El Sol Latino | January 2018 | 14.2

January 2018

Volume 14 No. 2

Un Peri贸dico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

Un Peri贸dico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

Un Peri贸dico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

Un Peri贸dico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper Art by Gaddier Rosario

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Editorial / Editorial

contents

The importance of being a Puerto Rican Newspaper

La Importancia de ser un Periódico Puertorriqueño

2 Editorial / Editorial

In November 2017, El Sol Latino celebrated its 13 anniversary. Since our first edition, published in the now-defunct Star Press of Holyoke, to this day, we have been characterized for bringing the issues of Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans to the public conversation.

En noviembre de 2017, El Sol Latino cumplió 13 años de existencia. Desde nuestra primera edición, publicada en la desaparecida imprenta Star Press de Holyoke, hasta el día de hoy, nos hemos caracterizado por traer a la conversación pública los temas de Puerto Rico y los puertorriqueños.

3 Portada / Front Page El Caribe on Main Street - A Concert of Caribbean Rhythms

Although Puerto Rico has been a colonial territory of the United States since 1898, that island in the middle of a great ocean, many learn about its existence as a result of journalistic coverage of two regrettable events that occurred on the island recently.

Aunque Puerto Rico ha sido territorio colonial de los Estado Unidos desde el 1898, esa isla en el medio de un gran océano, muchos aprenden sobre su existencia como resultado de la cobertura periodística de dos lamentables eventos ocurridos en la isla recientemente.

First, the economic collapse and the financial crisis that lead the United States Congress to create a commission to take control over the finances and the budget of the Government of Puerto Rico.

Primero, el colapso económico y la crisis financiera que llevó al Congreso de los Estados Unidos a crear una comisión para tomar control sobre las finanzas y el presupuesto del Gobierno de Puerto Rico.

Second, the passage of two hurricanes, Irma and María, in less than a month created a humanitarian crisis that accelerated the massive exodus of Puerto Ricans to the continental United States.

Before Puerto Rico and the Puerto Ricans were important issues in the media, they occupied an important position in El Sol Latino. Issues such as the colonial situation in Puerto Rico, the campaign to free political prisoner Oscar López Rivera, the collapse of Puerto Rico’s economy, the growing exodus of Puerto Ricans to the United States, the second-class citizenship of Puerto Ricans living on the island, and the educational malpractice of Puerto Rican students in some school systems in the region, among others, have been recurrent topics in our pages.

In 2018 we will continue to put Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans in the forefront so that they will not be second-class news again.

Segundo, el paso de dos huracanes, Irma y María, en menos de un mes creó una crisis humanitaria que aceleró el éxodo masivo de puertorriqueños hacia los Estados Unidos continentales.

Antes de que Puerto Rico y los puertorriqueños fueran temas importantes en los medio de comunicación, estos ocupaban una posición importante en El Sol Latino. Temas como la situación colonial de Puerto Rico, la campaña de liberación del preso político Oscar López Rivera, el colapso de la economía de Puerto Rico, el creciente éxodo de puertorriqueños hacia los Estados Unidos, la ciudadanía de segunda clase de los puertorriqueños residentes en la isla, y el malpratice educativo de los estudiantes puertorriqueños en algunos sistemas escolares de la región, entre otros, han sido temas recurrentes en nuestras páginas.

The importance of being a Puerto Rican Newspaper

4 College Bound Fair held at Holyoke High School

Tinta Caliente / Hot Ink 5 More than 10,000 Puerto Rican students have already enrolled in Florida schools 6 A Small Humanitarian Act with a Huge Impact 7 María will fundamentally change US policy toward Puerto Rico 8 José Delgado Joins MGM Springfield Team

9 Opinión / Opinion Health disparities are making Americans sick 0 Libros / Books 1 Out in the Open: A Novel 11 Domingo Burgos Ramírez presenta su nuevo libro 12 Música / Music Rhythm & Power: Performing Salsa in Puerto Rican and Latino Communities 13 Media / Media 35-Year Public Media Veteran Honored 14 Ciencias / Science Impact of Deforestation on the Climate 15 Deportes / Sports Campeonato de los Guantes Dorados Regresa a Springfield

En 2018 seguiremos poniendo a Puerto Rico y a los puertorriqueños en primer plano para que no vuelvan a ser noticia de segunda clase.

Foto del Mes/Photo of the Month

Happy Cumpleaños! < Jorge Julian celebrated his first birthday with a party, held on Saturday, September 30 with his grandparents Jacky and David, and his brother Wilmer David.

Wilmer David’s fourth > birthday party, on Saturday, November 25.

He is the son of Christabell and Wilmer Rivera.

Founded in 2004 n Volume 14, No. 2 n January 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 Janiuary 2018

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El Caribe on Main Street - A Concert of Caribbean Rhythms By MANUEL FRAU RAMOS | manuelfrau@gmail.com On December 2nd, 2017 the Puerto Rican Cultural Project (PRCP) and the Holyoke Public Library (HPL) hosted its 6th annual holiday concert at the Holyoke War Memorial Building. The event, El Caribe on Main Street - A Concert of Caribbean Rhythms, brought together onstage two well-known Puerto Rican musicians - José González and his legendary Banda Criolla, and Charlie Berríos.

complicate matters further, thousands lost their homes and their jobs.

José González, guitarist, composer and master cuatro player, is a top performer of contemporary Latin music. Acclaimed for his original compositions featuring the cuatro (Puerto Rico’s national instrument), his eleven self-produced recordings have become bestsellers. His music has been featured on NBC, PBS, CNN, and the PBS “Visions of Puerto Rico” TV special, among others.

In response to this catastrophe, the PRCP and the HPL decided to dedicate this year’s concert to the many Puerto Rican families who had recently arrived in the Pioneer Valley. We wanted to welcome the increasingly large number of Puerto Rican students and their families to our community. The concert organizers gifted concert tickets to the new arrivals. In addition the event attendees form Holyoke, a group of about 30 Puerto Ricans staying in a Westfield hotel came to the concert thanks to the support of the Westfield Spanish American Association (WSAA).

Banda Criolla, founded by José Gonzalez and Ahmed González, is considered New England’s hottest Latin music ensemble, bringing top Cuban, Venezuelan and Puerto Rican, Cuban musicians together onstage, creating “an explosive Caribbean Fiesta!” The group is composed of Ahmed González - Puerto Rican (flute, backup vocals and percussion), René González - Puerto Rican (congas, bass), Abe Sánchez - Venezuelan (piano), William Rodríguez - Cuban (vocals, drums) and Edilio Bermúdez Venezuelan (violin, bass). On this occasion, Selma Berríos - Puerto Rican (guest vocalist) performed with the group.

Maria’s impact on Puerto Rico and its population were and continue to be unprecedented. The devastation caused by the hurricane accelerated the decade-long Puerto Rican exodus to the mainland. Just in Florida, since early October, more than 231,000 Puerto Ricans had traveled to the Orlando, Tampa and Miami airports.

The Puerto Rican Cultural Project (PRCP) is a non-incorporated association of volunteers whose mission is to support the Holyoke Public Library’s outreach program efforts to promote the services and resources available to the Hispanic community. It organizes events that highlight the rich culture and history of Puerto Ricans in Holyoke and the region.

This is the second PRCP concert that features José González. He performed in the first ever concert of our series - From la Montaña to Main Street: The Cuatro Concert. The performance featured two prominent musicians from two very different cultures and musical genres who share a commonality.

Jeff Kust and José González have a true passion for the Puerto Rican cuatro.

Charlie Berríos, tenor, is a native of Bayamón, Puerto Rico and long time resident of Holyoke. This year marked his fifth time performing in the Puerto Rican Cultural Project’s Annual Holiday Concert. His first performance with PRCP was in 2013, when he participated in the concert Roulé Candela on Main Street: An Afro-Caribbean and Carols Concert when he performed with the cuatrista and classical guitarist Lorena Garay. This year Berríos performed with Puerto Rican guest pianist Bobby Pitbull Figueroa.

A graduate of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst Music Department, Berríos is a teacher at the Paulo Freire Social Justice Charter School in Holyoke. He has appeared on stage with the Buffalo Opera Unlimited, Buffalo Opera Theater, Pacific Opera of New York, Touring Concert Opera of New York, Commonwealth Opera, Boston Vocal Arts, and Lowell House Opera. Berríos was a Second Prize winner in the Opera / Classical Upper Advanced Division of the 2009 National Association of Teachers of Singers in New York.

This year’s concert had special significance for the Puerto Rican community. Puerto Rico was recently hit by two different hurricanes, Irma and María, during August and September of 2017.

María devastated the island, knocking off the entire power grid, leaving about 3 million people without electricity, and about 1 million people without drinking water. The island’s communication system was obliterated, with 90% of cell sites being out of action. To

Edilio Bermúdez

PRCP members and El Caribe on Main Street musicians (L to R): Abe Sánchez, William Rodríguez, Manuel Frau Ramos, Bobby Figueroa, Edilio Bermúdez, Ahmed González, José González, Selma Berríos, Gaddier Rosario, María Pagán, Charlie Berríos, Raúl Matta, René González and Sergio D’Orsini

Ahmed González, Selma Berríos, José González, y Edilio Bermúdez

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Portada / Front Page

El Sol Latino January 2018

College Bound Fair held at Holyoke High School by MANUEL FRAU RAMOS | manuelfrau@gmail.com On December 5, 2017, Holyoke High School hosted the third annual #IAmCollegeBound event. This innovator event engaged high school students and families in the college preparation process. It also provided an opportunity for students and their families to learn more about financial aid and other support/resources available to them as they navigate their pathway to college. #IAmCollegeBound offered students and families general information about their college or university of interest, anything from majors to programs offered to life on campus. It was an opportunity to have a face-to-face with a college representative that allowed high school students to go beyond general inquiries and ask questions that were unique to their circumstances.

The presence of college students in some of the information tables was of great help to the Holyoke High School students. This allowed the high school students to converse with college-age peers in a more comfortable setting.

Bilingual Spanish-English college representatives and college students were also helpful to the Spanish-speaking parents that attended the event. Some parents said that they thought that having the bilingual staff and college students available was muy bueno, muy bueno… ahora entiendo lo que me están hablando!

out. Carmen Rivera, mother of a Holyoke High School student, described the information included in the form as como jeringonza… adding that yo no entiendo que es eso….

Other workshops included Show Me The Money! Interpreting Your Aid Package, What I Wish I’d Known About College (Students Panel), What If College Is Not For Me?, KAHOOT: The College Knowledge Trivia Game and P’alante Avanzando a College.

The event was a collaborative project between Holyoke High School, Bay Path University, Holyoke Community College, Elms College, CareerPoint, and Gear Up. The colleges that were in attendance included Asnuntuck Community College, American International College, Bay Path University, Elms College, Holyoke Community College, Springfield College, UMass Amherst, Western New England University, Mount Holyoke College, and Worcester State University.

This unique college-student interaction allowed or helped college seekers narrow the program, the major, and the post-secondary institutions that seemed to be good fits for them.

Following the college fair, a variety of workshops were held. The topics ranged from financial aid to questions and concerns about college. Among the topics covered in the workshops offered for students and parents was getting into and paying for college, career pathways, and goal setting.

One of the most important workshops offered was FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)… What? A Guide to College Costs. FAFSA is a form that can be prepared annually by current and prospective college students to determine their eligibility for student financial aid. Parent of first generation college students find this Juan González and Kobie Stewart of Westfield State University form difficult to understand and fill

OT TINTNAT E H INK CALIE

Event Organizing Committee - Anna Rigali (Holyoke Public Schools), Xiomara Albán DeLobato, (Elms College), Harold Santiago (Holyoke Community College), Elizabeth Cardona (Bay Path University), Myriam Quiñones (Holyoke Community College), Shannon Sarkisian (Holyoke Community College HCC), Gladys Lebrón Martínez (Career Center) and Xandria Sotomayor (Careen Point)

In Holyoke... there was not much

difference between supposedly progressive political candidates and conservatives. In the past city wide elections some progressive candidates accepted large amounts of money AU ESTRANY-FR as donations for their campaigns. This goes por INGRID against one of the fundamental principles of the progressive political movement. This movement demands that the influence of excessive monetary contributions be limited to political candidates during their campaigns.

En Holyoke… no hubo mucha diferencia entre los candidatos políticos supuestamente progresistas y los conservadores. En las pasadas elecciones de la ciudad algunos candidatos progresistas aceptaron grandes cantidades de dinero como donativos para sus campañas. Esto va en contra de uno de los principios fundamentales del movimiento político progresista. Este movimiento demanda que se limite la influencia de contribuciones monetarias excesivas a los candidatos políticos durante sus campañas.

Cita del Mes/ Quote of the Month We have got to have leaders of this sort who will stand by courageously and yet not run off with emotion.

We need leaders not in love with money but in love with justice. Not in love with publicity but in love with humanity.

Leaders who can subject their particular egos to the pressing urgencies of the great cause of freedom.

King, Martin Luther King, Jr.

August 11, 1956 Address delivered at the 50th Anniversary of Alpha Phi Alpha

Portada / Front Page

El Sol Latino Janiuary 2018

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More than 10,000 Puerto Rican students have already enrolled in Florida schools

by CENTER FOR PUERTO RICAN STUDIES (New York, NY - December 27, 2017). In light of the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria, the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College (Centro) has released a new report that estimates the total number of Puerto Ricans enrolled in Florida schools districts and the areas most impacted by the loss of school enrollment and school closings in Puerto Rico.

Thousands of Puerto Ricans have already been forced from the island, with more arriving each day. Florida officials estimate that over 200,000 Puerto Ricans have made their way to the state since September 20.

In this report, Centro’s survey of school districts and data provided by the Florida Governor’s Office indicate that 10,324 Puerto Rican students have enrolled in Florida school districts after September 20, 2017. School enrollment data is considered a more reliable indicator of permanent migration than other data currently available. In Puerto Rico, authorities are challenged by the drastic decline in enrollment and school closings.

“As we all know, Hurricane Maria has devastated Puerto Rico,” said Dr. Edwin Melendez, Director of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College.

“Hunter College and CUNY have renewed our efforts to raise awareness and support among the American public about the ongoing humanitarian crisis and what we can all do to support over three million American citizens in need. Centro’s estimates of the impact of the population exodus from Puerto Rico on school districts in Florida and in the island are alarming and point to the urgent need to both rebuild the island’s economy and to prepare schools and support services for these students in need.”

According to Centro estimates, the exodus of Puerto Rican students who have enrolled in Florida schools as a result of Hurricane Maria represents an increase of 4.9% over the school enrollment level in 2015. Two school districts, Orange (2,590) and Osceola (1,960), account for about half of the total statewide Puerto Rican student enrollments (47.7%) in Florida. PostHurricane Maria Puerto Rican student enrollment is concentrated in Central Florida and to some extent in Southern Florida school districts.

In a prior study, Centro estimated that 22,710 to 42,771 school-age children will migrate from Puerto Rico to the United States with their families, with the Florida segment representing about half of the national total. These children will be enrolled in public and private schools across the country

requiring enrollment and transfer services, English as a second language or bilingual education, afterschool programs, and counseling. Many of these students have already tested at low levels of English proficiency. These children will also need pediatric care, and many of their parents will need access to translation and culturallysensitive health care services.

High school juniors and seniors in particular require special care and guidance to makes sure they can transfer required courses in order to be able to graduate. For instance, the state of Florida has strict course requirements and seniors must pass standardized tests before graduating. These students require immediate academic counseling, guidance in choosing the courses required for graduation and preparation for upcoming standardized tests.

“It is urgent to address the needs of youth that have transferred from Puerto Rico schools to Florida, New York and elsewhere in the country,” says Dr. Melendez. “It is also important to remember that after Maria, Puerto Rico authorities are challenged by the drastic decline in enrollment and school closings and that they need our support in securing a future for Puerto Rican youth,” he added.

Prior to the Hurricane, the US Census Bureau data for the Puerto Rican population was updated as recently as September 2017. They estimate that 3.25 million people lived in Puerto Rico prior to Hurricane Maria (as of July 1, 2017). Also, their numbers showed that the stateside population had grown in the past year, from 5.37 million to 5.45 million, a difference of 1.4%.

It also showed other established trends such as more Puerto Ricans settling in more diverse geographical regions. Virginia and Texas, for instance, saw their Puerto Rican populations grow by 8% and 7% respectively; while California (8.5%) and Georgia (8.1%) also saw significant growth.

The Center for Puerto Rican Studies (Centro) is the nation’s leading university-based institution devoted to the interdisciplinary study of the Puerto Rican experience in the United States. Centro is dedicated to understanding, preserving and sharing the Puerto Rican experience in the United States. Centro also collects, preserves and provides access to library resources documenting Puerto Rican history and culture. We seek to link scholarship to social action and policy debates and to contribute to the betterment of our community and the enrichment of Puerto Rican studies.

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Portada / Front Page

El Sol Latino January 2018

A Small Humanitarian Act with a Huge Impact by JULIA ROMERO, MSW, LCSW | romeroj73@verizon.net Hurricane María made landfall in Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, entering the Island south of the municipality Yabucoa, approximately 42 miles from my childhood town of Salinas. The hurricane had sustained winds of 155mph and the eye of the storm was approximately 41 miles long.

María brought the spotlight to the needs of American Citizens, known not as Americans, but as Puerto Ricans. As soon as Hurricane María hit Puerto Rico, local agencies began organizing relief efforts. I couldn’t decide which agency would receive my donation. I, like many of my friends, had a lack of trust of local efforts and government agencies. Like many, I knew I had to start preparing care packages to help my brother and friends living in Salinas. I took on as much over time as I could and spent every cent in buying donations, even maxing out my credit cards. A total of 17 care packages were shipped to friends and family.

Hopelessness sank in. Lack of communication made it especially difficult to figure out what people needed the most. I was fortunate enough to be connected with Julio Colón, a man whom I had never met and was traveling to Puerto Rico to help his family. Julio was gracious enough to deliver luggage full of supplies to my brother and close friends. I included mosquito nets, water purification tablets, coloring books, playing cards, batteries, lamps, powder milk, cereal and so much more. A total of over $2,000 in donations and cash were placed in a strangers’ hand, with the hope that he was honest and would deliver the goods. After Idamaris Rivera & Julia Romero sending the first care packages, I realized that it wasn’t enough. It was like putting a band-aid on an amputation. I didn’t want to provide help for one day or one week, I wanted the help to be long-lasting, significant and life-saving.

Two weeks later, when my friend, Lilliam Rosaly Colón and I finally spoke, she was most grateful for the mosquito net and asked if I could send another one. Lilliam was sharing the mosquito net with her husband and two teenage sons. They were all sleeping in the same bed. This is when I realized that the best way to help my family and friends was to give them a good night’s rest and to protect them from viruses carried by mosquitoes.

The first list of people receiving mosquito nets consisted of ten families, all close friends. I realized it wasn’t enough. On an average day, mosquitoes in Salinas are unbearable, especially if you lack the resources to have screens throughout your house and a fan. I wondered about the neighbor, my friend’s children and elderly parents, the people who lost their rooftops that were ripped off by the winds, and those who had lost their homes.

After weighing the cost of shipping versus the travel cost, and the uncertainty of the donations arriving by mail, I quickly realized that it was best to travel and deliver the donations in person. I decided that I would bring as many mosquito nets as I could fit into my luggage. As the days progressed, the goal became to collect 100 mosquito nets to deliver to people in my childhood town of Playita in Salinas. I reached out to my friends through Facebook. Thanks to the generosity of family and friends, I exceeded that goal by 33 mosquito nets. I also purchased and received a few donations of batteries, flashlights, water purification tablets, tarps and mosquito repellents.

The next difficult task was to decide who was going to receive a mosquito net. The decision was influenced by my upbringing and my current employment. The mosquito nets would go to the most vulnerable population - the elderly and families with children under the age of 10.

Julia Romero

I always say that great things happen when people come together. Once strangers, now friends, Idamaris Rivera offered to accompanied me on this mission. After hearing about this small humanitarian act, we received financial support from the Westfield Spanish American Association (WSAA).

WSAA’s generous contribution helped cover the cost of our car rental and meals. Every time we cleared a checkpoint at the airport, we unloaded a bag of anxiety and uncertainty off our shoulders. It was a relief to see my luggage arrive intact.

We arrived in Salinas at 6 pm. The town was in complete darkness. The song of the Coquí seemed louder, the roosters seemed restless and then there was that strange noise, generators. Those fortunate enough had generators running for hours at a time. The noise of the motor and smell of burning fuel was unbearable at times. We witnessed uncountable pain and hopelessness. People told us that they were struggling from Post-Traumatic Stress. Parents told us of how their children now run for cover every time it rains. The town is devastated and in complete darkness. The majority of the houses suffered significantly. So many people lost their homes. It almost felt like we were visiting a ghost town. We heard of people who abandoned their properties and left to United States in search of a better life, and those who left until the water and electricity is restored. We met people who are living in deplorable conditions, debris scattered throughout their home and mold growing on their furniture. The majority of the people we spoke to had taken their mattresses out and put to dry under the sun. They had been told that FEMA will not be providing aid to replace their beds. The common sight was seeing everyone belongings piled up in front of their homes, waiting for the city to pick up as trash.

The people who have stayed do not want to leave their piece of land. They do not want to give up hope, but they realize that it will take months, if not years, for life to feel normal again.

(Sitting) Felicita Suren. She lost everything.

continued on page 8

El Sol Latino Janiuary 2018

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María will fundamentally change US policy toward Puerto Rico by PEDRO CABÁN This article was originally published in The Conversation | November 5, 2017. Updated November 6, 2017 In the last 90 years, three catastrophic hurricanes have struck Puerto Rico.

San Felipe II in 1928 and San Ciprían in 1932 triggered political and economic changes in America’s largest colony that endured for generations.

However, Puerto Rico remains an unincorporated territorial possession of the United States, subject to the plenary powers of Congress. The Puerto Rican government exercises only those powers that the Congress allows. In other words, it is still a colony.

As a political economist who has studied Puerto Rican political and economic change, I believe Hurricane María could be another watershed moment that redefines U.S. treatment of Puerto Rico.

The neglected island In 1928, things were not well in Puerto Rico.

Three decades of U.S. colonial rule had transformed Puerto Rico into a vast sugar plantation controlled by absentee corporations and a prized military base for protecting the Panama Canal. A classic study of Puerto Rico noted that “thousands are undernourished, or actually starving, while the products of the Island bring more than $100 million a year. Disease is present everywhere.”

Luis Muñoz Marín, arguably one of Puerto Rico’s most famous political figures, wrote that Puerto Rico had been converted into a “land of beggars and millionaires… It is Uncle Sam’s second largest sweat-shop.”

Puerto Ricans wanted to reform the colonial system that was responsible for these woes. In April 1928, Félix Córdoba Dávila, Puerto Rico’s resident commissioner in Washington at the time, complained that Puerto Ricans “are not asking for charity, but for rights.”

Then came Hurricane San Felipe II, a Category 5 hurricane.

The War Department reported that on Sept. 13, 1928, Puerto Rico “was struck by the most devastating hurricane in its history, and the results of years of private and public enterprise were obliterated in a few hours.”

San Felipe II killed 312 people. It left a half a million Puerto Ricans homeless and destitute, almost one-third of the island’s population. Property damage, estimated at US$85 million – about $1.57 billion in 2017 dollars – was unprecedented. According to the Red Cross, no sector of the economy was “left in a worse plight” than the coffee farms. Plantations lost almost their entire crop, and Puerto Rico never regained its prominence as a coffee exporter.

President Calvin Coolidge’s call for Americans to contribute to the American Red Cross generated $3.1 million in donations. The War Department dispersed more than $500,000 worth of supplies and reassigned Army officers, including medical staff, to Puerto Rico. Congress established the Puerto Rican Hurricane Relief Commission in 1928 with $8,150,000 to provide loans for rehabilitating coffee plantations, reconstruction and jobs. U.S. authorities reported that Puerto Ricans were “undismayed and undiscouraged,” and as “bending every effort to create from the ruins a greater Puerto Rico.”

At the same time, San Felipe II led to increased opposition to U.S. colonial rule. The Nationalists and the Union Party emerged as vocal critics of U.S. colonial policy. Many Puerto Ricans portrayed the federal government’s response to San Felipe II as charity that failed to alter the regime of colonial rule and absentee capital – the root of Puerto Rico’s misery.

Four years later, in September 1932, San Ciprían, a Category 4 hurricane, struck Puerto Rico.

It left 225 dead and caused $35 million damage (about $644 million in 2017). The Red Cross director reported: “The acute and intense hurricane surpasses anything he has seen in his career.” San Ciprían intensified the misery that afflicted Puerto Rico. The majority of Puerto Ricans lived a precarious existence. They lacked reserves to survive the ravages of any hurricane for long.

The Army, private relief organizations, Red Cross, colonial administration and federal government took action to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.

In August 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt created the Puerto Rican Emergency Relief Administration and charged it with providing “relief for the destitute unemployed of the island.” The agency’s director acknowledged the desperate need for aid, but noted that it should be temporary. Puerto Ricans, he wrote, “were an industrious people with a real desire to work and distinct aversion to charity and relief.”

The creation of the Puerto Rican Emergency Relief Administration was an important change in U.S. colonial policy. The scale and severity of Puerto Rico’s humanitarian crisis was beyond the capacity of the charity-focused, volunteer approach of the Red Cross and other organizations. A federal agency had stepped in.

Although the agency saved lives, it was not well-funded. Governor of Puerto Rico Blanton Winship complained in 1935 that “Puerto Rico continues to receive only a small portion of the funds to which the island is rightfully entitled.” These relief efforts did little to mitigate political discontent.

Calls for independence escalated. Puerto Ricans denounced the corrupt colonial administration that opposed the federal agency, blocked land reform and was solidly in the pocket of the absentee corporations. Labor strikes broke out throughout the island, and often turned violent. The colony was on the verge of collapse.

The two hurricanes were a wake-up call for federal authorities to the failures of colonialism. San Felipe II and San Ciprían set in motion a process of reform that culminated in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico in 1952. The government of Puerto Rico was unofficially given autonomy to manage domestic affairs, including the economy.

María and the future of Puerto Rico The magnitude of human loss that Hurricane Maria has inflicted is still unknown. As of this writing, the official number of Puerto Ricans killed by Maria stands at 51, but journalists have been investigating the accuracy of these figures. Moody’s Analytics estimated property damage at $55 billion, and projected a $40 billion loss in economic output.

But the physical devastation, upheaval and trauma inflicted on daily life in Puerto Rico add up to much more. San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz went so far as to say that if not resolved, the situation could lead to “something close to a genocide.”

The Donald Trump administration’s response to the crisis reveals that Puerto Ricans are racialized as subordinate, despite their U.S. citizenship.

Trump’s racially charged statements resurrected long dormant, degrading characterizations of Puerto Ricans as lacking the capacity and will to fend for themselves.

Maráa has also exposed the crisis within Puerto Rico’s divided politics. The Statehood and Commonwealth parties have campaigned for decades on resolving Puerto Rico’s political status. Yet, both parties share responsibility for the island’s escalating debt, and neither has been able to stop Puerto Rico’s economic decline. The entrenched poverty, crisis in political leadership and the federal government’s continued treatment of Puerto Rico as “foreign to the United States in a domestic sense” have an uncanny resemblance to the situation in 1932.

continued on page 8

Portada / Front Page José Delgado Joins MGM Springfield Team SPRINGFIELD (MA) Dec. 5, 2017 – MGM Springfield announced that Springfield native, José Delgado, has joined the luxury casino resort’s growing operations team as Director of Government Affairs.

MGM Springfield President Michael Mathis said, “We’re delighted to announce that Jose Delgado has joined our MGM Springfield team. His abundance of local government and community experience and deep understanding of Springfield’s rich heritage makes him a welcome addition to our team.”

Delgado will manage relationships with state and local elected and administrative officials; represent MGM Springfield’s legislative agenda in Massachusetts; and build and maintain relations with host communities, and important community stakeholders.

Delgado said, “It’s a privilege to be joining the passionate and talented MGM Springfield team. I am excited to take on this role during such an important time for both MGM and for Springfield. As a Springfield native, I look forward to playing a role in MGM’s efforts to enhance the positive impacts of the company’s programs in our community.”

He joins the MGM Springfield team with an impressive portfolio of experience. Most recently, Delgado worked for the University of Massachusetts’ University Without Walls (“UWW”) program where he was an integral part of the UMass Center at Springfield’s UWW outreach efforts in Greater Springfield. As the Pre-admissions Advisor and Recruitment Coordinator, he conducted outreach throughout Massachusetts, working with area organizations, community colleges and businesses, developing partnerships and providing pre-admissions advice to prospective students.

Prior to joining UWW, he worked as a Mayoral Aide for the Office of Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, developing and managing numerous

A Small Humanitarian Act with a Huge Impact continued from page 6

It was heartbreaking to see my childhood town in such chaos. We only had 2.5 days in Puerto Rico so we began our mission early morning the day after our arrival. We went door to door, speaking with the people and distributing mosquito nets to the most vulnerable population. The news that someone was distributing mosquito nets traveled fast. By noon, we had people looking for the “two pretty girls in a white car.” People caught up to us in their vehicles, others were on their bicycles and others on foot. Those who knew me, showed up at my brother’s house hoping to receive a mosquito net. Everyone was very respectful, even those that we had to turn away.

Their faces, their stories, their humbleness would break your heart. People held on to the mosquito nets as if they had just received a pot of gold.

Approximately 100 families received mosquito nets. Most of the recipients were over the age of 60, living alone. The youngest recipient was three months old and two expecting mothers. The help does not stop at 133 mosquito nets. I plan to return with 200 more by January 2018. To find out how you can support this humanitarian effort, please email romeroj73@ verizon.net. romeroj73@verizon.net I hope to return to my hometown at the end of January. The goal is to collect 200 more mosquito nets. I want to make sure every household in Playita has a mosquito net. I have been selling/exchanging Coquito and some of my art pieces for mosquito nets. Currently I have 110 mosquito nets.

Editorial note: Story edited for space, style, grammar and issues of clarity.

Julia Romero is a single mother of an adult son. She now has two nieces, from Puerto Rico, living with her. She is employed by the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families. Although she received donations to help her mission, she purchased over 60% of the donations she handed out and paid for her own airfare.

El Sol Latino January 2018

projects, while representing the mayor at neighborhood, business and government events.

Delgado also forged strong community relationships while providing constituent services to residents and business owners.

Previous to working for Mayor Sarno, he was a Springfield Field Operations Supervisor for the U.S. Census Bureau.

He also worked closely with current State Representative Carlos José Delgado Gonzalez in his role as a Program Coordinator for the Massachusetts Latino Chamber of Commerce.

Delgado is a graduate of Westfield State University, where he holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communication. He currently attends UMassAmherst and expects to receive a Master’s in Business Administration from the Isenberg School of Management in February 2018. Currently, he serves as Vice Chair of the Springfield Puerto Rican Parade Committee. In the past he has volunteered his time on many local boards and committees, including as a board member of the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield and a founding member of Suit Up Springfield. In 2014, Mr. Delgado was also honored by BusinessWest as one of its 40 Under Forty award recipients.

María will fundamentally change US policy toward Puerto Rico continued from page 7

A major difference, however, is that Puerto Rico does not figure as prominently in U.S. national security as it did before the collapse of the Soviet Union and demise of Cuba as a regional threat. This partially explains the federal government’s seemingly untroubled response to the unfolding crisis in Puerto Rico.

Another critical difference is that the Puerto Rican diaspora has emerged as a powerful, if unexpected, economic and political force. They have come to the aid of their island, and are actively lobbying against some of the most restrictive colonial policies – the Jones Act, PROMESA board and inequity in federal programs.

Puerto Ricans living across the U.S. are putting pressure on their local officials and the federal government for more assistance, and have organized a nationwide campaign to raise funding and collect donations for Puerto Rico. As a recent editorial in Puerto Rico’s leading newspaper put it, “the diaspora is key to the reconstruction of the country.” It may also be key in moving the federal government to finally resolve Puerto Rico’s political status.

Editor’s Note: This article has been corrected to state that Carmen Yulín Cruz is mayor of San Juan.

Pedro Cabán is a Professor of Latin American, Caribbean and U.S. Latino Studies, University at Albany, State University of New York

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Opinión / Opinion

El Sol Latino Janiuary 2018

9

Health disparities are making Americans sick by MIGUEL ARCE and WALTER MULLIN Health disparities exist in the United States, Massachusetts and Hampden County. Like a never-ending revolving circle, poor Americans are more likely to be sick and that sickness contributes to their poverty. Given the relative wealth and the medical profession’s expertise, why is there such a big difference in health outcomes between those who are in poverty and those who are not? What are the statistics to support this difference? What can be done to ensure that all people have the opportunity to be healthy regardless of their income status?

It is well established that there is a correlation between living in poverty and medical illness. This was summarized in a 2012 U. S. News article about this association. The article notes that those living in poverty are more likely to have high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma and obesity. It also reported on a Gallop poll with findings that 31% of adults living in poverty had depression as compared with 16% of those who were not in poverty.

Likewise, according to the Urban Institute Center for Society and Health, poor adults are almost five times as likely to report being in fair or poor health as adults, and they are more than three times as likely to have activity limitations due to chronic illness.

There are numerous ways to understand the ways it happens that people in poverty encounter health disparities. America’s health care performance is marred by inequalities linked to income, health insurance coverage, and access to health care. People who have access to health, in general, live longer, healthier lives. People with economic means can easily choose the doctor who will care for them as well as the location where they the services will be delivered. This is not true for people without the means or personal power to enact such chooses. Likewise, people in poverty remain at the whim of political decisions regarding the type of insurance they will be offered.

Whenever new politicians take over the roles of President or state Governor, the insurance offerings are vulnerable. This is true in the current debate about the Affordable Care Act with ongoing wrangling about which types of health care services should be covered. Wealthier people will choose to purchase a health policy with coverage that benefits them. Access is one issue as low income, high risk populations need health plans that are culturally sensitive and comprehensive. Frequent, on-going communication with primary care physicians is essential. The existing American Care Act (ACA), also known as Obama Care, intends to do this as it creates state-based health insurance exchanges through which individuals and small businesses can compare plans, apply for financial assistance, and purchase coverage.

The political discussion about health insurance for the poor is demeaning for those who need. It creates stress that ultimately leads back to medical illness and disease risks. Stress is clearly a daily burden for those in poverty.

Chronic stressors, such as not having money to pay bills, living in an unsafe neighborhood and being uncertain where the next meal will come from reinforce stressors. Chronic activation of the body’s stress response wears down organs over time and then increase disease risk.

Racial inequality, specifically for those who are living in poverty, imposes an additional burden on people of color. More than 100 studies now link racism to worse health. People of color experience a wide range of serious health issues at higher rates than do whites, including breast cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, hypertension, respiratory illness and pain-related problems.

On average, people of color live shorter lives and have poorer health outcomes than whites. Racism get “under the skin” and affects health.

According to Unnatural Causes: Is inequity making us sick?, the net effect of racism and classism is a health-wealth gradient, in which every descending rung of the socioeconomic ladder corresponds to worse health.

A compromise must be reached to stabilize the debate about the health insurance market, especially as it relates to protecting access to care though

the marketplace. Maintaining necessary health care has little meaning without affordable and ready access to the plans providing such coverage at parity with medical/surgical benefits. A compromise need necessarily retain ACA prohibitions against denying coverage based on a preexisting condition and lifetime limits on coverage. A health care policy should automatically establish the presumption that this is all about improving the health of the patients and the community at large. It is not about providing a favorable business environment for the stakeholders even though that means perpetuating health care injustices such as lack of insurance, impaired access, financial hardship, health care inequity, and poorer health outcomes. The patient must always be kept in mind including ensuring the contentment of the health care workforce who is dedicated to working in medically underserved communities. A successful strategy to provide health requires medical doctors and the allied health professional that have a mission to serve those who have limited access to health care.

Noteworthy in noting this association between poverty and health outcomes is the role of the neighborhood and community. Several recent studies have emphasized that the health of a community itself impacts the health of its residence. When there are resources such things as parks, safe sidewalks, health clubs, grocery stores, combined with a community value on living healthy lives, the general population health improves. When the air is clean and there are no hazardous chemical sites nearby, health outcomes are better In other words, living in a poor neighborhood puts a person at risk.

Despite chaos produced by national health policies, local community health care directed at those with the fewest options is taking place. Brightwood Health Clinic is located in the Northend of Springfield and serving a medically underserved area. Brightwood Health Clinic is a healthcare facility that is primarily focused on the care of outpatients. The Clinic is privately operated by Baystate Medical Center. They typically cover the primary healthcare needs of populations in local communities in Hampden County, though most patients easily commute from the local neighborhoods. They welcome low income individuals, the uninsured and underinsured, immigrants, migrant and seasonal farm workers, those who are homeless, and those who live in public housing. The design of the health care clinic located in low income communities provide “delivery of care to targeted populations through integrated primary care models is seen as a way of lowering cost and improving health outcomes in general, particularly as American are living longer” (Anne-Gerard Flynn, The Sunday Republican, August 13, 2017).

Economic inequality is greater now than at any time since the 1920s.

Economic policy is health policy. It is morally wrong that a bank account, race and zip code are predictors of health. All Americans deserve to live healthier lives. It is disturbing that where you live can predict not only how long you will live but what will be the quality of your life. “Health disparities are morally wrong because they exemplify historical injustices. Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane” (Martin Luther King Jr.).

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

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Libros / Books

El Sol Latino January 2018

Out in the Open: A Novel by JESÚS CARRASCO • Translated by Margaret Jull Costa • Riverhead Books. New York, NY: 2017. 226 pp.

“From inside his hole in the ground, he heard the sound of voices calling his name, and as if they were crickets, he tried to pinpoint the precise location of each man within the bounds of the olive grove. The desolate howling of firescorched scrub. He was lying on one side, knees drawn up to his chest, with barely enough room to move in that cramped space. His arms either around his knees or serving as a pillow, and only a tiny niche for his knapsack of food. He had made a roof out of pruned twigs which he had piled on top of two thick branches that served as beams…Tensing his neck, he raised his head so as to hear better and, half closing his eyes, listened out for the voice that had forced him to flee.”

This opening paragraph of the dystopian novel by the Spaniard Jesús Carrasco lassoes the reader’s mind and heart as he follows the story of a young boy fleeing from abuse only to find an even more violent world “Out in the Open.” The author creates a terrifying landscape where an endless drought has shriveled the remaining trees into sparse and withered leaves, and worse, has shriveled the moral code of the few remaining inhabitants desperate to do anything to survive.

The young protagonist, known only as “the boy,” is running from a terror and a horror, the nature of which is revealed only in bits and pieces as the novel unfolds. To get away, and far, far away, to where the pursuing bailiff and his cohorts have no authority, the boy must cross a barren desert. There is little food and water is nearly nonexistent.

Hungry and thirsty, the boy comes across a goatherd sleeping on the ground and he attempts to steal the old man’s bag, hoping to find food. About to make off with the bag, the boy is startled when the goatherd says, “Didn’t anyone teach you to ask nicely?”

The unlikely pair form a friendship and set out across the desert, often resting during the searing sun of day, and traveling under the light of stars by night. They are accompanied by the goatherd’s dog, a donkey and a small herd of goats. But the bailiff has not given up in his search for the boy and overtakes the pair. The boy hides and is safe but not so the goatherd who refuses to tell the bailiff where the boy is. The men punish him by taking his jacket and then beating him.

The boy, following the old man’s instructions, takes care of him and remarkably the goatherd survives. They push onward, “their eyes bruised by the pitiless hammer of the sun’s rays”, “the old man dragging his feet, and the boy like a rather feeble crutch supporting the weight of a man who could barely stand.” While searching for food, the boy comes across a cripple who feeds him and then traps him hoping to claim the reward that the bailiff has promised. But the boy manages to escape.

And then, once more, the bailiff catches up with the boy, but this time the goatherd, who “was so weak he could hardly stand”, faces him with a shotgun.

Carrasco works in lots of foreshadowing suggesting the future of the boy beyond the scope of the novel. For example, the boy begins to take on all the chores including “the harnessing of the donkey, a liturgy that he himself would go on to perform for the rest of his days and which, in time, would become part of a larger ritual, that of his profession and of a life spent constantly on the move.”

In telling his story, the author clearly condemns the abuse of power those in authority exercise over children. The bailiff pursues the boy with the aid of

greyhounds, dogs which had “red lines emblazoned on their flanks, souvenirs of their masters’ whips. The same whips that were used to beat into submission the children, women and dogs of that arid plan.” Abuse suffered under the hands of the Catholic Church merits a stinging condemnation. When the boy comes across an abandoned church, “he felt the weight of what had happened in that place. The dense atmosphere of an old sacristy…where the walls had for centuries absorbed the cries of altar boys, orphans and foundlings… Putrefaction now working its way through unspeakable sins.”

The boy’s plan was to make his fists hard as rocks, “more than that, his fists would be rocks”, and he promised himself that he would become strong enough that no one would ever again take advantage of him.

Yet, with all that anger, he mourned the loss of innocence and “He wondered if he would ever be capable of forgiving.”

The goatherd, by word and by example, teaches the boy how to live honorably. When the goatherd orders him to bury the two men he had killed while defending the boy, the boy counters “Those men don’t deserve it.” The goatherd responds “That’s why you must do it.” And when the boy tells of the grave injuries suffered by the cripple, the goatherd says “We have to find that man before the crows peck him to death” because “He, too, is a child of God.” The author, through the goatherd, strikes a fiercely critical note regarding the hypocrisy so often encountered in the adult world: “The old man was clearly not going to be the one to hand him the key to the world of adults, that world in which brutality was meted out for reasons of greed or lust.”

As in the above citation and in other places, the novel’s message is greater than the story it tells. The drought is of apocalyptic dimensions: “bones in every possible state of degradation…An eyeless animal, its skin still intact. A stinking bag of bones in the midst of the new day dawning.”

And yet, the message and example of the old goatherd speak of beauty, dignity, and the redemptive value of love.

Margaret Jull Costa’s translation captures the world Carrasco has created, one very rich in appeals to the senses as in this description of the boy and the goatherd traveling during the day, “their eyes bruised by the pitiless hammer of the sun’s rays”. She seems very intent on reflecting accurately the world which Carrasco’s words have created, occasionally resulting in some awkward constructions as in this: “the boy threw his head back and gave a long outbreath.” The use of fragment sentences by the author create and underscore mood as is shown in the opening citation of the novel; however in translation, this structure is occasionally jarring. Costa admits struggling with the title of Carrasco’s book.* Interperie translated by the dictionary as “the elements” does not capture all the nuances of that one word in Spanish. Nevertheless, as a whole. Costa’s translation admirably reflects the rich language and spirit of Carrasco’s novel. *“Only Survival Matters: An Interview with Jesús Carrasco and Margaret Jull Costa” https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/only-survival-matters-an-interview-withjesus-carrasco-and-margaret-jull-costa.

Review of Cathleen C. Robinson, retired professor of Spanish and Latin American history.

Libros / Books

El Sol Latino Janiuary 2018

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Domingo Burgos Ramírez presenta su nuevo libro By MANUEL FRAU RAMOS• manuelfrau@gmail.com El pasado 21 de abril el autor Domingo Antonio Burgos Ramírez presentó en la Biblioteca Pública de Springfield - Brightwood Branch, su segundo libro, Podemos Crecer: Rincón de mis versos.

Este libro es la segunda creación literaria del autor y empresario de origen dominicano y residente en Springfield. En el 2014 publicó su primer libro Compendio de Reflexiones. También tuvo una participación como coautor del libro “La Musa de Nuestros Poetas.”

Elsie Sánchez fungió como maestra de ceremonia, mientras que el Reverendo Ronny Sánchez habló brevemente sobre la importancia del libro. El Reverendo Sánchez señaló que este libro tiene un significado muy importante ya que “nos invita a crecer” para mejorar como personas.

Burgos Ramírez resaltó que su deseo de escribir tiene origen durante su niñez. El recuerda que cuando leía un libro el pensaba que si a mi me gusta, o otros les gusta también. Por lo tanto, como escritor lo que escribimos vale la pena.

El libro está dividido en dos partes interrelacionadas. La primera sección es un conjunto de reflexiones y la segunda es una colección de poesías titulada “Rincón de mis versos”. Los poemas están escritos en prosas y cuartetas “dedicados a la pasión, el amor, el mundo y su entorno producto del arduo trabajo de conexión espiritual donde la musa fluye llevando la imaginación a la realidad.”

En la reseña del libro, el autor describe que… “Estos escritos me ayudan a mi primero, porque voy escribiendo y pensando en que puedo ir mejorando como persona. Hoy en día muchos libros pueden hablarte de guerras, noticias tremendistas del mundo, hoy yo quiero hablarte de como podemos mejorar y crecer; cada persona y familia tiene su estilo, pero nunca está de más ver y escuchar cosas que pueden mejorarnos como persona, como familia y como empresa. El crecimiento humano no está sustentado en la riqueza material que se acumula, sino en los valores, por lo que ellos forman la base de una vida mejor y un mundo más comprensible y humano.”

Su primer libro, Compendio de Reflexiones, es una colección de temas cortos. Este libro cubre una variedad de temas sociales tales como: La Moral, La Familia, Dios, la Conducta Humana y el Progreso Personal. Estos temas fueron cuidadosamente seleccionados con el propósito de realizar análisis críticos sobre los mismos. El libro provee mensajes prácticos que el lector pueden utilizar para mejoramiento personal. Como apunta el autor, “Puedo confesarle de ante mano que ya algunos de estos escritos han resuelto problemas por significar una herramienta de ayuda en la toma de decisiones. ”

El representante estatal Carlos González, el autor Domingo Antonio Burgos Ramírez, Mily Torres, Elsie Sánchez, el pastor Ronny Burgos, Maribel Burgos y Myriam Parrilla

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Música / Music

El Sol Latino January 2018

Rhythm & Power: Performing Salsa in Puerto Rican and Latino Communities

by NÉSTOR DAVID PASTOR | Reprinted with permission from Centro Voices 19 - Center for Puerto Rican Studies | December 2017 With the publication of the anthology Rhythm & Power: Performing Salsa in Puerto Rican and Latino Communities, curator Derrick León Washington, with help from co-editors Priscilla Renta and Sydney Hutchinson, expands the multidisciplinary experiment that began at the Museum of the City of New York this past June.

Whereas “Rhythm & Power: Salsa in New York” offered a glimpse of a history that dates back to the Mambo era of the 1950s and continues into the present, the anthology, a product of an academic conference organized in tandem with the exhibit, shifts to a more critical discourse and builds upon themes of resistance, community, and latinidad.

“The salsa generation focused on issues that were important at that time,” says Washington. In turn, there is an important parallel, Washington explains, to the way in which salsa “connected people, especially in the Puerto Rican and Latino communities, to understand and talk about political issues” during the late 1960s and 70s.

For example, in her essay, “On Social Dancing and Social Movements: Salsa and Resistance,” Sydney Hutchinson looks at salsa dancing as a form of resistance. Social activism was of course one of the central themes of the original exhibit, and can be found in the lyrics of many pioneering salsa artists. Hutchinson goes on to discuss the subversion of gender roles in partner dancing, among other things.

Another parallel to the exhibit can be found in the essay by Marisol BerriosMiranda, entitled, “Bailando salsa en la sala: How We Learned To Dance And To Live.” Washington notes that while “Rhythm & Power” highlights the growth of New York salsa dancing in community spaces throughout New York City, Berrios-Miranda uses her own family experience to talk about “the space of the home and the living rooms, the sala, and its importance in sharing traditions [and] keeping the culture alive.”

The third essay in the collection, “Marc Anthony 3.0: Toward a Critical Salsa

Romántica,” is by Frances R. Aparicio. Salsa romántica is of course known as a genre that emerged in the mid-1980s, much to the disappointment of fans of the original salsa dura that preceded it. The transition from socially conscious lyricism to love ballads was included in the exhibit, with Anthony donating his sheet music and microphone stand. Nevertheless, Aparicio looks at salsa romántica as “a central form of resistance even though it is part of what neoliberalism,” explains Washington. The essay also discusses the racialization of Marc Anthony, as well as his place in pop culture.

Ismael Rivera, also known as Maelo, is the subject of the final essay in the book, “Maelo, El Sonero Mayor: Theorizing Song and Soneo as a Medium of Mutuality.” Author Cesar Colon-Montijo cites Rivera as an example of the way in which some artists went beyond the sounds and influences of New York salsa. This too was emphasized in the original exhibit. A floor map the length of the main room of the gallery established Spain, West Africa, and the Circum-Caribbean, among several of the important cultural hubs that contributed to the birth of salsa in New York.

In other words, beyond its popularity as a worldwide phenomenon, salsa has always been the product of overlapping communities, Latino, Puerto Rican, and so on. But at the heart of this discourse, according to Washington, is a “social movement based on artistry.” Moreover, he says, “Salsa is always changing, it’s malleable, and we connect it with what is happening today.”

So while “Rhythm & Power” may have offered a glimpse into the world of salsa, Rhythm & Power: Performing Salsa in Puerto Rican and Latino Communities can be considered yet another step in its evolution.

Rhythm & Power: Performing Salsa in Puerto Rican and Latino Communities is published by the Centro Press. © Center for Puerto Rican Studies. Published in Centro Voices 19 December 2017.

Media / Media 35-Year Public Media Veteran Honored SPRINGFIELD, MASS. — The average American worker changes employers every 4.2 years, according to a 2016 Bureau of Labor Statistics study. That makes WGBY Deputy General Manager Lynn Page far from average.

For nearly 35 years, Page reported to 44 Hampden Street in Springfield to continue her service in public media. That exceptional tenure was honored by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) Boston/New England Chapter this year as it bestowed on her The Silver Circle Award.

The Circle Award is a special recognition from NATAS for veteran TV professionals who have made significant contributions. Silver Circle and Gold Circle candidates must have a minimum of 25 years and 50 years, respectively, of service in television.

“Lynn Page epitomizes the very best of our industry,” said WGBY Executive Producer Tony Dunne (Connecting Point and As Schools Match Wits). “Her career is both the storybook tale of a rise from an entry-level position to lead management and also a lesson in dedication, hard work, and the pursuit of excellence.”

El Sol Latino Janiuary 2018

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Scheduling & Broadcast Operations, Director of Broadcasting, and Deputy General Manager, where she oversaw Local Production, Engineering, Broadcast Operations, Production Services and Education & Outreach.

“Telling real stories about local people is what public television is all about,” said WGBY General Manager Anthony V. Hayes, “and Lynn Page has been doing it for 34 years. She cares deeply about western New England, and we all benefit from her experience and accomplishments.”

During her 34-year tenure, Page created and produced a whole host of award-winning, Emmy-nominated programming, including the awardwinning Making It Here: Teen Style, and the popular local choral competition Together in Song. She also provided a showcase and national springboard for world-class documentary filmmakers in her role as Programming Director. She most recently helped develop the groundbreaking local bilingual series, Presencia, as well as live, community forums on such topics as racism, the opioid epidemic, and The Vietnam War. Page earned a PBS Development Award in 2004 for Special Achievement for the “Polish Heritage Project” acting as Executive Producer. She also received regional Emmy Nominations in 2012, 2013, and 2014 for Together In Song’s “Live Finale Showcase” as Executive Producer.

“I am honored to be part of a group of veteran broadcasters dedicated and passionate about exposing our audiences to diverse, thought-provoking content,” Page said. “I am proud to be working with teams that care about the art of storytelling. People trust public media and, at the end of the day, that is what matters the most.”

For Page’s many colleagues, however, it’s not her record that’s most outstanding; it’s her character.

“Lynn is a true champion of the community WGBY serves,” said WGBY Director of Local Productions & Services Keith Clark (a past Silver Circle recipient himself with 31 years of service at the station). “To Lynn, it’s never a question of ‘why’; it’s ‘why not.’ It’s not a matter of ‘how come’; it’s ‘how can we.’ It’s not ‘whether we do this,’ but ‘when we do it.’”

Lynn Page, WGBY’s deputy general manager, served the public television station for nearly 35 years.

Page began at WGBY as an intern in 1983. Soon after, she became a part-time receptionist. From there, her role at WGBY grew and broadened at each subsequent turn. Page has served as Production Coordinator, Assistant Production Manager for Station Affairs, Director of Program

A lifelong resident of Chicopee, Page enjoys photography, gardening, and spending time with her family and granddaughter.

Page was honored by NATAS at the Silver Circle Awards Celebration on Thursday, Nov. 16 at the Seaport Hotel in Boston.

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Ciencias / Science

El Sol Latino January 2018

Impact of Deforestation on the Climate by BRYAN SALAS-SANTIAGO | bryansalas0815@gmail.com There are certain demands that society requires in food, housing, infrastructure, and energy. Energy is used for our everyday needs, such as for driving, warm water, heat, internet, electronics, etc. All the energy that we get comes primarily from burning fossil fuels, which based on previous discussion, is understood to be a major problem when we look at climate change.

Infrastructure, housing, and farming all have something in common that unites the three; deforestation. Deforestation occurs when we take land from the forest and repurpose it instead of using things the forest offers.

This land repurpose is used often for agriculture of plants, cattle farms, corn fields, and building houses and infrastructure. Regardless of the reason our society decides to partake in deforestation, we must understand that for our society to live this type of life some degree of deforestation has to take place, but there are consequences to our actions.

on the climate. Cattle release gas molecules called methane, making cattle farms one of the main sources of methane production. This methane molecule is a greenhouse gas, just like CO2. However, it is 22 times more powerful than CO2, meaning that a single molecule of methane has the same effect as 22 molecules of CO2 in the climate. Methane is not as abundant as CO2 in our atmosphere, but when taking into consideration how powerful it is as a greenhouse gas, it is important to learn where it is coming from.

Humans are the root cause of the large consumption of cattle’s meat which is why we need to address this problem. We have two complications; deforestation, which reduces the number of CO2 removing trees, and high production of methane, a molecule 22 times stronger than CO2. Both complications have a double negative effect in our climate without us realizing it.

❖ 20% of global CO2 emissions are caused by deforesta on

Global Warming ❖ Human encroachment and logging destroys forests

Loss of Biodiversity

❖ Trees cool the atmosphere and “store” greenhouse gases

Deforesta on

Loss of Natural Resources

Deforestation also occurs when building infrastructure. In my opinion, this has the worst effect.

In farming, we can help heal the soil and create new forests if needed. We have mechanisms to restore farming areas to make them flourish into a forest with short term results. But when constructing buildings, houses, and parking lots, we are literally sealing the ground and sabotaging the soil from its function, preventing the land the ability to recover.

The effects of climate change will have great consequences on Earth. Soil, for example, is very important because it can store ❖ Forests are home to over 70% 0% of large amounts of carbon in the animals, plants, and other organisms anisms ❖ Flooding and soil erosion result from deforesta on form of organic matter (food for plants). As our climate gets ❖ Billions of pollinator bees have warmer, the rising temperatures lost their habitat will cause these organic compounds to be released into Food Insecurity the atmosphere in the form of CO2, again increasing greenhouse gasses. However, soil ❖ 1.6 billion people living in poverty depend on forests for with no organic matter will make their food, fuel, and livelihoods it hard for new trees and plants to grow. If we take in consideration The World Bank Created by Shiva S. Makki

By Shiva Makki /The World Bank. Word Bank what we have learned about deforestation due to farming and building, the Trees can be described metaphorically as the lungs of our planet; they take burning of fossil fuels for energy and transportation is detrimental to the in carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and with the help of the sun, climate and we need to do something about our actions. they produce their own food and release oxygen in the same process. All Next month, I will be discussing methods we can all partake in to help with life on earth is carbon based and plants are no exception. Plants take the climate change. We need to keep in mind that there is only one planet carbon present in the CO2 in the air and store it as part of their structure.

Earth and we need to take care of it. As Dr. Klaus Nüsslein said: “Ignoring Basically, it means that 90% of a tree’s mass comes from the CO2 it has Climate Change is the worst thing to do, it is our personal responsibility to captured from the air. Knowing this, it is important to accept why trees are do something about it.” As humans, we caused climate change and we so important in our planet, especially in their role of storing and removing now need to accept the responsibility, modify our behavior, and do CO2 from the atmosphere. something to save our planet. It is the least we can do guarantee a decent 30 million acres lost every year

Farming has been proven to be responsible for a huge volume of deforestation over the years due to cattle raising having the biggest impact

place to live for our children and grandchildren.

Publish your bilingual ad in El Sol Latino! Call us today at (413) 320-3826.

Deportes / Sports

El Sol Latino Janiuary 2018

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Campeonato de los Guantes Dorados Regresa a Springfield por MANUEL FRAU RAMOS | manuelfrau@gmail.com Dean Fay, Director de Western New England Gloves y Presidente de Central City Boxing & Barbell en Springfield anunció durante una conferencia de prensa realizada el 5 de diciembre el regreso de la legendaria cartelera boxística de los Campeonatos de Guantes Dorados de Nueva Inglaterra 2018 (Golden Gloves Western New England 2018) a la ciudad de Springfield.

Los ganadores del torneo de Springfield pasarán a ser parte de próximas competencias regionales, New England Golden Globes Championships que se celebrará en Lowell, donde se selecionará el equipo representativo de Nueva Inglaterra para el National Golden Gloves Championship Tournament en Omaha, Nebraska 2018.

En el 2016, ENE envió un total de 9 boxeadores al Torneo Nacional de Campeones. Cuatro de esos boxeadores clasificaron para las eliminatorias de los Juegos Olímpicos. Dos de esos boxeadores cualificaron como boxeadores alternos para las Olimpiadas. Seis de los miembros del equipo terminaron como boxeadores profesionales.

El Torneo de los Guantes Dorados ha sido una tradición en Nueva Inglaterra desde 1947.

Dean Fay, Director de Western New England Gloves y Presidente de Central City Boxing & Barbell

Fay, acompañado de representantes de MGM Springfield, resaltó la ayuda financiera de esta última para la realización de El Campeonato de Los Guantes 2018. El torneo de boxeo aficionado o amateur es organizado por el Central City Boxing & Barbell y financiado por MGM Springfield .

El torneo se realizará en el MassMutual Center en Springfield durante el mes de enero de 2018. Este comenzará el 5 y 6 de enero de 2018 con las preliminares. El 12 y 13 de enero se llevarán a cabo los cuartos de finales.

El 19 y 20 serán las semifinales. El 28 de enero serán los encuentros finales para los campeonatos del torneo.

El torneo de Los Guantes Dorados 2018 reunirá alrededor de 300 de los mejores boxeadores aficionados del oeste de Nueva Inglaterra. Uno de los equipo que estará presente en el torneo es el de United States Corps of Cadets de la United States Military Academy de West Point. Esta prestigiosa institución académica estará enviando al torneo un equipo de primera categoría.

Central City Boxing & Barbell Inc. es un centro de entrenamiento ubicado en 1 Belmont Avenue, Springfield. Está dedicado a servir a los jóvenes de la región a través de programas estructurados en las artes del boxeo y el levantamiento de pesas. Estos programas enfatizan el componente educativo.

También tienen un programa extracurricular que utiliza el boxeo y el levantamiento de pesas como vehículos para crear una estructura de entrenamiento deportivo orientado a fomentar el desarrollo físico, mental y emocional de los jóvenes.

Además, Central City Boxing & Barbell Inc. ofrece programas económicos para adultos de todas las edades en las artes del boxeo y/o levantamiento de pesas independientemente de sus intenciones, ya sea que su motivación sea competir o simplemente ponerse en forma.

Para mas información - 413-310-2187 | centralcitygym@yahoo.com

Veanos@www.issuu.com/elsollatino

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El Sol Latino January 2018

Temporada 2017-2018 THE MESSAGE: THE ART OF BLAKEY Director Musical, Donald Harrison Con Donald Harrison, Billy Pierce, Brian Lynch, Sullivan Fortner, Carl Allen and Essiet Essiet Jueves, Febrero 22, 7:30 p.m., Bowker Auditorium

AIR PLAY

Martes, Marzo 20, 7 p.m., FAC Concert Hall

MACHINE DE CIRQUE MiĂŠrcoles, April 25, 7:30 p.m., FAC Concert Hall

Donald Harrison Photo credit: Alfonso Bresciani

ÂĄHAY MUCHO MAS!

Visite fineartsecenter.com para ver la lista completa de las actividades.

Para boletos: 413-545-2511, 800-999-UMAS o visite fineartscenter.com