Although few people know its history, Philadelphia is the third largest Puerto Rican community in the United States. Beginning in the 1890s, thousands made el viaje, or the journey, from Puerto Rico to Philadelphia. By the 1970s, the Puerto Rican community was strong and diverse. El Viaje (the name comes from a popular local radio program) is a photographic essay on the Puerto Ricans in Philadelphia.
The author, Carmen Teresa Whalen, is an associate professor of history and the chair of the Latina Studies program at Williams College in Massachusetts. She is affiliated with the Organization of American Historians and the Puerto Rican Studies Association. Using archival photographs, each chapter presents distinctive stories from the past that shape the character of the community today.
By Carmen Teresa Whalen, Bilingual, Softcover, 128 Pages, 2006.