While there is evidence of Latinos in the Hartford area from as early as the 1840’s, it was in the 1950’s that Puerto Ricans first began to form a sizeable Latino community in the Hartford area. This community has grown tremendously and has become multinational, as Peruvians, Dominicans, Colombians, Mexicans, Central Americans, and other Latin American and Caribbean groups have begun to establish homes here and contribute to Hartford’s livelihood and liveliness.
But who defines this community in its plurality, who shapes and leads it, helps guide it toward the future while affirming its multicultural and multinational past?
The class of Hispanic Hartford decided to seek out some of the people most visible in the Latino community today, people with vision, with creative leadership, with compassion and dedication to Hartford’s Hispanic population.
As you explore the following profiles and listen to the words of these individuals, you will learn who some of its most distinguished visionaries are, its most dedicated contributors, its intellectuals; who has fought for education, for equal rights, for political representation; who its artistic leaders are, and the vision and inspiration they provide; who are some of the people most dedicated to Hartford’s children, and which young leaders will be guiding the community in the future.
