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CENTRO Receives Award from the National Archives and Records Administration
NEW YORK, NY | CENTER FOR PUERTO RICAN STUDIES at HUNTER COLLEGE – CUNY | October 12, 2022 - The Center for Puerto Rican Studies (CENTRO) at Hunter College has received a $150,000 award from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission to create a new educational experience for the Puerto Rican Heritage Cultural Ambassadors Program (PRHCA). This program is a free, self paced, multimedia online course on Puerto Rican history and culture based on CENTRO archival holdings. Through the Public Engagement with Public Records Grant, CENTRO will migrate its online course to a new website and mobile application designed to make the ambassador program more accessible to a broad public, including high school students, college students and instructors. “Our mobile-friendly website and application will not only serve as a resource for public engagement with historical archives, but will also be a model of collaboration to help minority serving institutions construct culturally sensitive digital tools,” said Yarimar Bonilla, Director of CENTRO. “With this award, CENTRO can diversify access to historical resources and promote archival literacy among underrepresented groups.” As part of the project, CENTRO will collaborate with educational researchers to redesign the program’s curriculum, with web developers to craft a digital platform, and with multimedia artists to bring CENTRO’s collections to life through videos, illustrations and other multimedia resources. The plan of work entails eight phases and the initial assessment period is expected to take from February through July 2022.
The Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College – CENTRO
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founded in 1973 by a coalition of students, faculty, and activists, the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College (CENTRO) is the largest university-based research institute, library, and archive dedicated to the Puerto Rican experience in the United States. CENTRO provides support to students, scholars, artists, and members of the community at large across and beyond New York. CENTRO produces original research, films, books, and educational tools, and is the home of CENTRO Journal—the premiere academic journal of Puerto Rican Studies. The aim of CENTRO is to create actionable and accessible scholarship to strengthen, broaden, and reimagine the field of Puerto Rican studies. The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), a statutory body affiliated with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), supports a wide range of activities to preserve, publish, and encourage the use of documentary sources, created in every medium ranging from quill pen to computer, relating to the history of the United States.
El Sol Latino November 2022
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Westfield, MA | WESTFIELD PUERTO RICAN ASSOCIATION | The 27th Annual Ceremony of the Raising of the Puerto Rican Flag to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month was held October 2, 2022. Laura Castro offered welcoming remarks, introducing WEPRA, the Westfield Puerto Rican Association, formerly WSAA. This group continues with the tradition of raising the flag of Puerto Rico in front of Westfield City Hall and of recognizing members of the community. This year, the organization recognizes and honored Gabino and Isabel Castro. Father John Salatino, Pastor at St. Mary’s Church, provided the invocation. Agma Maria Sweeney, the president of WEPRA acknowledged the presence of community leaders in attendance such as Mayor Michael McCabe. Also present were State Senator John Velis, State Representative Kelly Pease, Westfield State University President Dr. Linda Thompson, and Westfield City Councilors Cindy Harris, Nick Morganelli, Bridgette Matthews-Kane, and William Onyski. Other community leaders in attendance were Becky Blackburn of the Westfield Athenaeum, and Juan Falcón, founder and Executive Director of the Hispanic American Library of Springfield. Members of the press present were Natalia Muñoz of Holyoke Media, and Marc St. Onge of The Westfield News.
Agma Maria Sweeney, president of WEPRA. Photo by Natalia Muñoz, Holyoke Media Sweeney explained that WEPRA is a non-profit organization that advocates for education, history and culture of the Puerto Rican community of Westfield and Western Mass. They achieve these goals through mutual respect, friendship, and appreciation for the other. They invite people to join the organization who are looking to share and work together. For a membership application and information, folks may email them at WEPRA. Westfield@gmail.com. A WEPRA priority is to support students and their families with college scholarships with an endowment fund created under the leadership of honoree Isabel Castro. WEPRA believes “we are stronger together,” so they strive to collaborate with local groups. Two of their members joined the Latinx Education Advisory Committee at Westfield State University. WEPRA encourages literacy and has partnered with the Westfield Athenaeum for the program “Hablando Conmigo,” a Spanish Language conversation group held on Saturday afternoons. WEPRA celebrates Puerto Rican culture with events like the ceremony to raise the island’s flag along with folkloric musicians Ismael Santiago and his
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children Beatriz and Marcos accompanied by guitar player Doña Lydia Santiago and Héctor Pérez on the Puerto Rican national instrument the cuatro. This year’s flag ceremony was unique because for the first time, the flag flown is an official flag of Puerto Rico, made in the same factory and cut out of the same cloth as the flags flown at the Puerto Rico Capitol Building in San Juan, and at the 78 cities and towns throughout the island. The ceremony was dedicated to Gabino and Isabel Castro. Gabo and Isabel met working at a tobacco farm in Westfield. Gabo had recently arrived from Guayama, Puerto Rico. Isabel, of Puerto Rican parents, was born and raised with her nine brothers and sisters in Westfield. They fell in love, got married and have 4 children: Marisa, Adiana, Lucas, and Laura, and 4 grandchildren.
Gabino Castro and Isabel Castro, center, surrounded by family members. Photo by Natalia Muñoz, Holyoke Media Gabo worked for many years at Digital Corp. until they closed their doors. This provided Gabo the opportunity to follow his dreams of becoming a barber. He studied, got his credentials and license, and began working at Amherst Barber Shop. He was the business manager and barber there until Covid closed the shop. Now retired, Gabo lives an exemplary life. He attends daily mass at St. Mary’s Church, is a eucharistic minister and his friends know they can count on him. Isabel has worked in Human Services for 40 years. She’s currently the Director at the new Springfield office of MCS, the Multicultural Community Services, where she helps persons with disabilities and their families access services and necessary supports that are culturally appropriate. Community work is central to Isabel’s profession. Isabel is the Vice-President of the executive board at Domus, Inc., the Westfield organization that develops affordable housing. She was an active board member at WSAA, serving as President, Vice-President, and Treasurer. Isabel considers one of her greatest achievements funding the Endowment Fund for scholarships through the Citizen Scholarship Fund of Westfield. Don Gabo’s favorite athlete is Puerto Rico’s own Roberto Clemente. The Castro family lead their lives of service, and family life by applying Roberto Clemente’s famous philosophy, in his own words: If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people, and you don’t do that, you are wasting your life on this earth.
From left, Assistant Vice President of Workforce Development Gladys Franco, STCC President John B. Cook, Upright CEO Benny Boas, HCC President Christina Royal and HCC Vice President for Business and Community Jeffrey Hayden.
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