Víctor Fragoso was a Puerto Rican writer & poet living in NYC during the 70s who dared to write from an unapologetically political & gay perspective. The special 50th anniversary edition of his book, ser islas/being islands, is available for purchase today.
Buy now--> https://ow.ly/ARU450YMQa9
#OnThisDay, April 19, 1999, a Navy bomb killed David Sanes, a Puerto Rican security guard, during a military exercise on Vieques. His death reignited protests against U.S. military presence on the island, leading to the closure of the Navy base in 2003.
Meet a 2025–2026 Rooted + Relational Fellow at CENTRO: Adrianna Ríos, Dissertation Fellow
Join us at the R+R Symposium in May.
🔗 RSVP: centropr.hunter.cuny.edu/event/rooted-relational-...
Víctor Fragoso was a Puerto Rican poet, playwright, and scholar who helped shape diasporic cultural life in the 1970s—through theater, poetry, and community-building.
Pre-order his work today →
🔗 https://centropr-store.com/ser-islas/
#VictorFragoso #SerIslas #PuertoRicanPoetry #QueerLiterature
Reminder!
Call for Submissions: “Aquí y allá: Puerto Rican Education across the Archipelago & the Diaspora” This issue seeks scholarship & creative work that examines Puerto Rican educational experiences across the archipelago & the diaspora.
Click here to learn more → https://ow.ly/WX5m50YyHJb
“people return to the sea when they die…”
Víctor Fragoso’s Ser Islas explores identity, migration, and the body as something fluid, something that shifts like water.
For the first time ever, it’s available in English.
Preorder now: https://centropr-store.com/ser-islas/
Meet a 2025–2026 Rooted + Relational Fellow at CENTRO: Gianna Elena Brassil, Archives Fellow
Join us at the R+R Symposium in May.
🔗 RSVP: centropr.hunter.cuny.edu/event/rooted-relational-...
#OnThisDay, April 8, 1827, Ramón Emeterio Betances was born in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. A doctor, revolutionary, & advocate for freedom, he fought against a cholera epidemic, led efforts to free enslaved peoples, & played a key role in Puerto Rico's fight for independence.
New in RicanWritings! 🖋️
A new article by José A. Laguarta Ramírez traces how the strike, led by student council president Roberto Alejandro and a coalition of leftist and Christian student organizations, marked a turning point.
Click here to read the full article! → https://ow.ly/nShu50YECnJ
The finding aid for the Raquel Ortiz Mi Puerto Rico Film Collection is now available!
Housed at CENTRO, this collection documents the production of Mi Puerto Rico, the documentary film executive produced, hosted, co-written and narrated by Raquel Ortiz.
Learn more! → https://ow.ly/72Mf50YCr5S
#OnThisDay, April 5, 1994, HoMoVISIONES premiered its Spanish-language cable access TV program in NYC. Co-founded by Gonzalo Aburto & Cándido Negrón, it empowered the Latine LGBTQ+ community with visibility, support, & representation.
Applications open for CENTRO Youth Collective Fall 2026! Grades 6–11, 8-week program on Puerto Rican history. Apply by May 1! https://ow.ly/imzK50YBShT
Meet a 2025–2026 Rooted + Relational Fellow at CENTRO: Alex Sastre-Rivera, Dissertation Fellow
Join us at the R+R Symposium in May.
🔗 RSVP: centropr.hunter.cuny.edu/event/rooted-relational-...
Save the date for the official launch of the latest book released in the Diasporican Library collection of the CENTRO Press, “ser islas/being islands” by Víctor Fragoso & translated by Paul Orbuch!
Click here to RSVP! → https://ow.ly/uGPF50YBkkB
New stories are now live on Nueva York Chronicles!
CENTRO adds entries on the premiere and protests around Fort Apache and the Carlos Feliciano March for Justice, expanding the living map of Latinx history across NYC.
Explore here:
https://historias.nyc/nueva-york-chronicles/
Join us this April for a series of educational conversations and celebrations!
📚 Library & Archives Lunch Hour: Mi Puerto Rico & Cerro Maravilla
🎤 Celebrating Arlene Torres: Honoring a Legacy of Education
☕ Cafecito con… Víctor Fragoso: ser islas
https://centropr.hunter.cuny.edu/events/list/
Episode 11 of “Reframing Puerto Rican Diasporas” examines how mid-century modernization efforts in Puerto Rico framed “overpopulation” as a crisis—leading to widespread birth control initiatives and coerced sterilizations.
Sign up to learn more:
🔗 https://diasporicaned.org/
Disability rights and elder justice have a history rooted in community care.
Explore the Suleika Cabrera Drinane Institute for Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly Records in our Library and Archives:
🔗 centroarchives.hunter.cuny.edu/repositories/2/resources...
Víctor Fragoso was Puerto Rican poet, playwright, and scholar who wrote boldly about identity, migration, and same-sex love in the 1970s.
Pre-order ser islas / being islands today → https://centropr-store.com/ser-islas/
#VictorFragoso #SerIslas #PuertoRicanPoetry #QueerLiterature #CENTROPress
Meet a 2025–2026 Rooted + Relational Fellow at CENTRO: Mell Rivera Díaz, Research Associate
Join us at the R+R Symposium in May.
🔗 RSVP: centropr.hunter.cuny.edu/event/rooted-relational-...
Call for Submissions: “Aquí y allá: Puerto Rican Education across the Archipelago & the Diaspora” This issue seeks scholarship & creative work that examines Puerto Rican educational experiences across the archipelago & the diaspora.
Click here to learn more → https://ow.ly/WX5m50YyHJb
Excited to announce "ser islas / being islands" by V edctor Fragoso! Pre-order now & RSVP for the April virtual launch. Book on sale April 20! → https://ow.ly/8A0m50YyiAC https://ow.ly/uhf050YyiAE
#OnThisDay, March 24, 1976, the takeover of Hostos Community College in the Bronx became a symbol of resistance for Puerto Rican and Latino communities fighting for education. Led by activists like Efraín Quintana and Félix Vega, it sparked citywide solidarity.
Artist Manny Vega reflects on public art, community, and cultural exchange.
Watch his episode in the Diasporican Art in Motion Docuseries:
🔗 https://youtu.be/-m9Q8MjAAzE
Meet a 2025–2026 Rooted + Relational Fellow at CENTRO: Dr. Michael Staudenmaier, Hybrid Fellow
Join us at the R+R Symposium in May.
🔗 RSVP: centropr.hunter.cuny.edu/event/rooted-relational-...
This Women’s History Month, we’re revisiting the legacy of Ángela María Dávila, a vital voice in Puerto Rican poetry whose work still resonates today.
Her iconic Animal Fiero y Tierno is now available in English, translated by Roque Raquel Salas Rivera. 📚
#WomensHistoryMonth #ÁngelaMaríaDávila
Today is #WorldPoetryDay and we could not let the day pass without highlighting Puerto Rico’s most revered poet, Julia de Burgos!
“El Mar y Tu” is a poignant poem published posthumously in 1954 by Julia de Burgos’ sister, Consuelo.
#OnThisDay, March 21, 1937, the Ponce Massacre took place.. Armed police fired on peaceful protesters, killing 21 and injuring over 200. It came to symbolize the violent repression of the Puerto Rican nationalist movement by the U.S. colonial government.
#OnThisDay, March 20, 1923, Martin Ramirez Sostre was born in Harlem. Owner of the Afro-Asian Book Shop in Buffalo, he fought for prisoners' rights & religious freedom. After his release, he became a political leader, advocating for tenants’ rights until his death in 2015.
Meet a 2025–2026 Rooted + Relational Fellow: Dr. Nichole Margarita Garcia, Hybrid Fellow
This year’s theme, Boricuas in Relation, explores Puerto Rican life through relational, diasporic histories.
🔗 RSVP: centropr.hunter.cuny.edu/event/rooted-relational-...
