We’re going deep into Puerto Rican genealogy with professional genealogist, historian and educator Dairen Castro Torres, creator of the YouTube channel Dairen Castro Torres the Genealogist. Dairen specializes in reconstructing families through historical records and DNA, with particular expertise in Puerto Rican, Spanish, Portuguese, Dominican and Canary Islands genealogy. His work takes researchers through parish registers, civil registrations, censuses, military and notarial records, probate documents and DNA evidence. Sometimes following families back through centuries of migration, colonialism and movement across the Spanish-speaking world. Together, we talk about what makes Puerto Rican genealogy its own fascinating puzzle: where to begin when researching your Boricua family tree, which records can unlock another generation, what happens when the paper trail gets complicated, and how Puerto Rican ancestry connects the island to Spain, the Canary Islands, the Caribbean and beyond. Dairen also takes genealogy beyond private family trees. Through his educational YouTube channel, he explores the ancestry and histories of notable Puerto Ricans and Puerto Rican figures while showing viewers the sources and methods genealogists use to reconstruct those stories. His work is ultimately about something much larger than collecting names and dates: putting people back into the history they lived. For Puerto Ricans in the diaspora, that work can carry another layer of meaning. You may have been born in New York, Chicago, Florida or somewhere thousands of miles from the island, but your family tree can still lead you through Puerto Rican towns, parishes, migrations, relationships and generations of people whose choices eventually created you. Check out Dairen's YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/@DairenCastroTorresGenealogy If you're interested in reaching out to Dairen, you can reach out to him here: https://www.apgen.org/users/dairen-castro-torres Follow us on social media: Facebook: Rediscovering LatinidadInstagram: @RediscoveringLatinidadBluesky: @RediscLatinidad X: @RediscLatinidadReddit: r/RediscoveringLatindad Please visit Edward's blogs! Let's keep this family research going: http://ruedafingerhut.blogspot.com https://geneticfunhouse.blogspot.com Know Your Rights Trainings and Legal Service Agencies National: ● Trainings for immigrant educators, students and parents – https://www.immschools.org/ ● Free or low-cost immigration legal services -- https://www.immigrationlawhelp.org/ ● For Dreamers - Legal Services - Cornell Law School –https://sites.lawschool.cornell.edu/path2papers/about/ CA: ● CA Immigration Legal Service Agencies (Bay Area) –https://www.immigrationadvocates.org/legaldirectory/search?zip=95126&x=0&y=0 ● Legal services for immigrants - https://www.pangealegal.org/ ● Trainings and Resources - Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) - https://www.ilrc.org/ ● California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) Resources – https://info.ccsa.org/safe-spaces DC: ● DC Immigration Legal Service Agencies –https://www.immigrationadvocates.org/legaldirectory/search?state=DC TN: ● TN Immigration Legal Service Agencies – https://www.immigrationadvocates.org/legaldirectory/search?state=TN ● NICE - National International Center for Empowerment – https://www.empowernashville.org/ ● TNJFON - Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors -- https://www.tnjfon.org/ WI: ● Milwaukee Immigration Legal Service Agencies -https://www.immigrationadvocates.org/legaldirectory/search?state=WI Rediscovering Latinidad is an independent podcast. This show is hosted by Briar Rose, Edward, y Jellissa and is engineered by Matthew Sambolin. Cover art designed by George Colon. Visit our website at www.RediscoveringLatinidad.com. If you would like to reach out, please email us at RediscoveringLatinidad@gmail.com, or leave us a voicemail at 646-470-9824. If you would like to become a member of our Patreon, please join at https://patreon.com/RediscoveringLatinidad
