Borinquen Federal Credit Union

Records, 1974-1988.  1 folder.  The Borinquen Federal Credit Union was founded in Philadelphia in 1974 by volunteers to serve the employees and clients of Casa del Carmen, a social service organization.  It was closed in 1986 but was reopened by community leaders to serve neighborhood banking needs and to encourage economic development in the Latino neighborhood around North Fifth Street.  This collection contains flyers, news articles and blank stationary from 1974-1988.  In English and Spanish.  Inventory available.  Gift of the organization.

Papers, 1907-1974.  54 ft.  Covello was born in Avigliano, Basilicata, Italy, and immigrated to East Harlem, New York City, with his family in 1896.  He was a teacher and administrator in the New York City public school system, author of The Social Background of the Italo-American School Child and other studies, and a leader in the intercultural education movement and in the Italian-American community.  Covello's career as a teacher at DeWitt Clinton High School, principal of Benjamin Franklin High School (East Harlem) and educational consultant to the Migration Division of the Puerto Rican Department of Labor, as well as his research on Italian American immigrants and Puerto Ricans, especially in East Harlem, and his activities in the Italian American community.  The collection includes correspondence, his files as an educator, extensive research and writing files, records from organizations in which he was active, and printed materials.  In English.  Register available.  Gift of Francesco Cordasco.

Diaz, Nelson

Papers, 1973.  1 folder.  Diaz is a Philadelphia attorney and judge, and was director of the Spanish Merchants Association.  The collection contains legal briefs, petitions, affadavits, and a press release concerning a federal court decision ordering bilingual ballots and assistance in Spanish in polling locations in Philadelphia.  In English.  Register available.   Gift of Nelson Diaz.

Records, 1975-1987.  0.5 ft.  The Fifth Street Merchants Association was formed in 1975 to represent the interests of merchants within the so-called ``Golden Block," the Fifth Street corridor bordered by Lehigh Avenue on the north and Allegheny Avenue on the south in North Philadelphia.  Membership consisted primarily of Spanish-speaking persons, namely Puerto Ricans, who were numerically the largest group in the neighborhood.  The organization engaged in a variety of activites, namely the sponsorship of workshops and advertising promotions to foster business in the area.  The Fifth Street Merchants Assocation also worked to provide a link between merchants and the surrounding residential community and frequently acted as a liason between the city government and the district, lobbying for municipal services such as better police protection and street repairs.  This collection is made up of a small amount of meeting minutes, correspondence, and financial statements and receipts.  While the collection contains minutes from a 1987 meeting, the primary focus is on the earlier period.  Also included are a number of neighborhood maps that detail proposed Fifth Street parking improvements.  In English and Spanish.  Gift of the Spanish Merchants Association of Philadelphia.

LULAC National Educational Service Centers, Inc., Philadelphia Center

Records, 1976-1989.  1 ft.  LULAC was founded in Texas ca. 1922 as an advocacy group for Latinos and is headquartered in Washington, D.C.  The Philadelphia Center was founded in 1973 as an educational arm of the organization.  It focuses on supporting students in high schools and middle schools with primarily Latino popululations, encouraging students to stay in school.  The collection includes administrative correspondence and reports, minutes, project and scholarship materials, and membership and mailing lists.  In English and Spanish.  Inventory available.  Gift of the organization.

Photographs, 1960-1970.  24 prints.  Family groups, activities and ceremonies; Puerto Rico and Philadelphia.  Gift of Domingo Negron.

Office of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Department of Puerto Rican Affairs in the United States, Region Two

Records, 1960-1989.  5 folders.  The first office of the Bureau of Employment and Migration, later the Migration Division, of Puerto Rico's Department of Labor was opened in 1948 in New York City. Region Two includes Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey.  The administrative office for the region opened in Camden in 1950 and moved to Philadelphia in 1978.  It functions as a social service agency for migrant workers and long-term urban residents.  The collection includes annual reports, hinformation about Puerto Rico, and lesson plans and other educational materials.  In English and Spanish.  Inventory available.   Gift of the organization.

Records, 1979-1987.   0.5 ft.   Philadelphia's annual Puerto Rican Week Festival (Festival Puertorriqueno Filadelfia) was held for the first time in 1964.  Sponsored by the city's Council of Spanish Speaking Organizations, the festival has since grown to include a full week of activities surrounding the celebration of Puerto Rican Day (the last Sunday of September).  Among the festivities are a grand parade, banquet, Miss Puerto Rico-Philadelphia pageant, a mini-Olympics, Latino music and dance programs, and speeches focusing on the goals and needs of Philadelphia's Hispanics.  This collection spans the years 1979-1987, with particularly rich documentation generated by the 1981 Festival and its president Gualberto Medina.  Materials include committee membership lists, meeting minutes, agendas, financial records, and correspondence.  In English and Spanish.  Gift of the Spanish Merchants Association of Philadelphia

Rivera, Ramonita and Jose

Papers, 1976-1991.  1 ft.  The collection contains correspondence, financial and membership records, and other materials from American Legion Post #840 in Philadelphia, the membership of which is primarily Puerto Rican; and constitutions, correspondence, minutes, printed matter, and other materials from American Legion auxiliaries and from the Council of Spanish-Speaking Organizations (Concilio).  In English and Spanish.  Inventory available.  Gift of Ramonita Rivera.

Rothman, Ina

Photographs, 1984-1985.  12 prints.  Puerto Rican salsa bands performing in night clubs and ethnic social clubs in Philadelphia.  Gift of Ina Rothman.

Records, 1970-1988.  120 ft.  The Spanish Merchants Association was founded in 1970 by Puerto Rican businessmen in Philadelphia to distribute Minority Business Development Agency funds in the Latino community.  Initially created to foster the growth of local Latino businesses, the association increasingly focused on housing, food, and other entitlement programs in the late 1970s and early 1980s.  The organization was dissolved in 1989.  The collection includes financial and other administrative records, and records from affiliated and associated organizations.  In English and Spanish.  Inventory available.  Gift of the organization.