December 2018
Volume 15 No. 1
Un Peri贸dico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper
Un Peri贸dico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper
at Holyo ke Comm unity Co llege Un Peri贸dico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper
Un Peri贸dico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper
Photo Credits: CHRIS YURKO-HCC
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Editiorial / Editorial
contents
Nelson Román’s Activism and his Legacy in Holyoke In a short message posted on Facebook on October 25, 2018 at 9:26 am, Nelson Román confirmed the rumors that had been circulating in Holyoke about his impending move to Chicago. He arrived in Holyoke in 2011 to work with Alex Morse in his Holyoke mayoral race against Elaine Pluta. Nelson eventually ended working for Elaine Pluta’s campaign. After the election, Nelson became a new resident of Holyoke. Overcoming obstacles such as homelessness and poverty in his personal life, he immediately began working to organize the Puerto Rican and LGBT communities in the city. Nelson helped to create three neighborhood associations and co-founded and chaired the popular “Taste of South Holyoke Festival.” He worked for and with many Holyoke community organizations such as Enlace de Familias, New England Farm Workers
Council, LightHouse Personalized Education for Teens, Valley Opportunity Council and, most recently, as Executive Director of Nueva Esperanza, among others. He is currently the Founder and Board Member of Pa’lante Theater Company, and a Founding Member / Past President of the Imperial Court of Western Mass, Inc. He also previously served on the boards of Holyoke PRIDE, the Puerto Rican Cultural Center of Springfield, the AIDS Foundation of Western Mass, and Springfield MASS PRIDE. In November 2015, Nelson was elected to the Holyoke City Council as Ward 2 Representative. For his friendship, and for his unconditional committment and support to the only Puerto Rican/ Latinx-owned newspaper in the region, I thank you. I will miss you!
Nelson Román’s Facebook Statement Well I will make it super official because I have just submitted notice to the two places I love working at and with. Effective January 1, 2019. I will no longer be a resident of the City of Holyoke. I have decided to accept an amazing job opportunity out of state working on issues that I am super passionate about - LGBT and youth Homelessness. Sadly, I will be leaving my amazing job as Executive Director of Nueva Esperanza, Inc. and I will also be stepping down off of the Holyoke City Council Chambers. I have just submitted my official letters of resignation to both amazing institutions, and will be working with both bodies on succession planning and transition plans.
Manolo
I will be making a full statement/farewell address on Tuesday December 4th at 7:00 pm during the Holyoke City Council meeting. I hope you all can attend. I just wanted to be the first to let you all know officially. I am proud of the work we have accomplished together and look forward to reflecting back on all that we have done. Lastly, I will be holding a brief farewell event, at Capri Pizza on Wednesday December 12, 2018 from 5 pm - 8 pm. Peace and Love in the Village! In solidarity and love, #FreePuertoRico Nelson Rafael Roman
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Nelson Román’s Activism and his Legacy in Holyoke 3 Portada / Front Page From Transformation to In the Heights
4 ‘Transformation’ At Holyoke Community College Tinta Caliente / Hot Ink 5 Porfolio de Escritores Boricuas en La Revista The Common 6 Behold the Dawn of a Golden Age in Puerto Rican Studies 7 Recap: Puerto Rican Studies Association 13th Biennial Conference 8 Celebrating 45 Years: A Guide to Centro 9 Opinión / Opinion Defenders of the First Amendment... or “Heroes” of Hypocrisy? 9 Working Together For a Better Life 10 Media / Media Puerto Ricans Speak Out About Islands’ Communications Crisis 11 Libros / Books Una Novela Criminal 12 Salud / Health Recovery and Health Care in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands One Year after Irma and María 13 Ciencia / Science Modelando comportamiento maternal en animales 14 Educación / Education Women’s engineering conference energizes STCC students 15 Comercio / Business bankESB Opens New Branch in Holyoke
Fotos del Mes/Photos of the Month
Izamiento de la Bandera de Puerto Rico en Holyoke 2 de noviembre de 2018
Izquierda a derecha – Alex Morse - Alcalde de Holyoke, Aaron Vega - Represente estatal, Carmen Velázquez - Ms. Senior Latina 2018, Millie Lozada - Ms. Senior Latina 2017, Julita Rojas - Ms. Senior Latina 2016, Luis Rene “El Sonero Féliz” Robles - intérprete de los himnos nacionales de Puerto Rico y los Estados Unidos, Diosdado López - La Familia Hispana Inc., y Nilka Ortiz- Asistente Ejecutiva del Alcalde de Holyoke
Estudiantes de Chesnut Accelerated Middle School visitan Springfield City Hall 14 de noviembre de 2018
Estudiantes de Chesnut Accelerated Middle School visitaron la alcaldía de Springfield donde fueron recibidos por el alcalde de la ciudad Domenic Sarno, el Presidente del Concejo de la Ciudad Orlamdo Ramos y el Concejal Adam Gómez, entre otros. La visita fue parte del programa de enlace comunitario del Hispanic-American Library. (Photo Credit: Ed Cohen Photos).
Founded in 2004
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Volume 15, No. 1 n December 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 December 2018
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From Transformation to In the Heights by MANUEL FRAU RAMOS Twelve years after the official unveiling of ‘Transformation’, the groundbreaking 40-feet long canvas Latino themed mural at Holyoke Community College (HCC), one of the most outstanding musical plays celebrating the Latinx experience in New York City took center stage at HCC. * See article about the ‘Transformation’ mural at HCC that was initially published in 2006. We are republishing it in this edition.
strong-willed mother who is typically tolerant of Kevin’s control issues, this time confronts him regarding their car family business and his overprotectiveness of Nina.
The HCC production of In the Heights, conceived by Lin-Manuel Miranda, with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes, quickly became one of the most successful plays ever in the Pioneer Valley with seven sold-out performances. The diverse cast, featuring HCC students, faculty, alumni, Holyoke High School students, and community members, vividly reflects the demographic diversity of our region. In the Heights is a three-day story, set around the Fourth of July during an extreme summer heat wave in Manhattan’s Washington Heights neighborhood in New York City. The lives of three generations of Latinx characters - Dominican, Cuban, and Puerto Rican - are showcased as they come together to mourn their losses and rejoice in their triumphs in el barrio. The play addresses contemporary issues such as first generation college students, poverty, and gentrification. The musical numbers blend hip-hop, rap and salsa with lyrics in both English and Spanish. The residents of el barrio are hard working and ambitious. As their neighborhood is in the brink of change, they sing about their daily struggles as well as celebrate the Latinx experience.
El Piragüero (photo MFR)
Daniela (Rochelli Smith), owner of the hair salon that is gossip central, Carla (Nanette Mendieta) who works at Daniela’s salon along with Vanessa and is Daniela’s close friend, El Piragüero (Adriel Berríos) owner of a small piragua stand, and Graffiti Pete (Tiffany Joseph) a graffiti artist who is good friends with Sonny and one of the few characters who acknowledges Sonny’s dreams round up the cast. The story of In the Heights hits close to home for the cast, the production team, and the greater Holyoke community. As of 2016, 319,042 Puerto Ricans live in Massachusetts, the fifth largest Puerto Rican population in the United States after New York, Florida, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The state’s Puerto Rican population has grown by 60% since 2000, and 20% since 2010.
Daniela, Carla, Vanessa and Nina (seated) (photo MFR)
Usnavi (Michael Borges), the narrator, is a first generation DominicanAmerican and bodega owner who is fighting to keep his business open as the neighborhood faces gentrification. He dreams of going back to the Dominican Republic to reconnect with his roots. Usnavi was raised by Cuban-born Abuela Claudia (Shannon Sarkisian), after his parents passed away. Abuela is the surrogate grandmother to many in el barrio. Vanessa (Ashley Morris) is Usnavi’s love interest. She works at the local beauty salon and dreams of getting out of el barrio. Sonny (Melina García), Usnavi’s sassy, lazy yet ambitious cousin, works with him in the bodega. Nina (Maya Kirsi) is Kevin’s (Axel Cruz) intelligent and ambitious daughter. He wants her to go to Stanford to finish her education but she is in love with Benny (Michael Luciano), who is not from el barrio and doesn’t speak Spanish. Kevin is not in favor of this relationship and is prepared to sell his car-service business to pay for his daughter’s education. He soon discovers that Nina has dropped out of school. Camila (Adriana Piantedosi), Nina’s
According to the Boston Planning & Development Agency 2016 report, the Puerto Rican population living in Hampden County (Chicopee, Holyoke, and Springfield) is 90,002, 19.2% of the total population. In Chicopee, 16% of the total population is Puerto Rican, in Springfield it is 35.2%, and Holyoke has 46%. The largest Puerto Rican population, per capita, of any city in the United States outside Puerto Rico is in Holyoke, where 80% of the student population in the public school is Latinx, mostly Puerto Rican. The rapidly changing demographics have helped both Holyoke Community College (HCC) and Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) to be recognized as Hispanic-Serving Institutions. According to Director and HCC professor Patricia Sandoval, In The Heights is definitely intended “to celebrate HCC as a Hispanic Serving Institution and to acknowledge, honor and celebrate the population in this city.” Alberto Sandoval-Sanchez, Scholar in Residence, summarized his thoughts about this production, “I am delighted to participate in this musical production. I want to thank the cast for all their inspiration and hard work. I congratulate Holyoke High School Latina/o performers for all their talent and terrific performances. This is a dream come true! HCC gracias for making me feel at home.”
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Portada / Front Page
El Sol Latino December 2018
‘Transformation’ At Holyoke Community College* By MANUEL FRAU RAMOS | June 2006 On May 10, 2006, the Holyoke community in general, but especially the Puerto Ricans living in Holyoke, witnessed the official unveiling of the long-awaited Latino mural at Holyoke Community College (HCC). ‘Transformation’, the 40-foot long canvas mural of the Latino Mural Collaborative Project that depicts daily life in the city of Holyoke, is the product of 16 Latino youth, most of the Boricuas residing in Holyoke that worked under the direction of painter Deborah Savage. The mural’s images and message undergo a transformation, from the negative to the positive. To the left, the intense colors, and the dark, poorly defined images appear to represent and transmit a negative message about the experience of growing up in Holyoke. The colors and the figures become lighter and better defined as the transformation towards the positive unfolds. The transformation ends in a note of hope with an angelical figure, and Latino youth looking towards a better future.
was time for the Puerto Rican cultural symbols to be visible in the Holyoke “landscape.”
From Transformation
In the past, the political discourse of welcome and inclusiveness on the part of the administrators did not translate into realities. The lack of Latino students, faculty and administrators, especially Puerto Ricans, demonstrated this rhetorical abyss. As Heriberto “Herbie” Flores, HCC trustee, pointed out not too long ago, “As a Puerto Rican, I have to ask, where has the College been for years? This College at this point does not reflect the African American community or the Puerto Rican community.” We hope the Latino Mural Project marks the beginning of a real transformation at Holyoke Community College.
The inclusion the Puerto Rican flag in the positive section of the mural highlights the message of ‘transformation’ with more than one interpretation: a better future for the city of Holyoke, and a new phase of Holyoke Community College as an educational institution for all. It pleases us to see how the mural symbolically replaces what seemed to be an “invisible wall” that separated the college from the Puerto Rican community of Holyoke. The fact that the mural was placed in the Campus Student plaza, a highly visible place that represents the “common” or the “heart” of the building complex that makes up the college, reinforces the message of transformation and inclusion. The mural faces South Holyoke, where most of the Puerto Rican community resides; the “marginalized” are now part of the “center.” The image of the Puerto Rican flag on the right sends a clear message to the Puerto Rican community. Just as the cultural symbols of other ethnic groups are displayed, it
OT TINTNAT E H INK CALIE
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In Holyoke...
Eighteen months after Nueva Esperanza reopened FRAU RAMOS por MANUEL its doors on Tuesday, June 20, 2017 with an official ribbon cutting ceremony, the beloved Holyoke community organization is again in the middle of another transition. Late this November, the Board of Directors accepted Nelson Román’s letter of resignation as Executive Director, position that he occupied for a little over a year, first as its Interim Director and, since early June of 2018, as Executive Director. Nelson is moving to Chicago.
Usnavi and Nina (photo MFR)
In the Heights is a co-production of HCC’s Theater and Music Departments, with musical direction by Ellen Cogen. HCC Professor Patricia Sandoval directed the play, and Mount Holyoke College Professor Emeritus Alberto Sandoval-Sánchez was the Advisor and Scholar in Residence. Tiffany Joseph choreographed the play. Financial support was provided by MassHumanities, and the Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts (MIFA). In addition to the play, an new version of the successfully Nuestras Abuelas Exhibition, originally presented at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2007, was on display in the lobby of the Leslie Phillips Theater during intermission, and prior to and after the performance. Nuestras Abuelas: Paciencia y Fe a photography and text exhibition curated by Waleska Santiago Centeno is a cultural and educational project honoring and celebrating the legacy of grandmothers as powerful female figures inspired by the grandmother character of In the Heights. The grandmothers of three Holyoke High School students, Adriel Berrios, Melina Anabel García and Michael Luciano, are the abuelas portrayed in this exhibition.
En Holyoke ... a los 18 meses de Nueva Esperanza
reabrir sus puertas el martes, 20 de junio de 2017 en una ceremonia oficial con corte de cinta, la querida organización comunitaria de Holyoke se encuentra de nuevo en medio de otra transición. A finales de noviembre, la Junta de Directores aceptó la carta de renuncia de Nelson Román como Director Ejecutivo, posición que ocupó por un poco más de un año, primero como su Director Interino y, a partir de principios de junio de 2018, como Director Ejecutivo. Nelson se muda a Chicago.
Portada / Front Page
El Sol Latino December 2018
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Porfolio de Escritores Boricuas en La Revista The Common por MANUEL FRAU RAMOS El paso del huracán María* en Puerto Rico fue un evento devastador. En los días subsiguientes, muchos se preguntaban cual era el rol de los artistas y escritores ante esta nueva realidad. La edición 16 de la revista The Common presenta un porfolio especial de escritores y artistas puertorriqueños, reconociendo así la importancia de la aportación de las artes visuales y literarias en momentos de tragedia, tanto en la isla como en la diáspora.
la National Endowment for the Arts, the Banff International Literary Translation Centre, y el Katharine Bakeless Nason Endowment. Entre las obras traducidas por Giménez se encuentran Tilting at Mountains de Edurne Pasaban, Red, Yellow, Green de Alejandro Saravia, y As Though the Wound Had Heard de Mara Pastor. Además es Editora Asistente de Traducción del Anomaly Literary Journal,
El pasado mes de septiembre de 2018, la revista The Common público su edición número 16 dedicada a recordar el aniversario del devastador huracán María que azotó a Puerto Rico a mediados de septiembre de 2017. Bajo el titulo, De Puerto Rico: Un año después de la tormenta/ From Puerto Rico: One year after the storm la revista reunió a un grupo de escritores y artistas puertorriqueños para resaltar, reconocer y celebrar la resistencia y el talento de los escritores puertorriqueños que trabajan en una variedad de géneros tanto en la isla como en la diáspora.
María Luisa Arroyo Cruzado curso estudios universitarios en Colby College (BA), Tufts University (MA), y en Harvard University (ABD). Además de hablar inglés y español, María Luisa considera el alemán su tercer idioma. Es autora de una colección de poemas, Gathering Words / Recogiendo Palabras, y dos libros, Flight y Destierro Means More than Exile. Los talleres comunitarios de Arroyo le ganaron reconocimiento, incluyendo el ser nombrada la Poet Laureate inaugural de Springfield, Massachusetts (20142016), y en 2016 la recipiente del New England Public Radio Arts & Humanities Award. En julio de 2015, Arroyo obtuvo un MFA en escritura creativa de Solstice en Pine Manor College. Actualmente es profesora asistente de escritura y estudios de primer-año en Bay Path University.
El lanzamiento inaugural de la revista se llevó a cabo con un evento en el Wistariahurst Museum sw Holyoke el 5 de noviembre. En el evento se llevó a cabo una lectura de poemas y un conversatorio donde figuraron algunos de los escritores puertorriqueños and traductores cuyos trabajos forman parte de la edición. Estos fueron Ana Teresa Toro, Sergio Gutiérrez Negrón, María José Giménez y María Luisa Arroyo Cruzado, junto a la editora de The Common, Jennifer Acker. El evento también incluyó la presentación del documental PROMESA de la cineasta Michelle Falcón, que presenta las historias de aquellos impactados por la crisis económica de Puerto Rico. El título del documental alude al acrónimo de la Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA), que también significa “promesa” en español. Ana Teresa Toro es una escritora y periodista dedicada a explorar los temas de feminismo, colonialismo, política y las culturas del Caribe. Es la autora de la novela Cartas al Agua y las crónicas Las Narices de los Perros y El Cuerpo de la Abuela. Sergio Gutiérrez Negrón es el autor de dos novelas que han obtenido reconocimiento local e internacional, Palacio y Dicen que los Dormidos. Recientemente fue seleccionado para formar parte del Hay Festival - Bogotá 39-2017, el cual reúne a los mejores treinta y nueve escritores latinoamericanos menores de treinta y nueve. María José Giménez es poeta, editora y traductora que ha recibido becas de
The Common es una revista literaria impresa y digital galardonada, publicada dos veces al año. La revista incluye cuentos, ensayos, poemas e imágenes. La versión digital publica semanalmente contenido original, que incluye reseñas de libros, entrevistas, ensayos personales, mensajes cortos, poesía, podcasts, grabaciones de contribuyentes y trabajos de multimedia. Con sede en Amherst College, la revista es una empresa conjunta entre Amherst College y The Common Foundation. *El huracán María ha sido el más potente y devastador en azotar a Puerto Rico en más de 80 años, y el segundo en causar estragos en la isla tras el paso del huracán Irma dos semanas antes. Al momento, la isla ya se encontraba en medio de una larga crisis fiscal y recesión económica. María dejó a Puerto Rico sumido en un caos por la destrucción de las infraestructuras, pérdidas por $90 mil millones de dólares y cerca de 4,000 muertos. Un año mas tarde, Puerto Rico, que se encuentra bajo un proceso de reestructuración de su deuda por bancarrota, se enfrenta ahora a una crisis económica aún más profunda. El Instituto de Estadísticas de Puerto Rico estima que 184,000 personas abandonaron la isla entre septiembre y noviembre de 2017 tras el paso de María, una pérdida del 6% de la población.
Jennifer Acker, María Luisa Arroyo Cruzado,, María José Giménez, Ana Teresa Toro y Sergio Gutiérrez Negrón
María Luisa Arroyo Cruzado
Cita del Mes/ Quote of the Month “I don’t think people who are taking money from pharmaceutical companies should be drafting health care legislation. I don’t think people who are taking money from oil and gas companies should be drafting climate legislation.” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez • Democrats.com • November 20, 2018
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Portada / Front Page
El Sol Latino December 2018
Behold the Dawn of a Golden Age in Puerto Rican Studies
by Dr. HARRY FRANQUI-RIVERA & AURA S. JIRAU Reprinted with permission from © Center for Puerto Rican Studies. Published in Centro Voices 02 November 2018 Last week, hundreds of Puerto Ricans and Puerto Ricanist scholars, artists and activists, convened in Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey to participate in the 13th Biennial convention of the Puerto Rican Studies Association. This convention has become part of their academic and cultural pilgrimage for some. For others, this was their first time attending or presenting. For all, if we may be so bold, it was an illuminating and inspiring experience. We enjoyed three days of innovative and dynamic exchanges and dialogues that we hope will lead to the democratization of the production of knowledge about Puerto Rico and its diaspora in all their manifestations. The atmosphere was one of open and honest collegiality and camaraderie. #PRStudies2018 provided a cozy, familiar, even intimate yet vibrant and challenging space for the exchange of ideas. There was something in the air.
on the difficult questions of crisis and transformation in the archipelago” José Caraballo Cueto’s Keynote demystifying normalized thoughts about the archipelago’s economic woes also offered hope for the future and exemplified the varied character of contemporary Puerto Rican Studies. The variety of works within Puerto Rican Studies also showed in the traditional Awards Ceremony, where Licia Fiol Matta’s The Great Woman Singer: Gender and Violence in Puerto Rican Music won the Frank Bonilla Best Book Award and Cristina Pérez Jiménez’s “Here to Stay”: New York Puerto Ricans and the Consolidation of Latino New York, 1931-1951 won the Best Dissertation Award, now name after our esteemed colleague Virginia Sánchez Korrol. Her gracious acceptance speech and Facebook post shows the deep respect and solidarity that exists among our scholars and the depth of our scholarship. “I’m honored to have been awarded the biennial 2018 Virginia Sanchez Korrol-Puerto Rican Studies Association Dissertation Prize. This award is all the more special because this is the first year it is named after Virginia Sánchez-Korrol, a trailblazing scholar who has paved the way for so much of Puerto Rican Studies today, and to whose scholarship I owe so much. I also want to congratulate Licia Fiol Matta, whose book The Great Woman Singer was awarded the 2018 PRSA [Frank Bonilla] Book Prize, and is such a significant contribution to the field, and Jorell Meléndez-Badillo whose dissertation [The Lettered Barriada: Puerto Rican Workers’ Intellectual Community, 1898-1933] was awarded an Honorable Mention. Thank you PRSA!”
Participants in the 13th Biennial Convention of the Puerto Rican Studies Association at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey (Photo Credit: PRSA)
Scholars, film-makers, poets, and activists gathered in a cross-generational spectrum like we had not seen before. We witnessed a young generation, a new crop of scholars and activists, many of whom are still in graduate school, engaging like seasoned scholars. They mixed and dialogued with their senior peers ranging from those who are starting their careers to emerging scholars and pillars of Puerto Rican Studies such as Virginia Sánchez Korrol. This longitudinal depth is a great omen for the future of Puerto Rican studies and our association. The PRSA leadership foresaw this phenomenon and provided the spaces for mentoring graduate students. It was only fitting that the formal activity in the Conference’s Program was a Mentoring Workshop for up and coming scholars of Puerto Rican Studies. Organized by Student Members Sarah Molinari and Lisa Figueroa-Jahn, this workshop gathered a set of young scholars from multiple disciplines whishing to network and grow both intellectually and professionally. The participants learned from seasoned scholars like Virginia Sánchez-Koroll and Jason Cortés, and young professors Alessandra Rosa and Jorell Meléndez Badillo, who have recent experience in the academic job market. This could not have happened at a better time, for Puerto Rico and the Puerto Ricans from all generations need to be more in control of the telling of our stories and histories. While Puerto Rico’s many crises and the aftermath of Hurricane María provided impetus for our meeting, we were pleased to see the diversity of the works presented. Retired professors and public scholars reflected on the legacies of the Puerto Rican independence movement in the mainland, while our dedicated and energetic colleague Marisol Lebrón chaired an “amazing panel on solidarity and autogestion where fierce queer Puerto Rican women [including Adriana Garriga María López] offered their reflections
The depth of our academic and cultural production was also evidenced by the book talks and exhibit. Here is a sample: Virginia Sánches Korrol, The Season of Rebel Roses; Jilian Baez, In Search of Belonging: Latinas, Media, and Citizenship; Antonio Sotomayor, The Sovereign Colony; and cultural ambassador per excellence, Raquel Ortiz and her amazing award winning series of Sofi. If you get the feeling that as we wrote this piece we felt like announcing the Oscars (con énfasis en la a) you are getting it right. And this is just a tiny sample for there are too many to include---and that is a wonderful thing. Equally relevant, our conference had significant participation from our archipelago-based colleagues. And again, that included graduate students and established scholars such as Silvia Álvarez Curbelo and Manuel Rodríguez. This archipelago-U.S. Mainland connection was also visible in the fantastic film series organized by Jason Ortiz, which among its many jewels included the memorable must-see documentary, Vietnam, Puerto Rico, directed by Gabriel Miranda. The very solid activism and activist work presented during the conference including, but not limited to a discussion of the infamous Gag Law with Oscar López Rivera, also served as an example of stronger ties with the Archipelago. We would be remis if we did not mention that the conference’s steering committee (Marisol Lebrón, Sarah Molinari, Aldo Lauria Santiago, Charles Venator Santiago, and Alessandra Rosa and Salvador Mercado) which worked tirelessly to make this event a success. Organizing a conference is never an easy task. But this time around, the PRSA leadership had an even harder task, as they worked in rebuilding the association which two years ago had seen its resources and membership dwindle; and our area studies and the survival of the association in peril. Two years later, the association is larger, more diverse, and more transparent and solid than ever before. PRSA has come out of its ordeal stronger than ever. Furthermore and equally important to our intellectual exchanges, PRSA’s Business Meeting had a healthy attendance. We engaged in lively discussion about the future of our Association, as well as the Association’s new leadership, which now includes Political Science Professor Charles
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Portada / Front Page
El Sol Latino December 2018
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Celebrating 45 Years: A Guide to Centro
by CARLOS VARGAS-RAMOS Reprinted with permission from © Center for Puerto Rican Studies. Published in Centro Voices 13 November 2018. This wide intersection of people has come together at the Puerto Rico, Puerto Ricans series of diaspora summits that Centro has been organizing since 2016, in cities like New York, Washington D.C., Holyoke, and San Juan. Over time, the summits have coalesced into a nationwide solidarity movement among stakeholders interested in resolving Puerto Rico’s ongoing debt crisis. In response to Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico, Puerto Ricans and the Rebuild Puerto Rico initiative now encompass the recovery and reconstruction effort. A Guide to Centro also highlights the abundance of educational tools and programs that Centro has launched in recent years. That includes, among other things, the Puerto Rican Heritage Cultural Ambassadors Program and the Pioneros Documentary series, both of which can be found online. The availability of these educational resources is increasingly important as Centro adapts to the digital age. For this reason, a full two pages are dedicated to the Centro website. There, users will find digital humanities exhibits via the Centro e-Journal, digital archival collection, and the aforementioned Rebuild Puerto Rico initiative.
Overall, the guide is a celebration of Centro, its history and its mission, as well as yet another resource for the Puerto Rican community.
¡MATRICÚLATE AHORA! HCC.EDU
A lot has happened in the 45 years since the founding of the Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños. Building upon the advent of ethnic studies programs throughout the United States and the struggle for open admissions to the public university system in New York City, Centro has evolved into an unparalleled resource for the Puerto Rican diaspora. This became evident in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria when an online initiative called Rebuild Puerto Rico was launched to provide the general public with information hub covering almost every facet of the recovery: from the kind of data briefs that form the basis of public policy to a civic sector directory of all the different organizations working with Puerto Rican communities on and off the island. The storm was, of course, a new chapter for the Puerto Rican diaspora. Yet in a way, it was another example of the commitment Centro has kept for the past four and a half decades: to understand, to preserve, and to share the Puerto Rican experience in the United States.
Centro also continues to be a hub for creative content, which includes the award-winning television series Puerto Rican Voices, feature-length documentaries such as AmeRican Poet: Tato Laviera, and art exhibits. In addition, the Centro Press, launched in 2013, has published over a dozen titles to date, with many more forthcoming. The CENTRO Journal, meanwhile, has been the leading peer-reviewed publication for Puerto Rican Studies for the past two decades.
“Centro’s founding and growth testify to the efforts to produce, store, and share the narratives of a people who refuse to be overlooked, marginalized, or neglected,” says Centro Director Dr. Edwin Melendez. In an effort to condense this history in an accessible format, the Center for Puerto Rican Studies has issued A Guide to Centro. Available in both print format and PDF download, the 15-page guide covers the entire trajectory of Centro. Pages 4 and 5, for example, include a timeline of milestones from 1973 to present. There, you can read about many of the Centro’s groundbreaking projects, such as the oral history project Puerto Ricans in New York: Voices of the Migration to the creation of the Centro Archives and subsequent acquisition of invaluable personal collections of writings, films, photos, and so on.
“At Centro, we are striving to do what we do best: gather information and share the data, provide readily accessible information, and help pave the way for policy makers, academics, researchers, educators, students, and the public,” asserts Dr. Melendez.
HCC.EDU
More recently, Centro has evolved into a leading think-tank and scholarly incubator. Researchers at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies have collectively published five books, four edited volumes, thirty-three articles in peer-reviewed outlets, eighteen book chapters, and six major policy reports in just the past decade. Moreover, since 2012, the Data Center has released upwards of twenty-five research briefs, population maps, and data sheets. This, in turn, has garnered substantial news coverage, in addition to providing policymakers with relevant information on particular issues facing the Puerto Rican community.
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Portada / Front Page
El Sol Latino December 2018
Recap: Puerto Rican Studies Association 13th Biennial Conference
Reprinted with permission from © Center for Puerto Rican Studies. Published in Centro Voices 02 November 2018 The Puerto Rican Studies Association (PRSA) held its 13th Biennial Conference this past weekend at Rutgers University in New Jersey. The three-day event includes panel discussions, presentations, workshops, and more. In the wake of Hurricane Maria and with respect to the ongoing debt crisis, this year’s theme centered on insecurity across a range of issues (colonial rule, military service, migration, natural disasters, low wages, unemployment and recurrent debt crises) and how Puerto Rican communities both on and off the island navigate these challenges as “a persistent aspect of puertorriqueñidad.” Dr. Marisol Lebrón, a member of the current PRSA Executive Council, highlighted the urgency with which scholars addressed these issues. “The various panels centered on activism and creative projects also show that the organization is taking seriously intellectual production that happens beyond the academy and working to bring those debates into the fold,” said Lebrón via email. First, however, graduate student-faculty mentoring workshop was held on Thursday, October 25th, marking the unofficial start of the conference. About 15 graduate students and recent PhDs, as well as other faculty interested in mentoring skills, gathered to discuss important topics related to finishing the degree, publishing, networking, career planning, finding a job, and carving a career in the field of Puerto Rican Studies, according to Sarah Molinari, one of the workshop organizers and a member of the PRSA’s Executive Council. “Participants will be channeling the workshop into a network to stay in touch and share resources,” added Molinari via email. Esteemed historian and author Virginia Sánchez Korrol; professor emerita in the Department of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies at Brooklyn College, CUNY; was among the presenters during the workshop. Her work documenting the early Puerto Rican diaspora in New York City, including the seminal book From Colonia to Community: The History of Puerto Ricans in New York City, 1917-1948, has been essential to the field of Puerto Rican Studies. As such, the PRSA announced that its dissertation award would be renamed in her honor, henceforth known as the Virginia Sanchez Korrol PRSA Dissertation Award. “The Dissertation Award naming and the young scholar who won first prize were the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to me in my entire career—and, believe me, there have been quite a few such occasions,” Dr. Sánchez Korrol told Centro Voices. Dr. Cristina Pérez Jiménez, an Associate Professor of English at Manhattan College, was the recipient of the newly renamed Dissertation Award, with Jorell MeléndezBadillo’s dissertation The Lettered Barriada: Puerto Rican Workers’ Intellectual Community, 1898-1933, being awarded an Honorable Mention. “I’m honored to have been awarded the Dissertation Prize,” said Dr. Pérez Jiménez. “This award is all the more special because it is the first year it is named a trailblazing scholar who has paved the way for so much of Puerto Rican Studies today, and to whose scholarship I owe so much.” Dr. Pérez Jiménez also recalled that it was during the 2014 Biennial Conference in Denver that she first presented her dissertation research, which would later become the first chapter of her dissertation, “Here to Stay”: New York Puerto Ricans and the Consolidation of Latino New York, 1931-1951. “I also owe a special debt of gratitude to my advisors Frances Negrón-Muntaner, and Maja Horn, as well as to Carlos Alonso, Arnaldo Cruz-Malavé, Arcadio Díaz Quiñones and the late Juan Flores. Their scholarship and crucial support are a testament to the intellectual richness and diversity of thought about Puerto Rican Studies today.” The Frank Bonilla Book Award, named for the founder of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies, went to Dr. Licia Fiol-Matta, Professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at NYU, for her book, The Great Woman Singer: Gender and Voice in Puerto Rican Music, which analyzes the careers of four Puerto Rican singers. “Naturally, I was thrilled to receive this award, which I wish to dedicate to the book’s four subjects: Myrta Silva, Ruth Fernández, Ernestina Reyes ‘La Calandria,’ and Lucecita Benítez,” Dr. Fiol-Matta told Centro Voices via email. “The recognition of both Puerto Rican women’s artistry and creativity and the book’s feminist approach to Puerto Rican culture, along with the warm cheers I heard that day from the wonderfully diverse audience of both established and emerging Puerto Rican Studies scholars, stand out as my most cherished memories from an outstanding PRSA meeting.”
Jose Caraballo Cueto, an Assistant Professor and researcher at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research at the University of Puerto Rico at Cayey, was the keynote speaker. “It was a great honor to be the keynote speaker in this conference. I had a great time, met wonderful and talented people, reconnected with old friends, and feel proud of how much the diaspora loves and helps island,” said Caraballo Cueto. Overall, the Biennial Conference reflected a resurgent Puerto Rican Studies Association at time when their expertise and knowledge is most needed. “I think in coming years PRSA is going to be at the forefront of cutting edge scholarship and thinking about Puerto Rico and its diaspora and we continue to work to highlight the exciting work our members are doing to expand the field around issues of activism, race, indigeneity, colonialism, and gender and sexuality,” said Dr. Lebrón. “In my opinion, our cultural and academic production and our activism is in a Golden Age,” added Dr. Harry Franqui-Rivera, who was also one of the presenters. About the PRSA: The Puerto Rican Studies Association for Research Advocacy and Education, Inc. (PRSA) is a non-profit professional organization founded in White Plains, New York, in 1992. It brings together scholars, educators, public policy experts, community activists and students whose work focuses, at least partially, on Puerto Rico, Puerto Ricans in the United States, or both. Since 1994, PRSA has organized a Biennial Conference in which its members present their latest work in scholarly and applied research, pedagogy, creative arts and community activism.
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Behold the Dawn of a Golden Age Venator-Santiago as vice-president and president elect. Our hopes, in line with that of the current and future Executive Committee, are that our Association will continue growing its membership and become financially stable and independent. PRSA has experienced a renacimiento, and it is no exaggeration to say we are in the dawn of a Golden Age when it comes to our academic, artistic and academic production and collaboration across fields, areas and spaces. PRSA’s 2018 Biennial Meeting established and cultivated networks which serve not just to situate our scholars within an academic community but to end our invisibility, support each other, strengthen our research, publications and engagement while building more bridges for our communities. Those bridges go beyond the traditional means and now include PRSA’s healthy online presence on Facebook and Twitter. A quick online search will show that the #PRStudies2018 was followed by our colleagues, friends and allies in the Great Puerto Rican Archipelago and by that we mean those in the Caribbean and our communities in the U.S. mainland and anywhere a Puerto Rican community exist. Finally, thank you to all the attendees and presenters. You made this happen. Every single one of you. And you should feel proud of it. Dr. HARRY FRANQUI-RIVERA is an Associate Professor of History at Bloomfield College, New Jersey. He is also the Executive Director of the New York Chapter of the National Puerto Rican Agenda, and author of Soldiers of the Nation: Military Service and Modern Puerto Rico, 1868-1952 (Studies in War, Society, and the Military Series) Nebraska University Press. AURA S. JIRAU is a PhD candidate in history at the University of Pittsburgh. She holds an MA in history from the same institution and a BA in History of the Americas from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Píedras. Her work’s main mission is to use the 20th century and the Cold War to frame Puerto Rico in transnational and global contexts. Her doctoral dissertation traces the mid-20th-century student movement of her undergraduate alma mater, and its relationships with both the island’s political struggles and its broader socioeconomic transformations.
Opinión / Opinion No safety net during Christmas: Christmas and Capitalism by MIGUEL ARCE and WALTER MULLIN
El Sol Latino December 2018
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the next meal and cold winter nights. Charles Dickens’ distress about social inequities is our distress too. The message of Christmas is intended to be about humanity and the care of one person to another. While Dickens never decries the success of business owners, nor denounces the trading by which they amassed their wealth, he wrote that workers and employers have lives which are connected. They each need one another. Workers are not of value only to the extent to which they contribute to a product for the cheapest possible labor cost. They are of value as “fellow-passengers to the grave,” in the words of Scrooge’s nephew. 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.
Defenders of the First Amendment... or “Heroes” of Hypocrisy? by DAVIS YOZ jdyos@hotmail.com Dr. Walter Mullin and Miguel Arce
A Christmas Carol, written in 1848 by Charles Dickens, is a popular English story which is often read each year at Christmas to capture a message about respect for all people regardless of their social class. Dickens wrote about life at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. It was a time when, for many, there were no jobs and no money. The book is a testimony about those who had jobs and the employers’ view of them as laborers, not as human beings, but as commodities and a mere means for the expanding market. Dickens wrote the novel after reading a government report on child labor. At that time, children routinely worked a crushing 16 hours a day, 6 days a week; all for extremely low wages. The report sickened him. Building on it, A Christmas Carol addressed the issues and injustices of social stratification that existed. In this Christmas story, there was no mention of Santa, no Christmas tree, no wreath or holly or mistletoe. There was no mention of the Holy Family. There was no mention of Three Kings. Most Americans love Christmas in every way. We love giving and receiving gifts. We love the music. We love the sense of contentment and happiness and the family time that comes with it. The market economy of the 21st century offers Americans a dream of personal fulfillment, wealth, and abundance. In Western Massachusetts, for many, the Christmas season is a time for colored lights, gifts, delicious foods. It is a time for gatherings, shopping, and recitals. There are wreaths and decorations, bells ringing and Santa’s expensive toys wrapped in colored paper seemingly at every toy store location. But what of the Christian story of a couple traveling with little money? They could not even find an inn to rest weary heads. They were poor, struggling to find protection from the chilly evening and place to give birth to their child. According to the Gospel of St. Luke, Jesus was born in a barn, there being no room for him and his parents in the inn at Bethlehem. They were fortunate to have those modest accommodations. In the Christmas season of 2018, too many have the same tragedy. According to a report released by the National Center on Family Homelessness, the number of homeless children in the United States has reached a new all-time high of 2.5 million. Twenty two percent all Americans have had to turn to a church food pantry for assistance. The National Center for Children in Poverty says that 45 percent of all children in the United States belong to low income families. A Social Security Administration report states that 39% of American workers made less than $20,000 last year. For those families, economic plight challenges them to find capital to purchase a Christmas tree, lights, and much less expensive gifts. They worry about
Holyoke was in an uproar recently – not over such apparent trivialities as the lack of progress in our schools after four years of receivership, the intentionally unanswered question of whether all of our residents are receiving equitable public safety protection, the city’s precarious financial position, lack of any significant economic growth for a number of years, and an impending (and perhaps entirely unnecessary) major tax increase, just to name a few – but a revision to the city’s zoning ordinances with respect to temporary signage (which in any case has now been put on hold). Admittedly, the ordinance change was, in part, born of a no more compelling interest than exasperation over those who, out of a combination of laziness and arrogance, leave campaign signs up year after year, regardless of whether there’s an election or not; which perhaps explains precisely why it has received such an overblown response, and why the one lawsuit that can be blamed on the legislative branch has received so much press, while the dozens of others that can be attributed to the executive are virtually ignored. The First Amendment is certainly a powerful, but also tricky, thing; it is so unfortunate to see it trivialized into a debate over lawn signs, which is primarily intended as a distraction tactic. Firstly, it is not unlimited the classic example being that one cannot yell “fire” in a crowded theater, so governmental regulation as to time, place and form is not improper. Secondly, the First Amendment cannot be used selectively, it not only protects the speech one wants to hear, but that which one most hates to (subject to the limitations mentioned above), and, worst of all for some, criticism of those in authority. This is where the hypocrisy comes in: do you think a letter like this would be printed by a mainstream publication? While of course some will be quick to point out the First Amendment doesn’t apply to privately-owned media, surely we can all see how hypocritical it is lead to such an outcry over the sign ordinance, while at the same time using one’s influence to keep critical pieces out the paper. It seems that the slightest injustices, if they can even be called that, receive all kinds of attention, while the gravest are not even spoken of. In Holyoke we have a power structure that maintains itself, and profits from, keeping our great city forever impoverished and divided; the outside (pseudo-)liberal elite which rushed to the aid of the few who felt sighted by the modified ordinance has conveniently forgotten all about that.
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Media / Media
El Sol Latino December 2018
Puerto Ricans Speak Out About Islands’ Communications Crisis by JOSEPH TORRES October 18, 2018 This piece originally appeared on freepress.net | October 18, 2018 Earlier this month, Resilient Just Technologies (RJT), the Center for Embodied Pedagogy & Action (CEPA) and Free Press hosted small-group discussions in Puerto Rico to learn more about how the collapse of the islands’ communication networks in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria impacted people’s lives. The hurricanes that struck last year devastated Puerto Rico’s infrastructure. They left the islands without power and nearly the entire population without phone and broadband service. Between 3,000–5,000 people died. And residents’ inability to make a call or use the internet to seek help contributed to the death toll.
Basilio facilitated the story circles with Melissa Rosario from CEPA. Rosario provided healing-justice support to participants who were recounting their personal stories of trauma. CEPA’s mission is to “foster the decolonization of Puerto Rico through initiatives which support … individual and collective capacity to live in wholeness.” We hosted the first story circle with Radio Vieques at its headquarters on the island of Vieques. Nineteen local residents took part. We held our second story circle in Comerio, a small town located in the mountains in the central part of the main island. We worked closely with community-health and wellness advocates Caminando la Utopía to organize that gathering, which nine people participated in. Following the story circle our partners held their weekly community-health project for approximately 50 people. During the two story circles, participants reflected on how the loss of communications limited their mobility because they didn’t know where to search for food or water. They also shared that they were afraid to leave their houses due to mudslides in the area. And there were no media outlets informing them of where it was safe to travel, find medical care or seek out loved ones.
To date, the Federal Communications Commission has adopted policies that award $750 million to telephone and broadband carriers to restore service and build more resilient communications networks in Puerto Rico. But the Commission has failed to hold any public hearings in Puerto Rico to inform its policymaking. And we know that companies that receive federal funding often fail to keep their promises, which is why we have to ensure they’re held accountable. Even now, more than a year after Maria made landfall, the islands’ communications networks have yet to be fully restored, and both internet and cell service remain spotty. Over the past year, Free Press has worked with allies to ensure the voices of Puerto Ricans were heard by lawmakers and regulators who were creating policies to restore and rebuild services on the islands. And we’ve called on the FCC to appoint an independent commission to investigate all of the causes of the communications crisis — and to develop recommendations on how the U.S. government can prevent such failures in the future.
One young man who was unable to contact his grandmother following Hurricane Maria shared his experience. It was the first time that his grandmother, who also participated in the story circle, heard about what her grandson had endured. The story circles also included discussions on what a just communications system would look like for the communities of Vieques and Comerio. Participants talked about the need to use ham radio and other alternative ways to communicate and stay connected. They also commented that technology has often served as a distraction that has left them feeling less connected to each other and to their neighbors. One participant in the Vieques story circle said the words “nos hacia falta” (“we needed it”) to express how the experience provided an opportunity for the community to have a discussion it didn’t realize it needed to have. We plan to provide a more extensive report-back about our visit to Puerto Rico and what we learned in the weeks ahead on Free Press’ podcast, The Connection. And we’re in the process of producing a short video that we will release as well.
Listening to Puerto Ricans’ stories
We’re planning to hold more story circles in the near future, including one in Holyoke, Massachusetts, and one in the Bronx, both of which have large Puerto Rican communities. We also plan to return to Puerto Rico in 2019.
But we also wanted to travel to Puerto Rico and hear directly from Puerto Ricans about the failure of the communication networks — as well as their vision for a just communications system for their communities.
And in the meantime, we will continue to fight to ensure that Puerto Ricans’ voices are heard in the struggle for a just communications system as the rebuilding efforts on the islands continue.
Free Press partnered with Teresa Basilio, who heads up RJT, a communitytechnology project that works with organizers on the frontlines of the racial-, economic- and climate-justice movements. The project is currently collaborating with organizers in Puerto Rico. Basilio recommended using story circles to enable Puerto Ricans to share their stories in a supportive environment to promote healing and community building. As Basilio has written, story circles are “intimate community gatherings” that seek to “involve people in sharing with each other their stories, and with the goal of sharing these stories more broadly to promote our selfdetermination, resilience, and resistance.” She’s also noted that story circles “offer an opportunity for Puerto Ricans to … explore the history and impacts of colonialism on the configuration of the islands’ communication system and forge a vision of the future for communications and connection that truly serve Puerto Ricans.”
JOSEPH TORRES is Free Press’ Senior Director of Strategy and Engagement. Joseph writes frequently on media and Internet issues and is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller News for All the People: The Epic Story of Race and the American Media. He is the 2015 recipient of the Everett C. Parker Award, which recognizes an individual whose work embodies the principles and values of the public interest. In 2003, FREE PRESS was created to give people a voice in the crucial decisions that shape our media. It believes that positive social change, racial justice and meaningful engagement in public life require equitable access to technology, diverse and independent ownership of media platforms, and journalism that holds leaders accountable and tells people what’s actually happening in their communities.
Libros / Books
El Sol Latino December 2018
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Una Novela Criminal
de JORGE VOLPI • Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial: 2018 | 504 páginas • (Premio Alfaguara de la novela 2018) Como dice en la advertencia de Una Novela Criminal, el autor Jorge Volpi, último ganador del prestigioso Premio Alfaguara, su obra es “una novela documental o novela sin ficción,” o sea, la tentativa de “conferirle una forma literaria al caos de la realidad.” ¿A cuál realidad se dirige? El encarcelamiento, sin haber proceso de juicio por las cortes, del mexicano Israel Vallarta y de su novia, la francesa Florence Cassez, por haber secuestrado a Valeria Cheja el 31 de agosto de 2005 mientras ésta iba camino a sus clases en El Colegio Vermont en la Ciudad de México. La novela apunta al gran problema de secuestros en el país; parece un negocio formalizado con la organización de bandas de secuestradores, sus métodos de secuestrar, y la liberación de la víctima una vez pagado el rescate. En el caso de Una Novela Criminal, Vallarta participaba en una banda que se llamaba Los Zodiaco quienes realizaron el secuestro de Cheja. Cambiaban el lugar del secuestro varias veces; la vigilaban Vallarta y varios miembros de Los Zodiaco; y, mientras que la aprisionaban, también atendían a las necesidades de la víctima. Vallarta y Cassez fueron detenidos por la policía el 8 de diciembre de 2005 aunque el próximo día se produjo un segmento de televisión en que fingían detenerlos “en vivo.” Esto es sólo uno de los aspectos que desconciertan y dejan perplejos a todos los interesados en el caso. Cassez, novia a veces sí y a veces no de Vallarta, declara que no sabía nada de lo que hacía su novio con respecto a los secuestros y siempre ha mantenido su inocencia. Sin beneficio de abogados ni de juicio formal, los dos fueron llevados a prisión sin saber por cuanto tiempo. Vallarta sigue allí; ya lleva 13 años encarcelado. Por presiones diplomáticas de su país natal, Cassez fue librada de la prisión mexicana el 23 de enero de 2013 y volvió a Francia. Pero Una Novela Criminal no es un mero contar periodístico de datos y hechos en cuanto a este caso. Como se hace en una obra de ficción, el autor se esfuerza por realizar a los personajes principales en sus tres dimensiones por mostrar sus emociones, sus ambiciones y sus sueños; y más que nada, por mostrar los varios niveles de personalidad igual que el complejo de motivos que dirigen sus acciones. Y por todo esto, se esfuerza también por ser fiel a los hechos, sin inventar ni interpretar. Esto, de interpretar o de inventar, dice el autor, se lo deja a los lectores. También le deja a los lectores el juzgar si Volpi tuvo éxito o no. ¿Y según lo veo yo? Pues sí y no. Sí que es fascinante la historia de Vallarta y Cassez y todo de este tipo de “negocios” de secuestrar y rescatar. Aplaudo a Volpi por sus investigaciones. Pero llamarse “novela” me da pausa al recordar, hace un montón de años, sentada en la sala de una clase de literatura aprendiendo los pasos de trama y otras características literarias de la novela. Tal vez está cambiando la noción de lo que es una novela. Además: A pesar de que el autor insiste en la realidad verdadera “de la causa criminal contra Israel Vallarta y Florence Casse”, confiesa que “Para llenar los incontables vacíos o lagunas”, imaginaba “escenas o situaciones que carecen de sustento en documentos, pruebas o testimonies oficiales”. Así que camina entre ser periodista y cuentista. Yo me pregunto si Volpi no nos está guiñando el ojo sobre el título. ¿Es una novela que se trata de un crimen? ¿O es una novela que criminalmente rompe las reglas en cuanto a lo que se supone que forma una novela? A pesar de que Volpi se esfuerza por ser fiel al presentarnos a los lectores los meros hechos del caso para que los formemos nuestra propia opinión, no resiste la tentación de meter sus propias observaciones, con toques sarcásticos e irónicos. Al hablar de la organización de los varios brazos del sistema policial mexicano, el autor escribe que es “Un sistema tan complejo y meticulosamente regulado como ineficaz. Y una metáfora perfecta del país.” Comentando sobre los agentes encargados del caso, escribe: Si un policía sin suerte no es un buen policía, los agentes Escalona y Aburto [los policías encargados de investigar el secuestro de Valeria Cheja] parecen ser los mejores policías del mundo… en un recorrido aleatorio por una muy extensa y poblada zona de la ciudad no sólo logran que la víctima identifique a uno de sus
captores (al cual nunca vio de frente ya que según su dicho inicial siempre estuvo vendada o contra la pared), en un automóvil en marcha…sino que, al seguir sus pasos, éste los conduce a la casa de los supuestos secuestradores… Todo encaja.) Volpi sugiere que los agentes de la policía han arreglado los datos y hechos según su propia hipótesis de cómo le han ocurrido las cosas a Cheja y la convencieron que todo fue así. El autor pone en duda la identificación de Israel por Valeria Cheja escribiendo que “ella no reconoció directamente a Israel, sino que los agentes Escalona y Aburto le mostraron sus retratos y le aseguraron que él era el líder de la banda.” Además no le mostraron fotos de otros para que ella identificara que fue él y nadie más. También critica el uso de fuerza brutal de parte de los policías al interrogar a Israel. La policía recurre al testimonio del médico del Departamento de Medicina Forense para negar su papel en la violencia cometida contra Israel: El doctor Jorge Arreola, perito de Departamento de Medicina Forense de la PGR, visita ese 10 de diciembre a Israel y determina que las heridas que presenta no ponen en peligro su vida y tardarán en sanar menos de quince días. Al término del examen, le pide declarar que todas ellas fueron producto de una caída accidental. Parece que la policía se frustra al no poder probar todos los alegatos contra Israel puesto que éste ofrecía sus récords mostrando que tenía negocio legítimo de reparaciones de autos: El 10 y el 11 de diciembre Israel vuelve a ser víctima de abusos físicos por parte de Fernández Medrano, quien lo visita en el Arraigo ante la mirada impasible de su director. El agente del Ministerio Público le muestra una carpeta con los papeles que Israel guardaba celosamente…para documentar sus actividades: fotos de los coches que arreglaba antes y después de la remodelación; facturas, depósitos bancarios y otros papeles personales. Fernández Medrano los rompe uno a uno en su cara. “No vas a poder probar nada de lo que dices, hijo de la chingada,” se burla y lo abofetea. El autor sugiere que cuando la policía no encontraba pruebas de que Israel sacaba provecho por secuestrar víctimas ricas, ellos mismos dejaron un sin fin de pruebas contra Israel dejadas alli al garete…entre ellas numerosos documentos oficiales y personales, registros de cuentas bancarias, y fotografías y anotaciones como ésta: ‘Pago Isra. 13,000; Salomón, $4,500; Serfio, 2,000’. A menos que nos hallemos frente a la banda de secuestradores más descuidada de la historia, uno tiende a pensar que todas estas pruebas han sido sembradas por los mismos agentes que aseguran haberlas descubierto. En la contraportada del libro dice “Una verdad secuestrada por el poder y liberada por la literatura.” Tal vez. Es fascinante la historia de Vallarta y Cassez, y está bien investigada por Volpi quien pasó tres años estudiando el caso. Este caso de Israel Vallarta y Florence Cassez es mucho más complejo de lo que se puede resumir aquí. Hay muchos más avatares citados en la novela que si fuera trama ficticia, los críticos la condenarían por ser ridículamente increíble. Y no sé si, a pesar de toda la investigación que hizo el autor y con todo el intento de Volpi de concentrarse rigurosamente en los datos y hechos, hemos oído toda de esta historia cautivadora. Reseña de Cathleen C. Robinson, profesora jubilada del castellano y de la historia de la América Latina que ahora se dedica a escribir.
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Salud / Health
El Sol Latino December 2018
Recovery and Health Care in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands One Year after Irma and María WASHINGTON, DC | KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATION | September 19, 2018— One year after Hurricanes Irma and María made landfall, recovery has progressed slowly and unevenly in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The territories’ health care systems continue to face capacity, infrastructure and financial challenges even as health needs have increased, especially in mental health, according to two new reports from the Kaiser Family Foundation. The reports, The Recovery of Community Health Centers in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands One Year After Hurricanes Maria and Irma and One Year After the Storms: Recovery and Health Care in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, drawing upon interviews with government and health officials from both territories, public documents and data, and an online survey of 21 community health centers, find that providers in both territories have restored access to some services limited by hurricane damage, while other services remain closed. Provider shortages in nursing, certain subspecialties and especially in mental health present challenges in both territories. More than seven in ten (71%) health centers reported an increase in the number of patients they served. Over eight in ten (86%) health centers reported an uptick in patients with depression and anxiety compared to before the hurricanes, and seven in ten reported that patients were more likely to have suicidal thoughts or attempts and alcohol or other substance use disorders. Some highlights of the executive summary of One Year after the Storms: Recovery and Health Care in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands report: Recovery has progressed, but it has been slow and uneven, and challenges remain. Although power has been largely restored to the territories, Puerto Rico still experiences power instability, and its two offshore islands are still not connected to the electrical grid. In both territories, economic recovery and home repair progress are moving slowly. Heading into a new school year, many children continue to face disrupted school schedules due to delays in repair and construction of temporary classrooms. Post-hurricane outmigration has left a disproportionately elderly, disabled, and economically disadvantaged population in the territories as they cope with recovery.
Federal financing has been critical to recovery, but stakeholders report barriers to accessing federal recovery funds and are concerned about the expiration of temporary Medicaid financing support at the end of September 2019. Territory health officials have used additional Medicaid funds from the February 2018 budget bill to support coverage and increase reimbursement rates, but they worry about long-term financing. Officials cited complex rules, extensive paperwork, rotating FEMA staff, and poor communication as key barriers to accessing the array of federal recovery funds. Health care providers have found support from nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and philanthropy helpful in moving recovery forward with less bureaucracy. The territories are moving forward with broader health system changes, including significant spending cuts in Puerto Rico. The Financial Oversight and Management Board, created by Congress to oversee broader debt restructuring in Puerto Rico, approved the territory’s May 2018 fiscal plan that calls for $9.5 billion in spending cuts over the next six years. Health care system changes outlined in the plan may complicate the territory’s recovery from the hurricanes, as implementation of major changes is set for the fall of 2018. At the same time, USVI’s broad delivery system efforts that began before the hurricanes are moving forward alongside the territory’s work on hurricane recovery and preparation. In the midst of recovery from the 2017 hurricanes, territory officials and health care providers were preparing for the 2018 hurricane season. Top priorities included development of alternative energy sources, such as solar power and back-up generators, as well as improved processes to identify and track patients that may need medical transfers or special care considerations. Some officials reported that they had improved procedures for the periods immediately before and after a hurricane, while others reported that drills and early storm events reveal continued gaps in preparations for another storm. These officials expressed particular concern about areas that are still suffering the most from last years’ storms.
One year later, mental health remains a crisis in both territories. Puerto Rico has experienced an increase in both deaths from suicide and calls to the central suicide hotline over the nine months following the hurricanes. Residents also continue to deal with physical health challenges exacerbated by the storms, such as management of diabetes and other chronic conditions.
Both Puerto Rico and USVI have released comprehensive recovery plans, but these plans call for major capital investments. Questions remain about both the availability of additional federal financing to continue recovery efforts and the possibility of long-term changes to Medicaid financing before the expiration of temporary Medicaid funds at the end of September 2019. Looking ahead, the territories are focused on making it through the 2018 hurricane season and continuing toward full recovery and fiscal stability in the future.
The territories’ health care systems have seen progress with recovery, but serious gaps remain. Providers in both territories have restored access to some services limited by hurricane damage, while other services remain closed as providers await damage assessment and rebuilding. Provider shortages in mental health, nursing, and certain subspecialties present challenges to service delivery in both territories. Recovery of the health care system in Puerto Rico’s offshore islands and rural areas lags behind the rest of the territory. In USVI, hospitals and clinics remain damaged and function well below needed levels of service delivery and inpatient capacity.
KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATION is a non-profit organization focusing on national health issues, as well as the U.S. role in global health policy. More information on One Year after the Storms: Recovery and Health Care in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands by Cornelia Hall, Robin Rudowitz, Samantha Artiga, and Barbara Lyons. Published: Sep 19, 2018. The Recovery of Community Health Centers in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands One Year after Hurricanes Maria and Irma by Jessica Sharac, Sara Rosenbaum, Jennifer Tolbert, Anne Markus, Peter Shin, and Maria Diaz are available Kaeiser Family Foundation web site, www.kff.org.
Ciencia / Science
El Sol Latino December 2018
13
Modelando comportamiento maternal en animales por JESSICA CABALLERO-FELICIANO La trayectoria de la Dra. Mariana Pereira es una con la que muchos latinos en la diáspora nos podemos sentir identificados. Su familia la describe como gitana, porque ha vivido en muchos lados. Sus padres son de Uruguay, pero ella nació en Buenos Aires, Argentina. La situación política en Uruguay era complicada para ese entonces, y sus padres fueron exiliados durante la dictadura, primero a Argentina, y luego a Barcelona, España donde vivieron por 10 años. Regresó a Montevideo, Uruguay a los 12 años cuando la democracia se re-estableció. En Uruguay cursó sus estudios e hizo su Licenciatura en Biología- Ciencias Fisiológicas en la Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República. Fue una decisión obvia para ella porque desde pequeña siempre le han gustado los animales, tenía muchos libros y le gustaba ver documentales del National Geographic. Pero lo que mas le llamaba la atención de los animales eran las madres con sus bebés. En su tercer año comenzó a trabajar con la Dra. Annabel Ferreira que estudiaba comportamiento maternal, y con ella hizo su tesis de grado, Maestría y Doctorado. Mientras cursaba su Doctorado, hizo pasantías en diferentes países como Brasil y México; y en su último año realizó una pasantía de seis meses en la Universidad de Connecticut. Ésta última también fue una razón por la que muchos latinos nos podemos sentir identificados. “En Uruguay es difícil la situación y no hay mucho dinero para hacer ciencia. Pero a veces es mas la mentalidad de que no se pueden hacer cosas, mas que la realidad de que se puedan o no hacer. Y me pareció que la mentalidad me estaba consumiendo.” En la Universidad de Connecticut trabajó con el Dr. John Salomone en estudios para determinar como el neurotransmisor dopamina juega un papel importante en la motivación a realizar un acto. Allí conoció a quien hoy día es su esposo, quien también es científico. “A los seis meses resultó bastante obvio que había algo entre nosotros”. Ella regresó a Uruguay, esta vez inspirada nuevamente en la ciencia y sin la mentalidad del “no se puede.” Terminó su doctorado y volvió a los Estados Unidos, pero esta vez a la Universidad de Rutgers al “Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience” en New Jersey. Allí hizo un pos-doctorado para continuar investigando comportamiento maternal con la Dra. Joan Morrell. “Hago esta historia para resaltar que nunca tuve la intención de quedarme en Estados Unidos, yo quería establecer mi carrera en Uruguay, pero luego de casarme y tener hijos era evidente que me iba a quedar aquí.” Actualmente la Dra. Pereira es profesora asistente en el Departamento de Psicología y Neurociencias en la Universidad de Massachusetts Amherst. Su laboratorio usa ratas como modelo animal para estudiar como la maternidad afecta al cerebro y el comportamiento de las madres. Su interés principal es entender como el cerebro controla y permite que las madres realicen comportamiento maternal. ¿Que es lo que cambia en el cerebro de las madres que pasan de ser individuos en donde la mayor dedicación y atención es personal, a que entonces el objeto de su conducta sean sus hijos? “Mucha gente lo ve bien romántico “el amor de madres e hijos”, pero para mí siempre fue muy mecánico. ¿Por qué dedican tanto tiempo y cuidado? ¿Cómo evalúan lo que sus hijos necesitan? La idea es entender cuales son los cambios en el circuito maternal que permiten no solo que la madre dedique cuidado a sus hijos, sino que además lo haga de manera tan sensible.” Es decir, el comportamiento de la madre cambia de manera que está coordinado a las necesidades fisiológicas y emocionales de sus hijos. Y es dinámico y flexible. “Las madres no cuidan a sus hijos de la misma manera cuando tienen seis meses o cuando tienen seis años. Tampoco cuidan a todos sus hijos de la misma manera. El cuidado se adapta a las necesidades, demandas y temperamento de cada hijo. En las primeras semanas de nacido, a pesar de que los neonatos son componentes activos de la relación, no pueden articular lo que necesitan”.
Las madres tienen la capacidad de “entender” las señales de sus hijos y de responder a ellas de manera adecuada a lo largo de la crianza. “La interpretación de estas señales por parte de las madres va a depender de la combinación de factores genéticos y ambientales, como por ejemplo la manera en que fuiste criado, nivel de estrés, si estas sufriendo un desorden psiquiátrico, etc. Todas las madres son diferentes. No todas respondemos de la misma manera al mismo estímulo, cómo procesamos ese estímulo es lo que hace la diferencia”. Más adelante, su laboratorio fue adaptándose a otro interés. “Con el tiempo me di cuenta que otra manera de entender al cerebro maternal es entenderlo no solo de la perspectiva del cerebro sano sino también del cerebro que tiene dificultades cognitivas y motivacionales y cómo eso impacta al comportamiento maternal.” A esto lleva la segunda línea de investigación del laboratorio de la Dra. Pereira, investigando cómo enfermedades neuropsiquiátricas durante el posparto afectan la capacidad de las madres de responder de manera contingente y adecuada a la necesidad de sus hijos. Utilizan otro modelo animal que tienen características de síntomas depresivos, por lo que los hace un buen modelo para depresión posparto. De esta manera buscan determinar la relación entre la disfunción de diferentes áreas del cerebro, síntomas cognitivos y motivacionales, y alteraciones en la interacción materno-filial. Los humanos que son depresivos tienen síntomas como poca energía, problemas cognitivos en el sentido que les cuesta organizarse, planificar, inflexibles en la manera que piensan y si las cosas se les complica no les es fácil encontrar la manera de arreglar las cosas. “Nuestro modelo animal exhibe comportamientos que recapitulan síntomas claves de la depresión, y además de mostrar déficits cognitivos y motivacionales, también presentan déficits en su comportamiento maternal.” Uno de los problemas de las madres con depresión posparto, es que este proceso de responder de manera apropiada a las señales de sus bebés se ve afectada, y esto se refleja en el modelo animal. Su tercera línea de investigación trata de entender como las drogas de abuso, como la cocaína, afectan al cerebro maternal y a la toma de decisión. Ésta es la primera parte de una serie de artículos acerca de modelos animales para comportamiento maternal y enfermedades neuropsiquiátricas. En la segunda parte abundaremos mas sobre la depresión pos-parto y la implicación para los humanos. Si usted o alguien que usted conoce tiene síntomas de depresión o de depresión pos-parto, busque ayuda con su psicólogo o llame al National Hopeline Network al 1-800-748-2433. JESSICA CABALLERO-FELICIANO (jcaballerof@umass.edu) es estudiante en el Neuroscience & Behavior Graduate Program -UMass Amherst.
Desde Puerto Rico para el mundo— "la primera y única emisora de tv con licencia para la historia"
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Educación / Education
El Sol Latino December 2018
Women’s engineering conference energizes STCC students SPRINGFIELD, MA | SPRINGFIELD TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE | November 14, 2018 – Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) students recently traveled to the largest conference in the world for women in engineering and technology, where they had a chance to share their hopes and dreams with over 14,000 kindred spirits. “I loved it,” said STCC student Aleah Pannell, of Springfield, who is in the Engineering and Science Transfer program and focusing on civil engineering. “I felt very empowered to see all these women – especially in construction, my own field.” Pannell and three other STCC students attended the Society of Women Engineers annual conference in Minneapolis, held in October.
advisor to the SWE chapter at STCC, accompanied the four STCC students to the conference, which drew more than 14,000 professional and collegiate women. “These young women had a great experience at sessions, workshops and a Career Fair with 60 of the largest engineering and tech companies in the United States,” McGinnis-Cavanaugh said. “There, they spoke to recruiters and learned how to position themselves for success in interviews and on internship applications.” The trip was funded in part by the STCC STEM Starter Academy, a statefunded grant initiative that supports and assists science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students as they work toward graduation from their STEM programs. McGinnis-Cavanaugh also helped organize the #MySTEMstory networking event for Pioneer Valley women in STEM, which was held at the UMass Center in Springfield a week after the SWE conference. The four community colleges in Western Massachusetts collaborated on the event. STCC President John B. Cook said the college fully supports efforts to encourage more women to pursue careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. “As the only technical community college in the state, we feel a big part of our job is to help narrow the gender gap in STEM fields,” Cook said. “The SWE conference was a terrific opportunity to inspire our students to keep pursuing their dreams. I’m thrilled they had a chance to connect with students from other institutions and professional women working in the field.”
VAYACON
Interested in applying to an engineering or other program at STCC? Visit www.stcc.edu/apply or call Admissions at (413) 755-3333. From left, STCC students Keiry Márquez, Victoria Vredenburg, Maeliz Colón and Aleah Pannell attend the Society of Women Engineers annual conference in Minneapolis. (Photo Credit: STCC)
Men continue to outnumber women working in engineering. According to SWE, only 13 percent of professional engineers are women. The annual conference served as a potent reminder that women may be a minority in the engineering field, but they are strong, focused and determined to make their mark. For the STCC students, the conference was a powerful experience. “I was able to get all these different perspectives that I wouldn’t normally get,” said Maeliz Colon, of Springfield, one of the STCC students who attended the conference. “There were professionals. There were students who were in their last years of studying. Everyone at STCC is in their first or second year.” Colon, a second-year student at STCC, is in the Engineering and Science Transfer program, focusing on mechanical engineering. But in meeting fellow conference attendees, she was able to think about other possible options when she transfers to a four-year school. “One woman started off as a mechanical engineer and she eased her way into material science,” Colon said. “That gave me something to think about.” In addition to sharing stories with other students, Colon and other attendees had a chance to get valuable advice from professionals. Beth McGinnis-Cavanaugh, a physics and engineering professor and faculty
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bilingüe arte, cultura, media politics Natalia Muñoz
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Comercio / Business
El Sol Latino December 2018
15
bankESB Opens New Branch in Holyoke On Monday, November 5th, bankESB celebrated a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the Grand Opening of its new branch in Holyoke. The new branch is located at a former lot formally owned by the City of Holyoke at the corner of Sargeant Street and Route 202 (Beech Street) next to CVS and the newly built Holyoke Senior Center. President and CEO of bankESB, Matthew S. Sosik, officiated at the Grand Opening celebration with Mayor Alex. B Morse, along with state representative Aaron Vega, Senator Donald Humason, Jr., and President of the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce, Barry Feingold. Sosik said that the entry into Holyoke provides an opportunity for bankESB to be a part of the recent revitalization of Holyoke and it also reinforces the bank’s commitment to community banking in the local market. bankESB Community Development Specialist Harry Montalvo, President and CEO of bankESB, Matthew S. Sosik, and Jesús “Jay” Candelario, owner of Jay’s Bed & Breakfast at 1109 Dwight St. in Holyoke
¡Aviso Importante! Important Announcement! NOTICE TO ALL APPLICANTS FOR
HAMPSHIRE PINE APARTMENTS
Northeast II Apartments will no longer be accepting applications for the Rental Assistance Demonstration program (RAD) units. That waiting list be closed until further notice. Management will continue to accept applications for the markets units. We will accept Housing Choice Vouchers for the markets units and any income qualified rental applications that meet the Low Income Housing Tax Credits units
NOTIFICACION PARA TODOS LOS APLICANTES DE
HAMPSHIRE PINE APARTMENTS
Northeast II Apartments ya no estará aceptando solicitudes para las unidades del programa de demostración de alquiler (RAD). La lista de espera estará cerrada hasta nuevo aviso. La gerencia continuará aceptando solicitudes para las unidades de mercado. Aceptaremos los Housing Choice Vouchers para las unidades de mercado y cualquier solicitud de alquiler que cualifique según los ingresos que cumplan con los Créditos Fiscales para viviendas de bajos ingresos.
Mt. Holyoke Management, LLC
63 Jackson Street Suite: 101 - Holyoke MA 01010
532-9268
Fax (413) 532-1843 Mass Relay Dial #711 IT IS ILLEGAL TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST ANY PERSON ON THE BASIS OF RACE, COLOR, CREED, RELIGION, NATIONAL OR ETHNIC ORIGIN, CITIZENSHIP, ANCESTRY, CLASS, SEX, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, FAMILIAL STATUS, DISABILITY, MILITARY/VETERAN STATUS, SOURCE OF INCOME, OR AGE. IF YOU FEEL YOU HAVE BEEN DISCRIMINATED AGAINST, YOU MAY CALL THE 504 COORDINATOR AT (413) 534-0955.
Holyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse explained that bankESB’s million-dollar investment places the property back on the tax rolls, creates jobs, and is the first time in decades that a bank has chosen to build a new branch in the downtown area. The bank has also provided construction financing for projects in Holyoke such as Gary Rome Hyundai, The Cubit, Fiesta Café, International Container, and C&D Electronics.
Matthew S. Sosik, President and CEO of bankESB, at the ribbon cutting ceremony.
¡Sesión de Invierno en STCC! ¡Reciba Créditos Universitarios durante las Vacaciones de Invierno!
Matricúlese para una Clase en Línea de 4 Semanas Clases comienzan el viernes, 21 de diciembre y terminan el jueves, 17 de enero Todo estudiante pagará matrícula de residente del estado.
¡Matricúlese Ahora! www.stcc.edu/winter • Política & Gobierno Americano 1 • Destrezas Básicas de Teclado (Keyboarding) • Ética Empresarial • Introducción a las Computadoras: Conceptos y Aplicaciones • Composición en Inglés 1 • Composición en Inglés 2 • Psicología General • Introducción a la Sociología • Crecimiento y Desarrollo Humano • Terminología Médica 1 • Apreciación Musical 1 • Nutrición
• Principios de Gerencia • Principios de Mercadeo • Principios de Comportamiento normal / y no normal • Estadística • Visión General de la Historia Moderna de los Estados Unidos • Visión General de la Historia y el Gobierno de los Estados Unidos. • Mujeres en la Literatura. • Religiones del Mundo
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El Sol Latino December 2018
Fine Arts Center ¡Eventos de Primavera!
CHRISTIAN SCOTT ATUNDE ADJUAH
Jueves, Febrero 14, 7:30 pm | Bowker Auditorium
Disfrute de jazz, baile y mucho más en el UMass Fine Arts Center Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah ha tenido una carrera relámpago que lo ha llevado a la vanguardia del jazz, el hip-hop, y el pop. Con raíces en las tradiciones de New Orleans, su ciudad natal, Scott es ampliamente reconocido como uno de los pioneros del “Stretch Music,” una forma musical con raíces en el jazz, la cual intenta “stretch” (extender) las convenciones rítmicas, melódicas y harmónicas del jazz para abarcar muchas otras formas musicales, lenguajes y culturas. Extienda su definición de jazz con este quinteto el Día de San Valentín. Auspician:
Magic Triangle’s 30th Anniversary Celebration
JANE BUNNETT & MAQUEQUE
Jueves, Marzo 28, 8 pm | Bowker Auditorium
Jane Bunnett ha dedicado gran parte de su vida profesional a la música de Cuba. Su proyecto más reciente, Maqueque, “el espíritu de una jovencita”, combina la talentosa soprano saxofonista y flautista con jóvenes cubanas que son de las mas hábiles musicalmente. “Si se presentan cerca de su pueblo, vaya a verlas,” escribe Jon Garelick. Auspician:
BALLET HISPÁNICO
Jueves, Abril 18, 7:30 pm | Fine Arts Center Concert Hall
Con impresionantes bailarines e intrépida coreografía, el Ballet Hispánico fusiona el baile Latino con técnicas clásicas y contemporáneas creando un nuevo estilo de baile. Para esta presentación, el Ballet Hispánico trae un programa con una coreografía completamente Latina con piezas que exploran símbolos icónicos mexicanos, la circularidad de la condición humana y la pasión del baile flamenco. “Los miembros de Ballet Hispánico son 12 de los bailarines más musicales y técnicamente hábiles que usted encontrará en la esfera contemporánea.” –The Washington Post.
Charla antes de la presentación, a las 6:15 pm, en el vestíbulo del FAC Auspician:
Boletos: Llamar 413-545-2511 o 800-999-UMAS o en línea al fineartscenter.com