What Grandmothers Can Teach us About Puerto Rican Culture and Community

Abstract

The memorias of Puerto Rican abuelas (grandmothers) can be a valuable source for understanding how these women see themselves as members of a community and how they characterize what constitutes the Puerto Rican community in the diaspora. Project Memorias sought to elicit the memoires of a group of elderly Puerto Rican women in order to understand aspects of Puerto Rican history and culture and their roles in the migration to the mainland. In the project these abuelas puertorriqueñas discussed their lives, their families in Puerto Rico, their transition to the Chicago area, and the changes they see as they observe the community around them.