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The "Voces de la Diáspora" Oral History Project
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Held at: Princeton University Library: University Archives [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: University Archives. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
The Oral History Lab taught by Rosina A. Lozano for 2025-2026 academic year was a hands-on course that taught students how to conduct, catalogue, and archive oral histories. The goal was to collect oral histories and write articles intended for a website on the Latine community in Princeton.
Summaries were supplied by the interviewers and can be found under the scope and contents note of each interview.
Transfer AR.2026.010
The born-digital materials in this collection have been processed according to Princeton University Library's Born-Digital Processing Workflows. For more information on the workflow, please read our full Born-Digital Processing Information Note.
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
This collection was processed by Valencia L. Johnson in 2026. Finding aid written by Valencia Johnson in 2026.
No materials were removed from the collection during 2026 processing beyond routine appraisal practices.
- Publisher
- University Archives
- Finding Aid Author
- Valencia Johnson
- Finding Aid Date
- 2026
- Access Restrictions
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This collection is open.
- Use Restrictions
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Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. The Trustees of Princeton University hold copyright to all materials generated by Princeton University employees in the course of their work. For instances beyond Fair Use, if copyright is held by Princeton University, researchers do not need to obtain permission, complete any forms, or receive a letter to move forward with use of materials from the Princeton University Archives.
For instances beyond Fair Use where the copyright is not held by the University, while permission from the Library is not required, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.
Collection Inventory
Álvaro Gamio Cuervo (Class of 2018) details his experience as a first-generation, immigrant, transgender, Latine student adjusting to college and figuring out what he wanted to do with his life during college. He shares stories of his activism in lobbying for Latino Studies at Princeton.
Physical Description0.1 GB
In this interview, Princeton Professor Emeritus Arcadio Díaz-Quiñones recounts his journey of inspiring activism and community organization in many different forms, from growing up and beginning his teaching career as a professor in Puerto Rico to his long and impactful career as a professor and community leader at Princeton University. He reflects on the complexities of migration for his family and others, U.S. colonialism, slow institutional progress, and the struggles faced by the Latine community in Princeton and beyond. At Princeton University, Díaz-Quiñones became deeply involved and invested in building community among particularly Latine and African American students and faculty, directing the Third World Center for a time, working closely with a group of Princeton faculty activists in solidarity, and advocating and organizing around anti-colonial and anti-imperial causes, especially concerning the Latine community. He highlights the importance of solidarity, unity, literature, naming, and the role of institutions in challenging dominant narratives. Throughout the interview, Díaz-Quiñones underscores both the challenges and the progress made in diversifying Princeton and connecting elite university life to broader social justice movements.
Physical Description0.1 GB
The interview is with renowned Classics professor Dan-el Padilla Peralta. In this interview we cover all topics from his experiences as a student from the class of 2006 at Princeton University, the differences between his mostly Dominican neighborhood in NYC to the white suburban Princeton neighborhood, his involvement in activism as a student in Princeton University, his Afro-Dominican identity as well as the racialization of Latines in United States of America, Latin-America, and the Caribbean. We discuss his experience of being undocumented from 1989 to 2017. We touch on his autobiography, "Undocumented: A Dominican Boy's Odyssey from a Homeless Shelter to the Ivy League."
Physical Description1.56 GB
Professor Hendrik Hartog shares his experience as head of the American Studies department when Latino Studies made a shift from Latin American Studies to American Studies. He discusses the different pieces involved in this transition, including the institutions making the first moves in this process, and some of the effects related to these changes.
Physical Description0.1 GB
Contains both English and Spanish transcripts.
Felipe Cruz, owner of Taste of Mexico, shares his experience as a business owner in Princeton and New Brunswick. He talks about his relationship to the community in Princeton, ranging from residents to students and professors. He makes note of the changing demographics in terms of residents and students as well as the types of businesses available in the area and how the town has made adjustments according to the needs expressed by its members.
Physical Description0.1 GB
In this oral history, long-time advocate John Heilner discusses his work across Mercer County uplifting the local Latino community.
Physical Description0.1 GB
The transcription follows Liz Lempert's two-year mayorship between 2012 -2020 and discusses her role as a political leader and advocate for the Princeton Latin American Community. The transcription covers the following themes: history of gentrification, anti-wage theft policies, Princeton as a Welcoming America community, environmental justice in the Princeton Latin American community, the collaboration with LALDEF to create trust, Universal ID Card, and engaging the Princeton Latin American community in local politics. The transcription follows the 01;04;49;23 audio, which is part of the Voces de La Diaspora Oral History Project offered by the University's History and Effron Center for the study of American Latino Studies Minor programming.
Physical Description0.1 GB
The interview covered Paloma Moscardó-Vallés' connections to the Princeton community as a professor, a parent, and a community advocate. The interview spans her recollection of the town since she moved here in 2005.
Physical Description0.1 GB
Oral History Interview with Patricia Fernández Kelly where she talks about the history of the Latin American community within Princeton as well as her local activism.
Physical Description0.1 GB