Aspira of New York

Originating as a concept and subsequent proposal titled "New Leaders in New York," ASPIRA of New York, Inc. was founded in 1961 (as ASPIRA, Inc.) by Antonia Pantoja and five colleagues from the Puerto Rican Association for Community Affairs (PRACA). The first private Puerto Rican organization to receive foundation monies, ASPIRA was posed as an alternative to the growing influence of street gangs in the lives of Puerto Rican youth and was conceived to address the severe lack of educational attainment among Puerto Rican students and the concomitant shortage of leadership skills being cultivated by them. Intent on developing a future leadership equally versed in the needs of the Puerto Rican community as well as the developmental rhythms of New York City, Pantoja and her colleagues created ASPIRA to foster the social advancement of Puerto Rican students by formulating programs and sponsoring events that while targeting educational needs, simultaneously sought to cultivate leadership skills, as well as a knowledge and affiliation for Puerto Rican history and culture. In 1972, ASPIRA of New York, Inc., with the support of ASPIRA of America and the representation of the newly created Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund (PRLDF), filed a suit against the New York City Board of Education which led to the eventual signing of the ASPIRA Consent Decree. Today, ASPIRA of New York, Inc. continues to offer leadership development programs, after school programs and an assortment of in school initiatives, as well as adhering to the sponsorship of high school and middle school clubs for the administration of their programs and the dissemination of their philosophy, throughout New York City. Currently located in Manhattan, the agency remains a vibrant partner in the struggle against Latino high school drop out rates and in the cultivation of leadership skills among Puerto Rican and Latino youth.