with Nicole Hernandez, Jaden Morales, and Melly Gonzalez

Have you ever yearned for a distant ancestral homeland? That is the experience of Solomon, whose parents were 2 of the nearly 6,000 laborers who migrated to Hawaii after Huracán San Ciriaco in 1899. Nearly half of the first migrants headed for Hawaii never made it. Those who survived faced exploitative work conditions, familial separation, and several other injustices perpetuated by U.S. Sugarcane Corporations. On these plantations, Puerto Ricans encountered division from other migrant workers from across the world. Despite these experiences, they built community and created a new musical genre that still tells their story today.

This is episode four of CENTRO Out Loud: The Unheard Tapes of Frank Espada, a new podcast illuminating often forgotten histories, curating stories from our archives and bringing them to the public. From the stacks to the streets!

Founded in 1973 by a coalition of students, faculty, and activists, the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College (CENTRO) is the largest university-based research institute, library, and archive dedicated to the Puerto Rican experience in the United States. Learn more at centropr.hunter.cuny.edu

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The first season of CENTRO Out Loud, “The Unheard Tapes of Frank Espada,” was made possible with support from the Diaspora Solidarities Lab Projects, the Mellon Foundation Higher Learning Projects, Michigan State University, Johns Hopkins University, Hunter College at CUNY, and The Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College, with special thanks to the Espada Family for their support.