El Sol Latino | August 2018 | 14.9

August 2018

Volume 14 No. 9

Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

Spotlight on…

Brendaliz Cepeda

Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

Art by Donna Nardi Silva Puerto Rican Cultural Center

contents

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Foto del Mes/Photo of the Month

Los Gigantes de la Plena

On July 14, 2018, Los Gigantes de la Plena performed in “Por Mi Cultura Vivo Yo” – CityStage in Springfield.

Cita del Mes/ Quote of the Month Just compare Trump’s words to a line from George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984: “The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears.

It was their final, most essential command.” ““Stick with us. Don’t believe the crap you see from these people, the fake news. ... What you’re seeing and what you’re reading is not what’s happening.”

Tinta Caliente / Hot Ink Portada / Front Page Spotlight on… Brendaliz Cepeda UConn Survey: Local Hurricane Evacuees Need Basic Necessities 6 Government of Puerto Rico Did Not Follow Federal Guidelines to Certify Post-María Deaths 8 Dr. Jorge Haddock Acevedo Nuevo Presidente de la Universidad de Puerto Rico Home City Development, Inc. Receives Funds for Youth Programs 9 Opinión / Opinion Sanctuary 10 America is in the middle of a battle over the meaning of words like ‘diversity’ 11 Museo Casa Cautiño-Insúa Exhibit at South Hadley Public Library 12 Educación / Education STCC Celebrates Adult Learners Who Earned High School Equivalency Credentials 13 Libros / Books Peregrinos 15 Deportes / Sports Holyoke Old Timers Softball League 2 3

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President Donald Trump At a speech in Kansas City to the VFW annual convention on July 24, 2018.

OT TINTNAT E H INK CALIE por MANUEL

FRAU RAMOS

In Amherst... the lack of diversity and inclusion in

political events continues to be perpetuated and ignored.

First, a report recently published by the Daily Hamphire Gazette highlighted that only 3 of the 34 people who submitted documents to apply to the newly created Town Council are people of color, despite the fact that about 23 percent of the town’s residents are people color.

And in the forum held July 18 in Amherst for the candidates of the 3rd Hampshire District (Amherst, Pelham and Precinct 1 of Granby) there was no Latinx media among the sponsors of the event.

En Amherst… la falta de diversidad e inclusión en actividades políticas se sigue perpetuando e ignorando. Primeramente, un reportaje recientemente publicado por el Daily Hamphire Gazette resaltó que solo 3 de las 34 personas que presentaron documentos para postularse al recién creado Town Council son personas de color, a pesar de que alrededor del 23 por ciento de los residentes del pueblo son personas de color.

Y en el foro celebrado en Amherst el 18 de julio para los candidatos del 3er Distrito del Condado de Hampshire (Amherst, Pelham y el Precinto 1 de Granby) no hubo ningún medio de comunicación Latinx entre los auspiciadores del evento.

Founded in 2004 n Volume 14, No. 9 n August 2018 Editor Manuel Frau Ramos manuelfrau@gmail.com 413-320-3826 Assistant Editor Ingrid Estrany-Frau Managing Editor Diosdado López

Art Director Tennessee Media Design Business Address El Sol Latino P.O Box 572 Amherst, MA 01004-0572

Editorial Policy El Sol Latino acepta colaboraciones tanto en español como en inglés.

Nos comprometemos a examinarlas, pero no necesariamente a publicarlas. Nos reservamos el derecho de editar los textos y hacer correcciones por razones de espacio y/o estilo. Las colaboraciones pueden ser enviadas a nuestra dirección postal o a través de correo electrónico a: info@elsollatino.net.

El Sol Latino welcomes submissions in either English or Spanish.

We consider and review all submissions but reserve the right to not publish them. We reserve the right to edit texts and make corrections for reasons of space and/or style. Submissions may be sent to our postal address or via electronic mail to: info@elsollatino.net.

El Sol Latino is published monthly by Coquí Media Group.

El Sol Latino es publicado mensualmente por Coquí Media Group, P.O Box 572, Amherst, MA 01004-0572.

Portada / Front Page

El Sol Latino August 2018

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Spotlight on… Brendaliz Cepeda by MANUEL FRAU RAMOS The Cepeda family is one of the most famous and legendary exponents of Afro-Puerto Rican folk music. They are widely recognized for their work in preserving the island’s African musical heritage. The Cepedas are considered to be one of the precursors of the Bomba and Plena musical genres. They have taken the Bomba and Plena rhythms from the Puerto Rican barrios to the international stage.

A new generation of Cepedas has taken the initiative to continue the family tradition of preserving and showcasing this rich musical heritage worldwide. One of the members of this new generation is Brendaliz Cepeda, granddaughter of Don Rafael Cepeda Atiles, patriarca of Bomba and Plena, and his wife, Doña Caridad Brenes.

Brendaliz was born on December 30, 1980 near the army base in Fort Hood, Texas where his father Roberto Cepeda was stationed. Brendaliz was born at home, with his father assisting his mother Carmen Cepeda. “My father was actually the one that pulled me out with his own hands.”

Brendaliz started dancing at the age of five. “My first time dancing in front of an audience I was going to school at PS30 and at that time my father was part of Los Pleneros de la 21. They had a performance at my school and my father had called me to dance. I danced and felt so good but later realized I did not put shorts under my skirt (lol). I started dancing more when I lived with my uncle during my teenage years. I helped make drums and paint them. I went with my uncle to his workshops and learned to dance more.”

She grew up in a few places: Fort Hood, Texas, Bronx, New York, and Puerto Rico. Brendaliz started high school at Escuela José M. Lázaro in Carolina, Puerto Rico, and finished high school at the Hostos-Lincoln Academy of Science in New York. Brendaliz moved to Massachusetts in 2001. Since her arrival, she performed Bomba and Plena in numerous artistic and cultural events – Salsarengue Restaurant in Holyoke, and the Bombazo: Bomba y Plena en el Parque at Veterans Park in Holyoke as well as visiting schools and community centers across the region.

Guayama artist y university professor Alvilda Sophia Anaya-Alegría was the master of ceremonies. She talked about the rich history of the Bomba and Plena in Puerto Rico, sharing historical facts as well as little known information about the development of this musical genre prior to introducing each of the artists.

El Sol Latino interviewed Brendaliz about “Por Mi Cultura Vivo Yo” at Center Stage.

Why did you decide to organize the Bomba and Plena concert at City Stage?

I wanted to give the community of the Pioneer Valley a taste of Puerto Rico traditional Folklore music. I wanted to show them why I love dancing and teaching Bomba y Plena. I wanted to give Puerto Ricans a sense of happiness to see their traditional music despite the sadness that is going on in Puerto Rico. I wanted to unite with all my Bomba y Plena brothers and sisters because it is important to show how we unite together.

What was your artistic and professional relationship with Petra Cepeda?

Petra Cepeda is my aunt. During my stay in Puerto Rico I would visit her with my uncle Jesus Cepeda. As I grew older I had lost communication with her. Once I started doing Bomba in Massachusetts we reconnected. Within our conversations Petra Cepeda always believed in me and told me to keep on going and don’t stop. She always fed me with history and her transition of learning Bomba herself.

Several people called my attention to the fact that you danced on the drum. Does this have any symbolism? Can you explain why you did it and/ or what it means?

Brendaliz Cepeda performing in “Por Mi Cultura Vivo Yo” (photo by MFR)

On July 14, 2018, Brendaliz produced and performed in “Por Mi Cultura Vivo Yo” at a high quality professional entertainment venue – CityStage - in Springfield, MA. This ground breaking musical event was dedicated to Petra Cepeda, Brendaliz’s aunt who recently passed away. The concert brought together many talented musicians and dancers of this musical genre Brendaliz Cepeda and her group Bomba de Aquí, recognized musician Saúl “El Pulpo” Peñaloza, Mujeres de la Bomba, Los Gigantes de La plena con Freddy Rivera, and Bomba de Aquí Kids. Zachary Torres, Maria Furlow, performer of Afro-Caribbean poetry Darwin Jerry Cruz, and tenor Charlie Berríos were some of the artists who also participated that evening.

Brendaliz Cepeda (photo by Gaddier Rosario)

continued on page 5

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El Sol Latino August 2018

¡YA ¡YAESTÁ ESTÁABIERTO! ABIERTO! John JohnP. P.Musante Musante Health HealthCenter Center

¡Llame ¡Llamehoy! hoy!

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Proveedores: Proveedores:

Cynthia Fox, DMD Cynthia Fox, DMD Especialización: Especialización: Odontología general Odontología general

Warren Warren Graham, Graham, DMD DMD Ambarish Ambarish Walvekar, Walvekar, BDSBDS Especialización: Especialización: Especialización: Especialización: Prostodoncia Prostodoncia y y Odontología Odontología general general Odontología Odontología general general

Servicios Servicios dede traducción traducción disponibles disponibles• •www.hchcweb.org www.hchcweb.org

Haga Hagasusucita citahoy. hoy.Para Paranuestras nuestrashoras horasdedeoperación, operación,llámenos. llámenos.

Hilltown Hilltown Community Community Health Health Center Center

John JohnP.P.Musante MusanteHealth HealthCenter Center Bangs BangsCommunity CommunityCenter Center 7070Boltwood BoltwoodWalk, Walk,Amherst, Amherst,MA MA01002 01002 413-835-4980 413-835-4980 jpmhc@hchcweb.org jpmhc@hchcweb.org

MUSANTE HC FP

Nicole Makris, Nicole Makris, FNPFNP Especialización: Especialización: Enfermera práctica Enfermera de de práctica avanzada familiar avanzada familiar

MUSANTE HC FP

Miranda Miranda Balkin, Balkin, MDMD Especialización: Especialización: Medicina Medicina familiar familiar

Portada / Front Page

El Sol Latino August 2018

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UConn Survey: Local Hurricane Evacuees Need Basic Necessities STORRS, CT | UCONN COMMUNICATION | July 17, 2018 -About 13,000 residents of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands who arrived in Connecticut in the aftermath of the hurricanes Maria and Irma continue to struggle with obtaining basic needs including adequate housing, food, medical care, and jobs, according to a survey by UConn researchers for the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

The vast majority of those who have come to Connecticut, over 70 percent, have extremely low incomes — under $30,000 — and their needs are adding a heavy responsibility on an already over-extended and resourcelimited Puerto Rican community in Connecticut, given the extreme levels of need that are present in the community, even before the storms.

About 1,300 people participated in the survey, which utilized online and in-person questionnaires in English and Spanish and field research, and was led by the University of Connecticut’s El Instituto: Institute for Latina/o Caribbean and Latin American Studies and with the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College.

Researchers sought to understand the long-term impact of displacement on Puerto Rican households in the Greater Hartford region.

They found that while some households surveyed relied on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for funding for basic needs, the majority of those affected relied on the Greater Hartford’s nonprofit organizations, school districts, and family members for support.

In Connecticut, relief has also been provided through a $4.4 million education and housing assistance for displaced residents, which was approved by the state’s General Assembly during the 2018 Legislative Session.

“The Hartford region has one of the highest concentrations of people of Puerto Rican origin outside Puerto Rico and last year’s hurricanes brought thousands more to the region, many of whom will likely stay,” said Scott Gaul, the Hartford Foundation’s director of Research and Evaluation. “The hurricanes were an unprecedented event, but we can anticipate similar crises will

happen again. The survey is one tool to help the Hartford region understand the needs of evacuees and the potential long-term impacts of displacement.”

Among this population: • More than half of those surveyed (56%) mentioned that it was very likely (36%) or somewhat likely (22%) that kin would relocate from the Caribbean to Connecticut, with most of those relatives and friends staying with respondents.

• Respondents expected displaced kin to remain in Connecticut into the medium and long terms. Nearly a third of respondents (32%) reported that kin would stay in Connecticut for a few months, and a quarter (26%) would remain for a few years.

• The most pressing need for respondents hosting displaced Puerto Ricans is lodging, with fully one-third of them indicating that housing was one the biggest needs they face.

• Nearly three-fifths of respondents indicated housing was displaced person’s first order need, followed by 16 percent who mentioned it in second order.

• Food was a first order need for one-fifth of survey respondents’ displaced friends and relatives and second order need for 35 percent.

• Respondents expect nearly 1,500 additional people to arrive from Puerto Rico in the wake of the hurricane.

• Respondents living in Hartford’s outer ring suburbs were relatively less likely (72%) to have kin in the Caribbean than those living in Hartford or its immediate suburbs.

“Survey respondents identify housing issues and insufficient food as the most critical needs they are facing in Connecticut, along with healthcare, in the after aftermath of the crisis,” said Charles R. Venator-Santiago, associate professor of political science at UConn. “These are needs not only of those who are in the state already, but of those who are very likely to arrive in the short term.”

Results from the survey will help inform long-term planning and action by funders, nonprofits, municipalities and schools. The Foundation will work with community organizations and leaders in the region to disseminate and act on survey results.

The Hartford Foundation recently awarded $230,000 in grants from its Respond-Rebuild-Renew Fund to provide support services to residents impacted by relocation from the Caribbean and other disaster areas.

Spotlight on… Brendaliz Cepeda continued from page 3 I need to start with how much I love and respect my father. The first time that my father went on the drum I was present. I saw him look at my Uncle Jesus and he gave him a look that he was about to do something new...He went on the drum and my uncle was just there with him following his pace.

I went on the drum honoring my father, his hard work that he has done for years and years. I also went on the drum opening my doors for the seeds I will be leaving for my continuing works which I won’t stop.

My next project is teaching in schools and colleges about the history of Bomba y Plena. This includes drumming and dancing. I will be performing with my two groups: Bomba de Aqui and Las Mujeres de Bomba. Continue providing yearly performances and Bombazo. My real special project will come out in two years....

In the last two decades other members of the iconic Cepeda family have performed in Western Massachusetts. On October 2000, Jesús Cepeda y Mario Cepeda, both uncles de Brendaliz, performed at Amherst College and at University of Massachusetts – Amherst as part of the cultural events of the conference of the Puerto Rican Studies Association. In December 2013, William Cepeda, Brendaliz’s uncle, performed at the Holyoke City Hall Auditorium during the event Roulé Candela on the Main Street: AfroCaribbean and Carols Concert organized by The Puerto Rican Cultural Project and the Holyoke Public Library.

Saúl “ El Pulpo “ Peñaloza (picture by Gaddier Rosario)

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Portada / Front Page

El Sol Latino August 2018

Government of Puerto Rico Did Not Follow Federal Guidelines to Certify Post-María Deaths

by DAMARIS SUÁREZ | Centro de Periodismo Investigativo

2017,” said a spokesperson of the agency.

This article originally appeared on periodismoinvestigativo.com | July 10, 2018

The Epidemiological Disaster Mortality Surveillance form V1.1 is part of the second document the CDC sent, Reference Guide for the Certification of Deaths Related to Disasters, though one may have to navigate among several links to find it. As for the Toolbox, it also has additional forms, among them, the one for hurricane disasters, on page 25.

The government of Puerto Rico did not follow guidelines from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta to fill out death certificates after Hurricane María, which suggests attaching a special form to link the death to a natural disaster. The Center for Investigative Journalism (CPI, for its initials in Spanish) discovered that the federal agency waited 36 days after the hurricane to send the documents, which include the special form, to the Puerto Rico Health Department and the Demographic Registry.

“The correct protocol and laws where used,” insisted Héctor Pesquera, Secretary of Public Security, in November, after questions arose about the official numbers of deaths related to the emergency.

The CDC did not want to answer to which specific official they sent these documents to nor the precise day. “Contact the officials in the Puerto Rico Health department to find out if they used these resources. The CDC develops tools for disaster surveillance that states and territories can find to be useful after a disaster. The states or the territories can adapt those resources, as necessary, or chose not to use them,” said the CDC spokesperson.

The government sent an e-mail

The CPI revealed a few weeks ago that the government also didn’t instruct doctors or hospitals about the classification of a victim of a cataclysmic storm or X37, which is part of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, established by the World Health Organization.

At that time, when asked about the lack of a clear protocol for accounting deaths, Gov. Ricardo Rosselló told BuzzFeed News: “It’s ok [the protocol], that is not the case. There are clear criteria.” He added that the officials had been “working on that and they have been meeting with hospitals, crematoriums, Forensics Sciences and they have already distributed the protocol.”

However, the CDC guidelines suggest that each standard death certificate have an attached form titled Epidemiological Disaster Mortality Surveillance.

That enclosure is identified as form VI.I and the CDC instructs that it be filled out for all disaster-related deaths, which include hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, earthquakes, heat waves, technological disaster, terrorism and others.

In Puerto Rico, the government did not use the form identified by the CPI. The form allows entering information about the specific circumstances of the death, details of who recovered the body, if the cause of death has been confirmed or not, and whether the death is directly, indirectly, possibly or indeterminately related to the disaster. It also includes structural collapse, electrocution, drowning, a fall or intoxication, among the specific causes of the death.

Although the government has insisted that the protocol it followed during and after the hurricane was the CDC’s, the fact that it did not use this V1.1 form raises the question of whether officials knew the process that they should have followed and if that would have permitted to clearly establish which deaths were due to causes related to the emergency.

A week ago, in an interview with Latino Rebels in Aspen, Colorado the governor changed his response to the question of the effectiveness of the protocols. “We recognize that the protocols we had at the onset were not the best or not good,” he said.

What the CDC says

Despite the existence of the Epidemiological Surveillance of Mortality Related to Disaster and the X37 classification to link a death to a catastrophic event, as was Hurricane María and its aftermath, the government of Puerto Rico never established an emergency protocol that would use any of these tools.

Dr. Eda Rodriguez, forensic pathologist of the Institute of Forensic Sciences (IFS) and ex-director of said government agency, confirmed two weeks ago to the CPI that neither the IFS nor the Health Department instructed forensic pathologists regarding the circumstances of the deaths related to the disaster and that a special protocol to link those deaths to the disaster does not exist.

At the closing of this edition, the Department of Health has not explained why this form, established more than 10 years ago by the CDC, was not used. When asked if the agency used the V1.1 form, its Press office sent written statements of the Director of the Demographic Registry, Wanda Llovet, who said “on October 24th, 2018, the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) sent an email message to all jurisdictions, announcing the publication of the reference guide for the certification of deaths related to natural events caused by humans, chemicals or radiation.”

These statements coincide with those of the CDC, though these are more precise regarding the date when the documentation was received. But that doesn’t answer the CPI’s question of why this form wasn’t used.

This, added to declarations made by doctors and hospitals we interviewed, confirms that the government of Puerto Rico never shared the Toolbox for investigation of the scene of the death and the Reference Guide for the Certification of Deaths Related to Disasters nor the Reference Guide for the Certification of Deaths Related to Disasters sent by the CDC on Oct. 24.

What the government did share via email was another document sent by the NCHS assigned to the CDC, early in October, with general instructions on documenting hurricane-related death certificates.

The CDC assured the CPI that they shared with Puerto Rico’s Department of Health the orientation documents and mortality resources related to disasters to help identify the deaths linked to hurricanes; and this was confirmed in writing by the Health Secretary.

The document has a mere three specific sentences about how to fill out death certificates and isolated examples of the certificates. Those certificates bear no relation to the Mortality Surveillance form V1.1 nor to the guide, as the CPI confirmed.

Specifically, the CDC shared the Toolbox for investigation the scene of the death and the Reference Guide for the Certification of Deaths Related to Disasters, said the federal agency in written statements. Both documents are only available in English, it confirmed.

Llovet had sent CPI a copy of this Oct. 2 email which was sent to the Association of Funeral Home Owners, the Hospitals Association and the IFS with “information related with the completion of causes of deaths (CDC) associated with Hurricane María.” Though Llovet provided copy of the electronic message, the Executive President of the Puerto Rico Hospitals Association, Jaime Plá, told the CPI that he never received the email.

“In October 2017 the CDC shared the mortality resources related to disasters, which include the Disaster Mortality Surveillance active form and with the Puerto Rico Office of the Demographic Registry in December

continued on page 7

Portada / Front Page

El Sol Latino August 2018

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Government of Puerto Rico Did Not Follow Federal Guidelines… continued from previous page Due to the lack of forensic pathologists in the IFS, during the emergency, doctors in clinics and hospitals were forced to complete death certificates that the IFS would ordinarily handle. Neither did they received instructions from the government on how to fill out the causes of death linked to circumstances related to the hurricane. Neither were they informed that they had to attach the form, as Víctor Ramos, president of the College of Surgeons confirmed to the CPI. - Weren’t you given additional instructions on how to fill out this V1.1 form?, The CPI asked.

- “No.” Ramos responded.

- Did the government include this attachment, which exists since 2007 in the CDC protocol for death by disasters?

- “Not at all,” the doctor answered.

- Should the government have instructed doctors about this document so it could have been attached to each death certificate, as protocol dictates?

- “Yes, they should have, given that they knew we didn’t have this document,” Ramos insisted.

The doctor said that during the emergency he had no knowledge of the existence of the form. It wasn’t until the beginning of this year, when the public issue arose about this subject that he learned about the CDC protocol which includes the form, after he had a conversation with the ex-director of the IFS, María Conte.

10 months later, the Demographic Registry amends its manual

The section of the certification regarding the cause of death in the DR amended manual has two parts. The first one is to report immediate causes and conditions before death. The second part is for informing all the other diseases, injuries and physical or external conditions that could have contributed to a person’s death. It is here that it is requested to include if the death happened due to an atmospheric event.

For Ramos, it is not specific in its instructions because it doesn’t address the principal issue of how a doctor will link the death to an atmospheric event, which was the problem after Hurricane María.

The document is too general, according to Ramos, because, contrary to the CDC guideline on how to fill-out death certificates, this one doesn’t go into details and examples on how the death certificates must be filled-out.

Ramos stated that the CDC document has about 30 pages alone on how to fill out the sub-section of the primary cause of death.

“I think the document needs to be worked on further, to make it clearer and more specific. If we are going to keep doing this, something which we don’t ordinarily do, we need to know how to do it,” insisted Ramos.

The Centro de Periodismo Investigativo (CPI) is a non-profit entity created in 2007 by journalist Omaya Sosa Pascual, former president of the Overseas Press Club, and journalist and lawyer Oscar J. Serrano, former president of the Association of Journalists of Puerto Rico. Its mission is to promote access to information for the people of Puerto Rico through three channels: investigative journalism, litigation and journalistic training. It was the first non-profit group wholly dedicated to investigative journalism in the Caribbean. CPI’s stories have appeared throughout several global outlets and the group is considered one of the Puerto Rico’s most trusted journalistic organizations.

LAS CLASES COMIENZAN EL 4 DE SEPTIEMBRE

Last Saturday, June 23, Alba Calderón, Director of the Demographic Registry’s Legal Division, held a conference with the College of Physicians’ steering committee to advise them of the different death certificates and to hand them the Amended Manual for Doctors and Hospitals, which establishes a procedure to fill out death certificates. The Amended Manual makes no reference to the Epidemiological Disaster Mortality Surveillance V1.1 form.

result in the basic cause of death. State if it was because of an atmospheric event and/or events unrelated to the basic cause of death,” it says.

“They gave us this amended manual with its instructions. Honestly, I have never seen the original,” Ramos said.

According to the President of the College of Physicians, the document is very general, and is “not too informative” regarding the instructions on how to fill out the death certificates in case of atmospheric events. The CPI reviewed the document and it barely mentions once, in a phrase, the concept of “atmospheric phenomenon.”

“Make note of all the basic and/or external conditions that contributed to the death but that were not reported in the chain of events in Part 1, which did not

EN LÍNEA Y EN EL CAMPUS

¡MATRICÚLATE AHORA! HCC.EDU

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El Sol Latino August 2018

Dr. Jorge Haddock Acevedo Nuevo Presidente Home City Development, Inc. Receives de la Universidad de Puerto Rico Funds for Youth Programs RÍO PIEDRAS, PR | UNIVERSIDAD DE PUERTO RICO | 5 de julio de 2018 - Junta de Gobierno de la Universidad de Puerto Rico. El doctor en ingeniería, Jorge Haddock Acevedo, fue electo unánimemente presidente de la Universidad de Puerto Rico (UPR) por Junta de Gobierno de la institución, durante una reunión celebrada el 3 de julio de 2018.

SPRINGFIELD, MA | HCDI | July 16, 2018 - HCDI/ AM City Development, Inc. (HCDI), a multi-service, nonprofit housing organization based in Springfield, was recently awarded three grants totaling $149,912 to support early literacy, youth leadership development and employment, community engagement and gardening efforts, and a food security and health initiative.

El ex decano y profesor de la Escuela de Administración de la Universidad de Massachusetts en Boston, comenzará sus funciones en el mes de septiembre.

The Funder Collaborative for Reading Success awarded HCDI $64,000 to support the Full Circle Family & Early Literacy Initiative in an 18-month early literacy program geared to families residing in three Springfield affordable housing developments. The Full Circle project focuses on enhancing the literacy of younger children and families at HCDI properties in Mason Square and the Bay neighborhoods of Springfield.

“Acepto la designación a la presidencia de la Universidad de Puerto Rico (UPR) como uno de los honores más grandes que puede ser otorgado a un ser humano. Como graduado y ex profesor del Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez de la UPR y catedrático tradicional que soy, me llena de orgullo y emoción tener la oportunidad de aportar a la universidad y a Puerto Rico la experiencia que he podido adquirir por más de cuatro décadas en otras universidades e instituciones a través del mundo. Considero que todos esos caminos y experiencias me dieron la preparación perfecta para este momento histórico en la UPR,” fueron las primeras declaraciones del Dr. Haddock Acevedo.

El electo presidente, natural de Caguas, Puerto Rico, completó un bachillerato en ingeniería civil en el El Presidente de la Junta de Gobierno, Lcdo. Walter Alomar Recinto Universitario de Jiménez, el nuevo Presidente de la UPR Jorge Haddock Mayagüez de la UPR. Acevedo y la licenciada Zoraida Buxó, miembro de la Obtuvo una maestría en Junta de Directores de la UPR. (foto suministrada UPR). ingeniería gerencial de Rensselaer y un doctorado en ingeniería industrial de la Universidad de Purdue. Éste manifestó que siempre quiso regresar a Puerto Rico. “Siempre quise regresar a mi isla. No hubiera aceptado este reto y responsabilidad en ninguna otra institución. Pero ahora se trata de mi alma mater y de mi pueblo, de mi gente,” destacó el presidente durante una conferencia de prensa realizada tras conocerse la decisión de la Junta.

Haddock Acevedo fue decano de la Escuela de Negocios Robins de la Universidad de Richmond, así como de la Escuela de Administración de George Mason en Virginia. Bajo su liderato, se expandieron los programas académicos y se creó un programa de maestría en línea. Además, dirigió esfuerzos para lograr la recaudación de más de 15 millones en dos instituciones en las que laboró. Posee más de 100 publicaciones y manuscritos, y es autor del libro Creating Global Business Leaders: Business Education at The Intersection of Innovation, Technology, and Globalization. En el año 2013 recibió el premio Minority Business Leader del Washington Business Journal.

Haddock Acevedo destacó sus prioridades: “Continuar el ascenso en la reputación y el prestigio de la UPR a nivel global como una de las instituciones de calidad e impacto en la enseñanza, investigación y servicio a la comunidad; alinear y crear programas académicos consistentes con las necesidades e intereses del pueblo; y restablecer la responsabilidad y sostenibilidad económica y social a través de sistemas eficientes, reducciones burocráticas y nuevos ingresos.”

Activities will include Reading Alive, a bilingual story-based music and drama performance series for the community; Family Read Aloud Workshops facilitated in Spanish and English; Teen Literacy Leaders’ Workshop Series where up to 12 teens will be trained in enhancing literacy skills of children through expressive reading skills; and From Page to Stage - Reader’s Theater which offers literacy focused art programming to children ages 3-8.

Liberty Hill Townhouse residents working on an “Instant Mural” project, in conjunction with Enchanted Circle artist Gabriella Micchia ,as part of the Neighborhood Engagement Learning Lab.

Mass Housing awarded $49, 912 to HCDI to support Youth Leadership Development and Employment opportunities for 16 young people. These youth will spend the summer and early fall working with younger children to develop literacy skills, and with residents of all ages to design and nurture community gardens. They will also receive training in computer coding, sustainable agriculture, and arts integration for literacy development. This is the 6th year that MA Housing Community Services Department has supported Home City Development in its’ efforts to develop the employment skills of youth.

United Way of Pioneer Valley has awarded HCDI $36,000 over two years to support the Home City Food Pantry that provides healthy emergency food to families in need. This is the second year that United Way of Pioneer Valley has supported HCDI in its effort to alleviate food scarcity.

Tom Kegelman, the Executive Director of Home City Development, Inc. commented, “We are very grateful to those who provide the funds we need to run effective programs like these. But it is the spirit and determination of our families that truly inspire our work.”

Home City Development, Inc, whose properties are managed by Housing Management Resources, Inc., collaborates with numerous partners to offer their residents more than safe, decent and affordable housing.

HCDI and its community collaborators team up to create opportunities for children, teens and families that support their quest to establish and reach their goals, while engaging in creating positive change in their own community.

Young people enjoy reading in the “reading room” at Liberty HillTownhouses.

Opinión / Opinion Sanctuary by MIGUEL ARCE and WALTER MULLIN Except for native Americans, the United States is a country made up of people who immigrated here. Over the course of the history of the United States, masses of immigrants have come to this country because of political oppression and the draw of opportunities to “live the good life”.

Americans tend to be proud of their ancestors who risked moving to the land of opportunity. One’s own family story becomes embedded in each individual person’s identity. Frequently, families speak about the significant contributions their immigrant relatives have made toward making the United States a strong country. This is as true in 2018 as it was in any year in the past. Just as in the past, immigrants still come to the United States looking for same opportunities and make the same contributions, often performing demanding work. This is an American story and shared cultural experience.

For that reason, we are all called to actively respond to the current immigration crisis with humanitarian values and to ensure that no person is treated unjustly because of his or her immigration status. All human beings, regardless of immigration status, need respect and justice.

El Sol Latino August 2018

9

US/Mexico border to assist in detaining illegal immigrants who cross into the United States. Massachusetts is one of five states, which will not be sending National Guard troops to the border.

Various cities in the United States have identified themselves as “sanctuary cities”. President Trump responded to this by insisting that these cities be punished. But, what is a sanctuary city? There is no single definition for a sanctuary city. The board term “sanctuary city” refers to jurisdictions that have decided to limit cooperation or involvement with federal enforcement on immigration. The federal government relies heavily on local law enforcement to identify and detain immigrants. Sanctuary cities protect both legal and illegal immigrants from being prosecuted solely because they are not documented. In 2015, more than 200 state and local jurisdictions that identified themselves as sanctuary cities. In response, the Department of Justice had threatened to withhold police related grants if local entities refuse to cooperate with authorities. Federal Judge Michael Baylson, however, found that federal grants cannot be withheld for this reason.

The courts have blocked the President’s executive orders not to release of federal funds.

Who are asylum seekers? Most current asylum seekers crossing the United States and Mexico border in the last several months are families coming from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. They are Central Americans who have traveled through Mexico, making a journey that is long and dangerous. They are subjected to extortion, rape, and violence by smugglers and other criminals. They are crossing the southern border, often to seek asylum from gang violence that is out of control in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.

Dr. Walter Mullin and Miguel Arce

Recently, the national political discourse has more openly moved to disparage immigrants. President Obama chose to offer hope to both legal and illegal immigrant families of a political solution that would treat immigrants justly. President Trump, however, mentions immigrants who commit crimes as justification for restricting immigrations and seeks narrowminded political answers. Comprehensive policy is eluding Congress. There are opposing and rival opinions on how to proceed. The debates about immigration, which consider economic and humanitarian disputes, are currently taking place not only in the halls of the Congress but in the White House and local communities. President Trump, even before his election, had pledged to control and restrict immigration. He made the issue a central part of his campaign and the early part of his presidency.

Conservative republicans, “border hawks”, think Central American migrants are taking advantage of the asylum system. They are certain that the asylum seekers are being coached to tell government officials that they have a “credible fear of crime and persecution in their country of origin.

Accordingly, President Trump administration officials have tried to push an agenda to make it easier for authorities to deny “credible fear” claims and prosecute asylum seekers. According to the Washington Post (June 13, 2018) “Trump administration officials have, in recent weeks, adopted a carrot-and-stick approach to asylum applicants. They have told those who cross the border illegally and make asylum requests that they will face criminal prosecution, but that if they go through the official border crossings, their applications will be processed”.

Asylum is a legal status that can be granted to people who are at risk of harm in their home countries because of their religion, political opinion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity, if the governments in their home countries will not protect them. People from across the world seek asylum in the United States. The process for seeking asylum is complicated and an asylum-seeker is more likely to be granted this form of protection if he or she is represented by a lawyer who understands the system. Generally speaking, the poor Central American asylum seeker who needs help is not able to afford high-quality legal representation. Asylum seekers have been made subject to an increasing array of restrictions on basic rights.

Since taking office, President Trump has signed various executive orders regarding immigration including: building a physical wall (which would be 1,900 miles long); banning immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries; ending temporary protected status of illegal immigrant’s children born in the United States and restricting federal funds for sanctuary jurisdictions. Recently, the country has become aware of immigration policies that have separated children from their parents at the border and have placed these children in facilities akin to warehouses. This is a policy that traumatizes children and most Americans find it abhorrent.

Clearly, the debate continues. However, the nation has a moral compass.

Moral dilemmas dissolve when Americans return to humanitarian values of treating everyone justly. The United States of America is a nation of immigrants. From time to time there is confusion in understanding good from evil. However, there have been and are leaders who make the answer appear obvious. “Our attitude towards immigration reflects our faith in the American ideal. We have always believed it possible for men and women who start at the bottom to rise as far as the talent and energy allow. Neither race nor place of birth should affect their chances” (Robert F. Kennedy).

There are state and local officials who find the Trump administration polices to be inhumane. A number of states and local communities have chosen to limit cooperation with federal authorities. For example, the federal government has asked state governors to send National Guard troops to the

This guest opinion is one in a series on living in poverty. Dr. Walter Mullin (wmullin@ springfieldcollege.edu), Professor of Social Work and Miguel Arce (marce@springfieldcollege. edu), Associate Professor of Social Work at Springfield College.

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Opinión / Opinion

El Sol Latino August 2018

America is in the middle of a battle over the meaning of words like ‘diversity’

by JENNIFER MERCIECA Associate Professor of Communication, Texas A&M University This article was originally published in The Conversation | July 23, 2018 You might think that the culture war over race and immigration primarily transpires in dramatic events, like the woman who climbed the Statue of Liberty to protest Trump’s child detention policy or the events in Charlottesville last summer.

But it also exists in the banal and everyday ways that we communicate.

It involves battles over the dominant meaning of words, and how we use those words to describe our values and construct our policies. For example, on July 19, House Speaker Paul Ryan urged conservatives to engage in a rhetorical battle over what he called the “hijacking” of traditional conservative terms like “Western civilization” by the alt-right.

Ryan asked conservatives to notice that a key term that they take for granted as universally understood had recently become contested. In a 2009 speech Ryan explained that “Western civilization” was “rooted in reason and faith”; it was a tradition that “affirms the high dignity, rights, and obligations of the individual human person.” Now Ryan fears that it is being construed to mean “white identity politics,” which is more like “racism” and “nationalism.”

Because we’re so immersed in our own culture and social networks, these rhetorical battles can be easy to miss; you have to look at them from the outside, which is a tricky thing to do.

One way to take a peek inside a culture’s discourse is to examine what rhetorical scholars like me call a culture’s “enthymemes,” which we can think of as the ways that words, phrases and ideas are understood in a particular community.

Enthymemes serve as common ground

In the fourth century BCE, Aristotle coined the term “enthymeme” to explain how different words and arguments resonate in one community but not in others. Technically, an enthymeme is a “rhetorical syllogism” – an argument made with a premise that’s assumed or taken for granted, and so goes unsaid.

For example, when you hear someone say, “the states,” you know they’re referring to the United States of America. They don’t need to actually say it.

More confusing is when people say “the city” because depending on where you are, “the city” could be San Francisco or Chicago. The difference between how we understand “the states” and “the city” is the difference between a commonly shared enthymeme and one that’s specific to a region.

I learned that white nationalists believe that racism is normal and that everyone else is a racist too. They are avowedly pro-white and believe that “diversity” is the dominant American culture’s code for a systematic program of promoting what they call “white genocide.” According to white nationalists, a conspiracy exists to exterminate white people “via mass immigration into white countries which was enabled by a corrosive liberal ideology of white self-hatred, and that the Jews are at the center of this agenda.”

With that basic understanding in mind, let’s turn to a seemingly innocuous July 4th tweet from former President Bill Clinton celebrating the nation’s diversity.

Many of the responses to Clinton’s tweet understood his comment as a celebration of fundamental American values. Americans might disagree about how much diversity is best, but it has been generally understood that America is a “melting pot” and that diversity has made the nation stronger.

But not everyone accepted Clinton’s enthymemes.

If you believe that there is a conspiracy in the dominant culture to exterminate white people through immigration, you would read Clinton’s greeting claiming that the result of “diversity” is “deeper strength” as a call to unite all non-white people in the conspiracy of white genocide. You would read Clinton’s celebration of “we the people” as “us versus them.”

For example, one respondent decoded Clinton’s tweet from the white nationalist perspective, noting that “diversity” is “anti-White, anti-America, anti-While [sic] male.”

Another respondent rejected Clinton’s enthymeme, arguing that calls for diversity are calls for the eradication of white people: Imagine attempting to have a productive conversation about issues of race or diversity with someone who holds completely different enthymemes from you.

When one side understands “diversity” as America’s strength and another side understands “diversity” as a conspiracy to exterminate white people, there is little common ground to discuss policies such as building a border wall, affirmative action, or whether to abolish ICE. Without shared enthymemes, problem solving is almost impossible.

Beyond white nationalism

If you want to persuade a group of people, then you need to understand what they understand, see the world the way that they do and use the words that they use to describe objects and ideas. Otherwise, you’ll just talk past them.

While white nationalist beliefs and rhetoric represent an extreme version of how different groups understand “diversity,” it’s possible to see how the meaning of the word is contested in attacks on university diversity initiatives.

To one group, diversity initiatives mean allowing unqualified people to get an easy pass. To another, it fulfills an educational ideal of bringing people of different backgrounds and circumstances together. These different understandings make it that much harder to have a real debate.

As Aristotle pointed out, what was persuasive in Athens might not be persuasive in Sparta. He thought that we could be most persuasive when we argue using commonly understood enthymemes and examples.

One way to describe this cultural moment is that we’re in the middle of a battle to control the nation’s culturally dominant enthymemes – the ways that we communicate our understanding of our nation and its ideals.

Decoding one American enthymeme: diversity

It’s productive for cultures and subcultures to have open disagreements about facts, words and values – otherwise, dominant ways of thinking about the world may become calcified and suffocate progress. Think about where we’d be today if no one had ever questioned the once dominant enthymeme of “citizen” that denied women or African-Americans the ability to vote.

It can be difficult to see how enthymemes operate in a culture when you’re on the inside. It can help to look at how your culture is perceived by an outsider.

As part of my research for a book that I’m completing about the 2016 election, I’ve spent the past few months reading the message boards and websites of white nationalists, a group that exists on the fringes of American culture. It’s been fascinating to learn the white nationalists’ enthymemes and to see how they understand discourse about race.

I perused the now-banned white nationalist website Daily Stormer and read content like neo-Nazi Andrew Anglin’s article “A Normie’s Guide to the Alt-Right.”

Yet nations need to share enthymemes to function. Without a mutually shared understanding of facts, words and values, a culture cannot endure.

It’s possible that at this moment in history there is little that we all understand in the same way, with the same emotional intensity.

We see more rhetorical battles over the meanings of key terms during moments of transition and upheaval. The instability in our understanding of the meaning of “diversity” reflects the nation’s actual instability.

Arte / Art

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El Sol Latino August 2018

Museo Casa Cautiño-Insúa Exhibit at South Hadley Public Library Traveling Art Installation: Museo Casa Cautiño-Insúa: Romance, Architecture and Economy • Artist Lecture and Reception: Saturday, August 4, 2018 from 10:00 to 12 noon • Installation Ending: Saturday, Aug 18, 2018 at noon • Contact Person: Alvilda Sophia Anaya-Alegría (857) 261-3627 The South Hadley Public Library and the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña invites you to witness a Museographic Art Installation Exhibit, titled: Museo Casa Cautiño-Insúa: Romance, Architecture & Economy. You will be transported into an architectural, artistic and historical journey through the town square of a city called Guayama in Puerto Rico. This installation is curated by Economist and Art Professor Alvilda Sophia Anaya-Alegría, and historian Anibal Ernesto Rodríguez-Ayala.

to teach Springfield School Teachers, Public Art and Puerto Rican Muralist History, co-sponsored by the Federal Department of Education. The Institute of Puerto Rican Culture has honored her as their ambassador to bring this art installation to the United States as “something never been seen, nor done in the U.S. before.”

Support for this exhibition was provided by The Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, The Municipality of Guayama, Puerto Rico, the Senate of Puerto Rico, and El Sol Latino newspaper. In addition, a team of 16 individuals from Guayama joined Anaya-Alegria in making this a successful traveling installation.

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Alvilda Sophia Anaya-Alegría

Patrons will be able to walk into the center of la plaza de Guayama, overseen by a neo-classical, 19th century Roman Catholic Church, compared to the Notre Dame Church in France. On its right side, you will get the opportunity to see in full view ( 5’ x 10’) the 19th century jewel, mansion of Museum Casa Cautiño-Insúa. Its interior showcases photographs mounted on foam core panel boards (sized to “24 x 30” and 16” x 20”.)

At the center stage of this installation is “Hermandad Guayamesa” (charcoal and acrylic on canvas, 30” x 40”.) This work of art painted by Professor Anaya-Alegria represents the spiritual resilience of women behind her work: “Guayama is the place where you return when you are lost or devastated and your earth has been shattered because of a storm or your inner nature; it’s the place where you go to be quiet, to remember what you have lost and be able to come to the other side with all your treasures in hand and your spirit whole.”

Anaya-Alegria is the winner of an international juried award for her mural “Dulce Sueño Regresa a su Plaza” which was showcased at the Fine Arts Center, University Gallery, in UMASS Amherst. She has curated many art shows and has been the recipient of many art awards and grants in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Among them are several from the Springfield Cultural Council and the Massachusetts Cultural Council Arts Fellowships Program

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Educación / Education

El Sol Latino August 2018

STCC Celebrates Adult Learners Who Earned High School Equivalency Credentials SPRINGFIELD, MA. | SPRINGFIELD COMMUNITY TECHNICAL COLLEGE | July 3, 2018 - Wearing a black cap and gown, Chekeena Rivera smiled as she clutched the certificate signifying her accomplishment.

with good jobs all around looking for your talents.”

At 27, she had earned her high school equivalency credentials. Rivera, a Springfield resident, felt good about the future after passing her high school equivalency test, which is called the HiSET.

“Please note this wonderful institution will continue to be there for you,” Cook said.

“It feels so amazing,” Rivera said at the 2018 HiSET Celebration honoring nearly 40 graduates who took classes at the Springfield Adult Learning Center at Springfield Technical Community College.

Rivera is now seeking her associate degree from STCC and hopes to transfer to a four-year university or college and continue her education. She dreams of one day owning her own business.

“I wanted this for my son,” Rivera said. “I want to eventually have that house with the picket fence, so I went back to school.”

Noting that many employers are looking for candidates with college credits, Cook encouraged the HiSET graduates to consider taking courses at STCC.

The college offers about 100 different programs, has childcare on campus and gives area residents an affordable opportunity to earn a degree or certificate, he said.

The graduates heard several success stories during the ceremony. Student speaker Elizabeth Rivera of Springfield graduated last year and then enrolled in the medical coding and billing program at STCC. “This past spring, I made it to the dean’s list and was invited to join the honors program,” she told the graduates, referring to the list that recognizes excellence in academic performance.

STCC President John B. Cook, faculty and staff offered encouragement and congratulations at the June 26 ceremony, which was packed with friends and family of graduates.

Cook urged them to consider the value of an education at STCC. “As you move forward, think about what motivated you to be here tonight, and how you keep going with that in mind,” Cook said. “As you look around, please know you are needed. There are employers

Chekeena Rivera holds her certificate of completion during the 2018 HiSET celebration.

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Tanya Rubins, a Springfield Adult Learning Center Adult Learning Center/Adult Basic Education instructor, speaks to students.

Graduates also heard that failure can lead to success. José Lopez-Figueroa holds a master’s degree and is now director of the Center for Access Services at STCC, but said he “barely graduated from high school.”

“With my grades, I wasn’t even thinking about college,” López-Figueroa said.

After going to a college fair, he decided to enroll at a four-year school. He struggled with his academics, even failing courses. But with help from TRIO

student support services, he obtained his bachelor’s and then his master’s degree.

“Success is nothing without failure,” he said. “I like failure, because it opens up the opportunity for learning.”

Thomas Hegarty, an adult basic education instructor for the learning center, quit school at 16. “I believe I knew everything worth knowing,” he told graduates.

“Over 25 years, I’ve been through a whole lot of dirty jobs, dangerous jobs, low-paying jobs and I felt maybe I should do something about this,” Hegarty said.

After receiving his high school equivalency credentials, he took courses at STCC. One day, he finished a math test and felt elated knowing he did well. Today, he teaches math and science at the adult learning center.

“I would encourage anyone who thinks there’s any chance at all that they might get something out of even one course at college to give it a try,” Hegarty said. “You’re going to be amazed. It’s such a wonderful, beautiful experience.”

Libros / Books

El Sol Latino August 2018

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Peregrinos by SOFÍA SEGOVIA | Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial: Abril 2018 | 637 páginas ¡Wow! Al principio me sentí abrumada al coger en la mano, Peregrinos, la última novela de la mexicana Sofía Segovia. ¡637 páginas! Al principio, creí que ya había leído y estudiado bastantes novelas e historias sobre la segunda guerra mundial.

Me equivoqué dos veces.

La novela me captó desde el principio. Cada día en cualquier momento libre me escapé a un sitio quieto para leer más. Y nunca antes había leído algo escrito desde el punto de vista de ordinarias familias alemanes y prusianas. ¿Ordinarias?

Pues como que nadie es ordinario, Segovia me atrajo de inmediato por sus personajes. Sigue la historia de dos familias traumatizadas por la guerra, los Hahlbrock y los Schipper, que no se conocen al principio pero son destinadas a unirse hacia el final de la novela.

Peregrinos empieza en una Alemania rota y humillada después de la primera guerra mundial, una Alemania rota física, económica, y espiritualmente. Sin embargo, hay esperanzas. Surgen estas esperanzas en el personaje de su nuevo y carismático líder: Adolfo Hítler.

Y surgen las esperanzas en la familia de Hartwig y Wanda Hahlbrock al nacer una hija, Ilse, que será hermana menor de Irmgard y Freddy, y hermana mayor de Edeline y Helmut. Sus padres “habían sobrevivido la ruina y la tragedia. Ahora lo único que deseaban, después de tanto sufrimiento, ya con esperanza, era ver a sus queridas hijas crecer felices, sin hambre y con paz. Y creían que con el Führer eso por fin era posible.”

Mientras tanto, Arno Schipper, de tres años y llevando botas de cuarta mano, visita Königsberg acompañado por sus padres Ethel y Karl. Sus hermanos mayores Fritz y Johann idolatran a Hitler y van todos los días al Deutsches Jungvolk. Pero “Les parecía eterno el tiempo que les llevaría pasar al Hitlerjugend y luego tener edad suficiente para ir a la guerra.”

Ya sabemos nosotros, los lectores, que el optimismo de los jóvenes protagonistas y sus familias en cuanto a Adolfo Hítler se les va a evaporar en un inminente futuro bastante escalofriante.

Del este y del noreste vienen los rusos, quemando y destruyendo todo en su marcha. Y el ejército alemán se fragmenta y muchos soldados huyen. Pero no todos: “Hahlbrock todavía no aceptaba del todo, como ya habían hecho los soldados, que su patria estaba kaput.”

La familia de Ilse, la de Arno, y las de muchas otras prusianas dejan sus casas y también huyen hacia Alemania ante el avance de los enemigos.

Wanda dice que “Somos refugiados en nuestro país.” A veces pasan por las andrajosas tropas alemanes; los soldados famélicos piden comida y saquean las casas abandonadas buscando qué comer y con qué calentarse durante uno de los inviernos más brutales que la historia marca.

Gran parte de la novela se dedica a la huida de los Hahlbrock y la de los Schipper. Miembros de las dos familias se separan, se pierden, y el lector se pregunta ¿en dónde están? ¿qué les ha pasado?

Autora Sofía Segovia basa su novela en la verdadera historia del éxodo del pueblo prusiano durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Aunque los Hahlbrock y los Schipper son personajes ficticios, lo que sufren ellos se basa en la realidad de aquella época de guerra. Y estos personajes saltan de la página en todas sus tres dimensiones. Son buena gente, de buen carácter, cuyo valor admiramos a la vez que lo sentimos sabiendo lo que les va a enfrentar.

Cuando Hartwig sale para unirse al ejército alemán, le dice a su esposa, “Wanda…soy hombre. Soy alemán. No puedo rehuir a mis obligaciones como un cobarde….Hartwig Hahlbrock no era desertor de nada ni de nadie.”

Sentimos lo que sienten los protagonistas: la feroz determinación de las madres para que sus hijos sobrevivan; la ferocidad del tiempo que con su

frío les quita dedos de la mano y del pie, y aun la vida entera; la ferocidad de la constante nieve que borra el camino y dificulta el caminar; la ferocidad del invierno porque a los soldados alemanes, quienes pensaban que la guerra sería corta,--terminada muy antes del invierno-les faltaba ropa propia para el tiempo; y la ferocidad del hambre, la constante hambre. Segovia escribe, “Tic toc tic toc… cada siete segundos muere un alemán en la guerra.”

Wanda es una figura fuerte; es la madre que abraza a sus hijos y lucha por ellos sobre todo. Desgraciadamente, su bebe muere, pero ella “se negaba a mirarlo, se negaba a llorarlo; todavía había cuerpos vivos por los cuales velar y otros, vivos también, cada vez más cerca por tierra o por aire, que no dudarían en matarlos. Anochecía. Debían huir.”

Segovia nos hace sentir lo que sienten sus protagonistas. En vez de sólo mencionar y describir las dificultades que experimentan, utiliza una técnica de repetición que nos hace parar de leer y meditar el momento. Por ejemplo, refiriéndose al momento ya mencionado cuando el bebe de Wanda se le muere, la autora escribe:

continued on page 14

Libros / Books Peregrinos continued from previous page

14

“Nadie le creería que apenas tres años atrás había creado y sostenido vida en su vientre.

Ni ella lo creería, si no la hubiera sentido salir a la luz, si no la recordara entre sus brazos, si no la hubiera alimentado con su cuerpo, si no hubiera envuelto a ese cuerpo muerto para enterrarlo, si no sonara la risa de su niño todavía en sus oídos, si no lo despertara en lo más profundo de la noche su voz, sus triples nbvjc sus Ich. Su Mutti desdentado.”

Tal vez unos critiquen este uso de repetición como melodramático. Tal vez en otras situaciones, otras, por ejemplo, que no sean de las terribles pérdidas de vida en la segunda guerra mundial, esta técnica sí sería melodramática. Pero la autora no abusa de esta técnica y cada vez que la utiliza, el horror o la tristeza o la maravilla de aquella situación merece la pausa que esta técnica de repetición ofrece. Nos hace a los lectores tomar un momento para reflexionar y darle la atención que aquel instante merece.

La autora pinta los horrores de la brutalidad de la guerra y nos hace sentirlos en el corazón. En vez de decir algo como “cientos murieron aquel día,” demuestra la violencia y la tragedia por mostrárnoslas en el individuo, así, por ejemplo, en la muerte de la querida sirvienta Jadwiga, la que ayudaba a Wanda con los niños: “La encontraron un día después de la partida de la familia tirada en una zanja al lado del camino a casa, rodeada de loza rota con los cristales de un espejo dorado encajados en el cuello. Desangrada. Ultrajada por varios.”

Uno de los personajes más queridos es el joven Janusz, quien era como parte de la familia Hahlbrock, aunque por ser judío tuvo que dormir en el establo. Cuando Hartwig se va para juntarse con el ejército alemán, le promete Janusz, “nunca los dejaré solos, Herr Hahlbrock. Me quedaré hasta que usted regrese.” Pero desgraciadamente por él y por la familia Hahlbrock, se ve como los prejuicios contra los no-alemanes se proliferan: “No era fácil dudar de la veracidad de lo que decían los expertos del Gobierno y los científicos: para donde se mirara, había afiches que retrataban la vileza de los judíos, y los periódicos y las películas reflejaban a un pueblo polaco ignorante e inepto, sucio y retrogrado.”

Y cuando los Hahlbrock buscan dormir y refrescarse en la casa de los Koch, les invita los dueños diciendo que hay “camas para todos.

–Menos para el polaco. Él no puede pasar.”

Mientras los Hahlbrock y los Schipper andan y andan buscando un refugio seguro, Wanda refleja sobre los hombres que se hicieron soldados sólo para tomar parte en la futilidad de aquella guerra: “Tontos muertos por honor, por crédulos. Después, ¿qué queda? Quedan mujeres solas y niños huérfanos. Un país destruido. Una deuda por pagar.”

Con tantos momentos de horror, el lector aprecia que Segovia le alivia con toques de humor. Esta “foto en palabras” nos hace sonreir: “Después de ese crecimiento acelerado, Arno había batallado para acostumbrarse a su nueva altura, pues su mente seguía calculando con la vieja y, por lo tanto, tropezaba por todos lados y se golpeaba la cabeza contra el techo inclinado de su habitación y de la escalera.

Además sus pies ya no cabían en las botas…”

Aunque estos toques de humor alivian la tensión

El Sol Latino August 2018

de la novela, sin embargo siempre van teñidos de tristeza porque aun estos momentos se ven amenazados por la guerra y, por eso, nunca menosprecian la seriedad de la trama.

Las primeras dos novelas de Segovia también son excelentes. Reseña de El murmullo de las abejas apareció en la edición de agosto de 2015 de El Sol Latino y la de Huracán en mayo de 2017.

Reseña por CATHLEEN C. ROBINSON, profesora jubilada de español y historia de la América Latina.

Deportes / Sports

El Sol Latino August 2018

Holyoke Old Timers Softball League

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Borinquén 7 de julio 2018 @ Parque de la Flats

Tira y Tapate vs Borinquén

Tira y Tapate

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El Sol Latino August 2018

SAT. SEP. 22, 2018 12PM-9PM (RAIN DATE) SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2018 HONORING

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