I want to extend to all of you a warm welcome to the spiritual celebration of our 100 by 35 Open House of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, where we celebrate the founding of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, and the birthdate of our namesake. Juan Antonio Corretjer, the National Poet of Puerto Rico. The work of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center is a daily reminder of the importance of our founding principles, self- determination, self-actualization, and self-reliance of the Puerto Rican people. We collect the narratives and issues that we as a Puerto Rican people confront. And we codify it into community work that speaks our interests. We have a right to create those spaces where we can tell our story and to keep our collective memory alive. José E. López, Executive Director