Text-based Resources
Some links may require Augusta University-affiliated access.
Contextual and Historical Resources
“Puerto Rico: A U.S. Territory in Crisis”
Amelia Cheatham and Diana Roy, Council on Foreign Relations (September 29, 2022)
Beginning with Spanish colonialism and Columbus, this article traces a brief overview of Puerto Rico and what events led up to it becoming a U.S. territory, as well as featuring a timeline showing the negative effects Puerto Rico continued to suffer, particularly in economics, afterwards.
"On Language and Colony"
Bianca P. Napolenoi Gregory, Library of Congress
This digital history exhibit features documents and historical background about Puerto Rico, colonialism, and the impact of the Taínos, and is an interactive exhibit written from the first-person perspective of Puerto Rico itself.
"The Riots of the Long, Hot Summer"
Britannica (June 16, 2017)
This overview from Britannica cites the beginning of outrage and tensions in Newark, New Jersey coming to a head in July of 1967 as a result of the police’s brutality against a taxi driver named John Smith when he “passed a double-parked police car” (Britannica). Afterwards, the police arrested him, but a rumor had spread that Smith had been killed, and this incited outrage and “looting, arson, and rioting” that caused the city to bring in the National Guard (Britannica).
"Social Struggle against the U.S. Navy in Vieques, Puerto Rico: Two Movements in History,"
Katherine McCaffrey (Accessed 8 Mar. 2023)
Latin American Perspectives, Vol. 33. No. 1 2006, pp. 83–101
This article discusses the role of the U.S. Navy in the U.S.’ interactions with Puerto Rico, as well as how these interactions have changed focusing on the 1970s and early 2000s (McCaffrey).
“Puerto Rico at the Dawn of the Modern Age: Nineteenth- and Early-Twentieth-Century Perspectives”
Library of Congress
This digital collection features digitized documents/items, articles, and government documents relevant to Puerto Rico becoming a U.S. territory and prior history about the Spanish-American War that influenced Puerto Rico’s political interactions afterwards and continues to do so.
Augusta University Research Guide on the Augusta Riots, 1970
Maranda Christy
This guide encompasses documents, online resources, and manuscripts related to the Augusta Riots of 1970 that occurred following the death of Charles Oatman, an sixteen-year-old African American in prison under circumstances leading many to question if the death was caused by police brutality (Christy). Protests ensued, as well as “rioting and looting” and the deaths of 6 protestors at the hands of the National Guard along with hundreds of arrests (Christy).
“Paterson, New Jersey Uprising (1964)”
Will Mack
Historical background on the racial tensions in New Jersey, specifically Paterson, a city directly mentioned by JOC in many works, in 1964, and how it led to the involvement of the NAACP, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the CORE, Congress of Racial Equality (Mack).
Augusta Chronicle Resources
September 22, 1974
An article written by JOC when she was a college student at Augusta College. She reviews “Street Games,” a gathering of short stories by Rosellen Brown about life in New York City. Cofer points out issues with the details of the stories relating specifically to Puerto Ricans, writing, “anyone with minimal knowledge of Puerto Rican economics…would know that Puerto Rico employs American currency” (Cofer).
Augusta Chronicle, 22 Sept. 1974, p. 51. NewsBank: America's News – Historical and Current
December 6, 1991
This article written by Eve Richardson, titled: “Area artists receive nationwide exposure” mentions JOC in tandem with other Georgia writers being honored for “professional recognition earned beyond Augusta area” (Richardson).
Augusta Chronicle, 6 Dec. 1991, p. 49. NewsBank: America's News – Historical and Current
May 26, 1992
Article by Sharon Wellington discussing female writers and difficulty publishing in which JOC talks about struggling “not because she is a woman, but because she is Puerto Rican” (Wellington) and discusses how finding a publisher is a long journey.
Augusta Chronicle, 26 May 1992, p. 9. NewsBank: America's News – Historical and Current
Interviews and Transcriptions
“An Interview with Judith Ortiz Cofer”
Cofer, Judith Ortiz, and Margaret Crumpton. “An Interview with Judith Ortiz Cofer.” Meridians, vol. 3, no. 2, 2003, pp. 93–109. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40338576. Accessed 1 Mar. 2023.
“The Art of Not Forgetting: An Interview with Judith Ortiz Cofer”
Cofer, Judith Ortiz, and Marilyn Kallet. “The Art of Not Forgetting: An Interview with Judith Ortiz Cofer.” Prairie Schooner, vol. 68, no. 4, 1994, pp. 68–75. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40633838. Accessed 1 Mar. 2023.
“Puerto Rican Literature in Georgia? An Interview with Judith Ortiz Cofer”
Ocasio, Rafael, and Judith Ortiz Cofer. “Puerto Rican Literature in Georgia? An Interview with Judith Ortiz Cofer.” The Kenyon Review, vol. 14, no. 4, 1992, pp. 43–50. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4336754. Accessed 3 Mar. 2023.