and discuss socio-economic data across the five inhabited U.S. Territories including educational attainment and language proficiency, income, employment, housing, health and much more. This discussion will be visualized through a dashboard showcasing such socio-economic data with graphics and charts. The tool both highlights available data as well … Continued
How has Puerto Rican migration influenced and impacted the development of Reggaetón music? This workshop focuses on the role that the Puerto Rican diaspora has played in the history of Reggaetón. Learn about the transcultural Caribbean roots of the genre, the urban realities and experiences of the diaspora, and why Reggaetón is culture. This workshop … Continued
Part of Legacies of San Juan Hill, an ongoing project that aims to uplift the history, communities, and cultural legacy of the Manhattan neighborhoods that existed in and around the area where Lincoln Center was built. Co-presented by the CENTRO and Lincoln Center Between the two World Wars, Puerto Ricans migrated to New York City in rapidly growing … Continued
Tití me preguntó: Are you going to the Bad Bunny Symposium? Join us for the “Thinking with Bad Bunny: Cultural Politics and the Future of Puerto Rico,” symposium on May 12th and 13th at the Silberman School for Social Work in El Barrio. Whether you’re a fan or not, it is undeniable that Bad Bunny … Continued
Join CENTRO and Arturo Castro Nogueras at the People's Church in East Harlem for a live musical performance! Arturo Castro Nogueras draws on a rich cultural background that spans his diverse heritage. The son of two pianists and of Cuban, Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, the guitarist has performed extensively across Europe, Africa and the … 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
Art in El Barrio is not always accessible to all. However, artists Jorge Luis Rodriguez, Kevin Quiles Bonilla, and Zaq Landsberg have developed art installations that are viable and accessible to all at the Harlem Art Park. Rodriguez's Growth (1985), is a landmark that still stands over 30 years later; it became the first project … Continued