Latino Life Stories
“Campaign – McCann ’85.” Eliú Rivera – Papers, Puerto Rican Community Archives at the Newark Public Library. OZ_SZ 1.
This project contains fifteen oral histories of pioneering leaders from New Jersey’s Latino community. The interviews contain a wealth of information on the early history of Latino communities throughout the state and the founding of several important Hispanic organizations during the second half of the twentieth century. The focus of these Oral Histories is the unique life experiences of the interviewees, which taken as a whole document the Latino experience and the foundation of a unified history of the Latino community. While the Oral Histories are as unique as their subjects, commonalities in their experiences, perceptions and struggles emerge. Latino Life Stories includes interviews with a former Executive Director of Puertorriqueños Asociados for Community Organization, Inc. (P.A.C.O.) in Jersey City; the first Latino Deputy Mayor of Newark; the founder of the Hispanic Association for Higher Education (HAHE) in New Jersey; the co–founders of Mercer County Hispanic Association (MECHA) in Trenton; former President and CEO of Focus Inc., the oldest community–based Latino organization in New Jersey; and other community advocates and activists in the fields of education, social work, religion, law enforcement, local politics, music and dance.
Prepared by Ingrid Betancourt, NJHRIC Director. October 2012
Updated by Juber Ayala, Archivist. January 2021
The NJHRIC at the Newark Public Library would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge, in addition to the credited participants of this project, the hard work of archival assistants, Juber Ayala and Crystal Izquierdo, and intern, Giselle Torres.
Access to full verbatim interview transcripts and audio recordings are available by appointment only. Contact an NJHRIC archivist at njhric@npl.org, (973)733–4791, or via mail, NJHRIC at The Newark Public Library, 5 Washington Street, Newark, NJ 07102 with your request.
INTERVIEWEES
Juan Cartagena, Esq. | Rev. Fernando Luis Colón, Jr. | José E. Delgado | Michael Fernández | Sister Deborah Humphreys | Casto Maldonado–López | Carmen L. Martínez | Jesús Padilla | Anna Rivera | Eliu Rivera | Hon. Joseph H. Rodríguez | Miguel E. Rodríguez | Irma Ruíz Gómez | Mariano Vega, Jr. | Virgen Vélez
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Juan Cartagena, Esq.
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Rev. Fernando Luis Colón, Jr.
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José E. Delgado
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Michael Fernández
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Sister Deborah Humphreys, SC
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Casto Maldonado–López
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Carmen L. Martínez
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Jesús Padilla
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Anna “Cuqui” Rivera
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Eliu Rivera
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Hon. Joseph H. Rodríguez
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Miguel “Mike” E. Rodríguez
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Irma Ruíz Gómez
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Mariano Vega, Jr.
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Virgen Vélez
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This project was made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State and the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.
Additionally, any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of the Newark Public Library or the New Jersey Research and Information Center at the Newark Public Library.
