Scope and Content Note
The collection spans 1971-2011 and documents social psychologist, educator, and community activist Yoel Camayd-Freixas' involvement with Latino community organizations primarily in Boston, Massachusetts and Miami, Florida. Camayd-Freixas interacted with Latino communities on a variety of issues through both public and private positions. His materials consist mainly of published papers and reports. Other elements of the collection include material on his career and professional advancements as well as a variety of reference articles.
Reports, research studies, and other publications on issues relevant to the Latino demographic including education and dropout rates, neighborhood housing services, community development, health and mental health services, and political involvement form the bulk of the collection. A large number of the publications originate in the 1980s, published by Camayd-Freixas during his tenure as director of Boston Public Schools' Office of Research and Development. Other Boston-centered publications were authored by Camayd-Freixas during his time with Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Department of Urban Studies and Planning, Boston Urban Research and Development Group, Jamaica Plain Hispanic Outreach Team, and La Alianza Hispana. Many of these publications were academic articles and professional reports on community development and the relevant issues facing the Latino community. Other publications were intended for the community including Spanish-language comics published with La Alianza Hispana for teens. Additionally, as the president of Camayd Group, Camayd-Freixas wrote a number of reports for corporations as well as for various projects. Miami-Dade Neighborhood Housing Services, South Beach Development Corporation, Jubilee Community Development, and the Bobby Maduro Stadium were some of the major projects that he worked on during this period. The collection also includes limited publications from his time at Boston College as a doctoral student, New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, and Southern New Hampshire University.
Beyond publications, the collection also includes some of Camayd-Freixas' personal and professional papers such as reference articles, conference notes and speeches, and career advancement materials. Some of the reference and conference material refer to publications and projects such as the Bobby Maduro Stadium, Miami Beach Development Corporation, and Latino mental health. Of special note are his portfolios supporting reappointment and promotion at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Southern New Hampshire University. The portfolios include curriculum vitaes, copies of publications, honors earned, and descriptions of work performed outside of publishing. Papers concerning Camayd-Freixas' personal life are limited.
Dates
- Creation: 1971-2011
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1983-2005
Creator
- Camayd-Freixas, Yoel (Person)
Language of Materials
Materials in English and Spanish.
Conditions Governing Access:
Box 1, folder 13 is restricted.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use:
Copyright restrictions may apply.
Biographical Note
Yoel (Yohel) Camayd-Freixas was born in Cuba in 1949. After Fidel Castro took power, Camayd-Freixas' father sent him to the United States to live with his aunt in Miami, Florida in 1962 as part of Operation Peter Pan. Camayd-Freixas graduated from Miami Edison High School in 1966 and in 1970 he earned his bachelor's degree in psychology and sociology with highest honors from Universidad Mundial, Puerto Rico. He later earned his Masters of Education from Northeastern University in 1972 and his Masters and Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Boston College in 1978 and 1982 respectively. Camayd-Freixas spent much of his career as a community activist for Latino and minority communities in Boston, New York City, and Miami, concerning issues of health, education, and housing. He founded the Hispanic Outreach Team in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts in 1978, which brought medical providers and community health centers together to provide services to the Latino population. In addition, he served as the Mental Health Editor for the Journal of Latin Community Health during this period. During the early 1980s, Camayd-Freixas consulted with the Boston Housing Authority, providing surveys of tenants' needs in various low-income neighborhoods through his private consulting firm YCF Associates. At this time, he also campaigned for Nelson Merced, the first Latino representative elected to the House of Representatives, organized La Alianza Hispana to develop the Dudley Street neighborhood, and served as the Hispanic Chair on the Massachusetts Commission on Hispanic Affairs for Governor Michael S. Dukakis. Camayd-Freixas promoted activism and social justice throughout his career in both the private and public sectors. His first post-doctoral position was at Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1982-1984 as a professor in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning. He then became the director of the Office of Research and Development in Boston Public Schools in 1985-1987 and established the Office of Evaluation and Accountability. The publications emerging from this office under his direction were concerned with socioeconomic and health problems such as dropout rates, teen smoking, and testing practices. Subsequently, Camayd-Freixas joined the Boston Urban Research and Development Group which focused closely on the issues facing Latinos in education and community development in both Boston and Miami. In 1990-1991, while serving as Executive Vice President of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, Camayd-Freixas oversaw administration, finance, policy planning, and intergovernmental affairs regarding municipal health care under the administration of Mayor David Dinkins. During his tenure he worked closely with the Institute of Puerto Rican Policy to shape a more effective health system. A financial scandal centered on J. Emilio Carrillo, President of New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, ended Camayd-Freixas' tenure at the institution. Subsequently, Camayd-Freixas moved to Miami, Florida and joined the private sector. From 1992-2001, he provided management resources to various organizations in Florida through Camayd Group, which included the subsidiaries Communitas and Camayd Consultants. Camayd-Freixas consulted in the areas of crisis management, including community interventions after riots and natural disasters, corporate distress recovery, and applied research. He was especially involved in projects concerning the development of South Beach and the construction of the Bobby Maduro Stadium in Miami. He became a faculty member at Southern New Hampshire University in 2002. His tenure included overseeing the School of Community Economic Development as Associate Dean, directing the Applied Research Center, and administering the doctoral and masters programs in Policy and Nonprofit Management. In 2010, he became a tenured professor of research at Florida International University. Camayd-Freixas died April 28, 2011 in Miami, Florida at the age of 62.
Chronology
- 1949
- Born in Cuba
- 1970
- Bachelor of Arts (Sociology and Psychology), Universidad Mundial, Puerto Rico
- 1972
- Master of Education, Northeastern University
- 1975-1981
- Jamaica Plain Outreach Team, Executive Director
- 1978
- Master of Arts (Social Psychology), Boston College
- 1982
- Doctor of Philosophy (Social Psychology), Boston College
- 1982-1986
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, Assistant Professor
- 1984-1985
- YCF Associates, Director
- 1984-1988
- Massachusetts Commission on Hispanic Affairs, Hispanic Chair
- 1985-1987
- Boston Public Schools, Office of Research, Evaluation, and Development, Director
- 1987-1990
- Boston Research and Development Group, President
- 1990-1991
- New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, Executive Vice President
- 1992-2002
- Communitas (Camayd Group), President
- 1994-1998
- University of Miami's School of Architecture, Bobby Maduro Stadium Project
- 2002-2010
- Southern New Hampshire University, School of Community Economic Development, Professor
- 2003-2005
- Southern New Hampshire University, School of Community Economic Development, Acting Dean
- 2011
- Died in Miami, Florida
Extent
4.70 cubic feet (6 containers)
Overview
Yoel Camayd-Freixas was a social psychologist, educator, and community activist for Latino communities in Boston and Miami. Born in Cuba, he lived the majority of his life in Boston, Massachusetts and Miami, Florida. He earned a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Boston College in 1982. He subsequently worked for Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston Public Schools, and Boston Urban Research and Development Group, and helped to found La Alianza Hispana, the Jamaica Plain Outreach Team, and YCF Associates during the 1980s. In each organization, Camayd-Freixas dedicated himself to issues of mental health, education, teen smoking, and housing services that challenged the Latino community and other minority populations. From 1990 to 1991, Camayd-Freixas worked for the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation before beginning his own consulting firm, the Camayd Group, in Miami. As a consultant, Camayd-Freixas focused on applied research, corporate distress relief, and community development. In 2002, he joined Southern New Hampshire University as professor and Associate Dean of the School of Community Economic Development. Camayd-Freixas died April 28, 2011 in Miami at the age of 62.
Overview
The collection documents social psychologist, educator, and community activist Yoel Camayd-Freixas' involvement with Latino community organizations in Boston, Massachusetts and Miami, Florida. It includes reports, research studies, and other publications on topics such as Latino mental health, neighborhood housing services, political participation, and the dropout rate in the Boston Public Schools. The bulk of the collection are publications from the 1980s that focus on Latino social issues in Boston authored by Camayd-Freixas during his tenure with the Boston Public Schools, Boston Urban Research and Development Group, La Alianza Hispana, and the Hispanic Outreach Team. The collection includes limited papers and publications from his time as a doctoral student at Boston College, New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, Camayd Group, and Southern New Hampshire University. There is a small amount of personal and professional papers including reference materials and applications for reappointment and promotion.
System of Arrangement:
Organized into 2 series: 1. Subject Files; 2. Publications.
Physical Location
39/3
Immediate Source of Acquisition:
Received from Ana Perez Camayd in May 2014.
Bibliography
- Margarita Muñiz Academy. Scholarship Fund. Accessed April 1, 2015. http://munizacademy.org/support-muniz-academy/scholarship-fund/
- Negri, Gloria. Yoel Camayd-Freixas, 62, driven advocate in Hispanic Community. Boston Globe, May 9, 2011.
- Southern New Hampshire University, School of Community Economic Development: Promotion Review, Box 1, Folder 51
Subject
- Camayd-Freixas, Yoel (Person)
- Boston Public Schools (Organization)
- Hispanic Outreach Team (Jamaica Plain, Boston, Mass.) (Organization)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and Planning (Organization)
- New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (Organization)
- Southern New Hampshire University (Organization)
- Title
- Finding aid for the Yoel Camayd-Freixas Papers
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Jordan Barnes
- Date
- April 2015
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections Repository