Scope and Content Note
The Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción collection documents the organization's efforts to empower the residents of the Villa Victoria community by providing them with affordable housing and creating opportunities to have greater control over it. The records date from 1967 to 2004 and cover research topics, such as urban renewal and housing rehabilitation (Boxes 1, 4, 6, 8-9,14-18, 21, and 48), tenant associations (Boxes 1, 8, 21, and 23-26), Puerto Rican social conditions, non-profit social service delivery, and community development. Other topics include ethnic identity through cultural education and awareness, Latino performing arts, services to the elderly, youth leadership skills, and substance abuse prevention. The records specifically document programs that were designed to foster ethnic pride and identity through arts and culture, including community celebrations and festivals (Boxes 19-20); to promote youth leadership skills (Boxes 29-30); to prevent substance abuse ( Box 31); and to increase academic success (Box 29). Also documented are economic opportunities within Villa Victoria (Boxes 22, 23-24, 49 ), IBA's organizational restructuring (Boxes 3, 6, 9-10, 32, and 36-37), HUD's expiring use restrictions (Boxes 2-3, 9,13,15-18, 20-25, 49), IBA's fundraising efforts (Boxes 4-6), property management (Boxes 14-17, 48), and the history of IBA and ETC (Boxes 6, 14-17, 48). The types of material found in the collection include meeting minutes, photographs, budgets and financial statements, proposals, grants, contracts, property descriptions and appraisals, assessments, newspaper clippings, program descriptions, progress reports, statistics, and evaluations. Records are in both English and Spanish.
Dates
- Creation: 1974-2004 (bulk 1986-1998)
Creator
- From the Collection: Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access:
Files containing client information are restricted for 75 years from the date of their creation. Please contact the University Archivist for more information. Restricted material includes social security numbers, legal matters regarding employment status, and client medical histories.
Extent
From the Collection: 49.2 cubic feet (49 containers, 16 flat file folders)
Language
From the Collection: English
Arrangement:
Organized into 5 subseries: A. Arte y Cultura; B. Community Development; C. Community Planning and Organizing; D. Escuelita Boriken; and E. Human Services. This series documents the planning and implementation of IBA's programs, events, and services.
A. Arte y Cultura subseries documents Café Teatro's Performance Series, Villa Victoria's activities and events (including Festival Betances), Areyto's In and After School Cultural Awareness programs, Jorge Hernandez Cultural Center operations. Also documented are program development, departmental restructuring, and the creation of the Plaza Betances mural. Records include program descriptions and evaluations, the Areyto Cultural Awareness Program curricula, meeting minutes, performance schedules, fact sheets, brochures, events calendars, workplans, and performance reviews. Of special interest are the program activities for the first annual cultural festival (Box 19); the Festival Betances programs; and the Café Teatro Performance series programs (Box19), which provide complete schedules of performers and performances.
B. Community Development subseries documents HUD's expiring use restrictions for ETC and Associates, the Philip C. Bradley Housing Partnership, the Shawmut / Tremont Tenants Council, the history of the Buyers Committee, and the Jorge Hernandez Cultural Center. Also documented are Villa Victoria Child Care Project; Taino Tower condominium association meetings; and Villa Victoria resident meetings, property closings, Single Room Occupancy (SRO) requirements, site assessments, and building renovations. Records include property descriptions and appraisals; architect's drawings; correspondence from program directors to IBA's executive staff, ETC Management, ETC and Associates, Escuelita Agüeybana's executive directors, consultants, lawyers, and architects regarding building projects and HUD expiring use restrictions; meeting minutes; and incorporation documents. Of special interest are Bradley Properties (Box 20); Building N and Plaza Betances (Boxes 20, 22), which are IBA's commercial spaces; ETC and Associates (Box 21); Phil C. Bradley Housing Partnership (Box 22); Tremont / Shawmut Resident's Council (Box 24, Folders 40-42); Rehabilitation II (box 21 Folder 60); and Viviendas la Victoria (Box 25).
C. Community Planning and Organizing subseries documents the Villa Victoria Initiative 2000, which includes the publication of Villa Victoria's Spanish / English newspaper El Correo de la Villa and Public Safety Peerleaders program. Records include budgets, program descriptions and evaluations, and reports.
D. Escuelita Boriken subseries documents the beginning of IBA's bilingual pre-school program and staff development. Records include meeting minutes, needs assessment, menus, and parent handbook.
E. Human Services subseries documents youth programs, such as Peerleader, Teen and Kid Empowerment, Latina Girls Substance Abuse Prevention, HIV / AIDS awareness, Drop Out Prevention, and Youth Council. Also documented are elder care family advocacy, and mental health programs. Records include program descriptions, staff meeting minutes, reports, budgets, and workplans. Of special interest is the Teen and Kid Empowerment Program (Boxes 30, 31) especially the student-written scripts for "Respect" month held at Edwards Middle School. Performances of the scripts are located in Series 7, Audio-Visual Material and Memorabilia (Box 45). Also of interest is the Latina Girls Substance Abuse Prevention Program (Box 31).
Documentation of these programs is also scattered throughout Series 1, Governance; Series 2, Administration; Series 3, Executive Staff, and Series 6, Grants and Contracts. Program and property related photographs can be found in Series 7, Audio-Visual Material and Memorabilia (Box 47).
Physical Description
14.5 cubic ft.
Repository Details
Part of the Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections Repository