Santiago, Petra, 1911-1994.

Petra Santiago was an activist and a well-known community organizer in the Lower Eastside of Manhattan (Loisaida). She mobilized people for community participation and founded key grass-roots organizations. Born in Humacao, Puerto Rico on May 31,1911, she moved to New York City in 1938. She was a founder and secretary (1961-1963) of the Council of Puerto Rican and Hispanic Organizations of the Lower East Side, the first major Latino organization in that area whose objective it was to improve the conditions for Latinos in housing, education, employment, medical care and recreation. Santiago was one of the organizers of the Independent Juvenile Baseball League which she directed (1950-1962) and the Nativity Mission Center Baseball Team (1945-1963). Petra Santiago was a dynamic leader who remained active in the affairs of the community of the Lower East Side until she was eighty years old. She died on January 13, 1994 after a brief illness.

From the description of Papers, 1935-1995 ; bulk: 1970-1980. (Centro de Estudios Puertorriquenos). WorldCat record id: 52425856

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