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[Last name, First name], Oral history interview conducted by [Interviewer’s First name Last name], [Month DD, YYYY], [Title of Collection], [Call #]; Brooklyn Historical Society.

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Angel Arroyo

Oral history interview conducted by Ms. Ruiz and Ms. Torres

August 09, 1973

Call number: 1976.001.004

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0:14 - Introductions; switching jobs repeatedly, start of World War II

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3:36 - Working at El Diario in Brooklyn, current literary pursuits

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7:15 - Coming to New York, marriage & children

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8:24 - Treatment of Puerto Rican immigrants in the U.S., advocation for Puerto Rican independence

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11:57 - Social & civic engagement, Puerto Rican organizations in 20th century, journalism

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18:53 - Lack of religious affiliation, FDR's policies to help the poor

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20:10 - Rise in Puerto Rican economic & social status in New York

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22:25 - Closing remarks

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Interview Description

Oral History Interview with Ángel Arroyo

Ángel Arroyo arrived in New York City in October 1929 at the age of seventeen. He had a two-year college education, was a journalist for twenty years - including a stint as an editor and then columnist for Spanish-language daily El Diario - and considered himself a writer by trade. At the time of the interview in 1973 he was president of the Puerto Ricans Writers Association, had three of his poetry collections published, and was busy composing a book of poems on the Puerto Rican experience in New York City.

In the interview, Ángel Arroyo looks back on his professional life - including twenty years as a journalist - reviewing events he helped to publicize for the mid-twentieth century's Hispanic population of New York City. He recalls his early work experience in factories and in the import-exporting business. While the interview's primary focus is autobiographical, there is significant attention paid to socioeconomic and political concerns of the Puerto Rican community, as well as Spanish-language media in the city. His career as a professional writer and poet is one that stands in contrast with that of many other migrants who, due to financial and familial obligations, were often unable to pursue a formal education. Interview conducted by Ms. Ruiz and Ms. Torres.

This collection includes recordings and transcripts of oral histories narrated by those in the Puerto Rican community of Brooklyn who arrived between 1917 and 1940. The Long Island Historical Society initiated the Puerto Rican Oral History Project in 1973, conducting over eighty interviews between 1973 and 1975. The oral histories often contain descriptions of immigration, living arrangements, neighborhood ethnicities, discrimination, employment, community development and political leadership. Also included are newspaper clippings, brochures, booklets about Brooklyn's Puerto Rican community, and administrative information on how the project was developed, carried out, and evaluated.

Citation

Arroyo, Angel, Oral history interview conducted by Ms. Ruiz and Ms. Torres, August 09, 1973, Puerto Rican Oral History Project records, 1976.001.004; Brooklyn Historical Society.

People

  • Arroyo, Angel

Topics

  • Education
  • Emigration and immigration
  • Employment
  • Newspapers
  • Puerto Ricans

Places

  • Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
  • Manhattan (New York, N.Y.)
  • Puerto Rico

Finding Aid

Puerto Rican Oral History Project records