La Casa de Don Pedro
Listen to Elgin Cintron, Director of Communications
Speak on La Casa’s rich history and 5 Core Values for community service:
Welcome to the third and final stop on our Latinx Heritage Trail, La Casa de Don Pedro. Thank you for joining us today at our original and current headquarters.
La Casa de Don Pedro was founded in 1972 by a group of local activists seeking to establish educational and charitable programs to meet the needs of Newark’s Puerto Rican community.
Among our core founders was our inaugural Executive Director and member of the Young Lords Party Ramon Rivera Sr.; our Founding Board Chairman Reverend Alfonso Roman who was known as a community leader that helped unite Newark’s Black and Brown neighborhoods; and Hilda Hidalgo, our Founding Vice-Chair who is often referred to as the Madrina of La Casa and was a fierce advocate of LGBTQ+ rights.
Named in honor of Puerto Rican Nationalist, attorney, activist, and revolutionary, Don Pedro Albizu Campos, La Casa has since evolved to become the largest Latinx-led organization in the state of New Jersey, serving over 50,000 Newark and Essex County residents annually under three central pillars:
- Early Childhood which includes Prenatal, Early Head Start, Head Start, and Pre-K programs;
- Healthy Homes (which includes our Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program [LIHEAP], Weatherization, Lead Remediation and Abatement); and
- Community Empowerment (which is made up of our Women & Family Center, Immigration services, Workforce Readiness, Youth Enrichment, Housing & Home Ownership Support, and Community Organizing).
In the spirit of our namesake and founding members, La Casa de Don Pedro continues to carry on our mission over 50 years later to foster self-sufficiency, empowerment and neighborhood revitalization. With 11 centers spread out over Newark’s North, Central, and South Ward’s as well as the Ironbound community, La Casa is a household name that people have come to trust for generations. In 2022, we rebranded the organization to include new colors and imagery that speaks to our diversity and rich history. We also added 5 new Core Values which we define as such:
- Justice: Breaking down the barriers created by systems of oppression which seek to block equity and liberty for all people
- Love/Amor: It’s not who you love, but how you love. Love is the driving force that guides our mission
- Solidarity/ Solidaridad: We stand with ALL marginalized people. Through unity, we will achieve victory
- Excellence/ Excelencia: Our duty is to elevate those we serve to a level where they can flourish and reach their fullest potential.
- Belonging/Pertenencia: We don’t just invite you in, we want you to feel at home. “La Casa es su casa” will always be our promise.
As we look forward to the next 50 years of service in Newark and Essex County, we remain vigilant in putting those we serve first and foremost and honoring our heritage while reaching new heights.
Lastly, I want to leave you with an old quote from our inaugural Executive Director Ramon Rivera who often said “el camino se hace caminando” which translates to “the path is made by walking it”. To learn more about La Casa de Don Pedro, please visit www.lacasanwk.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn at @lacasanwk.
Thank you for visiting us. Pa’lante.