Belpré, author & librarian, was born on Feb. 2, 1903 in Cidra, Puerto Rico (PR). She graduated from Santurce’s Central High School in 1919 & moved permanently to Harlem in 1920. Belpré was the 1st NYC Puerto Rican librarian & likely the first Afro-Puerto Rican librarian in the continental US. She helped transform her community as it adjusted to mass migration, urban life & racism. In 1943 Belpré lived at 409 Edgecombe Ave. in Harlem's famed Sugar Hill district. In 1970, she was interviewed on Gil Noble’s celebrated "Like it Is." Her many books included "Pérez y Martina" (1932)—the first US published Puerto Rican folktale. Her cultural works & accomplishments were important in creating a NYC Puerto Rican literary legacy. Belpré died on July 1, 1982. Since 1996, the American Library Association annually gives the Pura Belpré Award to a writer who celebrates children’s Latinx culture. See, https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/pura-belpre-1903-1982/