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NMPRAC’S ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
As part of the activation of our new exhibit, “Archivos Vivos” by Adrián Viajero Román, and with the support of a planning grant from the Donnelley Foundation’s “Broadening Narratives” initiative, we are proud to launch an oral history project titled “Voices of Resilience: Puerto Rican Migration and Identity in Chicago.”
As we expand our archives and collections, capturing and preserving our stories—told by us, for us, and future generations—is vital to ensure our history remains alive and accessible.
This project will be launched in Spring 2025, with the first phase inviting individuals of Puerto Rican heritage whose parents, grandparents, or they themselves migrated to Lincoln Park, Humboldt Park, Logan Square, or other Chicago neighborhoods between the 1940s and 1980s.
If you’re interested in participating, please click the link below to complete the pre-screening form. Thank you for your consideration!
ABOUT
The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture presents The Boricua Literary Arts Symposium + Book Fair, a community-centered literary initiative designed to cultivate Puerto Rican writing, strengthen intergenerational knowledge exchange, and preserve cultural memory. In November 2026, through the Symposium and Book Fair, the program will convene recognized Puerto Rican authors, poets, scholars, educators, and creatives alongside emerging and first-time writers in a shared space of learning, mentorship, and creative growth.
Together, the Symposium and Book Fair will feature writing workshops, publishing labs, literary readings, public dialogues, scholarly conversations, book sales, author meet-and-greets, youth programming, and community exchanges. The initiative is intentionally designed to support new and aspiring writers, provide direct access to established literary leaders, foster mentorship across generations, and strengthen connections between community knowledge, academia, and cultural practice. At its core, it positions Puerto Rican storytelling and scholarship as a living archive—an act of cultural preservation, resistance, and collective responsibility.
To help shape participation and programming, we are currently circulating an interest form for writers, readers, educators, scholars, vendors, and community members who would like to be involved in the Symposium and Book Fair. We will carefully review all submissions and follow up with everyone in early August with next steps, participation details, and opportunities for engagement.