July 2021
Volume 17 No. 8
Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper
Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper
B OOK S
Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper
Hispanic-American Library A C KDoors G R OatUUnion N D Station Opens itsBNew Photo credit - Hispanic-American Library Facebook page
Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper
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Editorial / Editorial
On June 24, 2021 the independent nonpartisan policy institute Center for American Progress (CAP) released a new analysis on LGBTQ people of color and discrimination. The summary of the findings is below.
Within the Larger LGBTQ Community, People of Color Experience Higher Rates of Discrimination by LINDSAY MAHOWALD LGBTQ people have long experienced disproportionate rates of discrimination compared with the general population, across virtually every facet of society. Even in 2021, no federally guaranteed protections exist for individuals on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. But even within the LGBTQ community, there are compounded impacts of discrimination along racial lines. New analysis from the Center for American Progress found that LGBTQ people of color experience higher rates of discrimination compared with the white LGBTQ population. These latest findings stem from a nationally representative survey of more than 1,500 LGBTQ+-identifying adults conducted in 2020 by CAP and NORC at the University of Chicago. In the year prior to the survey, LGBTQ people of color reported experiencing discrimination at a rate 12 percentage points higher than white LGBTQ respondents—with differences particularly prominent in health care, housing, and economic stability. Overall, 43 percent of LGBTQ people of color reported experiencing discrimination in the year prior: 1 in 4 reported some form of negative or discriminatory treatment from a doctor or health care provider; nearly half reported that discrimination has affected their ability to rent or purchase a home to some
degree; and 1 in 3 reported staying away from public spaces to avoid facing discrimination. The findings underscore the need for intersectional approaches to large-scale problems. LGBTQ people of color face compounded levels of discrimination, and any effort to provide assistance for the LGBTQ community must address the specific and unique concerns of people of color. “These survey data emphasize what LGBTQ communities of color have always known: that discrimination compounds for sexual and gender minorities who also face race-based mistreatment and that this holds true in a wide variety of settings,” said Lindsay Mahowald, a research assistant with the LGBTQ Research and Communications Project at CAP and the author of this column. “Policymakers must respond to the diverse and complex needs of LGBTQ individuals with intersecting identities.” Read the full column: “LGBTQ People of Color Encounter Heightened Discrimination: 2020 Survey Results on Experiences in Health Care, Housing, and Education” by Lindsay Mahowald at www.americanprogress.org/issues/lgbtq-rights/ news/2021/06/24/500918/lgbtq-people-colorencounter-heightened-discrimination/
contents
2 Editorial / Editorial Within the Larger LGBTQ Community, People of Color Experience Higher Rates of Discrimination 3 Portada / Front Page Hispanic-American Library Opens its New Doors at Union Station 4 Lista de Episodios de El Sol Latino Podcast 413 Abril y Mayo 2021 6 Carlos Vega Fund for Social Justice Announced Grants Community Foundation Announces $150,000 Grant to Healing Racism Institute of Pioneer Valley 7 Groundswell Fund Shares An Open Letter to Philanthropy, from People of Color-led, Movement-Accountable Public Foundations 8 Cultura / Culture AAM Latino Network Releases “Strategies for Engaging and Representing Latinos in Museums” The Academy of American Poets Selects Magdalena Gómez for Poet Laureate Fellowship 9 Nellie Vera Sánchez Selected As One of the 2021 NEA National Heritage Fellows 10 E ducación / Education Students share love for STCC with MSNBC, NBC News 11 You Kept Going - Persistence in Spite of Pandemic Theme of HCC Commencement 2021 12 Veronica Terriquez named director of UCLA’s Chicano Studies Research Center 13 Announcing UCF’s New Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 14 Finanzas / Finances Auto Repair vs. Auto Despair 15 Medios /Media Impremedia Calls to End Discrimination in Advertising Towards US Hispanics and Ethnic Media 16 Deportes / Sports Springfield Old Timers Softball League
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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 July 2021
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Hispanic-American Library Opens its New Doors at Union Station by MANUEL FRAU RAMOS On June 11, 2021, the Hispanic-American Library (HAL) opened the doors of its new home at Union Station in Springfield. Armando Feliciano, HAL Board member, was the master of ceremony for the event. Juan R Falcón, President and CEO of HAL addressed the guests, accompanied by members of the Board of Directors of the organization: Milagros Johnson, Dr. Ana Rivera Passalacqua, Wilberto Rodríguez, and Manuel Frau Ramos. Congressman Richard E. Neal, Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, State Senator Adam Gómez, and State Representatives Carlos González and Brian Ashe were present for this grand opening of the Hispanic-American Library at Union Station. State funds in the amount of $150,000 provided to HAL at the initiative of Representative Carlos González helped the organization rebuild and continue to expand their educational and cultural offerings. Also in attendance were several city and state officials: City Councilors Gumersindo Gómez, Víctor Dávila, Jesse Lederman, Melvin Edwards, Tracye Whitfield, and Justin Hurst as well as newly appointed City Clerk Gladys Oyola, Springfield’s Deputy Mayor Minerva Marrero, María Pérez, City School Committee member, José Claudio, Chief Operating Officer of the New North Citizens’ Council, Inc., and Sheriff Nick Cocchi. Springfield Redevelopment Authority (SRA) Director Christopher Moskal, and SRA Deputy Director Amanda Pham worked with HAL to make this permanent home possible. During the event, two local Latino organizations, Amador Foundation, Inc, and United Hispanic Nurses of America, LLC surprised HAL with donations of $1,000 and $3,000, respectively. For more than three decades, the HAL has been offering its services and programs from spaces belonging to other local community-based organizations. For many years, the library was located in the building belonging to the Puerto Rican Cultural Center (PRCC) on School Street, and had most recently been operating in the facilities of the Hispanic community service organization, New North Citizens’ Council, Inc., (NNCC) located on Main Street, Springfield. Despite not having had a permanent home and been through tough times financially, HAL has kept reaching out to other organization in the region and established educational and cultural collaborations with many groups and organizations. For many years, HAL has actively participated in the annual Springfield Puerto Rican Parade. Together with the New North Citizens’
Council, Women on the Vanguard, and Los Gigantes de la Plena they organized the Bomplenaso Celebration in 2019 that was dedicated to well known Puerto Rican musician Wilfredo “Freddy Moreno”, who passed away in 2006. In 2019, the students of the New North Citizens’ Council Children and Family Center’s (NNCC) Day Care participated in an innovative educational and cultural project organized by HAL. Under the direction of Marilyn Gallo, a veteran Springfield Public Schools teacher, a range of activities focusing on Puerto Rican culture and history were incorporated into the Day Care curriculum. These included history, art, crafts, and DYI projects that the students took home with them. In September of 2019, HAL sponsored poet José Luis Silva-Díaz’s first promotional tour of his Puerto Rican poetry and folklore books in Western Massachusetts. In addition, since 2019, HAL has partnered with the Puerto Rican Cultural Project of The Holyoke Public Library to host one of their signature events, the annual celebration of El Grito de Lares at the Holyoke Public Library. As part of this annual event, they have hosted various speakers such as Nelson Antonio Denis, author and film director of War Against All Puerto Ricans: Revolution and Terror in America’s Colony; Harry Franqui-Rivera, Ph.D. (CENTRO) author of Citizen Soldiers: Myth and Truths Behind the Jones Act, Puerto Rico and World War I; Charles Venator Santiago, Ph.D. (UConn-Storrs) author of The Only Democratic Option for PR: Status Citizenship and Anti Democratic U.S. Constitution; Ginetta Candelario, Ph.D. (Smith College) author of Cien Años de Feminismos Dominicanos, and Solsiree del Moral, Ph.D. (Amherst College) author of Modern Puerto Rico: A First Reading List.
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Portada / Front Page
El Sol Latino July 2021
Lista de Episodios de El Sol Latino Podcast 413 - Abril y Mayo 2021 En esta edición estamos publicamos la lista de los episodios producidos durante los meses de Abril y Mayo 2021. En futuras ediciones del periódico presentaremos la lista de los restantes episodios grabados durante los mes de junio y julio del año. Todos los episodios del Podcast 413 están accesibles en la página web de Holyoke Media (holyokemedia.org/programming/public-programmingarchive) al igual que en su página de Facebook y en su canal de YouTube. También se pueden accezar en la página de Facebook de El Sol Latino. Episodio #50 – Abril 14, 2021 José Massó, durante más de cuatro décadas ha sido el presentador del exitoso y legendario programa musical bilingüe ¡Con Salsa!, el cual se trasmite por la estación pública WBUR-FM en Boston, MA. En 2010, Massó se convirtió en el primer puertorriqueño / latino en ser incluido en el Salón de la Fama de las Radiodifusores de Massachusetts. Massó ha trabajado José Massó en dos varios programa de televisión, comenzando como presentador del programa bilingüe de asuntos públicos ganador del premio Emmy Aquí, en WCVB-TV y luego como presentador de La Plaza en WGBH-TV. Episodio #51 – Abril 21, 2021 Damián Moreno Díaz, obtuvo en Puerto Rico la licencia de Artesano en talla de madera en 2016. Formó parte del programa “El Mercadito” de Nueva Esperanza en Holyoke. Participó por primera vez del reconocido festival Street Parties de San Sebastián en Orlando, Florida. En 2020 realizó su primera exposición en Massachusetts. Recientemente a concentrado sus energías en dominar el arte de hacer máscaras de “Vejigantes” y la creación de diseños de moda.
Brendaliz se mudó a Massachusetts en 2001. Ha participadó en eventos, charlas y tallares de Bomba y Plena en numerosos actividades culturales de la región - Restaurante Salsarengue en Holyoke, y Bombazo: Bomba y Plena en el Parque en Veterans Park en Holyoke. Además de visitó escuelas y centros comunitarios y culturales a traves de New England.El julio de 2018, Brendaliz produjo y fue la artista principal en la producción musical “Por Mi Cultura Vivo” celebrada en el reconocido centro artístico, el CityStage, en Springfield, MA. Saúl “El Pulpo” Peñaloza, reconocido músico de folclor afro-caribeño se crió en el residencia Luis Llorens Torres en la ciudad San Juan. Saúl “El Pulpo” Peñaloza se identifico desde temprana edad con la música de la bomba y plena a través de un maestro de música de la escuela donde estudiaba el cual era natural de Loíza Aldea. Pueblo considerado la capital del folclor Afro-Boricua de Puerto Rico. Una ves relocalizado en Massachusetts, “Peñaloza se conecta con otros músicos locales. Eventualmente, Saúl se convierte en el director, cantante y tamborista principal del grupo Bomba de Aquí de Brendaliz Cepeda. Peñaloza se destaca por su gran versatilidad musical, especialmente como percusionista. El apodo de “El Pulpo”, viene de su destreza y habilidad natural de tocar los panderos de plena tanto con la mano derecha como la izquierda, algo que es muy raro entre los músicos de plena. Además, Saúl ha incursionado en otros géneros musicales caribeños como la salsa, bachata, merengue y música típica como parte de conjunto La Choco Band. Episodio #53 – Mayo 12, 2021 Sandra Rodríguez Cotto, periodista puertorriqueña y coautora del libro The News Media in Puerto Rico: Journalism in Colonial Settings and Times of Crises, junto Dr. Federico SuberviVélez y Jairo Lugo Ocando. El libro fue publicado en el año 2020 por la editorial Routledge.
Damián Moreno Diaz
Estudio en las escuelas públicas del pueblo de Corozal en Puerto Rico. Su condición de dislexia y déficit de atención hizo que su educación primaria y secundaria fuera un desafío. Realizo estudios en la Universidad de Puerto Rico - Cayey, donde fue miembro de Federación Universitaria Pro Independencia (FUPI) y en la Universidad Central de Bayamón (UCB) donde estudio Trabajo Social. Damián presidio la Asociación de Estudiantes de Trabajo Social y fue miembro del Consejo de Estudiantes. Episodio #52 – Abril 28, 2021 Brendaliz Cepeda y Saúl “El Pulpo” Peñaloza, artistas de música folclórica afro-puertorriqueña. Brendaliz Cepeda nació en Texas Hood en Texas y ha vivido en el Bronx, New York y Carolina, Puerto Rico. Brendaliz, hija de Roberto y Carmen Cepeda, es
parte de una nueva generación de la Familia Cepeda que ha tomado la iniciativa de continuar la tradición familiar de preservar y mostrar este rico patrimonio musical en todo el mundo.
Rodríguez Cotto es periodista y relacionista con décadas de experiencia Sandra Rodríguez Cotto en el campo de la comunicación y el periodismo, tanto en Puerto Rico como en los Estados Unidos y varios países de América Latina. Es analista de noticias y de política, comentarista radial, productora de televisión, columnista y bloguera. Conduce su programa de radio sindicalizado a travésde la Red Informativa de Puerto Rico. También es colaboradora de varios medios en los Estados Unidos (El Diario La Prensa, All Digitocracy, Huffington Post, The USA Today, y Politico Magazine). Episodio #54 - 12 de mayo de 2021 Dra. Yarimar Bonilla fué recientemente nombrada por presidenta de Hunter College como directora interina de el Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños de Hunter (El Centro) en CUNY. La Dra. Bonilla, Profesora de Estudios Africanos y Puertorriqueños / Latinos en el Departamento de Antropología, será la primera mujer en dirigir el Centro en sus 48 años de historia.
Dra. Yarimar Bonilla
La Dra. Bonilla, se unió a la facultad de Hunter College en el 2018. Recibió su BA de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, una maestría de la Universidad Brendaliz Cepeda y Saúl “El Pulpo” Peñaloza
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El Sol Latino July 2021
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Lista de Episodios de El Sol Latino Podcast 413 - Abril y Mayo 2021 continued from previous page de Nuevo México y un doctorado de la Universidad de Chicago. Enseñó en las universidad de Virginia y Rutgers. En 2018 fue nombrada Carnegie Fellowship por su investigación sobre el impacto social del huracán María en Puerto Rico.
una experiencia interesante. Básicamente, era parte de nuestra vida diaria aquí”, recuerda con nostalgia el director del Archivo de la FLMM, quien nació en San Juan el 10 de octubre de 1965, un año después de que su padre comenzara a trabajar para Muñoz Marín en La Fortaleza.
Ha contribuido con The New Yorker, The Nation. Jacobin y The Washington Post y escribe una columna mensual llamada “En Vavién” para el periódico El Nuevo Día en Puerto Rico. Es invitada con frecuencia a la National Public Radio y programas de televisión como Democracy Now!. Su mas reciente libro (co-editado con Marisol LeBrón), Aftershocks of Disaster: Puerto Rico Before and After the Storm.
Episodio #56 - 26 de mayo de 2021 Gaddier Rosario, artista visual, diseñador, consultor de arte, director creativo multimedia, propietario de Gaddier Fine Art Studio. ... y un padre muy, muy ocupado.
Episodio #55 - 19 de mayo de 2021 Julio Quirós Alcalá es Director del Archivo Histórico de la Fundación Luis Muñoz Marín (FLMM). En 1985, cinco años después de la creación de la FLMM, Quirós Alcalá comenzó sus estudios universitarios y simultáneamente empezó a laborar en la Fundación como archivista auxiliar. Obtuvo un bachillerato en Historia de Europa y de América Latina del Recinto de Río Piedras de la Julio Quirós Alcalá Universidad de Puerto Rico y de 1989 al 1996 tomó cursos conducentes al grado de Maestría en Historia en el Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y el Caribe. En 1997 se convirtió en director del Archivo. Julio E. Quirós Alcalá se crió en los predios donde hoy se levanta la Fundación Luis Muñoz Marín (FLMM). “Cómo mi papá (Julio E. Quirós Rosa) trabajaba aquí, en las escoltas, siempre me fue familiar. Lo conocía, lo caminaba, conocía a las personas que frecuentemente visitaban la residencia. Era
Gaddier Rosario combina una amplia experiencia técnica, multicultural y una gran capacidad estética, se esfuerza por estar a la vanguardia de la tecnología, así como el diseño. Haber trabajado para empresas especializadas en todas las formas de ilustración y diseño gráfico, incluyendo pantalla, web, offset, proyectos arquitectónicos, World Wide Web y multimedia, le ha dado una amplia perspectiva y creatividad. Hoy en día, la tendencia de muchos artistas en el mundo de las artes visuales es de especializarse con el propósito de tener éxito comercial y de esta manera sostener su pasión artística, aunque esto puede llevar a restringir o limitar la creatividad y el talento. Este no es el caso del artista puertorriqueño Gaddier Rosario. Mientras muchos se encaminan hacia la especialización, Rosario abraza la diversidad dentro del mundo de las artes visuales. Su enfoque multidisciplinario ha sido el trademark de su carrera artística.
Gaddier Rosario
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Portada / Front Page
El Sol Latino July 2021
Carlos Vega Fund for Social Justice Announced Grants HOLYOKE MA | CARLOS VEGA FUND FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE | June 10, 2021 – The Carlos Vega Fund for Social Justice awarded 12 grants totaling over $7.500 to organizations in the greater Holyoke area who are fighting injustice, oppression, and poverty. This was the eleventh year that the Carlos Vega Fund awarded Social Justice grants. The Grant Awarding Reception was held on Friday June 11th at the Wistariahurst Museum, home of the Carlos Vega Archive. In addition to the 2021 Grants, they awarded attorney David Hoose with the 2020/2021 Social Justice Champion Award for his continued efforts for social justice in the criminal justice system. The event was live streamed on the Carlos Vega Facebook page while recipients of the awards were in person.
Massachusetts, was started in 2010 to honor Carlos on his 60th birthday and to continue his forty-year legacy by awarding small grants to nonprofit organizations through an annual competitive process.
The awardees were: Jobs with Justice, The Resistance Center, The Gray House, White Street School in Springfield, Holyoke Safe Neighborhood Initiative, MORE4Youth, Home City Development, Providence Ministries, The Performance Project, The Children’s Study Home, Seeds of a Father, and The Wildflower Alliance.
These grants are awarded to initiatives that foster change and promote empowerment, self-help, and economic, political, and social justice. The purpose of the mini grants is to support efforts to address injustice, oppression, and poverty in the greater Holyoke area, particularly for those who are marginalized by our society.
Carlos Vega was an ardent activist for civil rights, community-building, education, healthcare, and social justice in Holyoke. The donor designated fund, which is managed by the Community Foundation of Western
Contact: Aaron Vega - carlosvegafund413@gmail.com, 413-522-0268, www.carlosvegafund.org
Community Foundation Announces $150,000 Grant to Healing Racism Institute of Pioneer Valley
experience it is. I have seen firsthand the transformation in the community that HRIPV has catalyzed. That is why the Foundation is investing in them to help expand their capacity for the future.”
SPINGFIELD, MA | COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF WESTERN MA | June 10, 2021 — The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts (CFWM) has announced a grant of $150,000, spread over the next three years, to the Healing Racism Institute of Pioneer Valley (HRIPV). The grant represents a significant contribution to the initiative’s capital drive to raise $1 million in commitments now to support and build capacity for the organization over the next three years.
“We recognize the critical role HRIPV can play in creating shared understanding, connecting diverse members of our community, and dismantling systems that perpetuate inequalities. I’m optimistic about our partnership with HRIPV and encourage others to join us to work together toward a more equitable region,” she added. This award will also help HRIPV build its internal infrastructure and capacity to assist in ensuring HRIPV’s sustainability efforts. Paul Murphy, Chair of the CFWM Board of Trustees, said, “The Healing Racism Institute is a recognized leader in promoting anti-racism within the Pioneer Valley. We welcome the opportunity to partner with HRIPV in the expansion of its transformative program. We’re delighted to grant this funding as part of our commitment to invest and foster racial equity in our communities.” The Institute is led by Vanessa Otero, one of the co-founders of HRIPV and an original member of the Board until assuming the position of Interim Director of the Institute in 2020.
The multi-year strategic grant is part of CFWM’s ongoing commitment to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in workplaces and promote equitable growth in the region. The funding will support HRIPV’s capacity in engaging communities across the state of Massachusetts in its signature two-day training. HRIPV has been in existence since 2012 and has had over 1,000 community members participate in its programming. Funds from the capital drive have also allowed HRIPV to develop a comprehensive online and virtual series of trainings and programming. The Healing Racism initiative will also be resuming in-person training sessions in July. Members of the community interested in participating can learn more and register online at: www.healingracismpv.org. The first $50,000 grant to HRIPV will occur in July 2021. According to the Community Foundation, the multi-year funding approach will guarantee revenue stability while HRIPV meets demands for its services and continues its capital campaign efforts. Katie Allan Zobel, President and CEO of the Foundation, said, “As an alumna of HRIPV’s two-day anti-racism training, I know what a powerful
Dr. Frank Robinson, Board Chair of the Healing Racism Institute of Pioneer Valley, said, “We welcome and celebrate this crucial grant for the important work we are doing to create more equitable communities and see the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts as a critical partner in that work.” HRIPV works to build a racism-free community. Founded in 2012, HRIPV has engaged over 1,000 individuals and 200 organizations across nearly 20 sectors through its signature two-day seminars held in the Pioneer Valley and in Greater Boston. The Institute provides a safe environment to learn about the impact of racism on communities and individuals and offers a process that is engaging and transformative. Learn more at https://www. healingracismpv.org/. Founded in 1991, the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts seeks to enrich the quality of life for the people of our region. With assets totaling $200 million, CFWM supports the three counties bordering the Connecticut River in western Massachusetts (Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin Counties) by serving as a resource, catalyst, and coordinator for charitable activities. To learn more, visit http://communityfoundation.org/.
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Groundswell Fund Shares An Open Letter to Philanthropy, from People of Color-led, Movement-Accountable Public Foundations San Francisco, California | GROUNDSWELL FUND | June 10, 2021 Dear Colleagues, The uprisings of 2020 sparked historic levels of philanthropic giving to address racial injustice. For philanthropy, this signals a tremendous and unprecedented opportunity to dismantle white supremacy in both our country (who we fund) and our sector (how we fund). In both contexts, the cornerstone of white supremacy is dominance and control. By contrast, the cornerstone of racial equity is sharing resources and decision-making power in a way that fundamentally supports the self-determination of people of color. Racial healing and justice in the United States will take all of us working together – white people and people of color. We all have a place in this work. But how we do the work matters. We will not get to a different destination by working in the same way. The “different way” must include a significant transfer of resources into the control of institutions where people of color, who are primarily accountable to their communities, have the ultimate decision-making power over where dollars go. This includes certain grassroots organizations with the capacity to receive dollars and redistribute them to key leaders and organizations (for example, the Movement for Black Lives) and certain public foundations that are led by people of color who come out of grassroots movements. As Executive Directors and CEOs of the nation’s foremost people of color-led, movement-accountable public foundations, we support both models. We write this open letter from our own experience, as an invitation to colleagues from private and family foundations and the individual donor community, to disrupt a growing trend that is reinforcing, rather than transgressing, the “same old way” of doing philanthropy. In the decades leading up to this moment, when talking about race was still largely unpopular in philanthropy, the leading funders of racial justice in the United States were often public foundations like ours, led by people of color who came out of grassroots movements. Rarely endowed, raising what we give out each year, and with staff and boards composed largely of people from the communities we support, we are distinct in philanthropy: while we partner with wealthy individuals and institutions, in every aspect of our work and strategy, we are values aligned with, and primarily accountable to, grassroots movements. We don’t lead or engineer movements; we follow and flank them with giving strategies that are not extracted from but co-created, vetted, and approved by grassroots leaders who have actual decision-making power within our institutions. We hold deep and trust-based relationships with the communities we support. Communities know that when we ask, we’re listening. From this center of gravity, we have played an outsized role in changing the weather of philanthropy itself to be more favorable to racial and gender justice and grassroots power building. Our voices have often been the loudest to call for increased funding to grassroots organizing, local and state-level work, underfunded regions like the U.S. South, racial and gender justice, and strategic work led by those most impacted – particularly people of color. Turning the conventional philanthropic logic about risk on its head, we have long argued that it is riskier NOT to fund promising start-ups, bold organizing campaigns, people of color-led work, and durable infrastructure. We were early advocates for general support and multi-year funding. And we have been leaders in the practice of nimble, trust-based, culturally competent grantmaking, finding ways to ensure that effective grantees can access resources without being overly burdened. By leveraging our proximity to the grassroots, we can move money fast and strategically in critical moments. We have also modeled racial equity in the very structure of our institutions. Representation matters and majority people of color staff and board teams are important. The issues that impact communities of color – police brutality, disparities in maternal mortality, deportation, environmental
racism – are not theoretical or academic concepts to us. They affect our children, siblings, and elders — the neighborhoods we live and organize in. The vibrant communities that have grown within foundations like ours have also become places to practice new ways of being together across race, class, and gender. Our boards of directors include formerly incarcerated and homeless people who sit alongside billionaires with equal power to shape the giving strategies of our institutions. We are proof that wealthy individuals and institutions (the majority white-led) can partner with, rather than control and dominate grassroots communities of color; and that a more democratic control of money is possible. Over the years, billions of dollars that would not otherwise have reached impactful work at the grassroots made it there because we stood in the gap. Because we operated, not as gatekeepers but as gate openers, enabling resources to reach organizations that private foundations and major donors did not have the staff time, expertise, or relationships to fund directly, and then amplifying those organizations within philanthropy at large. Many of the grassroots leaders and organizations most celebrated for their impact (including in the 2020 elections) received their first grants, and their most consistent and flexible funding, from public foundations like ours. They were able to grow and scale with the support of our capacitybuilding and organizational development programs, the introductions we brokered with other donors and foundations, and the platforms that we helped create to share their work with larger philanthropic audiences. The current surge in giving to racial justice (thank you Black organizing) has thrown open gates that many of us have been diligently prying open for our communities for decades. Countless foundations are waking up and looking to fund racial justice. This is a very good thing! What’s not good is that vast amounts of these new resources are moving through white-led foundations and institutions where the ultimate decision-makers lack authentic relationships with and deep accountability to communities of color. History tells us this means fewer dollars will make it to the organizations that communities of color trust and need to build actual power (as opposed to the ones deemed “credible” by white decision-makers). As a result, giving will likely be volatile & unpredictable rather than solid and sustained. It also signals a doubling down on white supremacy in our sector by bypassing structures where movement-accountable people of color have the ultimate decision-making power in favor of those where white people hold that power. Many white-led institutions are attempting to plug the holes from lack of relationships, expertise, and cultural competency, with extraction and gentrification by doing two things: first, sapping the precious time of people of color movement leaders as grantmaking advisors within structures where white people have the ultimate decision-making power. The amount of time philanthropy already drains from these leaders through onerous and extractive grant applications and reporting processes already constitutes a theft. Now it is demanding more. Second, gentrifying the work of foundations like ours. Our phones have been ringing for months with requests from white-led foundations and intermediaries to download (almost always for free) how we do our work so that they can attempt to replicate our models instead of just funding us; as if there were even a formula we could provide that could substitute for actual relationships in communities. It’s time that philanthropy acknowledges the essential role that people of color-led, movement-accountable foundations play in the larger philanthropic ecosystem. Investments in these institutions are a key strategy for advancing racial justice and self-determination. Therefore, it is critical that foundations like ours not just exist but be well-resourced and treated with respect. We know and appreciate the many allies we have throughout private foundation, family foundation, and individual donor communities. We’re continued on page 13
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Cultura / Culture
El Sol Latino July 2021
AAM Latino Network Releases “Strategies for Engaging and Representing Latinos in Museums” ARLINGTON, VA | AMERICAN ALLIANCE OF MUSEUMS LATINO NETWORK | June 7, 2021– The Latino Network of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) released Strategies for Engaging and Representing Latinos in Museums. This resource, available in English and Spanish, responds to interest from colleagues in the museum field to attract and better serve Latino audiences, an interest that highlights a growing recognition of the important role that Latinos play in American society. “Few resources exist in the museum field that specifically address how to better engage and serve this important, and growing, part of the US population,” said Laura Lott, President and CEO of AAM. “We are extremely proud to present this valuable tool from the AAM Latino Network to aid in museums’ efforts to create more diverse, equitable, and inclusive institutions.” Strategies for Engaging and Representing Latinos in Museums was developed by a task force comprised of members of the AAM Latino Network—Adrián Aldaba, Natalie Espinosa, Diana Xochitl Munn, Laura Susana Reyes, and Margarita Sandino—with input from Latino museum professionals with experience in all functional areas of museums. It draws from existing literature, insights from institutions engaging in this work, and the personal experiences of individuals who have implemented Latino engagement efforts in museum settings. The document provides background information and strategies for engaging and representing Latinos in authentic and meaningful ways. It includes questions for museums to self-assess their work with Latino communities,
offers insights on the value of developing culturally specific content and bilingual initiatives, and highlights the importance of Latino representation on museum staff and boards. “The Latino Network would like to thank all the Latino museum professionals who contributed to this document over the past several years,” said Natalie Espinosa, task force member and outgoing chair of the Latino Network. “It is our hope that this document will continue to grow and develop as more museums implement Latino engagement strategies and we begin to be more equally represented in collections, staff, and boards.” “Leveraging best practices from the US Latino museum ecosystem, the AAM Latino Network’s Strategies for Engaging and Representing Latinos in Museums provides tools for all museums to foster welcoming spaces and engaging opportunities for Latino audiences,” said Adrián Aldaba, task force member and incoming chair of the Latino Network. “As museums commit to becoming more diverse and equitable, our hope is that they will also become Latino-serving institutions.” Established in 1992, the Latino Network (LN) of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) represents Latino professionals working in museums and cultural institutions in the United States. The Latino Network offers expertise to US museums interested in engaging Latino audiences through the development of exhibitions, collections, public programs, and education initiatives and provides guidance to museums across the US and Latin America in their efforts to create partnerships and collaborations. They are a welcoming forum for Latino museum professionals to foster connections and share career opportunities and a national platform to amplify Latino-related events and exhibitions through our mailing list and social media channels. For more information, visit https://www.aam-us.org/professional-networks/ latino-network.
The Academy of American Poets Selects Magdalena Gómez for Poet Laureate Fellowship New York, NY | ACADEMY OF AMERICAN POETS | June 3, 2021 — The Academy of American Poets is pleased to announce its 2021 Poets Laureate Fellows. These 23 individuals serve as Poets Laureate of states and cities across the U. S. and will be leading public poetry programs in their respective communities in the year ahead.
Magdalena Gómez
“As we begin emerging from COVID-19 restrictions, poetry, which has provided such comfort these past fifteen months, will continue to be a source of insight. We are honored and humbled to fund poets who are devoted to their own craft and also their community. Poets will most certainly help guide us forward,” said Jennifer Benka, President and Executive Director of the Academy of American Poets.
Through its Poets Laureate Fellowship program, the Academy has become the largest financial supporter of poets in the nation. The fellowship program is made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, which, in January of 2020, awarded the Academy $4.5 million to fund the program. The Fellows will each receive $50,000 for a combined total of $1.1 million. In addition, the Academy will provide $100,000+ total to 14 local 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations that have agreed to support the Fellows’ proposed projects. “These 23 Poets Laureate Fellows will lead an extraordinary range of public poetry programs,” said Elizabeth Alexander, poet and President of the Mellon Foundation. “We are delighted to support them as they create their
own poems, collaborate with other artists, and center poetry in their engagement with communities across our vast country—from urban to rural counties—while we collectively begin to process and reflect on the exceptional crises of the past year.” Magdalena Gómez, Poet Laureate of Springfield, Massachusetts was born and raised in the Bronx, New York and is the author of the poetry collection Shameless Woman (Red Sugarcane Press, 2014) and the co-editor of the first multicultural, intergenerational, and multi-genre anthology of its kind: Bullying: Replies, Rebuttals, Confessions and Catharsis (Skyhorse Publishing, 2012). She is currently a member of the COVID-19 Cultural Impact Commission for the State of Massachusetts. As a 2021 Poet Laureate Fellow, Gómez will support youth poets in Springfield via in-person and virtual workshops in partnership with Springfield City Libraries, which will culminate in virtual and/or in person performances of participants’ original poems to be live-streamed, archived, and distributed for viewing across community access stations around the country in partnership with Amherst Media. The 2021 panelists included former Wisconsin Poet Laureate Kimberly Blaeser; Arts for Justice Fellow Mahogany L. Browne; former US Poet Laureate Robert Hass; Washington State Poet Laureate Claudia Castro Luna; National Student Poets Founder Olivia Morgan; and Academy of American Poets Chancellor Emeritus and former Poet Laureate of Connecticut Marilyn Nelson. The panel was co-chaired by Nicie Panetta, former Board chair of the Academy of American Poets; and Jennifer Benka, president and executive director of the Academy of American Poets. Final award decisions will be approved and finalized by members of the Academy of American Poets Board of Directors.
Cultura / Culture
El Sol Latino July 2021
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Nellie Vera Sánchez Selected As One of the 2021 NEA National Heritage Fellows WASHINGTON, DC | National Endowment for the Arts | June 15, 2021 —The National Endowment for the Arts has honored the rich, artistic heritage of America through the NEA National Heritage Fellowships since 1982. The nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts includes an award of $25,000 to each of the nine recipients, who will be featured in a film that will debut on November 17, 2021 on arts.gov. “The diverse art forms of the National Heritage Fellows allow us to experience and appreciate the rich cultural traditions that make up America,” said Ann Eilers, acting chairman for the National Endowment for the Arts. “It is inspiring how these artistic practices continue the legacy of generations past, while blending contemporary elements as they continue into the future.” The 2021 NEA National Heritage Fellows are: • Cedric Burnside, Hill Country Blues Musician from Ashland, Mississippi A blues guitarist, drummer, singer, and songwriter, Burnside tells the story of the Black American experience from the heart of the North Mississippi Hill Country. • Tagumpay De Leon, Rondalla Musician from Burbank, California A master teacher and performer of rondalla, the traditional Spanishinfluenced music from the Philippines, De Leon promotes the tradition to uplift the heritage of the Filipinx diasporic community. • Anita Fields (Osage), Osage Ribbon Worker from Tulsa, Oklahoma A multidisciplinary artist who maintains longstanding Osage ribbon work practices while creating her own contemporary designs, Fields aims to dispel myths and stereotypes surrounding Native people through her work with clay and textiles. • Los Lobos, Mexican-American Band from Los Angeles, California A Mexican-American music band influenced by the deep and soulful Mexican and Latin American sounds they grew up with, Los Lobos also integrated the American vernacular traditions of blues, rock-n-roll, conjunto, and jazz into their own unique sound. • Joanie Madden, Irish Flute Player from Yonkers, New York One of the great Irish flute and whistle players of her generation, Madden has led the all-female group, Cherish the Ladies, since its inception more than 35 years ago and passionately champions the advancement of traditional Irish music. • Reginald “Reggio The Hoofer” McLaughlin, Tap Dancer from Chicago, Illinois A master of tap dance known for his distinctive “hoofing” style, McLaughlin has tapped his way from the Chicago subways to a worldwide stage. He preserves the tradition through educational programs that continue to energize the artform. • Nellie Vera Sánchez, Mundillo Master Weaver from Moca, Puerto Rico A tradition bearer of mundillo, the intricate bobbin lace tradition that is centered in the western Puerto Rican municipality of Moca, Sánchez was influential in establishing the Museo del Mundillo and describes the art form as “her way of life.” • Winnsboro Easter Rock Ensemble, Easter Rock Spiritual Ensemble from Winnsboro, Louisiana The Winnsboro Easter Rock Ensemble maintains a rare women-led AfricanAmerican traditional spiritual ritual first practiced by enslaved Africans in the antebellum period, Easter Rock, which combines music and food with Christian and West African influences. • Tom Davenport, Filmmaker, Documentarian, and Media Curator from Delaplane, Virginia Founder and director of Folkstreams, a nonprofit dedicated to finding, preserving, contextualizing, and showcasing documentary films on American traditional cultures, Davenport is the 2021 recipient of the Bess
Lomax Hawes National Heritage Fellowship, presented in recognition of an individual who has made a significant contribution to the preservation and awareness of cultural heritage. • Nellie Vera Sánchez, Mundillo Master Weaver from Moca, Puerto Rico. A tradition bearer of mundillo, the intricate bobbin lace tradition that is centered in the western Puerto Rican municipality of Moca, Sánchez was influential in establishing the Museo del Mundillo and describes the art form as “her way of life.” Bio of Nellie Vera Sánchez By Jessabet Vivas-Capó, Program Advisor and Interim Director of the Folk Arts and Creative Industries Program, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña. The soothing sound of the wooden bobbins meeting each other as they weave the mundillo lace have always been part of the life of Nellie Vera Sánchez, known affectionately by everyone as Doña Nellie. Born in the town of Moca, known as the “Capital of Mundillo” in Puerto Rico, she learned this traditional art form from her mother, Manuela Sánchez, when she was seven years old. Mundillo is a handmade bobbin lace made in a lap box called a Nellie Vera Sánchez / Photo by Sandra I. Rodríguez telar. It holds a rounded pillow with a pattern secured by pins that guide the process of maneuvering the threads holding the wooden bobbins. The lace is produced by the weaving of the wooden bobbins, which in turn make a harmonious click-clack melody. That sound is what made Vera Sánchez fall in love with mundillo as a child when she visited with her mother and other weavers in town. This was in the Puerto Rico of the 1930s, when mundillo was a strong labor force in Moca. Industrialization brought many foreign and cheaply made laces, which led to the decline of the mundillo art form. Along this time, she earned her bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Puerto Rico and worked as a teacher. After retiring in 1980, she reunited with mundillo. In 1982, she was one of the founding members of the Borinquen Lacers, a respected mundillo weavers collective affiliated with the International Old Lacers. She also presided for 20 years in the Taller de Artesanos Mocanos, a nonprofit that fostered the work of more than 300 artisans from the town of Moca, and, alongside other mundillo weavers, pushed for the creation of the Museo del Mundillo. On an island where most of the cultural institutions are established in the capital of San Juan, Vera Sánchez was adamant that if a mundillo museum was going to be created, it had to be in Moca, where it is now established. In 2000, her work received an honorific mention in the first edition of FERINART, the International Arts & Crafts Fair in Puerto Rico. Then in 2004, she was awarded a national recognition as a Master Artisan by the Puerto Rican Artisanal Development Program under what is now the Department of Economic Development and Commerce. In 2009, she received the Artisanal Excellence Award from the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture. In 2012, Vera Sánchez was recognized as an Outstanding Artisan by the Puerto Rican Artisanal Development Program and in 2014, as National Symbol. Then in 2015, she was inducted into the Artisan Hall of Fame of Puerto Rico. She has also been lecturer in the Incarnate Word College of Texas (1995) and in The Field Museum de Chicago (2006). After dedicating more than 40 years to the art of mundillo, Vera Sánchez not only still finds the essence of nature in its intricate designs, but also describes it as her way of life.
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El Sol Latino July 2021
Students share love for STCC with MSNBC, NBC News by LAURIE LOISEL SPRINGFIELD, MA | SPRINGFIELD TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE | June 8, 2021 – Not long after Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) student Miranda Kamukala graduated from Agawam High School in the summer of 2019, her older sister Sarah forced her to get down to brass tacks about the cost of college. Kamukala – a cross country star in high school – looked forward to running track in college as well. Her excellent grades had gotten her a hefty scholarship to Salve Regina University in Rhode Island. Her sister, who had graduated from the University of Massachusetts that spring with burdensome loan payments, shared hard-earned wisdom with her younger (by six years) sister: don’t go deeply into debt. They discussed what her loan payments would be, and Kamukala came to a hard decision. She would not enroll at the private four-year liberal arts college after all. Even factoring in the scholarship, Kamukala, 19, said: “It was just way too much money -- they gave me a lot of money but it was not enough.” First year STCC student Sara Maria, also 19, from Ludlow, had a strikingly similar conversation with her brother just as she was poised to send in her deposit to Syracuse University or Bentley University. They sat down and made a spread sheet that factored in details including all the money she saved, what her costs would be, what interest she would pay on her loans. “I could have done it,” she said, “but after graduation I would have been in poverty for a few years.” For both young women, that decision was not an easy one. But neither regretted it. “At first I was really upset because I don’t think I understood the value of money,” Kamukala said in an interview two weeks before she graduated with an associate degree that set her up to transfer to the Elms College School of Nursing. She wants to become a nurse-midwife. STCC President John B. Cook often tells prospective students that STCC – the only technical community college in Massachusetts – offers low-cost and unique programs.
So, when asked if he wanted to participate in a national news segment about STCC he didn’t have to think about it. “It was supercool to see STCC highlighted like that,” he said. “It was a real honor to be on the show to represent STCC because I love it here.” Maria, who also took part in the interview, said it was an illuminating experience. “I’ve never done anything with national news and I’m interested in marketing and communication so it’s cool to be on the other side of it,” she said. The trio wound up spending about three hours with the news crew on a Monday in May, time spent in interviews with broadcast news reporter Ali Vitali and also to shoot B-roll around campus. Kamukala also was a quick sell when invited to be part of the segment. “I was very excited,” she said. “It wasn’t something I had to think about, I was so excited.” But in truth, the real source of her excitement is the way her two years at STCC changed her life in so many ways. When she decided to change her major from psychology to general studies so she could take the nursing prerequisites she needed, she had plenty of people to show her the way. “It kind of felt like a community. If I needed anything people were always there,” she said. “My advisor has been holding my hand helping me. I could go to her with anything.” And there was another eye-opening experience for her at STCC: its racial diversity. Growing up in Agawam, where she attended predominantly white public schools she hadn’t realized that she was missing something important. “My first day at STCC I was astounded. It was the first time I was in a situation where I wasn’t the only Black person,” she said. She began making friends with other Black students. “It was just such a happy feeling, a feeling like I belonged,” she said. “I never had that feeling before STCC.
“We are the most affordable higher education institution in Springfield,” Cook said. “Many of our students save thousands of dollars by choosing STCC over a more expensive four-year college or university. They get an incredible value. STCC offers pathways in key fields that include health care, computer science, engineering and the creative economy that includes graphic arts. We also are proud of our federal designation as a HispanicServing Institution. We offer unparalleled opportunities to first-generation college students, students of color and those from low-income families. Most of our students receive some form of financial aid.” Kamukala, Maria and a third STCC student were interviewed by an NBC News crew for a story about President Biden’s proposal to make community colleges tuition-free. The piece aired on MSNBC on June 3 and may get picked up on other programs, including possibly NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Also interviewed for the 4-minute was Christopher Goossens, a Hampden resident on track to graduate with an associate degree in digital media after finishing up two summer courses.
NBC News correspondent Ali Vitali, left, interviews STCC students Sara Maria, Miranda Kamukala and Chris Goossens on the campus green.
Goossens transferred to STCC after a semester at Amherst College, where he had won a baseball scholarship. He realized it was not the right place for him when he found himself yearning for classes that would provide practical skills that he could put to use in a job. Though some of his friends couldn’t believe he would leave Amherst College for STCC, he felt it was one of the best decisions he could have made. In fact, a course he took his first semester at STCC taught him how to work a video editing program that he now uses in a full-time job in a job he loves as a videographer and video producer for a hip-hop YouTube Channel with nearly 600,000 subscribers.
STCC President John B. Cook speaks with NBC News correspondent Ali Vitali.
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You Kept Going - Persistence in Spite of Pandemic Theme of HCC Commencement 2021 HOLYOKE, MA | HOLYOKE COMMUNITY COLLEGE | June 7, 2021 –– Holyoke Community College (HCC) celebrated the classes of 2020 and 2021 on Saturday, June 5, with a virtual Commencement ceremony in which speakers stressed the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and the fortitude of graduates who overcame them. “You have accomplished something amazing during one of the most significant times in our world’s history,” President Christina Royal said in her introductory remarks. “It is my great pleasure to share this moment with you, a moment that celebrates not only an important milestone in your lives, but the resilience and determination you have demonstrated through a truly unbelievable time.” “There were high moments and low moments, and a whole lot of uncertain moments,” she said, “But you kept going, and that is why you are here today.” The live-streamed event, broadcast on the HCC website and the college’s social media channels, featured pre-recorded faculty and student speeches, musical performances, congratulatory messages, and a virtual procession of graduates. HCC Commencement was cancelled in 2020 after the pandemic forced the college to transition to remote instruction. Although the 703 members of the class of 2020 received their diplomas last year, they did not receive an official public recognition until Saturday, where they were hailed alongside the 767 members of this year’s graduating classes. “I believe the classes of 2020 and 202 will be recorded in HCC history as two of the most extraordinary,” said Royal. “In the midst of earning your degree, you had to pivot to completely different modes of learning. And you did so successfully. You faced uncertainty with compassion and perseverance, and you pushed forward with relentless spirit.” “There is no question that the last 18 months have been difficult and the losses have been profound,” Royal said. “The time that was taken from you was beyond your control. What you take from it, however, that is up to you.” Keynote speeches were delivered by two members of the HCC faculty: Raúl Gutiérrez, of Holyoke, recipient of the 2021 Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence; and Vanessa Martínez, of Holyoke, recipient of the 2020 Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence.
When you learn and embrace that you are sharing the world with other humans, you will truly succeed!” “To the graduates of 2020 and 2021,” he said, “you will be remembered as the class of the pandemic. I challenge you to strive for change. For the next chapter of you life, I challenge you to show up, speak up and stand up in all of your communities and in all of your endeavors - simply GIVE! If everyone ‘se portara bien’ like my gandmother told me all of my life, the world would be a better place.” Student speaker Tucge Kuruca, of Chicopee, from the class of 2021, talked about being an immigrant “from the slums” of Turkey who started high school in the U.S. without speaking any English. She started at HCC in the college’s ESL program in 2017 and flourished thanks to the faculty and staff and her classmates. “I can proudly say that I’ve created a strong family, not only within the ESL Program but also the Pathways Program, TRIO Student Support Services, the Green Key Honor Society and the Student Senate,” Kuruca said. “Each of these programs played a cricial role in my academic success, and I would not be standing here today without their help.” Kuruca graduated with honors and her associate degree in liberal arts. “I am so excited for the next step,” she said. “I can’t wait to transfer and then go to law school. It has always been a dream to become a lawyer and eventually a judge. I know I can do it, and I can make it because HCC prepared me very well.” “My fellow graduates, we made it,” she said. “Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, we pulled through and showed the world that no obstacle can stand in the way of our success.” HCC’s Commencement also included musical performances from Christian Santiago of Holyoke, from the Class of 2020, who played the cuatro (a four-string Latin American guitar); music major Chan Collins ‘21, who played Bach Suite #1 Prelude on cello; and the HCC College Chorale, singing “Oceans and Stars.” HCC’s Commencement 2021 ceremony can be viewed in its entirety on the HCC website: hcc.edu/commencement
Martínez, professor Anthropology and coordinator of the HCC Honors Program, encouraged graduates to engage their passions, find like-minded souls, and then “take action,”to turn those passions into projects to help improve their communities. “You are more than just survivors of a pandemic,” she said, “ustedes son nuestros soñadores, nuestros innovadores, nuestra familia, nuestra comunidad y nuestro mundo - you are our dreamers, our innovators, our family, our community, and our world.” In his speech, Gutiérrez, HCC associate professor of Spanish and Latinx Studies, invoked wisdom from “mi guelita María” – his grandmother – who always said, “Pórtate bien.” The literal translation of that expression is “behave well,” but Gutiérrez said it took him many years to understand what she really meant. “For me now, pórtate bien is to carry yourself with compassion, love and soidarity toward humanity,” Gutiérrez said. “Don’t fake empathy. Live it!
PHOTO by CHRIS YURKO: Xinhong Wu, a member of HCC’s graduating class of 2021 (Associate of Science in Nursing), celebrates with President Christina Royal in advance of Commencement 2021.
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El Sol Latino July 2021
Veronica Terriquez named director of UCLA’s Chicano Studies Research Center by JESSICA WOLF UCLA NEWSROOM – June 8, 2021 Veronica Terriquez, a scholar who has always prioritized community engagement, has been appointed director of UCLA’s Chicano Studies Research Center, home to one of the most robust archives of Latino and Chicano materials in the country. The center, part of UCLA’s Institute of American Cultures, supports intersectional research, programming and advocacy related to Chicano, Latino and indigenous communities.
decade, I believe that the center can be a critical thought partner alongside educators and grassroots leaders in helping define the future of California and the country.” Terriquez’s publications include awarding-winning work recognized by the American Sociological Association. She is committed to active mentorship of students both as project collaborators and co-authors of published work.
Terriquez will become the 10th director in the center’s 51-year history and its first woman leader.
That approach is aligned with the spirit of UCLA’s Chicana and Chicano and Central American studies department, said Leisy Abrego, chair of the department.
“I’m thrilled to be able to direct a center whose mission is to leverage original research on U.S. Latinx communities in order to have an impact on the campus, higher education and the broader society,” Terriquez said. “I’m honored to assume the role of director, following Chon Noriega whose visionary leadership has broadened the scope of the center’s scholarly and public impact, particularly in the arts.”
“Our students are passionate about their scholarship and their communities, and are inspired by faculty who share that same dedication, of which we are fortunate to have so many,” Abrego said. “We know Veronica will be one of those professors. Immigrant and working-class communities of color in California are very fortunate to have Veronica on their side and we are excited to welcome her to our department.”
Terriquez joins UCLA from UC Santa Cruz, where she was an associate professor of sociology. She received her doctorate in sociology from UCLA, a master’s in education from UC Berkeley, and her bachelor’s in sociology from Harvard University. Her research focuses on efforts to civically engage youth, immigrants and other low-income residents of color. She has published widely in journals and disseminated research in collaboration with schools, unions, community organizers and local governments.
Inspired by the role of student activism in the creation of the center, Terriquez said she envisions the center will continue generating new theoretical frameworks, concepts and empirical studies. Her vision is that the work of the center will inform and be informed by the next generation of civic leaders and cultural workers, furthering the fundamental role in advancing scholarship and public awareness of Chicano and other Latino communities that the center has played for a half-century.
Photo by Ernesto Chavez / Veronica Terriquez
“Today that population is growing in diversity and size, with Latinx youth approaching the majority of California’s young population,” Terriquez said. “Thus, it is an opportune time for the CSRC to center young people in its programming.”
“Veronica’s profile as a scholar with a longstanding commitment to communitybased and policy-relevant research aligns perfectly with the mission of the Chicano Studies Research Center,” said David Yoo, vice provost of the Institute of American Cultures. “I am grateful for the visionary leadership that she will bring to the CSRC and to the collective work across the ethnic studies centers.”
Terriquez’s dual faculty appointment as a professor in UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs and in the UCLA College will allow for a broad campus network. “Veronica will bring a valuable collaborative research practice and perspective to UCLA’s Luskin School where we know she will find likeminded colleagues who are also dedicated to advancing a more equitable and inclusive California,” said Chris Tilly, chair of urban planning. Terriquez’s research is geared toward policy relevance. She has received major grants from the Irvine Foundation, the California Endowment, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as fellowships from the Ford Foundation and the Stanford Center for the Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. “Looking ahead, I see dynamic points at which the CSRC’s historic achievements could be used to spearhead new collaborative efforts that respond to contemporary political, economic, environmental and social crises impacting Latinx communities,” she said. “As someone who has tracked youth and multi-generational activism across the state over the past
¡Solicita
Ahora! para Otoño 2021
stcc.edu/apply Tu Programa: Donde Quiera y a Cualquier Hora ¡Mezcla y Combina Clases en Línea y en el Campus! • Programas de Carrera y de Transferencia en Manufactura, STEM, Cuidado Médico, Negocios, Servicios Sociales, y Artes Liberales • ¡El más económico en Springfield! • ¡Nuestros programas de educación general están garantiza dos para transferirse a otros colegios y universidades de MA! Nos encantaría que te comunicaras con nosotros. Contáctanos al: Teléfono: (413) 755-3333 Email: admissions@stcc.edu Chat: stcc.edu/chat 6/22/21 El Sol Latino 1/4 page: 4.75” x 5.75” Manuel Frau Ramos: manuelfrau@gmail.com Due: 5 days prior to the run month Runs: July 2021
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Announcing UCF’s New Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion by KRISTY MCALLISTER ORLANDO, FL | UNIVERTY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA – UCFToday | June 3, 2021 – After a national search, Andrea Guzmán has accepted the position of vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion at UCF. She anticipates starting her new role on July 6. Guzman is currently the associate vice president for student outreach and diversity at Florida Atlantic University, where she leads efforts to provide a campus climate that supports diversity and inclusion, student success, personal development, and integrated student learning experiences. She has also developed three university-wide centers; a number of student success programs for marginalized populations; and several symposiums to advance and sustain diversity, equity and inclusion efforts for faculty, staff and students. “Our path to becoming one of the world’s leading metropolitan research universities requires an inclusive environment with a culture of compassion at its core,” says President Alexander N. Cartwright. “Andrea’s passion and experience align well with our mission and values and illustrate that she is the perfect fit to lead this charge and help UCF become a model for inclusive excellence.” Guzman’s passion for diversity, equity and inclusion work started at a very young age. Born in Detroit to Puerto Rican parents, she is a firstgeneration college graduate from humble beginnings who is dedicated to identifying and closing opportunity and achievement gaps for students of all backgrounds. “Education is not only transformative, but is also an equalizer for social mobility, changing the trajectory for students and future generations,” says Guzman. “It also helps in the development of a healthy economy in order to create a diverse and vibrant society.” During her time at Florida Atlantic University, Guzman is most proud of the creation of the Center for Inclusion, Diversity Education, and Advocacy (IDEAs), which houses offices that directly support universitywide diversity, equity an inclusion goals. Through education, training, and student success programs for international, Hispanic/Latinx, LGBTQ+ and Black/African American students, the Center for IDEAs seeks to remove educational barriers for marginalized populations and create a sense community. Understanding that diversity is multifaceted, she also created two other university-wide centers that provide student support and advance institutional goals of diversity: the Military and Veterans Student Success Center, and the Women and Gender Equity Resource Center. In addition to supporting student success, each center also provides professional development opportunities for faculty and staff and works collaboratively across colleges and the community on training, research, and fundraising.
One of UCF’s priorities is realizing a bold ambition to become the national model for inclusive excellence. This means creating an environment where everyone feels welcome and included every day and where differences are celebrated. We know the diversity of background and experience, thought and religion, beliefs and ideals — brought together — makes us better and makes our goals more attainable. In her role at UCF, Guzman will report to the president as a member of the executive leadership team, working with students, faculty, staff, community members and others to achieve this vision. She will also lead the development of a comprehensive strategy that champions evidencebased practices in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion in the context of a dynamic, multi-campus university. “There is so much about UCF that stood out to me — the fact that it is a Hispanic-Serving Institution and enrolls a large percentage of firstgeneration, Pell-eligible, nontraditional students means that we can make a huge impact on student lives and in the community,” says Guzman. “When you combine this with a university leadership committed to making institutional and sustainable change from the very top, faculty and staff that form a proud community of DEI champions, and deep community partnerships, Andrea Guzmán, new vice president for it creates an environment that I am diversity, equity and inclusion at UCF very excited to be a part of.” The 15-member search committee was co-chaired by Sheila Amin Gutiérrez de Piñeres, dean of the Burnett Honors College, and Edwanna Andrews, assistant vice president for community support within Student Development and Enrollment Services. “Andrea’s commitment to inclusive excellence through collaboration and mutual respect is evident. The committee was impressed by her accomplishments and, most importantly, her style of leadership which brings people together,” says Piñeres and Andrews. “She will be a key partner with both internal and external constituents and UCF is fortunate that Andrea has chosen to be part of our UCF family.” Guzman earned her bachelor’s in societal politics, Master of Public Administration and Doctor of Education from the University of Michigan. She is the proud mother of two teenage boys, Isaias (17) and Pedro (15), and a 7-year-old daughter, Isabella. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, listening to music, going to the beach and reading. Ella también habla Español.
Groundswell Fund Shares An Open Letter to Philanthropy… continued from page 7 calling on you to stand with us now in disrupting the current trend in racial justice funding by signing onto this statement as a supporter and voicing the following statements and questions in philanthropic spaces: 1. The gold standard of racial justice giving is to move flexible resources on a large scale to people of color-led organizations that are primarily accountable to movements in their communities and capable of redistributing these funds. This includes grassroots organizations like M4BL with the capacity to re-grant and public foundations led by people of color who come out of grassroots movements. This type of giving supports the self-determination of people of color. 2. If you are a white donor or white-led institution building new infrastructure to resource people of color, and that infrastructure is virtually identical to the infrastructure of existing public foundations led by people of color, why are you not just funding these public foundations? Is
it due to a lack of trust? A need to maintain ownership and control? And if you are tapping these public foundations to teach you how to build this new infrastructure because you admire how well they have built theirs, why not just fund what they have already built? (Helpful article from Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity) Our liberation is bound to one another’s, and the surest way to freedom is to follow, and fund, those who know the way. Join us in our vision for the path forward. Please scroll to the bottom of this page for a full list of people of color-led, movement accountable public foundations. GROUNDSWELL FUND 510.444.5900 info@groundswellfund.org 548 Market Street #49734 San Francisco, California 94104
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Finanzas / Finances
El Sol Latino July 2021
Auto Repair vs. Auto Despair by MILAGROS S. JOHNSON This year we have seen an increase in auto-repair related complaints regardless of the age of the cars. Perhaps it may be because more consumers are opting to repair their cars rather than upgrade to a newer model in better running condition. Cars are our second largest purchase, second to a home so why not properly maintain it and treat them with a little TLC. If you’re anything like me, you would agree that when we get behind the wheel of our cars, we depend on them to get us to our destination on time, and without any mechanical breakdowns in our commute. We also depend on our mechanics to perform above standard workmanship when repairing our cars, and only perform the repairs we agreed on prior to commencement of the work. This is why it is important that we get into the habit of listening for new and/ or unusual noises and pay attention to our car and the dashboard, not just the gas gauge. If we notice that the check engine light is on, we should immediately check the gas cap to make sure that it is on tight. Don’t ignore the warning. Have the vehicle checked and/or diagnosed by our mechanic for technical codes. Continuing to drive the vehicle without a diagnostic could lead to a bigger problem, such as the engine can overheat and cease, leaving us with an expensive repair bill. Getting to know our mechanic is just as important as our mechanic getting to know our vehicle. By right, we are entitled to a copy of the work order, and the old parts that were replaced. Also, we must give prior written consent for the work to be performed, as well as a specified amount in writing. We may also want to ask in advance about the warranty period for the repair/parts, and then request it in writing. For example, if we preapproved $500 worth of repairs to be done on our vehicle, and the mechanic discovers that additional work is required, he must contact us to get your consent/authorization before any additional work is performed. If we should encounter a billing dispute after the repairs are completed, it is important that we keep calm and try to resolve the matter in an amicable manner. This is the time for us to exercise our consumer rights and let the mechanic or repair shop know that we did not consent to the additional work, nor did they contact us. More times than you know, when a dialogue is kept open and amicable, we are more likely to reach a satisfactory resolution. Remember that cars do not run on gas alone. A well-maintained car will get us further, and hopefully, the repairs it will need will not be as often, or as expensive. Find a certified mechanic you can trust, and one you can trust with your car. I invite you to listen to our podcast, “The Consumer Toolbox” available on multiple platforms to learn more.
Stay safe, be well…and stay informed. MILAGROS S. JOHNSON is the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Consumer Information in Springfield, a Local Consumer Program funded by the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.
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Medios /Media
El Sol Latino July 2021
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Impremedia Calls to End Discrimination in Advertising Towards US Hispanics and Ethnic Media NEW YORK, NY | BUSINESS WIRE | June 15, 2021 - Impremedia, the leading Hispanic news and information company, and publisher of the two main newspapers in Spanish in the United States, La Opinión and El Diario, issued an open letter calling advertisers and media agencies to end the discrimination of Hispanics Audiences and the media serves that serves them. The advertising investment in the Hispanic market in the US is only 6% of the total while Hispanics are almost 20% of the population. The ad allocation in MinorityOwned/Operated Media is even less than the mentioned 6%. The investment made by mainstream advertisers, agencies, and corporations to ethnic media in the distribution of their advertising funds represents neither the importance of communities nor their economic contribution. US Hispanics alone have over 1.5 trillion of buying power. This is not translated into advertising.
Advertising invested in other minorities also turns out to be minimal and inadequate relative to the proportion of that community in the general population. Important media owned by African Americans have mounted a public and successful campaign exposing the roots of that abandonment. We sympathize with their effort and demand that the treatment of ethnic media by agencies and advertisers change. The decline of local and community news media destroys the media outlets themselves and the vision of an open, comprehensive, and democratic society. A vision that corresponds to current demographic trends, where the percentage of Latinos grows throughout the country. No one should forget: aquí estamos y no nos vamos; here we are and we are not leaving. Advertisers open the door to accusations that they are abandoning Hispanic readers and customers by neglecting outlets like ours.
The full text of the letter follows:
Just when many media and entities accuse advertisers and agencies of this, supporting companies like Impremedia would be a key sign of commitment to plurality and diversity.
The worst in the COVID-19 crisis seems to be behind us. While the country has suffered greatly, the first signs of an economic awakening are visible.
It is time for them to reconsider the distribution of their advertising budgets without prejudice or discrimination and look towards the future.
During the long and terrible months of the pandemic, the print media, as a whole, lost staff positions, circulation, content and advertising. Many publications had to shut down. This left its mark on the national news landscape by depriving many communities of their primary sources of information.
Impremedia is the leading news and lifestyle company serving the Spanishspeaking Latino community in the United States. It has a digital and print portfolio of trusted, influential brands that reach a highly engaged, multigenerational Hispanic audience. La Opinión, founded in 1926 in Los Angeles is the nation’s #1 Spanish-language daily newspaper, while El Diario, founded in 1913 in New York is the oldest Spanish-speaking daily newspaper in the United States. It also publishes La Raza in Chicago, La Opinión de la Bahía en San Francisco.
The crisis has been especially cruel to the press in local ethnic communities, such as the ones served by Impremedia; with outlets including La Opinión in Los Angeles, El Diario in New York, La Raza in Chicago, and La Opinión de la Bahía in San Francisco, all of which owe their existence to a fundamental and organic link with the communities they serve. For decades, newspapers like ours have been important tools for integrating immigrants into the United States, helping millions of newcomers become part of the American dream, and contributing to our country through their work, taxes and sacrifices. Latinos have become a group of increasing importance, represented in all spheres of the economy and government.
Impremedia is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Publications and the Local Medium Consortium.
Black Lives Matter
We’ve linked millions of readers to advertisers and the products and services they offer during all these years. We have done this by publishing advertisements on our pages. This mission continues. And the economic, social and political problems our community has been subjected to have made it even more essential. We must tell the truth: the crisis caused by the coronavirus has unfortunately accentuated a negative anomaly: The financial investment made by most mainstream advertisers, agencies and corporations to ethnic media in the distribution of their advertising funds has decreased significantly. The meager fraction in those advertisement funds left for community ethnic media represents neither the importance of minorities nor the leading role that publications like ours and other Ethnic-Media represent. The advertising investment in the Hispanic market in the US is only 6% of the total when we are 19% of the population. The investment in Minority-Owned/Operated Media is even less than that. All this while Total buying power of the US Hispanic population is over $1.5 trillion, over 10% of the total.
Latinx Journalism Matters Support Publishers of Color The impact of COVID-19 has been especially devastating for communities of color. Now, more than ever, independent, local journalism needs your support
Specifically, they are reinvesting billions of dollars, but at an unacceptable rate, in the larger mainstream media, technology platforms and social media that targets US Hispanics but that is neither owned or operated by minorities. That way, there will be those who say that advertisers are abandoning our community. There will be those who claim that they are adopting a discriminatory attitude or impervious to the fate of community media outlets. Even when those outlets are crucial for the very communities they say they want to reach.
El Sol Latino is your local Latinx-owned, independent news source that brings to the front lines diverse Latino voices, perspectives, news and stories.
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Deportes / Sports
El Sol Latino July 2021
Borinquen vs. Legends Mackenzie Stadium • June 19, 2021 Holyoke Old Timers Softball League
