U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez (D-8) has announced a $69,449 Library of Congress (LOC) grant for the Hoboken Public Library’s The Puerto Rican Experience in Hoboken and America project.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“I am excited to have helped secure this almost $70,000 grant, which will allow the Hoboken Public Library to highlight and honor the rich history of Hoboken’s Puerto Rican community,” Menendez said in a statement.
“I am proud to support institutions like the Hoboken Public Library that provide important community resources for learning and cultural exploration. I congratulate the library on this grant from the Library of Congress for The Puerto Rican Experience in Hoboken and America and I look forward to its positive impact throughout our community.”
The grant will allow the Hoboken Public Library to explore the history of Hoboken’s longstanding and significant Puerto Rican community, while engaging Hoboken residents with public events and celebrations of Puerto Rican culture.
“We’re deeply honored to receive recognition from the Library of Congress for our project, ‘Preserving the Puerto Rican Experience in Hoboken’,” added Hoboken Public Library Director Jennie Pu.
“This initiative embodies our mission to connect people with each other, ideas and opportunities, and with support from the Library of Congress and community partners, we’re weaving a richer, more inclusive tapestry of American stories.”
The LOC grant will provide the Hoboken Public Library with the resources to produce an interactive timeline illustrating the histories and relationships between Puerto Rico and the mainland United States, emphasizing on the arrivals of many Puerto Ricans to Hoboken from the island during the 1960s.
Additionally, the library will be able to host four public events at Hoboken Housing Authority senior centers in celebration of the culture and music of Puerto Rico, featuring music from the library’s vinyl collections and national jukebox recordings.
The announcement comes in the midst of Menendez facing a spirited June 4th primary challenge from Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, whose campaign released a poll memo earlier today that claimed the two were “statistically tied.”
