Hunter College and Centro Launch Rebuild Puerto Rico

Hunter College and the Center for Puerto Rican Studies (Centro) today announced the launch of Rebuild Puerto Rico, a virtual hub that provides helpful information about the hurricane recovery efforts on the island in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. In collaboration with the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration, elected officials, community organizations and other influencers, this crowd-sourced website acts as a clearinghouse for the stateside Puerto Rican community and other allies during this humanitarian crisis.
 
The outpouring of help from the mainland United States and many more initiatives are under way, but until now, there has been no one place to turn for all information related to the island and its recovery efforts. The website works through crowdsourcing, allowing members of the Puerto Rican diaspora across the United States and others interested in supporting Puerto Rico to share recent updates, solidarity events, political calls to action, and support and volunteer opportunities.
 
Rebuild Puerto Rico is an extension of the work that Centro has been conducting for more than 40 years, especially since the unfolding of the fiscal and economic crisis in Puerto Rico in 2015. Centro has served as a national convener and source of information to stateside communities. Centro’s conferences and events provide a safe space to discuss difficult policy and political issues where participants acknowledge differences in perspectives yet seek to find common ground moving forward.

“The devastation that the people of Puerto Rico have endured is unimaginable and the Hunter College community is eager to do anything we can to support the recovery efforts on the island,” said Hunter College President Jennifer J. Raab.  “Rebuild Puerto Rico will help to streamline all information that is critical for that support to be provided.”

Volunteers with skills in collecting and managing information, writing policy briefs, and helping with outreach and partnership are needed. For more information on how to get involved in Rebuild Puerto Rico, please visit https://centropr.hunter.cuny.edu/events-news/rebuild-puerto-rico.

About Centro:
The Center for Puerto Rican Studies (Centro) is the nation’s leading university-based institution devoted to the interdisciplinary study of the Puerto Rican experience in the United States. Centro is dedicated to understanding, preserving and sharing the Puerto Rican experience in the United States. Centro also collects, preserves and provides access to library resources documenting Puerto Rican history and culture. We seek to link scholarship to social action and policy debates and to contribute to the betterment of our community and the enrichment of Puerto Rican studies.