“THE PUERTO RICAN DIASPORA DOCUMENTARY PROJECT” 

We are Proud to Host the First Public Viewing in 30 years at the 43rd Annual Puerto Rican Cultural Festival 

A curated selection of the landmark documentary project, “Puerto Rican Diaspora: Themes in the Survival of a People,” will be displayed at “Dia de San Juan Salsa Festival” in Long Beach on June 11, the Swiss Park Newark on June 17, and at LMU on June 24. This event will offer a new generation of viewers a chance to experience this landmark project and connect with its beautiful, profound, and uplifting portrayal of Puerto Rican survival across the United States.  

From 1979 to 1981, the late Frank Espada, a pioneering Puerto Rican documentarian, conducted the largest review of the Puerto Rican migration. With funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Espada, who was born in Utuado, Puerto Rico, in 1930 and later settled in San Francisco, traveled extensively, capturing the experiences of Puerto Rican migrants across the United States, from New York to Michigan, California, Hawai’i, and more. This ambitious project resulted in 140 interviews and was showcased in exhibits across the country and Puerto Rico over a span of fifteen years. In 2007, a selection of the project was published in an award-winning book. Espada's powerful photographs are now housed in prestigious institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress.

By 1980, the Puerto Rican population in the U.S. had surpassed 2 million, and today it stands at over 6 million, while depopulation continues to affect the island. "The Puerto Rican Diaspora Project" portrays the widespread social experience of displacement and dislocation. In situations where words fail to capture the profound sense of loss and longing for home, art becomes a potent means of documenting the lives of marginalized communities. Espada, an artist-activist driven by compassion and a commitment to social justice, harnessed the power of photography to effect change in the world, illuminate the shared humanity of individuals, and create a lasting legacy for the Puerto Rican community.

An Interview with Frank Espada at El Museo del Barrio - YouTube & Frank Espada Photography

Partners Include- www.frankespada.com www.dslprojects.org

Join us for a captivating evening with Esmeralda Santiago, acclaimed author of the memoir 'When I Was Puerto Rican.' Puerto Ricans in Action LA proudly presents a private event featuring Esmeralda Santiago as she takes us on a literary journey through her new book, 'Las Madres.'

Esmeralda Santiago, known for her poignant storytelling and evocative prose, will share insights into her latest work, 'Las Madres,' a powerful exploration of motherhood, identity, and the bonds that shape our lives. Drawing from her own experiences and weaving a rich tapestry of narratives, Santiago delves into the complex stories of women who have navigated the intricate paths of motherhood in the face of adversity.

Join us for an unforgettable conversation as we celebrate the indomitable spirit of motherhood and the remarkable voice of Esmeralda Santiago.

ABOUT LAS MADRES

From the award-winning, best-selling author of When I Was Puerto Rican, a powerful novel of family, race, faith, sex, and disaster that moves between Puerto Rico and the Bronx, revealing the lives and loves of five women and the secret that binds them together

They refer to themselves as “las Madres,” a close-knit group of women who, with their daughters, have created a family based on friendship and blood ties.Their story begins in Puerto Rico in 1975 when fifteen-year-old Luz, the tallest girl in her dance academy and the only Black one in a sea of petite, light-skinned, delicate swans, is seriously injured in a car accident. Tragically, her brilliant, multilingual scientist parents are both killed in the crash. Now orphaned, Luz navigates the pressures of adolescence and copes with the aftershock of a brain injury, when two new friends enter her life, Ada and Shirley. Luz’s days are consumed with aches and pains, and her memory of the accident is wiped clean, but she suffers spells that send her mind to times and places she can’t share with others.

In 2017, in the Bronx, Luz’s adult daughter, Marysol, wishes she better understood her. But how can she when her mother barely remembers her own life? To help, Ada and Shirley’s daughter, Graciela, suggests a vacation in Puerto Rico for the extended group, as an opportunity for Luz to unearth long-buried memories and for Marysol to learn more about her mother’s early life. But despite all their careful planning, two hurricanes, back-to-back, disrupt their homecoming, and a secret is revealed that blows their lives wide open. In a voice that sings with warmth, humor, friendship, and pride, celebrated author Esmeralda Santiago unspools a story of women’s sexuality, shame, disability, and love within a community rocked by disaster.”