On November 29th, 2021, Centro’s Library and Archives at the Silberman School of Social Work in Harlem was visited by the one and only actress, Rita Moreno, and screenwriter, Tony Kushner. They experienced the rich history found in the library’s West Side Story collections first hand, in addition to other key collections. Our Library Manager, Anibal Arocho, even found records of Moreno’s brother and she was able to see a photograph of him for the very first time!
Kushner, when discussing the use of Centro archives in conducting research for West Side Story, said “What a statement about the importance of the Centro. That something like this could happen. Because people, I mean in the Diaspora, people would get lost. And it’s so important to have an archive where things like this can happen.”
West Side Story, 2021, was fueled by the Centro archives! Much of the historical accuracy in the film can be attributed to the detailed records kept within the archives. The support we offered to Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner is the same support we offer to any researcher, artist, student, or community member that walks through our doors, and we hope you’ll pay us a visit.