Puerto Rican Community Archives

The Puerto Rican Community Archives contains a collection of primary resources focused on documenting the Puerto Rican diaspora in the state of New Jersey. The PRCA officially began accessioning materials in 2006 and is modeled after the archives at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College.

Seeking out potential archival materials for the Puerto Rican Community Archives was a four year effort by Project Archivist Yesenia Lopez who conducted a statewide survey. Her journey across the state of New Jersey resulted in the identification of over 2,000 cubic feet of materials, some of which were eventually accessioned. Today, the archive continues to accept donations that include personal and professional papers, as well as records from community and cultural organizations. Currently, the Puerto Rican Community Archives holds over 55 collections and over 600 cubic feet of materials.

Stephanie Gonzalez and Crystal Izquierdo collecting historical papers from the late Eliu Rivera (2007)

Yesenia López and Stephanie González with students of Organizing Our Community’s Records program (2007)

Crystal Izquierdo hosting a visit from Japanese Research Professors Mitsuhiro Shigaki and Yoshiko Miyake (2010)

Juber Ayala, Ingrid Betancourt, Yesenia López, and Vanessa Castaldo at the Archives and History Day in Monmouth County receiving MARAC’s Innovative Archives Award (2019)