Communications

February 22, 2021: As the leadership body of the main Puerto Rican studies professional organization, the Executive Council of the Puerto Rican Studies Association (PRSA) strongly supports the continued existence of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College (Centro). Home to the most valuable archival resources related to the Puerto Rican diaspora in the United States, Centro has cultivated an indispensable intellectual community for countless Puerto Rican scholars, educators, artists, and activists since its founding in 1973. 

As a result of increasing and thus compounding austerity measures, Centro has struggled to fulfill its mission constrained by a significantly reduced budget, staff, and therefore capacity. We oppose these austerity measures and believe that Centro should be fully funded. 

We call on the administrations of Hunter College and CUNY to commit the necessary financial resources to ensure Centro’s ability to carry out its vital research and policy agenda. This is particularly urgent, coming as it does during a moment of great crisis and transformation for Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans. The need for a well-resourced and staffed Centro is more important than ever.

We stand in solidarity with the workers who have lost their jobs, or whose livelihoods were rendered more precarious, due to recent budget cuts in the midst of a global pandemic. We stand in support of our colleagues at CUNY who continue to fight for shared governance, transparency, and democratic participation in decision-making processes — principles that should be honored and maintained during the search for a new Director of the Centro. We see this transitional moment as an opportunity to recruit an individual from communities that are historically underrepresented in leadership positions (e.g. Black/Afro-boricuas, and/or LGBTQ+ Puerto Ricans) who can creatively rethink the future of our field and address the silences and exclusions that continue to exist within Puerto Rican communities. 

The Executive Council of PRSA looks forward to expanding our existing collaborations with Centro as well as thinking of new ways to deepen our relationship. We are excited to welcome a new Director and we hope to work closely with the new Director, staff, and employees to advance the project of Puerto Rican Studies.

In solidarity,

PRSA Executive Council