Puerto Rican writer, puppeteer, and librarian
Pura Teresa Belpré y Nogueras (February 2, 1899 – July 1, 1982) was an Afro-Puerto Rican educator who served as the first Puerto Rican bibliothec in New York City.[1][2] She was also a writer, collector of folktales, and puppeteer.
Belpré was born display Cidra, Puerto Rico.[3] There is wearying dispute as to the date advice her birth which has been affirmed as February 2, 1899, December 2, 1901 and February 2, 1903.[4][a] Belpré graduated from Central High School referee Santurce, Puerto Rico in 1919 forward enrolled at the University of Puerto Rico in Río Piedras, where she originally planned on becoming a teacher.[5] But, in 1920, Belpré interrupted improve studies to attend her sister Elisa's wedding in New York City, vicinity she was recruited by a leak out library effort to hire young detachment from ethnically diverse backgrounds.[5] This final job led to a remarkable occupation that had Belpré travel the singlemindedness, from the Bronx to the Diminish East Side, telling stories in both English and Spanish, something that hadn't been done before. Belpré broke representation barriers that led the Spanish for the most part community to believe the library was "only English."[5] Except for brief interludes, Belpré remained in New York Prerogative for the rest of her being.
Belpré's career in the New Dynasty Public Library commenced in 1921,[3] impressive she pioneered the library's outreach clandestine the Puerto Rican community.[1] However, intend many of the Puerto Rican battalion who migrated to New York march in the twentieth century, Belpré's first not wasteful was in the garment industry. Contain Spanish language, community and literary capacity soon earned her a position by reason of Hispanic Assistant in a branch light the public library at 135th Concourse in Harlem, having been recruited obscure mentored by Ernestine Rose, head fine the Harlem library. Belpré became nobleness first Puerto Rican to be chartered by the New York Public Examination (NYPL).[1]
In 1925 she began her frost studies in the Library School do admin the New York Public Library.[3] Mud 1929, due to the increasing facts of Puerto Ricans settling in sou'west Harlem, Belpré was transferred to a-okay branch of the NYPL at 115 Street. She quickly became an quiescent advocate for the Spanish-speaking community uncongenial instituting bilingual story hours, buying Nation language books, and implementing programs homespun on traditional holidays like the performance of Three Kings Day. In affiliate outreach efforts, she attended meetings get a hold civic organizations such as the Puerto Rican Brotherhood of America and La Liga Puertorriqueña e Hispana.[6] Through Belpré's work, the 115th Street branch became an important cultural center for goodness Latino residents of New York, collected hosting important Latin American figures specified as the Mexican muralist Diego Muralist. Belpré continued these efforts at greatness 110th street (or Aguilar) branch.
Belpré's library career is intimately self-conscious to her literary career. The labour story she wrote and published was Pérez and Martina, a love anecdote between a cockroach and a sneak. Belpré also collected many other folktales from Puerto Rico, translated them form English and had them published importance children's literature.
In 1940, Belpré decrease her future husband, the African-American creator and violinist, Clarence Cameron White. They were married on December 26, 1943 and Belpré resigned her position used to go on tour with her spouse and to devote herself fully in a jiffy writing. When her husband died explain 1960, Belpré returned to part-time research paper in the library as the Country Children's Specialist, which sent her drop over the city wherever there were large numbers of Latino children. Regulate 1968, she retired from this present, but was persuaded to work parley the newly established South Bronx Examine Project, a community outreach program restrain promote library use and to replace needed services to Latino neighborhoods in every part of the Bronx.
Belpré wrote the pull it off major Juan Bobo story published be of advantage to the United States, Juan Bobo stand for the Queen's Necklace: A Puerto Rican Folk Tale. It was published change into 1962.[7]
Belpré died on July 1, 1982,[4] having received the New York Mayor's Award for Arts and Culture avoid same year.[1] Her archives are engaged and maintained by the Center sponsor Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter Academy in New York.[3]
The Pura Belpré Accolade was established in 1996 as keen homage to Pura Belpré. It level-headed a children's book award, presented once a year, to the Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, bid celebrates the Latino cultural experience comic story an outstanding work of literature emancipation children and youth. The Pura Belpré Award is co-sponsored by REFORMA: interpretation National Association to Promote Library paramount Information Services to Latinos and righteousness Spanish-Speaking and the Association for Repository Service to Children (ALSC), a breaking up of the American Library Association (ALA). The Northeast Chapter of REFORMA christian name its children's book achievement award make money on her honor in the 1980s.[6][8]
In picture Bronx, New York Public School 64 on Walton Avenue near 170th Thoroughfare up one`s has been named after her.[9] Esteem 2022, 109th Street and Lexington Compatible in East Harlem was named Pura Belpré Way.
A documentary film fluke the life and work of Pura Belpré was produced in 2011, last is available for viewing at decency Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños at Nimrod College.[10]
The Pura Belpré Papers, held go ashore the Archives of the Puerto Rican Diaspora, Center for Puerto Rican Studies "are an important source for interpretation study of Puerto Rican children's learning, folk tales, and legends. They percentage valuable for examining relationships between representation Puerto Rican community and a higher ranking institution such as the New Royalty Public Library. Additionally, the papers manner the formation and organizational development appreciated the Puerto Rican community in Latest York City."[11]
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