Comité Noviembre
National Puerto Rican Virtual Artisans Fair & Book Expo
celebrating Puerto Rican Heritage
Comité Noviembre is a 34-year-old non-profit organization created to commemorate and pay tribute to the contributions Puerto Ricans have made to this nation, support educational opportunities for youth through college scholarships and promote, acknowledge, create awareness and take ownership of our rich culture, language, and history. Comité Noviembre is the only collaboration of its kind in the United States that brings together the collective talents and resources of the following Puerto Rican organizations: ASPIRA of New York, Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños at Hunter College (CUNY), El Museo del Barrio, Eugenio Maria de Hostos Community College (CUNY), Institute for the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly, La Casa de la Herencia Cultural Puertorriqueña, La Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular, Justice Committee: NCPRR, and the Puerto Rican Institute for the Development of the Arts (PRIDA).
In the last seven months, the world as we knew it has changed in ways that will leave powerful marks on all our lives. Many of us have lost loved ones to the COVID-19 pandemic and many of us have been sick and have survived. We have lost our jobs, our homes, and are uncertain of our future. Yet our spirit of giving back and assisting the less fortunate has persevered. It is in this collective of undeniable courage, hope, and love that Comité Noviembre is moving forward.
We are proud that all of our annual programs are going virtual, especially our eagerly awaited annual Comité Noviembre National Puerto Rican Artisans Fair & Book Expo. The safety of our visitors, artists, authors, and staff is of the utmost importance.
Although we are greatly saddened that we will not be able to be at our home, Eugenio Maria de Hostos Community College, we are proud of our incredible partnership over the past 11 years and promise that we will be back at Hostos next year for Comité Noviembre’s 35th anniversary.
The Puerto Rican Institute for the Development of the Arts (PRIDA) was founded in 2013, by a group of dedicated artisans and cultural activists, Olga Ayala, Luis Cordero, Lourdes García, and Comité Noviembre’s Teresa A. Santiago. Today PRIDA continues to be an organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Puerto Rican artists and the arts.
We hope you will support the many wonderful artisans and authors participating in the Comité Noviembre National Puerto Rican Virtual Artisans Fair & Book Expo and on November 21, 2020, visit each participants' page, shop their products, and share with friends!
On behalf of the National Puerto Rican Artisans Fair & Book Expo Committee,
Siempre p'alante,
Olga Ayala
Artisan, Olga Ayala Handicrafts (Hecho A Mano)
Co-Chair, National Puerto Rican Artisans Fair & Book Expo
Yadhira Gonzalez-Taylor, Esq.
Author
Co-Chair, National Puerto Rican Artisans Fair & Book Expo
Teresa A. Santiago
Chairwoman, Comité Noviembre
