El Sol Latino | February 2016 | 12.4 by El Sol Latino

February 2016

Volume 12 No. 4

Un Peri贸dico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

The Puerto Rican Cultural Project

Puerto Rico Canta on Main Street 2016 Un Peri贸dico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

DISABILITY LAW CENTER

INVESTIGATION AT PECK SCHOOL, HOLYOKE

Editorial/Editorial

In December 2014 Joe Vélez and his Creación Latin Big Band and young singer Casey Ortiz were the main attraction of “Mambo on Main Street- Latin Big Band Holiday Concert”. Orlando Zayas, guitarist and Tres Cubano player, and singer Richard Zayas performed with the big band.

2 Editorial / Editorial The Puerto Rican Cultural Project in Holyoke 3 Portada / Front Page Holyoke Celebra “Puerto Rico Canta on Main Street” 4 The Many Sounds of Puerto Rican Identities: Miguel Zenón Speaks and Plays 6 One in Four Puerto Ricans do not live “The American Dream” 7 Sixty-Two People Own Same Wealth as Half the World 8 Tinta Caliente / Hot Ink Opinión / Opinion The cost of war on children living in poverty: An imperative to end wars 9 El Deseo Autentico del Amor 10 The Current Puerto Rican Conjuncture: Not-So-Funny Things Have Happened to Us on the Way to a Crisis 11 ¿Qué Pasa en...? 13 Teatro/ Theater Vamos a escuchar “Los Monólogos de La Vagina” 14 Libros / Books? La Oculta 15 Deported / Sports Vianka Acosta McKenzie – A Rising Star Salud / Health Celebre el Día de San Valentín con un corazón sano

In March 2015, CENTRO and HPL-PRCP signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), creating an educational-cultural alliance between these two institutions, the first in its class in Western Massachusetts.

Founded in 2004 n Volume 12, No. 4 n February 2016

The Puerto Rican Cultural Project in Holyoke Puerto Rico Canta on Main Street, held on December 3 at Holyoke War Memorial was the most recent cultural event organized by the Puerto Rican Cultural Project (PRCP). More than 500 people attended this year’s concert, surpassing the audience of the three previous concerts. As in past year, along with Holyokers, many residents of Springfield, Northampton and Florence enjoyed the event. This is a trend that has continued since the first concert, highlighting the outreach that the cultural events organized by the PRCP are having. PRCP is an unincorporated association of volunteers whose mission is to support the Holyoke Public Library’s (HPL) outreach program through sponsorship of events that highlight the importance of the rich culture and history of Puerto Ricans in Holyoke. On October 2012, PRCP, in collaboration with the Puerto Rican Cuatro Project, screened a series of documentaries along with a pop up exhibition of posters depicting Puerto Rico’s national musical instrument, the cuatro. This event was part of “Envision Depot Square Holyoke,” a collaborative project based in Holyoke and organized by the UMass-Amherst Architecture + Design Program. On October and November 2012, again in collaboration with the Puerto Rican Cuatro Project, PRCP screened the Puerto Rican Music Video Documentary Series in Holyoke. In December 2012, a ground breaking bilingual cultural event, From la Montaña to Main Street: The Cuatro Concert, was a unique concert that brought together two outstanding musicians. Jeff Kust, from Chicago, a

Cita del Mes/ Quote of the Month

Martin O’Malley mentions Puerto Rico in the Presidential debate

world-renowned composer and guitar player who adopted the cuatro as his signature musical instrument, and José González, from Puerto Rico, guitarist, composer, and virtuoso cuatro player. From April to May 2013 the exhibit, entitled Puerto Rican Community Education Posters: 1947-1990, was presented by PRCP at Open Square Gallery in Holyoke. The collection of Puerto Rican posters was part of the Holyoke Points of View art and cultural events. In December 2013, PRCP presented Roulé Candela on Main Street: An Afro-Caribbean and Carols Concert. This event assembled three pillars of Puerto Rican music - Yoruba II led by Lydia Pérez, well-known music and dance performer of Puerto Rican Bomba; William Cepeda, Grammy Award nominee jazz musician who combines Bomba with his brand new style called Afro-Rican Jazz; and International Tenor, Charlie Berríos, a native from Puerto Rico living in Holyoke, who has performed with some of the most prestigious opera companies in Europe. In October 2014, the PRCP and HPL hosted a presentation by Edwin Meléndez, co-editor of the new book, Puerto Ricans at the Dawn of the New Millennium, published by the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College (CENTRO). This was the first presentation of the book in Western Massachusetts as part of the Millennium Book national tour.

On Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015, PRCP co-sponsored the Grito de Lares Celebration event that featured writer, film director, and former New York State Assemblyman, and author of the controversial book War Against All Puerto Ricans – Revolution and Terror in America’s Colony, Nelson Antonio Denis. On November 14, 2015 Dr. Harry Franqui-Rivera, a historian and Research Associate at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College, City University of New York came to Holyoke for a Conversation with Author Series: Citizen Soldiers: Myth and Truths Behind the Jones Act, Puerto Rico and World War. Source – #StandUpforPuertoRico. It is a movement through social media, powered by civic engagement, that looks to build up the voice of the people of Puerto Rico.

contents

We will continue to organize events that highlight our culture, history and contributions to the greater community.

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 February 2016

Holyoke Celebra “Puerto Rico Canta on Main Street” por MANUEL FRAU RAMOS El pasado 2 de enero se celebró exitosamente el cuarto concierto anual del Puerto Rican Cultural Project (PRCP) y la Biblioteca Pública de Holyoke. Alrededor de 500 personas asistieron al concierto “Puerto Rico Canta on Main Street,” llenando a capacidad el Holyoke War Memorial. La asistencia superó a la de los tres previos conciertos organizados por este grupo. Este año “Puerto Rico Canta on Main Street” se celebró a principios de enero para así incorporar la celebración del tradicional Día de los Tres Reyes Magos al concierto. Como parte de esta celebración familiar, se presentaron Los Reyes Magos y se le regalaron libros educativos a los niños, donados por Enlace de Familias.

puertorriqueño Charlie Berríos quien interpretó, entre otras, El Día que me Quieras y Nessun Dorma. Berríos estuvo acompañado por el pianista y maestro Hugh Keelan, quien fue el conductor de la orquesta de La Boheme de Giacomo Puccini presentada en el Academy of Music de Northampton por la compañía Panopera a finales de enero.

Foto MFR. Saúl “El Pulpo” Peñaloza, Juan Peñaloza y Fred Angulo

Foto MFR. Los Tres Reyes Magos - Darwin “Jerry” Cruz, Héctor Santos y Eli Morales

El programa musical consistió de Fred Angulo y su grupo de bomba y plena Los Gigantes de La Plena, con la participación de la reconocida bailarina folclórica Brendaliz Cepeda y el Grupo Folklórico El Coquí. Este último formado por estudiantes de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke y dirigido por la maestra Norma Iris Rodríguez Tañón. Los Gigantes de la Plena dividieron su repertorio musical en dos partes, la primera parte fue dedicada a la bomba y la segunda a la plena, terminando con un parrandón. Los Gigantes de la Plena se han convertido en el grupo musical de este género de mas demanda en la región ya que hicieron el popular jingle de Navidad para Telemundo. En enero también se presentaron en el Parrandón Navideño, evento que la Cámara de Comercio Latina de Massachusetts anualmente celebra en Springfield. El conjunto estará participando en el próximo Festival de la Familia Hispana, Inc. a celebrarse en el mes de julio en el Springdale Park de Holyoke. El concierto también contó con la participación del tenor internacional

Foto del Mes/Photo of the Month

Grupo Reunión Social Celebró la Navidad El grupo Reunión Social del Holyoke Senior Center celebró su anual evento navideño el 10 de diciembre de 2015 en el Holyoke Senior Center. De izquierda a derecha - Julita Rojas, Margarita Arona, Dora Ojeda, Myrna Rivera, Julio García, Blanca Ortiz (líder del grupo) y Magdaly Martínez, trabajadora social.

Foto MFR. Charlie Berríos y Hugh Keelan

Los patrocinadores del evento fueron Fortuna Auto Sales, UMass Fine Arts Center, Enlace de Familias, Freedom Credit Union, Champ Law, Holyoke Medical Center, El Sol Latino, Raffaele Nazario, Telemundo Hartford/ Springfield, WGBY, Gaddier Rosario Fine Art Studio y Marcos Dermith & Jennifer Sánchez de WTCC. Colaboraron en el evento Cesar y Felicita “Nina” López, Luis “El Angel,” Luis “Luigi”, Wanda Vergara y los Tres Reyes Magos (Héctor Santos, Eli Morales y Darwin “Jerry” Cruz). Delmarina López sirvió como maestra de ceremonias.

El Sol Latino February 2016

The Many Sounds of Puerto Rican Identities: Miguel Zenón Speaks and Plays by NORALIZ RUIZ* It was the first day of spring, was steadily falling over New York City. Miguel Zenón’s quartet was performing the album Identities are Changeable: Tales from the Diaspora at the Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture. On that same snowy day of spring I overheard someone commenting: “How can jazz be Puerto Rican?” and I went to the concert, on a day of spring with no flowers, pondering about the oddities of that statement. Alto sax player, Miguel Zenón, instills jazz with Puerto Ricanness. Zenón’s extensive discography, with nine albums as a leader, evidences Puerto Rican influence, from the clearest rhythmic references of plena to the melodic deconstruction of the Puerto Rican seis. Traces of Puerto Rican folk and popular music have been constant throughout Zenón’s career, but on his last project they are not as patent. In Identities are Changeable, Zenón poses a novel approach to Puerto Rican music, and it is precisely jazz, with its infinite sonic possibilities, that lends him enough room to explore and experiment with a concept as subjective as identity, from a Nuyorican lens. The experiences of seven Nuyoricans addressing what it means to be Puerto Rican provide the storyline of this project, resulting in a jazz suite entirely driven by oral history. A receptive audience at Hostos Center for the Arts witnessed a complete rendition of the album Identities are Changeable last Friday. The interviews that make up the tales of the diaspora, mixed with visuals by David Dempewolf, were in full display on the screen as Zenón led his ensemble with Luis Perdomo on piano, Hans Gawischnig on bass and Henry Cole on drums. The quartet, whose members also recorded the album, are musicians who know each other well. That was apparent from the first notes of the overture “¿De Dónde Vienes?” The rhythmic section led by Cole on drums and Gawishcnig offered percussive grooves and a solid platform for Perdomo to display his exhilarating technique and for Zenón’s crisp sax tone to improvise intricate and purposeful solos that moved with determination from the most contrasting points, like the diaspora itself.

make for such a rich area of study is that it so often serves as a crowded, even contentious forum for what are widely called issues of identity (Ake, Jazz Matters,Sound, Place and Time since Bebop, 3). In this interview, Zenón discusses his motivations and the reasons beyond this project. Noraliz Ruiz: References to Puerto Rican music are present throughout your discography. What was your overall approach to the concept of Puerto Rican music in Identities are Changeable? What got you interested in doing this project in the first place? Miguel Zenón: I’ve been interested in the phenomenon that is the Puerto Rican community in the U.S. for a very long time. I have family in New York City and would visit them from an early age, so my initial curiosity was born then and it was rekindled when NYC became my permanent home in 1998. What put me over the edge in terms of jumping into this project was a book by the late Juan Flores called The Diaspora Strikes Back, on which he conducted interviews with various individuals (of Puerto Rican, Cuban and Dominican heritage). I basically wanted to take use some of Juan’s approaches from the book and put them into a musical context.

On this album the MacArthur Fellow uses jazz as a vehicle to converse about current issues and to reflect about his own ideas as a Puerto Rican who has lived half of his life away from the island.

NR: During the making of this project, what did you learn about what it means to be a second, third, or fourth generation Puerto Rican from NY? Does the same apply to other second, third, or fourth generation Puerto Ricans in other enclaves in the U.S.?

David Ake has rightfully discussed that, like all music, jazz relates to individual and cultural senses of “you” or “them” as much as it helps to express and celebrate notions of “me” or “us.” Indeed, one reason that jazz continues to fascinate and to

MZ: I went into the interviews basically looking for the answer to one question: What does it mean to be Puerto Rican? If there was one thing I learned from this project, it was that there is not one correct answer; it could vary greatly depending on each

individual, the opportunities they were presented with and the choices that they made. I would say that my perspective on this subject has definitely broadened after working on this project. Also, I definitely feel that it applies to other Puerto Rican communities in the U.S. (and really to any immigrant community anywhere), but I decided to concentrate in NYC because it is the largest and oldest Puerto Rican community outside of the island. NR: It is unusual for a musician to find inspiration in an academic work. How did Flores’s book The Diaspora Strikes Back inspire Identities are Changeable? MZ: The idea for the interviews came out of Juan’s book. I just thought it would be a really effective way to get into the very distinctive experiences of each individual. But he was also instrumental to the project in many other ways. Not only was he one of the interview subjects, but the title of the project is a direct quote from his interview and it was this idea specifically (the idea of various identities being able to co-exist within the same individual) that eventually became the central element to the whole thing. NR: How was your compositional process for Identities are Changeable different from your previous works? How did the stories of the interviewed subjects guide the compositional process? MZ: It was different in the sense that I conducted most of the interviews before I wrote any music, so I wasn’t working from a musical source like I was on some of my previous projects. I initially planned to write a piece for each individual I spoke to, but after listening back to all the conversations I decided to write pieces based on the various themes that came out of the interviews: identity, home, language, etc.

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Portada / Front Page

El Sol Latino February 2016

The Many Sounds of Puerto Rican Identities: Miguel Zenón Speaks and Plays (continued from previous page) NR: The complex polyrhythmic structure of this album is brilliantly performed by Puerto Rican drummer Henry Cole, what does it mean to have a fellow Puerto Rican leading your ensemble’s rhythmic section? MZ: Henry’s part is especially important for this repertoire, because a lot of the music was written from a rhythmic perspective and the drum part ties it all together. I wrote it all with Henry in mind and he brought those parts to life on his own special way. There are definitely certain advantages to having another guy from Puerto Rico in the band, but I don’t necessarily feel that it’s an essential quality to have in order to be proficient with this type of music. Take Hans (our bassist) for example: he was born and raised in Austria, and yet I could think of very few bass players (or musicians, for that matter) who have a deeper sense of rhythmic understanding than he does. These guys (Luis also) are just really good musicians, never mind where they’re from. NR: Your arrangements for large ensemble in this album are remarkable. Should we expect more of that in your upcoming projects? MZ: This was the first time I seriously wrote for an ensemble this size, and I really enjoyed the challenge. It has definitely opened my eyes (and ears) in many ways so hopefully I’ll get more opportunities to tackle projects like this in the future.

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NR: How did jazz allow you to craft a new ground for Puerto Rican music?

MZ: I would love to. Hopefully the opportunity will come in the near future.

MZ: I came to jazz late in my teenage years, and it totally changed the course of my life. It made me fall in love with music and is the reason why I do what I do. In many ways, immersing myself in the study of jazz made me want to do the same with the music of Puerto Rico, and eventually try to create a platform where both of those traditions could coexist in equal balance.

NR: How has New York shaped your jazz career, and how important is the city in terms of what you’re currently pursuing?

NR: What are your main challenges and ambitions as a Puerto Rican jazz musician? MZ: I would like to continue to explore the music, history, and traditions of Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, and all of Latin America. I feel like I’m just getting started and still have a lot to learn. NR: Who was a major influence in your development as a musician? MZ: Too many to mention, but out of the musicians I’ve been in contact with I would probably have to single out Danilo Pérez, Steve Coleman, and Guillermo Klein. But there are many others. NR: Have you considered the possibility of bringing your project Caravana Cultural to Puerto Rican communities in the U.S.? [Voices readers: check one of the stops of the caravana in Aibonito, Puerto Rico and Armonía, the documentary that came out of it.]

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MZ: The greatest jazz musicians in the world are in or around NYC, so it is very important for me to be around them and feel like I’m part of the things happening in this city. Both my music and my playing would probably sound a lot different if I was living somewhere else. NR: Tell us about your upcoming performances and projects. MZ: We have a lot of dates this year (and next year) to promote the music on this recording. We’ll be in Brazil, Australia, plus a bunch of places in Europe and in the States. I’ll also be touring extensively with the SFJAZZ Collective both in the spring and fall. Another thing I’m very excited about is a piece I wrote for the M.I.T. Wind Ensemble, which will premiere in early May and is titled “Music as Service”. NR: What is Miguel Zenón listening to? Would you recommend two other Puerto Rican artists to our readers that you feel deserve their attention. MZ: Lately, it’s been D’Angelo, Joni Mitchell, Thomas Ades, Bjork, Pirulo y La Tribu, Joe Henderson, and

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Portada / Front Page

El Sol Latino February 2016

One in Four Puerto Ricans do not live “The American Dream” by Census Information Center, UPR-CAYEY CAYEY, PR. December 18, 2015. Census Information Center, UPR-Cayey - Puerto Ricans living in the United States have a higher poverty rate than Latinos in general who have a poverty rate of 24%. The Census Information Center (CIC) at the University of Puerto Rico in Cayey (UPR-Cayey) reported that 26% of the Puerto Rican population in the United States in 2014 was below the poverty levels, a ratio that is more than double that of whites (10.8%) and the Asian population (12.5%). The incidence of poverty is even greater for Puerto Ricans born in Puerto Rico living in the United States, whose rate exceeds the 27.5% poverty incidence among blacks (27%). This is according to the American Community Survey of the US, the most comprehensive source for studying poverty in that country. “While it is true that poverty in the US is lower than in Puerto Rico and for many migration is an economic progress, for others the migration has not been a panacea: more than 1.3 million Puerto Ricans living in the United States have incomes that do not allow them to obtain a minimum standard of living. This despite the fact that Puerto Ricans seem to have certain advantages

over other Latinos such as US citizenship and a better command of English. So I am surprised that the poverty of the Puerto Rican diaspora is not in the US arena, “said Dr. José Caraballo Cueto, director of the only CIC in Puerto Rico located in the UPR-Cayey. According to the survey carried out in all states, poverty for the entire population in the United States increased from 2006 (13.3%) to 2014 (15.5%). This has also increased poverty for Puerto Ricans in the United States who had a rate of 24.6% in 2006 which then rose to 26% in 2014. This was the case for almost all ethnic groups in the United States. In the case of Puerto Ricans born in Puerto Rico, the poverty rate increased from 25% in 2006 to 27.5% in 2014. “This trend of poverty for the general US population has begun to decline as the US

economic crisis ended. In the case of the Puerto Rican population, as there is more migration of poor Puerto Ricans and increased inequality in the United States, this trend may be reversed later on. However, this high incidence of poverty in the Puerto Rican population in the US is not new, as yet for 2000 (a year of economic bonanza) there were 25.8% poor Puerto Ricans in the United States. Hypotheses about the causes of the disproportionate poverty range from continuous or circular migration of Puerto Ricans in the United States to lack of skills or education levels of Puerto Ricans living in that country. I honestly believe that further academic studies on the causes of the Puerto Rican poverty in the United States are needed,” said Caraballo, also a Doctor in Economics. According to the Census Bureau, a person living alone is poor if its monthly income is $1,006 or less. That amount is adjusted if there are more people in the house. The CIC is attached to the Census Bureau and the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, whose aim is to disseminate economic and population census data to the different communities. Translated by El Sol Latino

The Many Sounds of Puerto Rican Identities continued from page 5 a lot of other stuff. A couple of younger Puerto Rican musicians that come to mind would be Mario Castro and Jonathan Suazo. Both young saxophone players (tenor and alto respectively) and both extremely talented and hard working. NR: As a first generation Puerto Rican migrant your work is paying homage to those who came before, as well as to their descendants—the second, third, and fourth generation Puerto Ricans. How are they redefining what it is to be Puerto Rican? And what, as a first generation migrant have you learned for their experiences? MZ: Being born and raised in Puerto Rico my experience and perspective was very different than the individuals I interviewed; this idea of having various “national identities” is not something that I’ve experienced myself. But, after working on this project, I feel that I have a better understanding of their point of view. I’ve been in the states for half of my life (19 years) and even though my formative years were spent in Puerto Rico, many of my most significant life experiences have occurred while being here in the U.S. On top of that, the whole idea of “what we pass on to the next generation” is also something that I’ve experienced first-hand because our 3-year old daughter (Elena) was born in NYC. And even though we try to keep her exposed to our traditions, language, etc., eventually it will be her choice to determine what the road to her identity will be like. And that’s something that we’ll have to honor and respect.

From left: Henry Cole, Miguel Zenón, Luis Perdomo, and Hans Gawischnig.

*Noraliz Ruiz (nru0002@hunter.cuny.edu), Centro’s Publications Coordinator, is a PhD candidate in Ethnomusicology-Musicology at Kent State University. Her research focuses on the Puerto Rican cuatro tradition, particularly in the continuity and change of the instrument’s performance practice. Noraliz makes music with the band Balún and the children’s group Acopladitos. © Center for Puerto Rican Studies. Published in Centro Voices on 27 March 2015.

NOTE - Do not miss the article The town that dreamed again about music by Eliván Martínez Mercado in the March issue of El Sol Latino. Inspired by the virtuoso saxophone player Miguel Zenón and cinematographer Gabriel Coss, a teacher and a group of students set forth the task of rescuing musical instruments, renovating an amphitheater, and reviving the music band that made the town of Aibonito, Puerto Rico famous.

El Sol Latino February 2016

Sixty-Two People Own Same Wealth as Half the World by OXFAM Runaway inequality has created a world where 62 people own as much as the poorest half of the world’s population – a figure that has fallen from 388 just five years ago, according to an Oxfam report published today ahead of the annual gathering of the world’s financial and political elites in Davos. The report, An Economy for the 1%, outlines how the wealth of the poorest half of the world’s population –more than 3.6 billion people - has fallen by a trillion dollars (41 percent) since 2010. Meanwhile the wealth of the richest 62 people has increased by more than half a trillion dollars to $1.76 trillion. “Power and privilege are being used to rig the system to increase the gap between the richest and the rest of us to levels we have not seen before. Far from trickling down, income and wealth are instead being pulled upwards at an alarming rate,” said Raymond C. Offenheiser, President of Oxfam America. “While such extreme inequality is bad for all of us, it’s the poorest among us who suffer the grimmest consequences.” Although world leaders have increasingly talked about the need to tackle inequality, the gap between the richest and the rest has continued to widen dramatically in the past 12 months. At last year’s Davos gathering, Oxfam predicted that the 1% would soon own more than the rest of us, a prediction that came true even before the year ended. Oxfam is calling for urgent action to tackle the extreme inequality crisis that threatens to undermine the progress made in fighting global poverty during the last quarter of a century. Oxfam is especially calling for an end to the era of tax havens. “Tax havens are at the core of a global system that allows large corporations and wealthy individuals to avoid paying their fair share, depriving governments, rich and poor, of the resources they need to provide vital public services and tackle rising inequality,” continued Offenheiser. Globally, it is estimated that a total of $7.6 trillion of individual’s wealth sits offshore – a twelfth of the total. If tax would be paid on the income that this

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wealth generates, an extra $190 billion would be available to governments every year. Oxfam also highlighted that 9 out of 10 of this year’s World Economic Forum corporate partners have a presence in at least one tax haven and estimated that tax dodging by multinational corporations costs developing countries at least $100 billion every year. Corporate investment in tax havens almost quadrupled between 2000 and 2014. Allowing governments to collect the taxes they are owed from companies and rich individuals will be vital if world leaders are to meet their new goal, set last September, to eliminate extreme poverty by 2030. Although the number of people living in extreme poverty halved between 1990 and 2010, the average annual income of the poorest 10 percent has risen by less than $3-a-year in the past quarter of a century. Had inequality within countries not grown during that time, an additional 200 million people would have escaped poverty. One of the other key trends behind rising inequality outlined in Oxfam’s report is the falling share of national income going to workers in almost all developed and most developing countries and a widening gap between pay at the top and the bottom of the income scale. This is definitely true here in the United States, where the salaries of CEOs at the top firms have increased by half since 2009 but ordinary wages have barely moved. The minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 since 2009, while all costs of living have increased – groceries have skyrocketed by 25 percent. “Raising the minimum wage would not only help millions of Americans, but it would also pump money into the local economy and save billions in taxpayer dollars by reducing the number of low-wage workers receiving federal assistance,” said Offenheiser. “Given that a solid majority of voters across all political backgrounds support an increase, it seems an obvious thing to do, but Congress isn’t budging.”

El Sol Latino February 2016

OT TINTNAT E H INK CAr MLanIueEl Frau Ramos

Holyoke...The first casualty of the Peck School scandal.

Nearly a month after offering the position of Superintendent of the Minneapolis (Minnesota) Public School System to Dr. Sergio Páez, the School Committee unanimously decided to end contract negotiations. In the midst of the negotiations between Dr. Páez and Minneapolis, the investigation report of the Disability Law Center about the alleged abuses of special education students in Peck School was published. These alleged abuses occurred under the Páez administration. The research findings derailed his appointment in Minneapolis. Po

En Holyoke…La primera baja del escándalo de la Escuela Peck. Casi un mes después de haberle ofrecido la posición

de Superintendente del sistema de Escuelas Públicas de la ciudad de Minneapolis (Minnesota) al Dr. Sergio Páez, el Comité Escolar de esa ciudad decidió unánimemente terminar las negociaciones del contrato. En medio de las negociaciones entre el Dr. Páez y Minneapolis, salió a la luz el informe de la investigación del Disability Law Center sobre los alegados abusos contra estudiantes de educación especial en la escuela Peck. Estos alegados abusos ocurrieron bajo la administración de Páez. Los hallazgos de la investigación descarrilaron su nombramiento en Minneapolis. ¿Quién será la próxima baja?

Who will be the next casualty?

Opinión / Opinion The cost of war on children living in poverty: An imperative to end wars by MIGUEL ARCE and WALTER MULLIN, Ph.D. The odds of children escaping poverty has gotten steeper since the beginning of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The children’s budget continues to face deep funding cuts. According to the Childrensbudget.org, spending on children in the federal budget makes up a tiny percentage of total spending. Though children make up a quarter of our population, out of every dollar spent by the federal government, less than a dime goes to children. The federal government funds over 180 different children’s programs, from child health and education to child welfare and juvenile justice. Discretionary spending on children has declined two years in a row. Since 2008 (when the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began), total spending on children declined by more than two percent from 2011.

Walter Mullin, Ph.D and Miguel Arce, MSW at Springf ield College School of Social Work

According to End Child Poverty Now, among the 35 industrialized countries in the world, America ranks 34th in relative child poverty. Any suffering of children as a result of the misdirected priorities impels us to remove the trajectory producing the suffering and consider alternatives to our present war system. Dwight D. Eisenhower, a five star general during the Second World War and 34th President of the United States, warned against the “military industrial complex” which comprises the policy and monetary relationships which exist between legislators, the national armed forces and the arms industry. The term is applicable today. In 2011, fifty years after

President Eisenhower’s’ farewell address, the United States spent more on its military that the next 13 nations combined. What is the cost of war? According the National Priorities Project, every hour, taxpayers in the United States are paying $57.52 million for the Department of Defense in 2016. In 2016, every hour, taxpayers are paying: $936,703 for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and $116,063 for Predator and Reaper Drones. Just in case that is not enough fire power, every hour, taxpayers are paying $2.19 million for nuclear weapons. These “priorities” ensure that poor children remain hunger. Children and poor adults remain at the mercy of this military-industrial complex supported by mislead politics. These misspent resources affect the life trajectory of children, however, more than adults. The impact of this military industrial complex is straightforward: hungry children, substandard housing, underfunded educational systems, insufficient health care, psychological suffering, social and cultural losses. The Geneva Conventions and the Convention on the Rights of the Child deal with protection of war-affected children with regard to food, clothing, medicine, education, and family reunion. They see the imperative to end war. Poverty, like war, may be treated with the assumption that it will always be with us—it is a fact of life. These assumptions should be forcefully challenged. It is time for all citizens to define war as a serious public health problem. The public health imperative is primary prevention – removing the “vector” of illness or making conditions unfavorable for survival of the vector. But it would be cynical, in the light of the suffering of the war-affected children of Hampden County to accept war as an inevitable part of the human condition. There are networks, formal and informal, of health professionals who think in terms of eliminating war and who work to accomplish this. International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) and Social Workers for Peace and Justice are focused on the role of health professionals working to eliminate war. Without advocacy to end funding of the current prolonged wars, the political agenda is on increasing military spending. The numbers provided by national child poverty prevention programs clearly show the impact and the need for change. Children, not war, are the priority in Hampden County and in the United States as a whole. Walter Mullin, PhD (wmullin@springfieldcollege.edu) is a Professor at the School of Social Work at Springfield College. Miguel Arce MSW (marce@ springfieldcollege.edu) is an Associate Professor at the School of Social work at Springfield College.

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Opinión / Opinion El Deseo Autentico del Amor por JOSÉ RAÚL GONZÁLEZ

El amor es la principal actividad sentimental humana que se da cuando se irradia, como el perfume de una rosa que incluso cuando no hubiera nadie para olerlo, la rosa de manera espontánea y natural expande su perfume. Así el amor es algo que está en nosotros y podemos sacarlo para afuera brindándolo a los demás. No tenemos que buscar la felicidad en las cosas ni en las personas. No lo encontraremos allí, porque está en nosotros mismos. El verdadero amor es expansivo, no es posesivo, es Incondicional, nunca pone amarres, sino siempre alas de libertad. Esto es lo que le da sentido a la vida. Amor y libertad van juntos. No se puede amar a alguien y pretender tenerlo sujeto, porque el amor no es esclavitud. Casi siempre somos mas lúcidos ante la vejez, la enfermedad, y la muerte. Cuando alguien se está despidiendo en el lecho de muerte nos damos cuenta que lo único que vale en esta vida es el amor. Decía el psiquiatra Karl G. Jung: “Ni siquiera tenemos idea de lo que es amar” porque siempre estamos amando desde el ego, con aferramiento, con afán de posesividad, con amor condicionado, cargado de exigencias, expectativas, dominio, competencia, reproches, rencores, frustraciones y celos. El verdadero amor es como una luz que se irradia en todas las direcciones y que es posible fomentarlo, dándonos cuenta que si herimos a los demás nos estamos hiriendo a nosotros mismos. Cuando amamos desde el ser amamos desde lo profundo del sentimiento de unidad. Lo que no quiero para mí tampoco lo deseo para el otro. Sin embargo, aquello que quiero para mí lo comparto generosamente y con cariño con la otra persona.

El Sol Latino May 2014 En todo tipo de relación amorosa hay que respetar tres espacios - el tuyo, 9 1/8 x 5 3/8 el mío y el nuestro. Tiene que haber independencia, confianza y sobre todo indulgencia y ternura. Por un lado debe ser fusión y por otro

El Sol Latino February 2016

independencia, apertura. No solo pasión sino sobre todo compasión (ponernos en el lugar de la otra persona), identificarnos con sus necesidades para tratar de atenderlas. Así el amor se convierte en actos de voluntad que procuran el bien de la persona amada. Un problema grande es mantener el amor en la convivencia (que a veces es su verdugo) porque la cotidianeidad, la rutina, y los problemas nos embargan de tal manera que nos olvidamos de mirar con ternura y profundidad a la persona que tenemos al lado. Por ello hay un adagio que reza: “si alguien te gusta mantenle lejos y te seguirá gustando.” Es difícil pero no imposible luchar con los problemas cotidianos y tener la suficiente sensibilidad para atender amorosamente a los seres que tenemos al lado. A veces el roce diario hace que perdamos de vista lo esencial que son los seres queridos que forman parte de nuestra vida. Tenemos que aprender a cooperar, porque no hay nada mas necio que combatir con los demás y con nuestra pareja y convertirnos en enemigos, cuando lo que tenemos que hacer es convertirlos en aliados y saber que todos estamos caminando en la misma senda de la vida. Tenemos que cooperar en la evolución de los demás así como ellos colaboran en nuestra propia evolución. Como dijo Gandhi: “Estamos en el camino para ayudarnos y no hay otra cosa más que el amor.” Además tenemos que aprender a amarnos a nosotros mismos, porque si no nos queremos y vamos a esperar que alguien nos quiera para sentirnos queridos, entonces sólo vamos a necesitar y usar al otro, en vez de relacionarnos propiamente con el otro. No debemos estar con una persona sólo por necesidad sino por un deseo auténtico de amarle. Para poder relacionarnos bien con otra persona primero tenemos que estar bien con nosotros mismos, pues: ’nadie da lo que no tiene.’ El autor es natural de Perú, abogado y sociólogo. Fue Magistrado en Lima, y Catedrático en la Universidad de San Martin de Porres. Actualmente reside en Springfield, MA. Su email: qi-negro@hotmail.com

Your community radio station, broadcasting 24/7 from the campus of Springfield Technical Community College

www.wtccfm.org WTCC is your source for music - from salsa to R&R oldies, gospel to jazz, R&B to bluegrass, Motown and more, as well as Ecos del Ritmo, Cantares Latino-Americanos, and Club House Dance Music plus local talk shows with local hosts discussing local issues.

Opinión / Opinion

El Sol Latino February 2016

The Current Puerto Rican Conjuncture: Not-So-Funny Things Have Happened to Us on the Way to a Crisis by ANGELO FALCÓN | December 27, 2015 international law, the case could be made that what Puerto Rico currently faces amounts to an “odious debt” that should be legally voided, while others have found that much of the current debt was raised illegally by Puerto Rico’s political elites by violating its constitution. Puerto Rican political leaders like Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, NYC Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Congressman Luis V. Gutierrez are outraged that the United States Congressional Republicans didn’t come through with any legislation to assist Puerto Rico to manage it massive debt crisis. While we have gotten used to Gutierrez making impassioned speeches before the Congress, it was startling to see Velazquez making a fiery 7 am speech in Congress with the Governor of Puerto Rico looking on. Then there was Mark-Viverito blasting the Republicans at the City Council on the Puerto Rico situation. Even the pro-statehood Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, Pedro Perluisi, was so disappointed that he said he was considering becoming an independentista! This was all a reaction to the Congress not including anything on Puerto Rico in the omnibus bill they just passed avoiding a federal government shutdown, but leaving Puerto Rico to fend for itself as a major debt payment is due next month (which they have stated they can’t make). But federal intervention on behalf of Puerto Rico is still an option as the House Speaker, Paul Ryan, has reportedly told his committee chairs to come up with some solutions for Puerto Rico by the end of March, and with the U.S. Supreme Court considering some cases related to Puerto Rico next month. Velazquez was also able to get Democratic support for a bill that would put a temporary stay on Puerto Rico’s creditors until the Congress can address the issue (although the odds of its passage appear poor given that it doesn’t seem to have Republican support). The problem in the Congress is that any legislation affecting Puerto Rico will need Republican support, since that party controls both houses. However, the strong partisan criticisms of Congressional inaction against the Republicans doesn’t seem to acknowledge this need for bipartisanship on this issue. This seems to make the Puerto Rico issue focused on the 2016 Presidential election rather providing immediate relief for the Island. The Congressional inaction, generally expected by those on the Puerto Rican left and nationalist circles, has provided a rationale for the support of more widespread autonomist sentiment. It seems clear that the so-called “Commonwealth” compact has exhausted its legitimacy, and Congressional indifference has also made the statehood option appear less viable. Puerto Rico’s functions for the United States as a low-wage, low-tax economic haven and strategic military location have clearly fallen straight into the dustbin of a post-Cold War, globalized history. The cause of independence for Puerto Rico is itself undergoing some rethinking. There is the straightforward pro-independence stance of a Nelson Denis, whose book, The War Against All Puerto Ricans, has had a major impact on Puerto Rican nationalist consciousness, neatly joining the long-term campaign to free Puerto Rican political prisoner Oscar Lopez Rivera. But the lack of a viable political independence movement in Puerto Rico (and its stateside version focusing on political prisoner release and socialist Cuban solidarity) is also generating alternative autonomist visions, such as that of journalist and former Young Lord Juan Gonzalez, who is making the case for a version of what some refer to as an “associated republic” of Puerto Rico that maintains ties to the U.S. but has greater autonomy (which others refer to, more or less, as an “enhanced Commonwealth” or “free associated pact”). But rather than the question of Puerto Rico’s independence from the United States coming to the fore under these circumstances, the trending reaction is the notion of simply not paying the debt. Some have argued that under

As all of these options are being considered by different sectors of the Puerto Rican people, much of the attention will start to shift next month to the U.S. Supreme Court. The court is scheduled to hear arguments in the following two cases that address the nature of the legal relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States: 1. People v. Sanchez Valle. Legal scholar Richard Pildes, the Sudler Family Professor of Constitutional Law at NYU, describes this case as one that: “. . . implicates the question that has haunted U.S.-Puerto Rico relations since the 1950s: what is the legal ‘status’ of Puerto Rico and what precisely is the island’s legal and constitutional relationship to the United States? As the well-crafted certiorari petition began: ‘This is the most important case on the constitutional relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States since the establishment of the Commonwealth in 1952.’ . . . The specific issue is how the Double Jeopardy clause and the ‘dual sovereignt’ doctrine apply to criminal prosecutions brought against the same defendant in federal court and the Puerto Rico courts. The Double Jeopardy Clause protects against successive prosecutions only by the same sovereign; the States have long been treated as separate sovereigns from the federal government for these purposes. The question is whether the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, established in 1952, should be treated similarly to a State for purposes of double jeopardy. Puerto Rico is not a State, of course, but the federal courts since the 1950s have treated Puerto Rico as legal akin to a State for many legal purposes, such as state immunity from suit doctrines 2. The Appeal of Commonwealth of Puerto Rico v. Franklin California Tax-Free Trust. As Juan Cartagnea, President and General Counsel of LatinoJustice PRLDEF explains the case, which would affect about $20 billion of the $72 billion debt, it: “. . . was filed by various creditors owning Puerto Rico municipal bond debt who challenged the legitimacy of Puerto Rico’s own version of a bankruptcy apparatus to create a restructuring of its debt. The creditors won the initial stages of the litigation, and now the Supreme Court will address a very simple legal question: Whether Chapter 9 of the Bankruptcy Code, which does not apply to Puerto Rico, nonetheless preempts a Puerto Rico statute creating a mechanism for the Commonwealth’s public utilities to restructure their debts? In other words, is Puerto Rico barred from passing its version of bankruptcy protection for its public utilities? While the narrow legal question will turn on the Supremacy Clause and preemption and its application to what is technically called an ‘unincorporated territory of the United States’ the broader humane and social impact of the continuation of this limbo in Puerto Rico’s legal status must be brought to the Supreme Court’s attention for it to fully understand the gravity of the crisis.” These cases have the potential of raising central issues about the relationship of Puerto Rico to the United States. Looking at the current applicability of the so-called Insular Cases and the 1952 adoption of Puerto Rico Constitution, perhaps expose the illegitimacy of a legal structure based on military conquest and a colonial legacy. The Supreme Court will do about decide these cases on the narrowest grounds possible, but the nature of the beast may make this difficult. These cases will be the first concerning Puerto Rico coming before the Supreme Court since Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor joined the court, so it is expected that she will have much to say on both counts. Also important continued on next page

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Holyoke Wistariahurst Museum: February Events

El Sol Latino February 2016

George Garzone opens HCC Jazz Festival

I Love Wine

Friday, February 12 - 6 to 8pm. Guests Guests will enjoy a sampling of delicious wines from around the world—from sparkling whites to oaky reds to rich ports. Vendors will be on hand to offer advice and suggestions based on your palette. Keep track of the vineyards and vintages, aromas and finishes of the wines you love on the guest sampling menu. Light refreshments will be served, courtesy of Log Rolling—Catering Division of The Log Cabin and Delaney House. All proceeds from the evening will benefit Wistariahurst Museum. The event is sponsored by Liquors 44, Log Cabin, Historic Holyoke at Wistariahurst, and by New England Public Radio. Purchase tickets online at wistariahurst.org or call the Museum at (413) 322-5660. Advance admission $25 each; Admission at the door are $30 each. Group rates available.

The 19th Annual HCC Jazz Festival opens Friday, March 11, with a concert featuring renowned jazz saxophonist George Garzone as the weekend’s guest artist, playing with the Amherst Jazz Orchestra under the direction of music professor and trombonist David Sporny.

participating high schools, HCC students and festival faculty.

The two-day festival of musical workshops and performances begins at 8 p.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater in the HCC Fine & Performing Arts building. Tickets are $15 (general public), $10 (senior and non-HCC students) and free for members of the HCC community (students, staff and faculty) with a valid ID. The festival continues on Saturday, March 12, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., in the Leslie Phillips Theater with big band and combo performances by high school and HCC jazz students. Jazz clinics, workshops and jam sessions will be held throughout the day in the HCC Recital Hall (FPA building, Room 137). A concluding concert will be held in the theater Saturday from 4 to 5 p.m. This will feature George Garzone performing with a select combo of students representing each of the

Jazz saxophonist George Garzone.

All Saturday events are free and open to the public. Individuals who wish to participate in workshops will be charged a nominal registration fee. For information, contact Robert Ferrier at (413) 552-2480 or rferrier@hcc.edu

continued from previous page

Opinión / Opinion

The Current Puerto Rican Conjuncture: Not-So-Funny Things Have Happened to Us…

to follow on the Puerto Rico cases is Associate Justice Stephen Beyer, who, from 1980-1994, was a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, which has jurisdiction over Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rico debt crisis has not only exposed the limits of its dependent economic model but also of its political relationship to the United States. How the Congress and Supreme Court address these issues will determine the validity of a narrative that finds Puerto Ricans in a conjecture that brings together an economic disaster, a mass population exodus, and a political legitimacy crisis of what more and more see as an anachronistic colonial relationship located within an increasingly contradictory and crisis-prone

globalized capitalist system. But on the side of agency, it will be most important how the 8 million or so Puerto Ricans in Puerto Rico and stateside deal with this reality, as an opportunity for change or an acceptance of a continuing assault on their nationality. Angelo Falcón is President of the National Institute for Latino Policy (NiLP). He can be reached at afalcon@latinopolicy.org. The NiLP Report on Latino Policy & Politics is an online information service provided by the National Institute for Latino Policy. For further information, visit www.latinopolicy. org. Send comments to editor@latinopolicy.org.

¿Qué Pasa en...?

Holyoke Inauguran Gándara Youth Development Center Con la presencia del alcalde de Holyoke, Alex Morse, el Representante estatal Aaron Vega y el Concejal de la ciudad de Holyoke Nelson Román se celebró la apertura oficial del Gándara Youth Development Center el 22 de enero.. El centro ofrece servicios a jóvenes de los siete centros residenciales del Gándara Center localizados a través del Pioneer Valley y a jóvenes de alto riesgo de la comunidad que estén entre las edades de 13 a 24 años. En este centro los jóvenes podrán tener acceso a personal que entiende sus necesidades y socializar con otros jóvenes que comparten situaciones similares. También se les harán referidos a programas educativos y de prevención.

El Sol Latino February 2016

Holyoke Public Library Conversation With the Author: Sonia Nieto Saturday, March 19. - 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Community Room, Holyoke Public Library

In Brooklyn Dreams, Sonia Nieto—one of the leading authors and teachers in the field of multicultural education—looks back on her formative experiences as a student, activist, and educator, and shows how they reflect and illuminate the themes of her life’s work. Nieto offers a poignant account of her childhood and the complexities of navigating the boundaries between the rich culture of her working-class Puerto Rican family and the world of school. Brooklyn Dreams also chronicles her experiences as a fledgling teacher at the first bilingual public school in New York City—in the midst of the Ocean HillBrownsville strike—and the heady days of activism during the founding of the bilingual education program at Brooklyn College and later in establishing and running an alternative multicultural school in Amherst, Massachusetts. Along the way, Nieto reflects on the ideas and individuals who influenced her work, from Jonathan Kozol to Paulo Freire, and talks frankly about the limits of activism, the failures of school reform, and the joys and challenges of working with preservice and in-service educators to deepen their appreciation of diversity. Contact: María Pagán, 413-420-8101

Springfield Charla de María Hinojosa en STCC Foto MFR. Izquierda a derecha: Iohann Vega Martínez -coordinador del centro de computadoras, Aaron Vega – Representante Estatal, Korie Mix- Directora de Servicios Educativo y el alcalde de Holyoke , Alex Morse .

La nuevas facilidades son un lugar acogedor y seguro para que los jóvenes puedan recibir ayuda educativa y apoyo en entrenamiento vocacional además de tener un poco de diversión mientras aprenden destrezas que los preparan para trabajar. Uno de los innovadores servicios del centro es su laboratorio de literacia de computadoras. El mismo ofrece un programa educativo basado en un currículo de alfabetización informática. Iohann Vega Martínez, coordinador del centro de computadoras, ayuda a los jóvenes a, entre otras cosas, aprender a escribir un resume y provee oportunidades de proyectos multimedia. El centro también ofrece un programa de enriquecimiento en las artes. En colaboración con ArtSong, fundada por Amy Porchelli,el centro ofrecerá un programa con especialidad en bellas artes que inspira obras artísticas originales, desarrolla habilidades de aprendizaje, y promueve la educación artística y el desarrollo personal. El programa ayuda a los participantes a desarrollar la expresión personal, la motivación y la confianza en sí mismos en un ambiente terapéutico. Fundado en el 1977, el Gándara Center sirve una clientela multicultural diversa en más de 40 localizaciones en todo Massachusetts. Tiene capacidad bilingüe en todos sus programas. Nuestro enfoque centrado en la familia y en la comunidad llega a más de 11,000 niños, familias y adultos cada año a través de servicios residenciales, de salud mental, abuso de sustancias y servicios preventivos. El centro está localizado en 306 Race Street con teléfono 413-533-3504.

Viernes 4 de marzo de 2016 - 10 AM Scibelli Hall Gymnasium , STCC (Gratis y abierto al público)

María Hinojosa es un pionera del campo de las noticias y el periodismo investigativo. Por mas de 25 años, Hinojosa, ha reportado sobre temas críticos, enfocándose en el cambiante panorama cultural y político en América y en el exterior. Su trabajo periodístico ha sido reconocido con varios premios, incluyendo: cuatro premios Emmy; el John Chancellor Award for Excellence in Journalism en el 2012; el Robert F. Kennedy Award for Reporting on María Hinojosa the Disadvantaged; el Studs Terkel Community Media Award; y el Edward R. Murrow Award del Overseas Press Club por el reportaje “Child Brides: Stolen Lives,” entre otros. En abril de 2010, Hinojosa tomó su misión de informar sobre historias ignoradas o pasadas por alto por los principales medios de comunicación a otro nivel mediante la creación de Futuro Media Group. Esta es una compañía de producción multimedios sin fines de lucro con sede en Harlem cuya misión es dar voz a los temas de justicia social y ciudadana a los cual se enfrenta una América más diversa. Además de producir Latino USA, Futuro Media desarrolló America by the Numbers with María Hinojosa, una serie para la televisión pública. Con 20 años de historia, Latino USA se considera el programa de record para las noticias Latinas, la cultura, y los temas de importancia crítica para la comunidad latina y que impactan la población de Estados Unidos. Hinojosa también es columnista para King Features/Hearst y es autora de dos libros, incluyendo Raising Raul: Adventures Raising Myself and My Son.

Teatro / Theater

El Sol Latino February 2016

Vamos a escuchar “Los Monólogos de La Vagina” por NATALIA MUÑOZ HOLYOKE – Qué bueno que el impulso progresista social sigue rompiendo barreras. Aunque en la cultura latina hablar sobre la sexualidad, especialmente para mujeres, es un tabú entre tantos más, por la cuarta vez un grupo de mujeres van a presentar “Los Monólogos de la Vagina”. Esta vez, la presentación de monólogos, basado en historias reales, se llevará a cabo el 20 de febrero a las 8:30 pm en el War Memorial, 310 Calle Appleton, Holyoke. La presentación será bilingüe. Las ganancias de las entradas beneficiarán a Womanshelter/Compañeras en Holyoke y Safe Passage en Northampton, dos programas extraordinarios que ayudan a personas abusadas y a sus hijas e hijos. Safe Passage es para mujeres abusadas. Ambos programas cuentan con personal latina. Las estadísticas sobre la violencia contra la mujer indican que la agresiones físicas y emocionales son más común de lo que se reconoce en la mesa de comer: • una de cada 5 mujeres ha sido violada. • una de cada cuatro mujeres, y uno de cada siete hombres, han sido agredidos por su pareja.

A pesar de la emergencia social a raíz de la violencia doméstica, programas tales como Womanshelter/Compañeras y Safe Passage dependen en gran medida del apoyo público para ofrecer sus programas de sanación y mantener los albergues abiertos. La Concejal del Distrito 4 de Holyoke, Jossie Valentín es una de las productoras de la presentación de los “Monólogos” junto a Sonia Batlle. Le pregunté a la Concejal Valentín sobre el tema de la obra, escrita por Eve Ensler en 1996 y basado en entrevistas con 200 mujeres sobre la sexualidad, sus relaciones y la violencia contra la mujer. Es considerada entre las más importantes obras políticas en los Estados Unidos por afirmar la voz de una diversidad de mujeres. “Yo veo los monólogos como una oportunidad educativa”, dijo Valentín. “Hay muchos momentos terribles, intensos, pero siempre presentados desde un punto de educación para tratar de sacar ese tabú, de sanar. La idea es compartir las historias de mujeres por el lente de ellas mismas, y que se sientan fuertes.” Valentín presentará un monólogo que se titula “La inundación”, sobre la primera experiencia de una mujer tener un orgasmo.

Los monólogos rompen los tabúes que encarcelan a las mujeres. La obra se ha presentados cientos de veces a través del mundo, en 48 idiomas. Las mujeres que van a presentar las historias en Holyoke forman parte de una liberación soñada para muchas muchachas y mujeres. Presentar una obra en español y en inglés con la palabra “vagina” en el título en una ciudad donde la mitad de la población viene de una cultura caribeña en la cual la mujer es un objeto para recibir órdenes, comentarios irrespetuosos que algunos aún creen que son mero piropos inofensivos, donde las oportunidades para las mujeres aún son limitas, es una acto de valentía. Hablarán de violencia, ternura, aspiraciones, desilusiones, tragedias, de sobreponerse ante mil obstáculos. Nos toca ser testigos no solo a las historias en que presentarán, si no también a las mujeres que nos pondrán de relieve lo que es ser mujer. ¡Bravísimas! Natalia Muñoz es periodista y consultora de comunicaciones. Escucha su programa en inglés “Vaya con Muñoz” los sábados a las 10 am en WHMP 1600 AM en el Condado Hampden y 1400 en el Condado Hampshire.

Libros / Books

La Oculta

El Sol Latino February 2016

por HÉCTOR ABAD FACIOLINCE • (Alfaguara de México, 2015. 344 páginas)

¿Si pudieras encontrar una tierra virgen, sin historia de guerras, ni de avaricia, ni plagas, ni envidia, ni crímenes; en fin, un espacio utópico donde todos trabajan según sus talentos, donde todos son iguales y que no importa ni raza ni ascendencia? ¿Te trasladarías allí?

conferencias, universidades, o gente de todo tipo que va y viene y discute en los cafés…En el campo es posible…que la mente se apague por falta de uso.”

Esta es la tesis que plantea el colombiano Héctor Abad Faciolince en su última novela La Oculta.

El autor capta perfectamente los puntos de vista de los tres narradores: Pilar, mujer tradicional que representa los valores honorables del pasado; Eva, contemporánea, cínica y realista hasta ser pesimista sobre el estatus actual del país; Antonio, exiliado en Nueva York, conformándose, aunque con tristeza y arrepentimiento, con tener que escaparse del ambiente tóxico de Colombia, dándose cuenta de que los valores tradicionales y saludables se han perdido parece que para siempre.

Ubica su novela en Antioquia, una región que el autor conoce personalmente, y traza la historia de un pueblo aislado y, en particular, la de una estancia cuyo nombre, La Oculta, dio título a la novela. Narra la historia desde su fundación por las familias de Santamaría de origen judío y Echeverri de origen vasco, en los últimos años del siglo dieciocho hasta la actualidad. Cuentan esta historia los últimos sobrevivientes de la familia Santamaría, los hermanos Pilar, Eva y Antonio. Echeverri, co-fundador del pueblo, dijo que “No va a ser tierra de peones y señores, sino de propietarios.” Cuando le desafiaban diciendo que “¿Entonces usted es de esos modernos que creen que todos somos iguales, blancos y negros, ricos y pobres, inteligentes y brutos?”, Echeverri contesta que “es que cuando uno va a empezar algo hay que darles a todos lo mismo…” Eva nos lo explica así: “Servía cualquiera que supiera un oficio, herrero, panadero, talabartero, aserrador, pero incluso servían los que no supieran nada: bastaba que tuvieran brazos fuertes y ganas de no quedarse parados vegetando en una esquina.” Esa utopía sería “donde toda la gente tuviera casa y tierra propias, agua, aire y hogar, porque solo el trabajo individual, combinado con obras públicas, hacía la riqueza de las naciones…Aquí no vinimos pues, tampoco a dominar, y menos a esclavizar…Aquí nadie será juzgado por el color de la piel, sino por el sudor de la piel…” Por estos motivos, los fundadores escogieron nombrar la colonia Felicina: “una promesa de felicidad, una especie de comuna de hombres libres, todos con tierra, todos propietarios sin envidia, con algunos días al mes de trabajo comunitario.” Felicina (región que también fue conocida por el nombre Jérico) desde el principio se enfrenta con amenazas a su visión de vivir en paz: “lo triste…es que los primeros dos muertos oficiales…fueron precisamente dos hermanos, los hermanos Trejos [quienes] estaban pretendiendo a la misma mujer…[fueron] los dos Caínes.” Estos dos terminaron matándose y la joven, sintiéndose culpable, se metió en el convento y nadie más la vio. Siguieron guerras civiles, la guerrilla, los paramilitares, terroristas que se llamaban “Los Músicos”, incendios, narcos, y secuestros. Pero al fin lo que destruyó Jericó y por lo tanto La Oculta, después de 150 años de sobrevivirlo todo, fueron “los negociantes”: Le muestra a Pilar, Débora, esposa de su hijo Lucas, “un plano de La Oculta partida en quince parcelas de tres cuadras cada una…con fincas de recreo, con carretera pavimentada, una unidad cerrada con portería por donde entraríamos todos…habría vigilantes, porteros, jardineros, acueducto, senderos ecológicos. Era una cosa de lujo, muy bonita, con canchas de tenis comunes, gimnasio, minigolf, bosques nativos a lo largo de las cañadas, un picadero para todos los propietarios donde podrían entrenar equitación….” En fin, la Tierra Prometida de la Biblia. Pero la nueva urbanización tendría “la malla metálica del perímetro, coronada por alambres con espiral, electrizados, como de campo de concentración.” Pilar, horrorizada, se decía por dentro que “lo que no lograron hacernos ni las guerras civiles, ni la guerrilla ni los paramilitares, lo consiguieron los negociantes.” Mientras Pilar luchaba por quedarse en La Oculta, diciendo que “No tener tierra es como no tener ropa, como no tener comida”, su hermana Eva le contradice contestando que “El campo embrutece, porque no hay cine, ni periódicos, ni bibliotecas, ni salas de conciertos, teatros, exposiciones,

El lector, al terminar la novela, queda triste, sin esperanzas de que el país se salve de la auto-destrucción de drogas, terroristas, y la desconfianza entre los ciudadanos. Hay toques de humor satírico e irónico por aquí y por allá que a la vez que subrayan los temas también alivian un poco la tristeza que uno siente al experimentar situaciones que parecen desesperadas, sin soluciones. Los tres narradores, nos comunican las opiniones del autor sobre la historia de Colombia. De la Reforma Agraria, Eva comenta que era toda una mentira. En cuanto a los ‘empresarios’ de las drogas, dice que a “los capos los mandaron extraditados para Estados Unidos, por narcos, pero lo hicieron cuando ellos empezaron a decir los nombres de las empresas, de los políticos, de los militares y de los hacendados que…les habían dado víveres, armas, municiones, ayuda, silencio, protección. Los sacaron del país para que…en las listas de financiadores de los paramilitares no aparecieran los apellidos más viejos y supuestamente limpios y honorables del país…” Fuerte es la condena de la ciudad de Medellín: “que es una olla de presión de humos fétidos y un matadero, un hervidero de desplazados, mendigos e indígenes. Uno va en carro por la autopista…y de repente empieza a ver…un infierno de seres que parecen salidos del Infierno de Dante, mujeres sucias que se bañan con el agua mefítica del río, hombres en greñas que fuman bazuco, niños que aspiran pegante, parejas que defecan y se aparean en la calle, como animales…” Se critica fuertemente las constantes guerras civiles: “a los reclutas los llevan atados de pies y mano hasta el sitio de los enfrentamientos… No luchaban por la libertad ni por la religión ni por la justicia ni por su propio país… sino solamente por salvar el propio pellejo.” Puesto que la trama se desarrolla por boca de los tres personajes quienes nos cuentan de hechos que ya han pasado, la novela carece de la tensión de una trama que nos envuelva íntimamente en la acción. Sólo hay una vez cuando el lector siente la tensión inmediata y es cuando Eva huye de Los Músicos por el lago y por el bosque. Sin embargo es una novela que nos envuelve de otra manera mediante tres personajes bien desarrollados y con un lenguaje que muchas veces llega a ser poético. Es una novela de temas que comentan sobre la historia del pasado y del presente. El mensaje se resume así: “mientras uno espera a que los sueños se cumplan, llega la enfermedad, o un accidente, y uno se muere. La vida está colgada de un hilito, y en el aire hay tijeras que vuelan con el viento. La misma Oculta, aunque parezca eterna, ha estado asediada siempre por mil peligros…” Hay alusiones al incomparable Gabriel García Márquez en esta obra y tal vez Héctor Abad Faciolince le esté imitando un poco el Cien Años de Soledad de su compatriota pero aunque es buena novela, La Oculta no llega a esas alturas. Reseña de Cathleen Robinson, profesora jubilada del español y de la historia de la América Latina.

Deportes / Sports

Vianka Acosta McKenzie – A Rising Star by MANUEL FRAU RAMOS The achievements of the Holyoke YMCA swim team, the Vikings, were recently recognized as they won the YMCA New England championship. It is the first time that a team from this part of the state has won the championship. The Vikings will compete next summer in the Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska. Their coach is Nick Rice.

El Sol Latino February 2016

Vianka Acosta McKenzie, a member of the Vikings swimming team, is also looking towards other horizons. Vianka is a 13-year-old of Puerto Rican descent who aspires to represent Puerto Rico in international competitions. She is looking to participate in the national meets that will take place on the island in April. Vianka started her competitive swimming with the Amherst Tritons in October 2012 at the age of 10. Ms. Gretchen Gotay, the current Men’s and Women’s Swimming Coach of the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras, saw the great potential in Vianka and recommended that she switch teams. Ms Gotay was a member of the Puerto Rico swimming team that participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Two years later, Vianka transferred to the Holyoke Vikings, one of the best teams in Western Massachusetts. In June 2015 Vianka competed in the “Juegos Nacionales” and the Campeonatos Nacionales in Puerto Rico. She won gold medals for the 50 Meter Breaststroke in both competitions. She is the current Puerto Rican champion fro the 50 Meter Breaststroke for the 11 & 12 category. The “Juegos Nacionales” were hosted by the Puerto Rican Swimming Federation and held at the San Juan Natatorium. The Campeonatos Nacionales were held at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez Natatorium.

Photo provided. Vianka Acosta McKenzie and Ms. Gretchen Gotay, the current Men’s and Women’s Swimming Coach of the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras.

Salud / Health

Vianka is just beginning her promising swimming career. Her outstanding accomplishments appear to be the first of many future awards, both locally and in Puerto Rico.

Celebre el Día de San Valentín con un corazón sano En febrero se celebra el Mes Nacional del Corazón y el Día de San Valentín SPRINGFIELD –¿Qué quiere regalar el Día de San Valentín? ¿Flores? ¿Chocolates? ¿Una cena romántica con una copa de vino tinto? Si selecciona con cuidado, también puede regalar salud. “No es ningún secreto: hemos visto en las noticias que diversos estudios de investigación han demostrado que el chocolate negro (chocolate amargo) puede tener beneficios nutricionales y que el vino tinto puede ser saludable para el corazón”, indicó Sheila Sullivan, dietista clínica del Departamento de Servicios Alimenticios y Nutrición de Baystate Medical Center “Entonces, si quiere que los regalos de este Día de San Valentín sean un poquito más saludables, considere la posibilidad de regalar una caja de chocolates (que todos sean de chocolate negro, no blanco ni de leche) y una botella de un buen vino tinto. Y no olvide las flores”, agregó Sullivan, que es dietista certificada. Febrero también es el Mes Nacional del Corazón, y la American Heart Association (Asociación Americana del Corazón) recomienda que solo de 25% a 30% o menos de las calorías que se consumen provengan de aceites vegetales y de la grasa que se encuentra en alimentos como el pescado y los frutos secos (nueces, cacahuates, almendras, etc.) y que menos de 7% provenga de las grasas saturadas que se encuentran en los productos de origen animal y los productos lácteos. “En el curso de los últimos años, varios estudios han demostrado que comer chocolate todos los días, incluso una cantidad tan pequeña como un cuarto de onza, puede reducir el riesgo de sufrir un ataque al corazón o un accidente cerebrovascular. Pero para incrementar al máximo los beneficios, el chocolate debe ser negro. Además, desde hace tiempo otros estudios han sugerido que tomar vino, y específicamente vino tinto, con moderación, puede tener un efecto en la prevención de enfermedades cardiacas”, comentó el Dr. Gregory Giugliano, director de Cateterismo e Investigación Cardiacas del Programa de Atención Cardíaca y Vascular de Baystate Medical Center. La dietista certificada de Baystate señaló que el chocolate negro contiene un alto porcentaje de cacao, que aporta al cuerpo una mayor cantidad de flavonoides, antioxidantes presentes en el extracto de la semilla de cacao que puede ser saludable para el corazón. El cacao también tiene ácido oléico, la grasa beneficiosa que se encuentra en el aceite de oliva. Además, en el

chocolate hay ciertos productos químicos que reducen el riesgo de que el azúcar dañe los dientes. “La grasa saturada del chocolate no aumenta los niveles de colesterol en la sangre, lo que constituye una excepción a la regla de que las grasas saturadas aumentan el colesterol en la sangre”, acotó Sullivan. Al igual que el chocolate, el vino tinto tiene antioxidantes, como los flavonoides, que ayudan a proteger el revestimiento de los vasos sanguíneos del corazón. Además, varios estudios han demostrado que en lo que respecta al colesterol, el alcohol aumenta el colesterol “bueno” (HDL) ayuda a evitar los coágulos de sangre y ayuda a prevenir los daños arteriales causados por el colesterol “malo” (LDL). “Cuando se trata de comer chocolate, estamos hablando de una cantidad equivalente a un huevo de Pascua pequeño al día. En cuanto al vino, implica un promedio de una copa de cinco onzas al día para las mujeres y dos para los hombres”, especificó Sullivan, quien señaló que el chocolate negro tiene más calorías y que una copa típica de vino (cinco onzas) tiene 125 calorías. Además, asegúrese de que está comiendo el tipo correcto de chocolate. Los chocolates más populares, las barras de chocolate que se encuentran en los estantes de las tiendas de comestibles, contienen muy poca cantidad de cacao. En sus investigaciones, la mayoría de los científicos se refieren al chocolate que contiene por lo menos 70% de pasta de cacao con los saludables flavonoles. “No creo que haya algún cardiólogo que le diga a un paciente que comience a tomarse un trago para prevenir problemas del corazón, en particular si el paciente no bebe alcohol. Tomar demasiado alcohol también puede ser dañino, porque puede causar un aumento de la tensión arterial, insuficiencia cardiaca, algunos tipos de cáncer y otros problemas. Sin embargo, muchos no frenarán a alguien que disfrute de una copa de vino tinto si eso ya forma parte de su rutina diaria”, dijo el Dr. Giugliano. Con respecto a las flores, quizás antes de comprar ese ramo tan hermoso quiera averiguar si la persona amada es alérgica a alguna flor en particular. Si desea más información sobre el Programa de Atención Cardiaca y Vascular de Baystate Medical Center, visite http://www.baystatehealth.org/bhvp.

El Sol Latino February 2016

¡Celebrando 40 años de buena música y mucho más! Únase a nosotros para gran arte de todas partes del mundo.

FEBRERO 2016

JAZZ BY 5

Con Javon Jackson, saxofón tenor; Randy Brecker, trompeta; George Cables, piano; Eddie Gómez, bajo; Jimmy Cobb, tambores Jueves, 18 de febrero a las 7:30 pm, Bowker Auditorium Un verdadero conjunto de estrellas, Jazz By 5 celebra las eras del swing, bebop, jazz de vanguardia y más. Oirás standards de jazz clásico, así como material original de los miembros consagrados del quinteto.

MIGUEL ZENÓN’S IDENTITIES BIG BAND

Jueves, 11 de febrero a las 7:30 pm, Fine Arts Center Concert Hall  Zenón continúa explorando la música de su Puerto Rico natal en este ciclo de canciones que en esta ocasión será incrementado con un big band de 12 músicos. Este ambicioso trabajo es un estudio de lo que significa ser puertorriqueño en el siglo 21 en la ciudad de Nueva York.

Conversación con Miguel Zenón

Miércoles, 10 de febrero, 2016 a las 7 pm, GRATIS • Holyoke Public Library, 250 Chestnut St, Holyoke Unase a Miguel Zenón y a los moderadores Delmarina López y Manuel Frau Ramos, editor de El Sol Latino, para una conversación sobre lo que significa ser puertorriqueño. Asientos limitados. Favor de llamar al 413-577-2487 o kimberly@admin.umass.edu para reservar su asiento.

globalFEST ON THE ROAD CREOLE CARNIVAL

Sábado, 27 de febrero a las 8 pm, Fine Arts Center Concert Hall

Sacuda los blues de invierno con la energética música de la cultura Creole. Usted escuchará la reina de las canciones haitianas Emeline Michel, los maestros innovadores samba Casuarina y el virtuoso de Jamaica de la guitarra de una sola cuerda, Brushy One String. “¿Qué es la Samba brasileña?” charla con los artistas antes del espectáculo a las 6:30 pm en el Concert Hall.

¡Hay Mucho Más!

Visit fineartscenter.com para ver la lista completa de las actividades. Para boletos, llame al 413-545-2511 o al 800-999-UMAS o visite fineartscenter.com (*Precios varían A y B)

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