Puerto Rican Archives: Preserving Community Memory is a two-day symposium focused on the political potency of Puerto Rican archives—both on the island and in the diaspora.The symposium is a collaboration between Digitizing the Barrio (an archival project of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center), The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. It extends the focus on collective histories highlighted through photographs and ephemera documenting social movements and community organizations in the MCA exhibition entre horizontes: Art and Activism Between Chicago and Puerto Rico.The symposium will foreground archives that house histories of Puerto Rican protest including speakers from presenting Chicago institutions, PRCC and NMPRAC; representatives from Puerto Rico-based organizations Archivera General de Puerto Rico, Archivo Histórico de Vieques, Archivo Comunitario LGBTQ+ de Puerto Rico, and Memoria Decolonial; and CENTRO in New York.Through panels, a keynote, and workshops, the symposium aims to generate dialogue, connection, and community engaged learning around key Puerto Rico and diasporic events.The symposium will take place on April 5 and 6, 2024, at the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture, 3015 W Division St, Chicago, IL 60622.

*This is a free event with registration. Please register for each day. 

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English and Spanish CART captioning is provided, with American Sign Language available upon request.

Schedule

DAY 1: Friday, April 5

9:30–10 am
Welcome
Welcome by the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and Digitizing the Barrio with Billy Ocasio and Michael Rodríguez-Muñiz.

10-11:20 am
Session 1: Puerto Rican Archives Across Space and Scales
Archivera General de Puerto Rico, Archivo Histórico de Vieques, Archivo Comunitario LGBTQ+ de Puerto Rico, CENTRO and Digitizing the Barrio will each briefly present an introduction to each archive—what they collect and why—to highlight diverse ways their collection and preservation strategies engage various dimensions of Puerto Rican history.

Moderator: Veronica Ocasio

Presenters:

• Javier E. Laureano
• Hilda Ayala González
• Diana Ramos Gutiérrez
• Rafael V. Capó García
• Cristina Fontanez Rodriguez

11:30 am–12:50 pm
Session 2: Archiving 101
Digitizing the Barrio, Archivera General de Puerto Rico, and El Centro introduce basic approaches to archiving for those who are interested in preserving their histories through documents, photos, and other ephemera.

Moderator: Veronica Ocasio

Presenters:

• Angelica Hernandez
• Hilda Ayala González
• Herbert Duran

1–2 pm
Lunch

2–3:20 pm
Session 3: The Politics and Ethics of Memory
The session discusses how archives themselves are contested sites of memory—influenced in some cases by colonial practices—and how archivists and memory-workers at Memoria Decolonial, Archivo Histórico de Vieques, and CENTRO archive and generate counter-storytelling narratives.

Moderator: Margaret Power

Panelists:

• Rafael V. Capó García
• Diana Ramos Gutiérrez
• Cristina Fontanez Rodríguez

3:30–4:50 pm
Session 4: History-Making and Meaning-Making
How do organizations address gaps and silences in community histories and create space for public engagement with such histories? This session will include members of the NMPRAC, Digitizing the Barrio, and the Archivo Comunitario LGBTQ+ de Puerto Rico who will discuss the role of oral history interviews and other methods of making history and collective meaning.

Moderator: Angelica Hernandez

Panelists:

• Veronica Ocasio
• Margaret Power
• Javier E. Laureano (Virtually)

5–6 pm
Reception

DAY 2: Saturday, April 6

10 am–12 pm
Interactive Workshop: Building Personal and Family Archives
This workshop will teach participants how to build their own archives—co-facilitated by NMPRAC, Digitizing the Barrio, and CENTRO.

12 pm

Lunch is served.12:30–1:45 pm
Keynote: Yomaira C. Figueroa-Vásquez, Director of CENTRO
The current director of the largest archive foregrounding Puerto Rican history, CENTRO, will give the symposium’s keynote presentation.

2–3:15 pm
End Note: Barrio Under Siege: Memories of Political Repression in Puerto Rican Chicago
This session will reflect on histories and memories of political repression against Puerto Rican anticolonial activists and movements in Chicago. It will feature a moderated discussion between historical figures, José E. López, executive director of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, and Michael Deutsch, attorney at the People’s Law Office (retired).

3:30 pm
MCA Visit