Statewide Outreach:

Over the past six years, the NJHRIC has sponsored a range of activities and programs for the benefit of the New Jersey community. These activities have provided innovative educational opportunities for the community and helped the HRIC Support Network to obtain financial support for the ongoing work of the NJHRIC.

• Instituted the María DeCastro Blake Community Service Award in recognition of the dedication and achievements of Hispanics who have made valuable contributions to New Jersey’s history.
• Developed a Youth Archival Project titled: "Organizing Our Community’s Records." The NJHRIC works in partnership with Latino community organizations in New Jersey, offering workforce development training to high school students as part of a pilot project designed to identify and organize Latino heritage archival collections.
• Conducted oral history workshops, launched a Latino lecture series, and presented The Puerto Rican Soldier, a documentary film.

Funding Awards:

Grants from the New Jersey Historical Commission, the NJ Department of Community Affairs, and the Prudential Foundation enabled the NJHRIC to hire a field archivist to complete the three-phase statewide Puerto Rican Community Archives Survey Project—the foundation of the NJHRIC archives. The work-plan submitted to the New Jersey Historical Commission was called "groundbreaking and a model for all underdocumented groups in NJ" by the director of the NJ State Archives.

During the survey, holders of collections repeatedly told the archivist that they wished to donate these as soon as possible to prevent them from being lost or discarded. The urgency expressed by these potential donors created an immediate challenge for NJHRIC, to raise additional funds for accessioning and processing collections, hiring and training personnel and conducting research on various Hispanic groups in New Jersey. Thanks to a grant from the New Jersey Legislature the NJHRIC has now been able to undertake these projects.

Over the years the NJHRIC has also received valuable support from United Way of Essex and West Hudson, the Eastman Foundation and many other organizations and individuals committed to the development of Latino heritage archival collections in New Jersey.

Community Support:

The development of the NJHRIC has been possible thanks to a close partnership between The Newark Public Library and a community support network led by Dr. Olga Jiménez Wagenheim, Professor Emerita, Rutgers University. Dr. Jiménez Wagenheim and a wide group of community members have worked together for several years to raise funds for the project and to create awareness of the importance of a Latino history archive in New Jersey.

Future Plans:

The NJHRIC is scheduled to begin a New Jersey Latino oral history project in 2007, to help chronicle the life stories of New Jersey’s diverse Latinos. We invite individuals, corporations and foundations to partner with us in this landmark undertaking and support the continued development of the first Puerto Rican Community Archives in New Jersey with a generous financial contribution.

An account has been established to help raise funds for the New Jersey Hispanic Research and Information Center. Please send contributions to:

The Newark Public Library
Development Dept./NJHRIC
5 Washington St., P.O. Box 630
Newark, New Jersey 07101-0630
(please make check payable to: The Newark Public Library—NJHRIC)