History | Capital District | Latino Communities
Starting in the late 1940s, Mohawk Mills in Amsterdam began recruiting Puerto Rican laborers by posting advertisements in Puerto Rican newspapers. Glove factories and canneries were also eager to hire Puerto Rican labor. Once the Puerto Ricans established themselves, they sent for other family members to join them, and by the 1950 Amsterdam Census, there were 22 immigrants from "Other Americas" listed. The families of Rajelio Velez, Aldelmo Camacho, Bario Camacho, and Romaldo Rodriguez all had family connections to each other, and settled in Amsterdam during this time.
Cubans began immigrating to the Capital District area in the late 1950s, probably as a response to the events leading to Fidel Castro's takeover of Cuba in 1959 and the establishment of his communist state. While some of the Cuban arrivals settled in the Amsterdam area, many lived in Albany and worked as professionals. The Hispanic population in Albany consisted mostly of government employees and students, but they were scattered over a wider geographic area and so it was more difficult for them to establish a sense of an Albany Latino community.
Vocabulary
Communism: A form of government that does not believe in private business ownership (Capitalism)
and makes all means of production the property of the State.
Professionals: Someone who has a career that requires specialized learning, either scientific or artistic.