Hidden Voices of New York City: Antonia Pantoja Student Workshop (Grades 3-5) - 11:30am

Join us as we learn more about the life and activism of Dr. Antonia Pantoja, founder of ASPIRA, an organization that trained politicians, activists, and reformers to lead New York’s growing Puerto Rican community in the mid to late 20th century. 

We invite students to join us for this virtual program for grades 3-5 to learn more about the life and activism of Dr. Pantoja, as the first in our Hidden Voices of New York City virtual series. 

Did you know that between 1940 and 1960, more than 800,000 Puerto Ricans moved to the United States mainland, with a large majority moving to New York City? Yet it would take until 1974 for the city’s growing Spanish-speaking population to have access to bilingual education. That change is thanks to the incredible organizing of Antonia Pantoja, founder of ASPIRA, an organization that trained politicians, activists, and reformers to lead New York’s growing Puerto Rican community. 

In this virtual workshop, students will learn more about the factors that led Puerto Ricans to migrate from the island to the mainland, the conditions they experienced upon arrival, and the many ways that Puerto Rican youth, families, and others organized to advance Puerto Rican rights in the city and on the island. 

Free. Registration required. Educators who register their class will be provided with a zoom link in the days before the program. 

About the Hidden Voices of New York City Virtual Program Series 

Hidden Voices of New York City is a six-part virtual workshop series for grades 3-5 from the Museum of the City of New York that highlights and honors the individual and collective experiences of a diverse swath of New Yorkers.  

Students who participate in the Hidden Voices of New York City virtual student series will sharpen their historical thinking skills through engagement with primary and secondary source materials, hone skills in civic agency through exposure to the stories of people who organized within and beyond the city of New York, and gain an understanding of how the past influences our present and future.  

The professional learning portion of the Hidden Voices of New York City series is designed to support educators with the best teaching strategies to bring these stories into the classroom, including activities and discussion strategies for grades 3 to 5. Learn more about these change-makers through thought-provoking guest speakers and primary source analysis that will expose multiple perspectives about the era in which they lived, the challenges they faced, and the legacy they left in New York. The Hidden Voices project is aligned to the Passport to Social Studies curriculum.   

Learn more at www.mcny.org/hidden-voices