Labor History Archival Project

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Contributed by Professor Charles R. Venator-Santiago. 

El Instituto|UConn Puerto Rican Studies Initiative is in the process of signing several memoranda of agreements with various institutions in the mainland and in Puerto Rico. The current batch of agreements is designed to support the rescue and preservation of Puerto Rico’s labor history. The UConnPRSI is now collaborating with the Iglesias Family Foundation to document the history of Santiago Iglesias Pantín, a key leader of the labor movement in Puerto Rico. We are also continuing to work with the Puerto Rico Archival Collaboration (PRAC) on a proposal to digitize the University of Puerto Rico (Humacao Campus) Centro de Documentación Obrera Santiago Iglesias Pantín (CDOSIP). Additionally, we are working with the University of Puerto Rico’s Instituto de Relaciones del Trabajo (IRT) to develop a local archive of labor agreements, documents and the oral histories of key historical labor leaders.

A camera on a tripod is positioned in the foreground, recording two seated adults in a small room. The two people sit on chairs facing the camera with a small round table between them holding papers, a pen, and a water bottle. Behind them is a step-and-repeat backdrop displaying multiple logos, including UConn, El Instituto, IFF, and Cooperativismo.

Recording Luisa Acevedo’s oral history with Professor Eduardo E. Matos Vidal, Director of the Instituto de Relaciones del Trabajo can be found in the Centro de Documentación Obrera Santiago Iglesias Pantín website.