The collection was founded in 2012 by Professor Frances Negrón-Muntaner, who also serves as curator. The first acquired papers were those of writer and community activist Jack Agüeros. By 2015, the collection contained the archives of influential artists and organizations, including El Diario/La Prensa, writers Manuel Ramos Otero, Dolores Prida, and Rosario Ferré; and the community organization United Bronx Parents.

The collection’s greatest strength is in the manuscript and visual materials of key community organization and prominent figures in politics, literature, and art from the second half of the twentieth century to the present. The included papers to date provide an essential access to the cultural, literary, and journalistic production of Latinos in New York and other parts of the United States. It also offers insight into the ways that Latinos have organized in pursuit of fundamental civil rights. In addition, the archive represents an indispensable resource to understand the migration and settlement of U.S. Latinos, particularly in the Northeast.

The collection contains materials in various languages, most prominently English and Spanish. Whereas New York and the greater Northeast are essential geographical areas, the collection includes materials of figures whose work and lives developed in other countries but had a fundamental impact on U.S. Latinos. We collect a wide range of materials, including manuscripts, letters, recordings, film, rare publications, and small scale art. Special is given to acquiring materials related to subject areas, where the archive is already strong, including Latino arts, literature, and culture; Latino politics and organizing; and links between Latinos in the U.S. and their countries of origin.

To inquire about donations, contact Adjunct Curator for Latino Arts and Activisms, Frances Negrón-Muntaner.

To make a research appointment or a reference inquiry, contact the Library at rbml@library.columbia.edu.