El Sol Latino | March 2018 | 14.4

March 2018

Volume 14 No. 5

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

John B. Cook, Ph.D. President of STCC

on Diversity and Inclusion

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Editorial / Editorial

contents

The Ritual of Formulating a New Latino Agenda On Jan. 30, 2018, Holyoke residents attended a Listening Session at the Holyoke Community Charter School with the Latino Advisory Commission that was created last year by Gov. Charlie Baker.

Here is a small sample of the many groups, initiatives and reports that have generated agendas for the Commonwealth, especially for Holyoke, in the past 30 years to address the state of Latinos in the region.

According to Commission’s statement, The commission will focus on addressing the concerns of the Massachusetts Latino community and promoting economic prosperity and well-being.

The Commission will review and assess the priorities of the Latino community on a statewide basis and make recommendations to the Governor and Lt. Governor by identifying up to three priority areas to be addressed by the Commission over the course of the next two years.

• Asociación de Educadores Hispanos de Massachusetts Inc. (mid 90s) • The Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (PRFAA) opened its Northern New England Regional Office under the direction of José Massó (Regional Director) and Jaime Cotto (director of the Springfield-Holyoke Office).

Voter registration campaign Boricua ¡Inscríbete y Vota! - Que Nada Nos Detenga (mid 90s) • A Report on the Consent Decree Implementation of HPAC v. Holyoke, Dr. Catherine Walsh, July 1992.

• Holyoke Public Schools Voluntary LAU Compliance Plan, March 16, 1995 • Statewide Latino Public Policy Conference 2000, ¡Un Llamado a la Acción Política! Report.

Sponsored by the Gastón Institute – UMass Boston • Holyoke Working Coalition for Latino Student Education – Educational Plan 2000 • Statewide Latino Public Policy Conference 2004, Advancing the Latino Agenda: Perspectives from Policymakers and the Community Report. Sponsored by the Gastón Institute – UMass Boston • HOLA –Holyoke Organization for Latino Achievement (beginning of 2000) • Holyoke Taskforce for Excellence in Latino Education – ¡AVANZA!: Strategic Action Report 2004-2009 • Holyoke Planning Network (HPN) – Community-Based Learning Program, Mount Holyoke College 2004-2005 • Holyoke Unites / Holyoke se Une 2007. An offspring of Enlace de Familias / Holyoke Family Network • The short-lived Puerto Rican / Latino Leadership Council 2011

As I was hearing from a few friends who attended the meeting, (the press was barred from attending) I recalled an editorial entitled Building a Hispanic Agenda in Holyoke that I wrote few yeas ago. In that editorial I quoted Dr. Frank Bonilla (one of the founders of the Center for Puerto Ricans Studies - CENTRO) when he spoke at a commemorative symposium held January 26, 1991 at the University of Michigan entitled King’ s Legacy: Our Unfinished Agenda. Dr. Bonilla stated that, “In recent years the formulation of agendas for Latino people has become almost a ritual at every political level and on every conceivable theme. Wherever two Latino heads come together, it seems an agenda is in the making.”

I believe that what is needed at this time is an updated, rather than a new, Latino agenda for Holyoke, Springfield or statewide. In order to make any kind of progress that results in real changes in the Latino community, it is important to learn about many of the initiatives that have been created in the Commonwealth in the last three decades. Many of the issues affecting the Latino community repeat themselves in the documents of these initiatives, probably due to the fact that the identified issues have not been addressed or resolved.

Foto del Mes/Photo of the Month In the President’s Office Dr. Cook (President of STCC), Natalia Muñoz (WHMP Radio), Lydia Early (Director of Community Engagement- STCC), and Manuel FrauRamos (El Sol Latino) 2018. Selfie Courtesy of Dr. Cook.

2 Editorial / Editorial The Ritual of Formulating a New Latino Agenda 3 Portada / Front Page John B. Cook, Ph.D., President of STCC on Diversity and Inclusion Tinta Caliente / Hot Ink 5 Homar Gómez – Nuevo Concejal de Easthampton 6 Disaster Relief for Puerto Rico Must Accommodate Women’s Needs s 7 Privatization Won’t Fix Puerto Rico’s Broken Power Utility 9 Opinión / Opinion Random Thoughts on a Sunday Morning in Camuy, Puerto Rico 10 Leaving behind “Transitional Assistance to Families with Dependent Children” 12 Educación / Education Latino Teachers’ Reflections and Perspectives on Teaching 13 Libros / Books El Fuego Invisible 14 White Latino Privilege 15 Deportes / Sports Springfield Old Timers Softball League 15 Ciencias / Science The Flu Season

Founded in 2004 n Volume 14, No. 5 n March 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

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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.

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El Sol Latino March 2018

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John B. Cook, Ph.D., President of STCC on Diversity and Inclusion

by MANUEL FRAU RAMOS | manuelfrau@gmail.com

John B. Cook, Ph.D., President of STCC

On August 1, 2016, Dr. John B. Cook took over the reins of Springfield Technical Community College, becoming its sixth president.

Prior to his appointment, Dr. Cook was Vice President of Academic Affairs at Manchester Community College (MCC) in New Hampshire. He also worked for 12 years at Granite State College.

On February 15th, two Puerto Rican journalists, Natalia Muñoz, the host of “Vaya con Muñoz” on radio station WHMP (1400 AM), and Manuel Frau Ramos, editor and publisher of El Sol Latino, interviewed Dr. Cook in his office. The interview has been edited for space, style, and clarity.

MFR: Coming from Manchester Community College (MCC) in New Hampshire, what attracted you to apply for the job at STCC? Many things. Certainly the opportunity to lead an institution that is tremendous and I feel quite fortunate about that. I spent a lot of time in New England’s mid-size cities and, obviously in Manchester, one of their more diverse municipalities. But I spent a lot of time in Lowell. I did my Master’s there at UMass Lowell and it really got in my bones so much so that I went back and did my dissertation there and I really looked at how universities and the community engage in meaningful ways and in some ways for them, many long lasting ways. So, when you add in Springfield, again the sort of third of these vibrant, diverse mid-sized cities, it seemed like a tremendous opportunity. With a nod to my family, I grew up in Central New York and they love this because they think I’m half way home, coming from New Hampshire.

MFR: STCC is located in a region with a large and growing Latino population, especially in Holyoke and Springfield. Approximately 80% of Holyoke Public Schools students and 65% of Springfield students are Latinos. What is the demographics profile of the STCC student body?

In Holyoke... it was surprising to learn that only a few E R AMOS LIUEELNFRTAU CA Latinos who were por MAN invited and attended the listening session with the Latino Advisory Commission raised their voices in opposition to the press being barred from the meeting. That was a perfect opportunity to speak up and advocate for transparency and accountability when it comes to Latino issues in the city.

OT TINTA H INK

Almost 30% of our students identify as Latino, Latina, Latinx. It is tremendous. In some ways it speaks the story of Springfield, ever evolving.

It’s ever welcoming. We see the rise of many newcomer groups. I think it is a source of strength for us. When you add in our African-American student population which is still strong at maybe just under 20%. We are, I think its fair to say, a college of color. And yet, to also really bring in a degree of candor, we are not satisfied with things like equity gaps in terms of how our students are persistent and graduate relative to their white counterparts, and also they are not as representative as we would want in all programs.

MFR - What are the retention and graduation rates of Latino students at STCC? We have what is called Pre-Health, which is really in essence a default and is more or less no different than General Studies. We see on average for white students a 50% retention rate in that Pre-Health, which for community colleges is pretty good, 10% points less for Latino/Latina students. So first, we have to recognize and acknowledge that disparity and then the question is, what are we going to do about it? I can answer that. We are doing things like actually creating a Health Science Degree in its own right, one that includes things like patient simulation and the chance to earn a certification embedded in this degree program that we are developing so you can become a certified EMT. Those are the types of things that we see that will really hopefully address some of these stubborn, persistent equity gaps.

NM – How is the college preparing with the emerging technology? Are you offering courses in that to prepare a workforce that knows how to work in these emerging technologies? Because otherwise all you have is MGM as one of the biggest employers after Baystate Health and UMass. How do we keep people in our area after they graduate?

I think it’s an opportunity for us to talk about fit and to provide experiences for younger students and by that I mean Middle School and High School students and their families. We have, it seems, every program under the sun. Its not just Nursing and Health Care, we have Medical Assistant, we have Dental Hygiene, the list goes on. To that point, we have manufacturing.

We have 120 students in what we call Mechanical Engineering Technology.

NM – Is that enough? Are 120 students enough?

No. I would love if we could just somehow find a way to double that. But it means working to demystify what it means for students of color and for women. Both are underrepresented in a program like that. But we also have programs like Digital Media, Cyber Security, Health Information Technology.

To your point about technology, we absolutely have to stay contemporary with the movement on the economy. It’s still about giving students experiences.

NM – You mentioned earlier that this is college of color and you talked about manufacturing and demystifying it for people of color and for women. The question that came to me is well, this great that STCC can demystify it, but then the workplaces have to have to do it as well. Does

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En Holyoke… fue sorprendente saber que solamente unos pocos de los Latinos que fueron invitados y que estuvieron presentes en el listening session con el Latino Advisory Commission alzaron sus voces en oposición al hecho de que a la prensa no se le permitió acceso a la reunión. Esa era la oportunidad perfecta para hablar y abogar por transparencia y responsabilidad en lo que se refiere a issues Latinos en la ciudad.

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El Sol Latino March 2018

John B. Cook, Ph.D., President of STCC on Diversity and Inclusion continued from page 3 STCC work with the workplaces in this area?

We have a federal grant as a Hispanic Service Institution to work with middle school and high school families to get them to understand that these are great jobs and how do we start earlier with those families. So on that side we have work to do to partner up with the public schools. On the other side, I think our employers are very open-eared, dare I say, to this notion that they need diversity within their work force. They are asking us to help them figure out how to do that.

MFR - Let me follow up on the topic of a Hispanic Service Institution.

One of the biggest complaints of this type of program is that Hispanics usually supply students while they are notably absent from the staff and faculty that runs these programs.. What is the situation at STCC? I am right here willing and able and keen to hear people’s ideas. Keen to hear the suggestions for systematic approaches to really try to address this.

We are in our student body almost 60% women. Granted, they are not as represented across all the programs as we would like. That is mirrored in our faculty. But that is not the case for us with our students of color. We do not see the same diversity in our faculty. And I am keen to hear people’s ideas on how we change that.

NM - Following up on that, it’s not just Latinos. You have everybody here.

This is a United Nations. It’s the faculty, the staff, the program heads.

There’s no diversity there. Obviously something is missing. What is the active plan that Human Resources has at STCC to say we really have to change this?

That’s an important question. My predecessor who was here for 12 years made this a signature effort and its tough to budge something that is so stubborn. Whether we put the call out, whether we show just how welcoming we are for students. We do all the things that you would hope for in terms of student experience. How do we do this for faculty? I am still not quite sure how to entice faculty from tenure track seeking opportunities within a larger university to come and do what I think is very rewarding work which is focusing on the teaching and learning. We have tenure here. But this idea of tenure track in the traditional sense of scholarship and teaching obligations, we don’t carry research obligation. For us is service, and heavy on the teaching.

MFR – How many Hispanic faculty at STCC have tenure track?

It’s very modest. Those who identify to us as Latino and Latina I have to imagine it is under 5 percent.

NM – What is MGM’s influence on community colleges, specifically STCC? How does such a giant company impact the community colleges?

It’s a guess for all of us right now. We partner with Holyoke Community College. We with HCC are doing that gaming school, helping people prepare specifically to work as dealers. And there could be some nice wages. So we are pleased as a community college to do that. That for us speaks to our mission – career development, working with an employer. Yet it’s not every day that an employer will come to a city and say we are going to bring thousands of jobs with us. What I hope is that it will bring good careers.

NM–STCC had a Latina, Arlene Rodríguez, in a very high position, who had been recently promoted. She’s gone. Is there another position at that level that is now occupied by someone of color, by someone that is not Caucasian?

It’s certainly been a point of conversation. We have an Acting Vice President of Academic Affairs, Gerardo Zayas Jr. He’s a gentleman that I worked with as a colleague in New Hampshire. He brings a tremendous skill set, including a lot of experience in health care and in workforce development.

But he is Acting. We have a search ongoing for that position. I’m thrilled that we had over 80 applicants and a very diverse pool of applicants. So I’m optimistic by this summer well have a permanent Vice President of Academic Affairs. People have asked a lot of questions about that. What I have shared with them is because it’s a personnel matter, I am not at liberty to talk about that.

NM – How do we solve this problem of lack of diversity at the highest levels of community college, specifically this one?

I wish I had a great answer. What I know is we need that diversity of perspective and experience absolutely throughout the college. It makes us stronger.

NM – Then why isn’t it there? Why is it lacking? Where is the leadership from communities of color? Why do we not see that? What are the obstacles?

I would almost rather not speculate. For us right now in some ways it does a disservice to try to guess at that instead of trying to keep after it and try to help ensure that we have diversity, that we have facilitators, people who can move all aspects, all corners of our college with these kinds of conversations. Even with a student body that is as diverse as it is we have equity gaps within how they participate and succeed. We need that. If I knew why, I would be after it.

MFR – As you know, we are witnessing a new wave of Puerto Ricans coming to the Springfield-Holyoke metropolitan area. Among the newcomers many are looking for transfers and/or accreditation of licenses. What is STCC doing about this?

We were thrilled when the Board of Higher Education with support from our Commissioner, ensured in-state tuition for evacuees from Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. We’ve also ensured that when they land here, if there are issues with paper work, we will be flexible and try to figure that out. As we start to better understand what is the need, what role can we literally play without over-promising, let’s make sure we are welcoming. We can at least help them with advocacy, help connect them because we have community engagement where we know the leaders in these other areas. At least we can start to build those connections.

VAYA VAYACON CON MUÑOZ Saturdays 10AM

WHMP radio

1600 AM Hampden 1400 AM Hampshire

extraordinary people multicultural views Natalia Muñoz w/ N

MUÑOZ

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El Sol Latino March 2018

Homar Gómez – Nuevo Concejal de Easthampton por MANUEL FRAU-RAMOS El 7 de noviembre de 2018, Homar Gómez fue electo al Concilio de la ciudad de Easthampton. Hasta ese momento, el nombre de Gómez era desconocido para la mayoría de los latinos de la región., Gómez aparece en el radar político de muchos residentes latinos del área a través de un artículo escrito por la reportera del Daily Hampshire Gazette, Caitlin Ashworth, publicado el 11 de noviembre titulado Councilor makes history. En este, Ashworth resalta que el recién electo concejal representando el Precinto 2, es el primer Latino electo en los 21 años de historia del Concilio de la ciudad.

Homar Gómez, natural de Caguas, Puerto Rico es graduado de la Escuela Superior José Collazo Colón del pueblo de Juncos. Estudió estudios postsecundarios en la Universidad de Puerto Rico en Humacao. Obtuvo un diploma universitario del Departamento de Matemáticas con una especialización en Matemáticas Computacionales.

En el 1997, Gómez y su familia tomaron la decisión de migrar hacia Massachusetts en busca de una mejor educación para sus hijas y mejorar las estabilidad económica de la familia. El núcleo familiar de Gómez-Mojica lo componen su esposa Sindy Mojica, y sus hijas Sidney Gómez, Jacqueline Gómez, Natalie Gómez y su nieto Draco Carper.

La reubicación de la familia desde la isla hacia la región del Pioneer Valley se facilitó por lazos familiares ya que el papá de Syndy Mojica, esposa de Gómez, vivió en varios pueblos de la región, entre ellos Amherst y Northampton.

La decisión familiar de quedarse en la región, la disponibilidad de viviendas a precios razonables y un sistema escolar de muy buena calidad los lleva a establecerse en el 2005 en la ciudad de Easthampton.

La elección de Gómez al Concilio de la ciudad de Easthampton es algo poco usual en la región. Un candidato puertorriqueño, sin ninguna experiencia política tanto en la isla como en Estados Unidos, es electo en su primer intento a un puesto político en una ciudad donde el numero de residentes latinos es sumamente pequeño y donde es considerado un newcomer.

En una entrevista realizada por El Sol Latino a través de correo electrónico, Gómez señaló que nunca participó activamente en ningún movimiento o partido político en Puerto Rico.

A continuación las preguntas que le hicimos al nuevo Concejal: MFR- ¿Cuándo y por qué decidiste correr para Concejal de la Ciudad?

Hace muchos años tenía el interés de incursionar en la política pero por varias razones no lo hice hasta que este año que pasó me senté con mi esposa y mis hijas y como familia determinamos que este era el momento para correr para el puesto de City Councilor. La razones son muchas,

Efraín Gómez, Homar Gómez, Richard Neal, Congresista, y Sindy Gómez

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| manuelfrau@gmail.com

brindar a la ciudad una nueva visión , visión de un latino, visión de un coach, visión de que se puede hacer más.

MFR- ¿En algún momento el tema de tu etnicidad se volvió un issue político durante la campaña? No, en ningún momento fue un issue, tal vez porque gran parte de la comunidad ya me conocía. Desde hace muchos años estoy participando activamente en varios programas, especialmente programas de deportes de niños/as y jóvenes. Creo que eso ayudó mucho a que el tema de que soy latino no fuera un issue en ningún momento.

MFR - En los últimos años, dos incidentes raciales han hecho de Easthampton el centro de atención en los medios noticiosos. Estos son, el caso del Concejero Donald Cykowski en 2011, y el caso de la escuela Superior de Easthampton ocurrido el año pasado. ¿Influenciaron estos incidentes raciales en tu decisión de buscar una silla en el City Council?

Si, el comentario racista fue en parte lo que ayudó a que tomara la decisión.

Ver que estos eventos ocurrieron y no sentirme representado por alguien que diera la cara por nosotros y o que dijera lo que había que decir y no tuviéramos esa voz de seguro me motivó a tomar tan importante decisión.

Dato curioso, hoy día mi silla en el pleno de donde nos reunimos los del City Council es la silla del ex concejero Cykowski.

MFR- ¿Recibiste algún apoyo de parte de los Latinos o de las organizaciones políticas Latinas en la región para tu campaña política? ¿Qué ventajas o desventajas ves en haber corrido una campaña política como un newcomer Latino con pocas o ningunas conexiones con el establishment Latino?

De latinos si, de alguna organización no. Ventajas creo que todas, ya que mi campaña fue de mi trayectoria en la comunidad y mis capacidades y no de ninguna influencia externa. Desventajas, tal vez no tener un grupo de latinos ayudándome para demostrar que estamos unidos en todos lados aún cuando la población latina aquí sea baja.

MFR- ¿Cuál tu crees que fue la razón principal por la que los residentes del Barrio 2 votaron por ti?

Pienso que votaron por mi porque vieron en mi alguien en quien pueden confiar, alguien que dará la batalla para que sus voces sean escuchadas.

MFR- Tu eres el primer puertorriqueño, hispano or latinx en ser electo al City Council de Easthampton. ¿Sabes si otros puertorriqueños han sido electos al City Council o a otras posiciones en el pasado? Si, soy el primer latino (puertorriqueño) en ser electo en la ciudad de Easthampton. En el School Committee tenemos a García pero es porque su esposo es español.

Ella habla español y está comprometida con nuestra comunidad.

Sidney Gómez (hija), Draco Carper (nieto), Eneida López (mamá de Homar), Homar Gómez, Efraín Gomez (papá de Homar), Sindy Mojica, y Jacqueline Gómez (hija)

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Disaster Relief for Puerto Rico Must Accommodate Women’s Needs by ANUSHA RAVI

This article was created by the Center for American Progress.org | February 9, 2018 This past fall, hurricanes Irma and Maria struck Puerto Rico, leaving hundreds of thousands of people in their wake without the necessities for survival. More than three months after Hurricane Maria’s landfall, the island is still in crisis. American citizens are struggling without electricity and clean water; and businesses remain closed, which has left thousands of people unemployed and impoverished. The U.S. response to these devastating natural disasters has been lackluster at best: Congress was unable to pass a disaster relief package before the winter holiday, punting the issue into the 2018 legislative session. And early in 2018, a spokesperson for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said that the agency planned to end its distribution of food and water to the island on January 31; fortunately, that decision was reversed after a great deal of pushback from Puerto Rican officials, members of Congress, stakeholder organizations, and the diaspora.

However, even before Hurricane Maria hit the island, Puerto Rico exhibited several indicators of gender inequality, including higher rates of women in poverty than men—with women making up about 52 percent of Puerto Rico’s population. In the aftermath of a disaster, gender inequalities are merely exacerbated and women suffer from increased exposure to sexual and domestic violence; worsened access to reproductive health care and hygiene products; and increased caregiving responsibilities for children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. Overall, these factors significantly affect women’s ability to acquire recovery resources.

In order to accommodate the unique needs of women after disasters, it is important that President Trump’s budget proposal, set to release early next week, include adequate funding for disaster relief to areas where low-income women, women of color, and women with disabilities are disproportionately affected.

Increased violence against women

Disaster-stricken areas often experience increased sexual and domestic violence due to a lack of infrastructure and resources that would ordinarily prevent violence, as well as delays in reporting, which can lead to a lack of accountability for perpetrators of violence. As climate change fuels more powerful and frequent storms, heat waves, floods, and other extreme weather, women are likely to face escalating levels of violence triggered by more disasters. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has identified climate change as, “a threat multiplier for women and girls.” Disasters place women in situations where, out of necessity, they are more likely to experience precarious situations, such as living in a crowded shelter or navigating darkness due to power outages, all while searching for food, shelter, and other resources. Disasters also exacerbate feelings of stress, fear, and helplessness—factors that contribute toward an increased desire for power and control, which are often motivators for perpetrators of violence. Furthermore, the fact that women are traditionally caregivers merely exacerbates this problem, as women are

more likely than men to bear the brunt of caregiving responsibilities and therefore must accept crowded or precarious shelter—or search for other resources quickly—which puts them at risk of violence.

Following Hurricane Maria, certain conditions have heightened the risk of violence against women in Puerto Rico. The island exhibited high rates of violence against women even before the disasters; it suffered from one of the world’s worst rates of intimate partner violence, and experts in the country blame the situation on insufficient funding and political support for anti-violence legislation. In an environment that already exhibits high rates of feminized poverty and violence against women, disasters create conditions that expose women to increased violence—such as a lack of law enforcement, which reduces accountability for abusers, and the scarcity of basic provisions.

Additionally, Puerto Rico has long suffered high rates of crime related to poverty, unemployment, and the drug trade. After Hurricane Maria, these factors have only escalated, bolstered by the constant darkness and shortage of law enforcement on the island. And since higher rates of overall violent crime are linked to higher rates of violence against women, the latter will also inevitably increase during the aftermath of Maria.

Limited access to reproductive health care

During disasters, traveling to get medical assistance of any kind is challenging due to infrastructure breakdowns that complicate transportation. However, reproductive health care, in particular, carries a unique set of barriers. The stigma and logistical obstacles that prevent access to reproductive health care intensify following disasters, creating additional challenges for women to overcome when attempting to access these vital services—especially abortion. For example, because of damaged roads and limits on public transportation, a woman may have to travel a greater distance to reach the nearest health clinic in order to obtain an abortion; yet she might still encounter a mandatory 24-hour waiting period. These types of experiences are expensive and mentally harrowing; furthermore, they disproportionately hurt populations that are already marginalized, as low-income people are more likely to live in flood-prone areas and less likely to have the resources necessary to relocate when a disaster is impending. On top of this, women’s caregiving responsibilities are likely to hinder their ability and willingness to travel long distances—often across state lines—to pay for abortions since food, shelter, and other resources are in much higher demand.

Puerto Rico also has local restrictions on abortion that limit access during the aftermath of disasters like Hurricane Maria. The island is subject to the Hyde Amendment, which means that no federal funding can be used to pay for most abortions. Due to the high cost, lack of insurance coverage, and stigma surrounding the procedure, abortion is already out of reach for most low-income communities and for those experiencing poverty. For example, abortion providers in Puerto Rico must be licensed as ambulatory service centers and have these licenses renewed every two years—an unnecessary restriction referred to as a targeted regulation of abortion providers (TRAP) law. These limitations are exacerbated by the logistical debacles imposed by hurricanes and make access to abortion and reproductive health extremely challenging for women to acquire.

continued on page 8

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Privatization Won’t Fix Puerto Rico’s Broken Power Utility by LARA MERLING This article was published by NACLA on February 1, 2018.

Puerto Rico recently announced they will privatize its power utility. Past experience shows that fixing the broken electrical system won’t be so simple.

Hurricane Maria wreaked havoc in Puerto Rico, severely damaging infrastructure, knocking out power across nearly the entire island, and limiting access to basic necessities. Almost six months after the storm, there is little indication that the island is on a path to recovery. Restoring power has been particularly slow, with about 30 percent of customers still left in the dark.

The extensive damage caused by the storm—along with the slow pace of restoring electricity, and scandals surrounding the process—have highlighted the struggles and dysfunction of Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority (PREPA). In the aftermath of this tragedy, a narrative that fits the pattern of what Naomi Klein refers to as the “shock doctrine” hardened: government mismanagement was to blame for the state of the state-owned utility, and the only solution was privatization.

The push to privatize the PREPA is not new; governments have advocated it for decades. Earlier this month, the electrical workers’ union argued that the agency was intentionally set up for failure, precisely so that it could be privatized. Just a few months prior to the hurricane, four of the seven members of the island’s undemocratic Financial Oversight and Management Board (FOMB)— created by the US Congress in 2016 to control Puerto Rico’s finances and tackle its long-term fiscal issues—authored an editorial that called for PREPA’s privatization. Prior to the storm, these calls failed to gain sufficient traction.

After the storm, as scandals and infighting between agencies snarled efforts to restore power, residents’ frustration grew—and backers of privatization seized the opportunity to push their agenda. When the governor announced his plan to privatize PREPA, promising that this would bring lower rates and better service, he met little resistance.

The fiscal plan the governor recently submitted to the Financial Oversight and Management Board, as mandated by the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA), does not question whether privatizing PREPA is necessary. Rather, it presents it as the only viable option. The plan claims that by privatizing the embattled utility, it will “transform” it into an efficient, reliable, and cost-effective energy provider.

The proposed privatization process consists of a mix between selling assets, and offering concessions to private companies to run operations over the following 18 months.

Claims that privatization will create a quick fix to Puerto Rico’s economic and electrical woes are based on optimistic assumptions not backed by evidence. In fact, Puerto Rico’s own past experience is proof that privatization is no panacea for defective public utilities. Puerto Rico’s Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) has twice privatized the management of water services, as detailed in a report by Puerto Rico’s Comptroller’s Office. Both attempts had disastrous results.

In the 1990s, as Puerto Rico’s water services struggled with quality and operational issues and PRASA’s finances deteriorated, then-governor Pedro Rosselló (current governor Ricardo Rosselló’s father) declared a state of emergency that cleared the way to seek a private water operator. The senior Rosselló then created a commission to negotiate a contract and oversee the privatization process. In 1995, in circumstances somewhat similar to those surrounding PREPA today, PRASA took its first step toward privatization when it entered into its first concession contract with a subsidiary of the French multinational Veolia.

After Veolia took over PRASA’s responsibilities, its problems multiplied.

Service quality deteriorated and prices for consumers increased, as did the agency’s operational deficit. To make matters worse, Veolia was not complying with environmental regulations. The Environmental Protection Agency found that raw sewage was discharged into water sources, prompting fines and sanctions. PRASA was ill-equipped to oversee and enforce its contract with Veolia. For years, it complied with Veolia’s requests for increased payments, despite the questionable quality of the company’s services and its numerous violations. Puerto Rico’s contract with Veolia ended in 2001 and was not renewed.

Despite the worsening infrastructure, environmental violations, and a large operational deficit that Veolia left behind, rather than retake public control over PRASA, Puerto Rican authorities took another route. They blamed the failed venture with Veolia on the specifics of that contract, not the inherent flaws in trying to fix a system in disrepair via privatization. Problems could simply be fixed through a better-negotiated deal, they said. Thus, the search for a different utility operator started, and the government sought to negotiate a contract that would finally address PRASA’s issues. Officials bragged about the “complex negotiations” they led in order to select a contractor that would “bring operations to world-class standards.”

In 2002, PRASA entered into a 10-year, $4 billion contract with Ondeo, a subsidiary of French multinational Suez. At the time, it was the largest contract to ever be awarded to a private water company. Ondeo assumed full responsibility for maintenance and repairs of existing assets, while also promising investments to improve infrastructure and assure compliance with environmental standards. This contract was praised at the time for also including clauses to assure compliance with its stated goals, and for bringing huge expected savings to the government.

In practice, things between PRASA and Ondeo worked out differently.

Less than two years later, after numerous disputes and disagreements with Ondeo, PRASA paid the company a settlement to rescind the contract.

Ondeo had repeatedly requested more money than allowed by the initial agreement with PRASA, and had also failed to update the system’s infrastructure.

After the contract with Ondeo was terminated on terms unfavorable to PRASA, the agency retook control over the management of water services. This meant that a decade and hundreds of millions of dollars later, PRASA was in even worse shape than during the crisis that prompted privatization efforts.

Both its infrastructure and its finances deteriorated further during this period.

In these cases, the contracts awarded by PRASA were lucrative for the private companies, but not for Puerto Rico’s government or its consumers.

The companies cashed in, but not only failed to make the new investments and improvements they initially promised, but also failed to manage basic aspects of the water system, such as properly maintaining existing nfrastructure.

Arguments in favor of privatization generally emphasize the perceived increased efficiency in the private sector’s ability to manage services due to profit incentives. But in the case of running a utility that is a monopoly, this dynamic does not necessarily translate into better service or savings for consumers. Rather, these case studies from Veolia and Ondeo demonstrate that a company can reduce services while raising prices. Puerto Rico’s case is not unique, but rather part of a larger global pattern of utility privatizations that have failed to deliver on their promises.

Somehow, this disastrous experience seems to have been quickly forgotten by the ardent proponents of privatizing PREPA. The governor has offered reassurance that the privatization process would take place under the close oversight of the agency in charge of regulating the utility, the Puerto

continued on page 10

8

Portada / Front Page

Disaster Relief for Puerto Rico continued from page 6 Limited access to feminine hygiene supplies

Hurricanes also affect women’s access to feminine hygiene supplies.

Ordinarily, due to their relatively high cost, hygiene supplies can be challenging to acquire for those living in poverty. In the aftermath of a disaster, however, they are even harder to acquire. Agencies and nonprofits rarely include these supplies on their lists of resources needed during recovery and therefore often do not provide them in relief packages. The recovery response to Hurricane Maria was particularly slipshod. President Donald Trump did not hold a White House Situation Room briefing until six days after landfall and blamed the island, via Twitter, for the post-hurricane “financial crisis.” This delay inevitably weakened efforts at recovery that could have improved women’s access to feminine hygiene products in the immediate aftermath of Maria.

El Sol Latino March 2018

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Caregiving duties place additional burden on women

Women’s traditional role as caregivers often increases their responsibilities during the aftermath of a natural disaster, often to the detriment of their financial security. Women—especially women of color—are more likely to be tasked with caregiving duties for children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. During an event such as Hurricane Maria, this can place them at greater risk of economic insecurity. For example, women’s role as primary caregiver can influence their evacuation decisions, as they often opt to remain in precarious areas because it would be too difficult to relocate multiple people.

Caregiving can also affect women’s ability to find work or continue working.

Since it is difficult to find child or elder care services following a natural disaster, women are often unable to spend extended periods away from home.

Additionally, the caregiving role causes women to suffer from insufficient access to resources, as they often have to share food—as well as shelter— with their children and family members. From 2010 through 2014, 42 percent of Puerto Rican households were female-headed with children, meaning that during that time, 148,642 families were managed by a single mother without a male present in the home. Since 2006, this share has steadily increased and, if the trend continues, it is likely to continue to grow.

Conclusion

Following Hurricane Maria, in order to accommodate Puerto Rican women’s needs, disaster relief legislation and funding should consider the unique pressures they face. The established body of research shows that, after disasters, women face disadvantageous circumstances. Unless lawmakers take this into account, as the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events continue to rise, women will continue to experience increased violence, limited access to resources and reproductive health care, and the burden of caregiving responsibilities.

Anusha Ravi is a research assistant for the Women’s Initiative at the Center for American Progress.

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Opinión / Opinion

9 NiLP Guest Commentary

El Sol Latino March 2018

Random Thoughts on a Sunday Morning in Camuy, Puerto Rico

by OLGA JIMÉNEZ de WAGENHEIM The NiLP Report | February 18. 2019 It was raining earlier this morning so we could not go for our usual walk. I made oatmeal with apples and nuts while Kal walked twelve laps around the house, from the living room to the hallway, the bedroom and back again.

Since his heart attack he shuffles a bit, but keeps going.

It has been a few days since my brother confined himself to his apartment after he underwent surgery. He was sent home wearing a catheter, which makes it uncomfortable to move about . He was also tired from the two day ordeal He is lucky, he says, to have two sisters to care for him. His sister Toña took him to surgery at 5 a.m. and stayed with him until he was released at 4 p.m. She then braved the traffic from Manati (where the procedure was done) to Camuy, normally a 45 minute ride, without traffic.

She arrived at Carlos’s apartment at 5:30 p.m. after stopping to buy him soup and the needed antibiotics. She then helped him into the apartment and drove home to her house, totally exhausted.

She was grateful that in Carlos’ case our sister Juanita had spent the previous day with him doing “pre-admission”, a drawn-out process that on this island takes nearly a whole day. Both sisters have been alternating taking Carlos, Kal and me to various medical visits since the island was devastated by Hurricane Maria this past September. In fact, the day of Carlos’ surgery Juanita drove Kal to see a retina specialist in Manati. That visit consumed six hours of her day. She got back to our home extremely tired after battling the heavy traffic which clogs up the roads twice a day during rush hours.

The bad news, she said sighing, is that Kal is due back at the same doctor’s office in two weeks for a brand new treatment.

The problem of visiting doctors here is twofold. They are extremely busy and they are poorly organized. Their offices operate “on a first come, first serve basis,” and that leads some patients to get to the office at ungodly hours in hopes of being first. If the doctor happens to make his hospital rounds in the early morning, that means he won’t get to his office until 9 a.m. If there are four or five early risers ahead of you, you won’t be seen by the doctor until noon or 1 p.m., provided he does not stop for lunch.

The poor organization stems from the fact that the office staff does not schedule patients according to the doctor’s schedule. Instead, they ask everyone to come “early in the morning” and wait their turn.The fact that thousands of doctors have left the island during the last few years compounds the problem. There is a medical shortage in most specialties and that causes an overload of patients for those who remain.

No one blames the ones who left for Florida, Texas, North Carolina and other places because doctors here are less well compensated by Medicare and other medical plans than their counterparts are in the United States.

Plus they are not always fully appreciated by the patients forced to spend hours waiting to be seen.

This scenario is likely to worsen as the population continues to age. The birth rate on this island has declined over the years and now the increasing migration, mostly by the young, has left the island with a disproportionate aged population to provide for. The young have gone in search of jobs, which have gradually disappeared here since the tax incentives to foreign capital were removed at the urging of the Clinton administration, and the island’s economy took a dive. That situation has grown worse since the island was devastated by two hurricanes in September 2017. The young are not only going in search of jobs, they are going in search of better schools for their children and a better quality of life. Some of the recent migrants left dreaming of a place where electric power and running water are the norm

rather than the exception.

Only a few of the older people are lucky enough to leave with their adult children in hopes of finding faster medical attention. But in exchange, they often spend their days alone in a foreign place where they don’t know anyone or even even speak the language. In time they wish they were back home. For those who stay behind on the island, there are also numerous challenges, including being stranded, if they do not know how to drive since public transportation in many parts is non-existent. They stay at home waiting for the day their offspring can come for a visit, or better yet, return home.

For the young families who stay on the island daily life can be an ordeal.

At the moment, 40% of the population is struggling to survive without electricity, reliable potable water, and good public schools for their children.

The brave men and women of this land, who get up everyday and go to work, if they have jobs, they need to brave the traffic and take their kids to school, if these have reopened. Otherwise they have to take them to a willing relative or leave them in private care while they go to work. And after that day’s struggle they are often surprised to learn that the store or place of business where they earn their living is closing down and they will no longer have a paycheck. That was the case yesterday for 700 of Sam’s Clubs employees who were told shortly after they reported to work that three of the Clubs in different municipalities were closing down and they no longer had jobs.

The stores, according to the news account, had suffered damages during the hurricanes. Not said, of course, is the fact that the stores’ profits have shrunk to some undesirable level. But for the 700 workers these jobs, though poorly paid, were a matter of survival.

What will they do if they can’t find another job? Will they too be forced to leave the island? If they leave, what will happen to their mortgaged homes?

What will become of their aging parents? Who will take care of them? Will they too be abandoning their unpaid cars at the airport?

What is the government doing to mitigate these ills and save its shrinking tax base as so many working-age people leave? According to the newspapers, it is trying to patch up the electric grid, grow the economy by encouraging the nearly collapsed small and medium-size local business sector. A belated gesture, some would argue. But mostly it is waiting for a handout from the federal government in Washington.

But most politicians in Washington are too preoccupied with their own political survival to worry about a territory they blame for its economic downfall. They claim the island borrowed more than it could pay back, and should not expect the feds to bail her out. It is not that simple, of course, but politicians try to simplify when the time comes to assign blame.

These and other random thoughts are what keep me and many others awake at night.

Olga Jiménez de Wagenheim, a native of Camuy, recently moved to Puerto Rico with her husband, Kal Wagenheim. She is the author of several books on Puerto Rico. Her most recent book is: Nationalist Heroines: Puerto Rican Women History Forgot, 1930s-1950s (Markus Wiener Publishers, 2016).

She can be reached at ojwagenheim@cs.com.

The NiLP Report on Latino Policy & Politics is an online information service provided by the National Institute for Latino Policy. For further information, visit www.latinopolicy. org. Send comments to editor@latinopolicy.org.

10

Opinión / Opinion

El Sol Latino March 2018

Leaving behind “Transitional Assistance to Families with Dependent Children”

by MIGUEL ARCE and WALTER MULLIN How should a healthy community care for people who do not have financial resources? Should people with financial needs be marginalized because they need support from the community? Do government policies that effect poor people end up putting people “between a rock and a hard place?”

These and other similar questions are raised whenever there is a discussion about families and children in poverty.

According to “Massachusetts Legal Help”, a family of three, living in the Massachusetts and using Transitional Assistance benefits will earn up to $618 per month. This amount will be lower if any member of the household has earnings. The family cannot have assets valued more than $2,500 and cannot have a vehicle that is valued at more than $15,000. Additional benefits that accompany the cash payment might include food stamps, nutrition assistance (WIC) and health insurance. These benefits help a family survive! Adults are required to either work or be in school for 20 to 30 hours a week depending on the age of the youngest child.

Historically, the debate connected to income support for people in poverty has taken a pejorative tone. At times, the mainstream discourse is based on themes that people in programs such as “Transitional Assistance” are consciously intending to depend on the state for their income rather than earn it themselves. The discourse is that they, the economically under resourced are lazy and unwilling to help themselves. When taking this perspective, historically, it has led to policies that limit benefits and require people to either work or enroll in educational programs.

The governor’s policy proposal seeks to address a real problem and is a positive move.

As with all public policy, however, it is important to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each new policy. Advocates for people living in poverty Dr. Walter Mullin, Professor of Social Work and Miguel Arce, say they have concerns Associate Professor of Social Work at Springfield College. about what will happen after those six months are up. Although there are benefits to this change, it does not assist people in poverty reach a “living wage” defined as “a wage that is high enough to maintain a normal standard of living.” These advocates have a valid concern in that a healthy community should never abandon its members who live with fewer resources than others in that same community. Still, since change happens one step at a time, this change will help families since individuals will no longer have to worry about taking the first steps towards financial independence.

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.

While it is culturally imperative that adults in the United States earn their own income, it is important to affirm that productive work is essential to human well-being and all people prefer it to not working. It is natural for humans to look for ways to support themselves and to base that on their own interests. People want to have meaningful work. To assume that this is not true of people who receive transitional assistance is to miss an important component of being human.

Privatization Won’t Fix Puerto Rico continued from page 7

Central to the financial assistance polices is the idea that all adults must be available to work to earn their own income. When welfare recipients start working, however, they are ineligible for benefits but do not earn enough to live on. When a recipient begins to earn money, the income is used to calculate a termination of benefits. This is determined by how close the income is to the amount of the monthly allotment. So, if a recipient decides to accept a minimum wage job for 40 hours a week (the standard work week), he or she would earn more cash than he or she receives on transitional assistance. The problem, however, is that frequently entry level jobs do not begin at 40 hours. In addition, starting jobs frequently do not offer health insurance which is so essential to accessing medical care for children and teens. In other words, taking a job, and ending transitional assistance benefits, can lead a person to have fewer resources than when they were accessing the benefits. The benefits may keep someone from working or taking on additional work hours.

The common narrative blames PREPA’s operational struggles on mismanagement and corruption, and suggests that these problems can be addressed by simply privatizing the company. However, this view omits the overall context of Puerto Rico’s economic decline and shrinking population. In response to a shrinking tax base, Puerto Rico’s public sector borrowed massively to cover its expenses. Puerto Rico’s public sector accumulated about $72 billion in debt, out of which $9 billion are bonds issued by PREPA. As the island’s fiscal balance worsened in the last few years, efforts to reduce expenses meant that the island skimped on basic ma

Within the last month, newspapers have reported that Massachusetts’ state governor, Charles Baker, has made a modest proposal to assist families on Transitional Assistance who begin to work and earn income. In his budget, he proposes continuing transitional assistance benefits even after participants enter the workforce. This reform seeks to address the problem of cutting benefits prematurely. The governor’s proposal is that full welfare benefits be maintained for the first six months that a participant is working, as long as they are earning less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level, or approximately $40,800 for a family of three (The Republican, January 26, 2018). As part of this same proposal, Governor Baker has asked for other related changes. One would raise the limit on the size of assets a welfare recipient can have from $2,500 to $5,000. These are helpful, positive moves as they support the goal of helping people transition to work and truly allowing a family to establish themselves financially.

Rico Energy Commission (PREC). Yet, the official plan for PREPA recently released by the government criticizes PREC, and recommends that a “reasonable regulatory process,” not PREC, be created for the future private owners. Handing over a public utility to the private sector while simultaneously calling for less regulation is concerning at best.

There is no doubt that PREPA is in dire need of reform, yet privatizing the utility is not guaranteed to actually solve any of its problems. Particularly given its poor infrastructure and massive debt burden, PREPA’s privatization might require concessions that would be unfavorable in the long term. As Puerto Rico’s past experiences have shown, savings promised by private operators do not always materialize. The priority now should be an overhaul of PREPA that establishes a strong and accountable regulator to oversee the process of rebuilding a more efficient and resilient electric grid to serve the people of Puerto Rico.

Lara Merling is a researcher at the Center for Economic and Policy Research (www.cepr.net) in Washington, DC. The North American Congress on Latin América (NACLA) is an independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1966 that works toward a world in which the nations and peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean are free from oppression and injustice, and enjoy a relationship with the United States based on mutual respect, free from economic and political subordination. (www.nacla.org).

Portada / Front Page

El Sol Latino March 2018

11

Puerto Rican Cultural Project Speakers:

Carmen Vivian Rivera and Andrés Torres The Puerto Rican Socialist Party: Political Activism in the Diaspora

Carmen Vivian Rivera and Andrés Torres will lead a discussion on their experience as leaders of the MPI-PSP in the United States and its relevance to current social justice and political resistance movements.

The history of modern social movements in the United States largely overlooks the story of Puerto Rican activists and their organizations. Responding to this gap, a group of activists of the Movimiento Pro Independencia (MPI)/Puerto Rican Socialist Party (PSP) in the U.S. have embarked on a series of projects that chronicle political activism within the Puerto Rican Diaspora from the 1960s through the 1980s.

The event will focus on a visual presentation of some of the archival collection from the ¡Despierta Boricua! RECOVERING HISTORY PROJECT. This project sheds light on the activities of the PSP and its newspaper CLARIDAD (particularly the Bilingual U.S. Supplement).

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12

Educación / Education

El Sol Latino March 2018

Latino Teachers’ Reflections and Perspectives on Teaching WASHINGTON, DC | THE EDUCATION TRUST | February 14, 2018— Despite the fact that Latino students make up 25 percent of the U.S. student population, only 8 percent of the nation’s teachers identify as Latino. And while greater numbers of Latino teachers are entering the classroom, they (like other teachers of color) are leaving the profession at higher rates than their peers.

Ashley Griffin, Ph.D., report author and Ed Trust’s interim director of P-12 research.

“Yet, despite their differences, they held a common passion for teaching, sharing their culture with all students, and creating empowering spaces and encouraging students to do the same.”

To build and maintain a teacher workforce that is representative and capable of serving an increasingly diverse student population, district leaders must pay as much attention to understanding and creating the right conditions to retain Latino teachers as they do to recruiting them. This starts with listening to, and learning from, Latino teachers. Researchers at The Education Trust have done just that and have published their findings in a new report, “Our Stories, Our Struggles, Our Strengths: Perspectives and Reflections From Latino Teachers.”

• have a penchant to connect to and teach Latino students well, but, at the same time, were often viewed as inferior teachers and restricted to only teaching Latino students;

“We should do everything we can to attract and retain more well-prepared, effective, and well-supported Latino teachers in our classrooms,” said John B. King Jr., president and CEO of The Education Trust. “Students of color benefit from having teachers who can serve as positive role models and illustrate the potential of what they can be. But, diverse educators matter for all students. As a nation, we must do more to support and recognize the experiences of teachers of color at all points across the pipeline so students today can benefit from and become the teachers and mentors of tomorrow.”

“Our Stories, Our Struggles, Our Strengths” expounds on the challenges of Latino teachers, who:

• were often belittled or perceived as aggressive when they incorporated Latino culture or Spanish language in the classroom, especially when advocating for Latino students and parents; • often accepted additional roles, most often as a translator (even when they did not speak Spanish), but were overlooked for advancement opportunities; and • related well to all students and served as role models for Latino students especially, but still felt they had to validate their ability to teach.

Credit. The Education Trust

The report presents findings from a series of nationally representative focus groups, adding rigorous qualitative data to the ongoing national conversation about teacher diversity. The purpose of these focus groups was to better understand Latino teachers’ experiences separate from the broad category of teachers of color, including why they teach, what they believe they bring to the classroom and the field, and what challenges they face in the workplace.

“While research shows that students from all races benefit from being taught by an educator of color, our study shows that the discrimination and stereotyping that Latino teachers face leave them feeling discouraged and perceived as unqualified to be professional educators, which hurts the teachers and in turn students,” said Griffin. “By listening to and learning from Latino teachers, school leaders can start to create and implement supports and working environments aimed at increasing the number of Latino teachers and retaining them.”

The Education Trust is a nonprofit organization that promotes closing opportunity gaps by expanding excellence and equity in education for students of color and those from low-income families from pre-kindergarten through college.

Through research and advocacy, the organization builds and engages diverse communities that care about education equity, increases political and public will to act on equity issues, and increases college access and completion for historically underserved students.

“First and foremost, what we found is that Latino teachers are a diverse group. In every discussion, we heard educators identify by their country of origin, their immigration status, their language, and their race. It was a continuous reminder that the Latino teacher experience in our country is based on cultural, racial, and ethnic backgrounds that not only differ from other teachers of color, but also from each other,” said

Credit. The Education Trust

Credit. The Education Trust

Libros / Books

El Sol Latino March 2018

13

El Fuego Invisible de JAVIER SIERRA • Editorial Planeta: 2017 | 480 páginas • (Premio Planeta 2017) De cuando en cuando sale una novela que nos lleva a tiempos pasados, por ejemplo a la época cuando Jesús y sus apóstoles caminaban por la tierra. Estas novelas tratan de descifrar mensajes todavía enterrados en el pasado. Dichas novelas llegan a las listas de los libros más leídos y los clubes de lectores debaten los temas de estas novelas que intentan revelar mensajes escondidos en el pasado.

Así es, con importantes variantes, El fuego invisible del español Javier Sierra que recién ganó el cuantioso Premio Planeta de 2017.

El yo narrador, David Salas, “el profesor de lingűística más joven del colegio de la Santa e Indivisible Trinidad de la Reina Isabel, más conocido en Dublín como el Trinity College,” se dedica no a los hechos exteriores arbitrariamente representados por palabras sino al estudio de las palabras en sí. Según él, éstas tienen sus propias realidades. No son meros símbolos; son las tangibles puertas a realidades en el intangible gran mundo espiritual, universal y eterno, del que somos parte.

Al empezar la novela, Salas se encuentra trastornado por la noticia de que su querida madre piensa casarse. Dice que ella es “la única con la insolencia necesaria para echarle en cara el haberse enamorado a sus sesenta y un años de un hombre mucho más joven que ella y habernos anunciado la misma tarde de la lectura de mi tesis…”. Otra vez le roba lo que iba a ser su momento.

Disgustado por los planes de su madre, es animado por su jefa del departamento, Susan Peacock, quien también es amiga de la madre de Salas, a tomarse unas vacaciones diciéndole: “Olvídate por unas semanas de tu madre, de su novio, de tu trabajo, de tu tesis y de este bendito país donde nunca deja de llover.”

Es así como se encuentra en Madrid donde conoce a Paula Esteve, una joven atractiva, que lo invita al círculo de escritores/estudiantes que dirige su profesora, Victoria Goodman, catedrática de la Facultad de Filosofía en la Universidad Complutense. Dice Paula que “allí se iba a hablar de la literatura de verdad, de lo que abre las puertas a otros mundos.” Goodman afirma que, “La palabra es la llave para acceder al alma del mundo. Y los escritores somos los chamanes que velamos por ella.” Escoge como foco de los estudios nada más que el cáliz que utilizó Jesucristo en la última cena, cáliz que es el foco de la obra inacabada de Chrétien de Troyes, “Li contes del grail”. Goodman anima a sus estudiantes así: “¡Céntrese en lo literario, que para eso estamos aquí y descifremos juntos qué hay de verdad tras el concepto grial!”

Hay otro motivo que inspira al grupo. Uno de sus miembros, Guillermo, iba en tal búsqueda y lo encuentran muerto. Había descubierto “cómo llegar a

lo invisible a partir de algo tan mundano como una de las presuntas copas [el grial] que utilizó Cristo en su Ultima Cena.” En honor y memoria de Guillermo, Goodman organiza a su clase en grupos de dos que van a los sitios donde se había encontrado mención del grial en sus estudios. Aunque Salas es escéptico de tal ‘cruzada,’ se encuentra fascinado por Paula y éstos dos forman una de las parejas investigadoras.

De ahí en adelante, la mayoría de la novela se dedica a los estudios y viajes que emprenden las parejas. Mientras leía, yo pensaba en mis cursos universitarios de filosofía, literatura e historia. Las parejas buscan claves en las obras de Parménides, Sócrates, La Iliada, La Divina Comedia, el Corán, la Biblia, Chrétien de Torres, Victor Hugo, Rilke, El Quijote, y hasta los más recientes Gabriel García Márquez, Juan Rulfo, Dan Brown, Mark Twain…y más. Aún menciona a Alicia en el País de Maravillas.” Poca acción, mucho hablar. Dice la doña Victoria Goodman, “vamos a dejar de hablar de literatura en abstracto y empezaremos a analizar esas novelas que…han cambiado la historia por una razón u otra.”

Sin embargo, mientras las parejas buscan huellas y pistas del “grial”, varios peligros siniestros les acechan. Doña Victoria lo explica así: “los descendientes de los que llevaron a Sócrates a la muerte siguen hoy dominando nuestro mundo. El poder no puede tolerar que nos comuniquemos con nuestra ‘chispa divina’, con esa voz que es personal y auténtica.” La fuerza negra amenazadora “Es una energía tenebrosa que cambia de forma continuamente …y cuya única obsesión es apartar a las personas sensible y creativas…del camino de la luz”. Esta figura se conoce por varios nombres: “El Oscuro, el Misterioso, El Merodeador, El Frustrador y El Adversario.”

Como se ve, la novela es rica en temas. Examina lo que es la literatura. Dice Victoria: “Escribir es renunciar a lo que uno es y ponerse al servicio de vidas ajenas que te susurran al oído.” Estas voces invisibles “están detrás de la literatura universal” que existe para “abrirnos paso a lo trascendente.” Lady Victoria les dice que hay que tener cuidado porque no todo lo que se escribe es literatura. Hay “los que roban ideas…que utilizan la literatura para cosas tan poco nobles como distraer a sus lectores de las grandes cuestiones.” La literatura de verdad es “la que abre las puertas a otros mundos”. Pero cuidado, pues “Escribir es un oficio peligroso…Imaginar personajes te expone a mentes ajenas.”

Don José le había dicho a David que “Escribir es un oficio peligroso…

Imaginar personajes te expone a mentes ajenas. Terminas oyendo voces que susurran cosas. Acabas viendo lo que otros no ven y resulta difícil no enloquecer…además están esas sombras…que buscan por todos los medios hundirte en la nada y robarte el fuego invisible de la creatividad.”

También existen daimones que son “una especie de emanaciones inteligentes que se adueñan de las almas…y condicionan sus vidas desde dentro”. Paula le dice a David que “tú eres un médium. Eres capaz de reconocer a los daimones igual que tu abuelo. Eres capaz de detectar lo oscuro en cuanto lo ves.”

Además de las referencias a la historia antigua y contemporánea y a los renombrados filósofos del mundo occidental, también hay bastantes toques de humor sardónico que me hacen pensar que el autor está tomándonos un poco el pelo. En primer lugar, los nombres de algunos personajes sugieren su personalidad: Susan Peacock, José Roca, Steven Hallbright, Victoria Goodman, y Mamá Gloria. Y hay algunas descripciones donde parece que el autor está burlándose de su personaje. Por ejemplo en cuanto a Victoria, David “podía visualizarla despeinada, como a una bruja de Goya o a cualquiera de las sibilas de la Capilla Sixtina, con los ojos de éxtasis abiertos como platos aguardando la revelación.”

continued on page 15

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Libros / Books

El Sol Latino March 2018

White Latino Privilege Caribbean Latino Perspectives in the Second Decade of the 21st Century Edited by GABRIEL HASLIP-VIERA • Latino Studies Press: February 2018 | 224 pages The NiLP Report | February 10, 2018 Although the idea and reality of “white Latino privilege” is shocking to many Hispanics and others when they first hear about it, and especially for those Latinos who can “pass” for white, it is not a new issue. Many Hispanics have been quietly and not so quietly talking about this for quite a number of years, and academics have written about or have discussed this issue in a number of studies without necessarily calling it a “privilege” for white Latinos [e.g.: Arlene Dávila and Yeidy Rodríguez].

The focus has been mostly on television, media, advertising and marketing. Latinos have pointed out how the privileging of whiteness, along with the racist stereotypes about non-white and “black” Latinos is clearly seen in Spanish language TV networks such as Univision and Telemundo, but also in Hollywood films and English language TV. Some white Latinos, especially those of lower socioeconomic status in U.S. mainland communities, have and may argue that they are not in fact privileged and this may be true because the old overarching biases and discriminatory practices against Latinos based on surnames, national origin, and language competency in English is still seen in certain sectors of the U.S. economy, labor market and culture.

The contributors to this edited volume by mostly young Millennial and Generation X Caribbean Latinos, who mostly define themselves as non-white or “black,” discuss the issue of white Latino privilege as it operates in the United States, the Spanish-speaking Caribbean and the rest of Latin America with a focus on academia, politics, family relations, dating, housing and other areas in addition to advertising, fashion, television, film, marketing and media in general.

Deportes / Sports

Springfield Old Timers Softball League por MANUEL FRAU RAMOS | manuelfrau@gmail.com El 6 de febrero del 2018 se llevó a cabo la reunión de la nueva liga de sofbol aficionado Springfield Old Timers Softball League (Springfield OTSL).

La liga compuesta de jugadores de 40 años o mas jugará sus juegos en la ciudad de Springfield, Massachusetts.

El Representante estatal Carlos González y el concejal de la ciudad de Springfield, Adam Gómez estuvieron presentes durante la reunión. En esta reunión se discutieron las ideas, ayuda y posibles mecanismos de colaboración entre la Springfield OTSL, González y Gómez que ayudarán al éxito de la nueva liga.

La Springfield OTSL empezó a coger forma a finales de 2017 y fue organizada a principios de este año 2018. La directiva de la liga está compuesta por Roberto Fontánez - Presidente, Daniel “Danny” Bellavista - Vice-Presidente, José Santos - Secretario General y Orlando “Landy” López - Presidente de Arbitros.

La Springfield OTSL está compuesta de cinco equipos para la presente temporada. Estos son; D-Backs Softball Team de Santiago “Chaguito” Suarez, KC Royals Softball Team de David Feliciano, Caribe Reds Softball Team de Guillermo “DeLos” De Los Santos, Artillero Softball Team de Eddy Almanzar y Caguas Softball Team de Julio “Gato” Rivera.

CONTENTS Introductory Preface “Who and What the Hell is a White Hispanic” 1. White Privilege, and the Ideology of White Supremacy in the Spanishspeaking Caribbean and its Diaspora with reference to Latin America, 1492-present, by Gabriel Haslip-Viera 2. White Privilege and the Effacement of Blackness: Puerto Rico and its Diaspora in the Early 21st Century, by William García 3. The Privilege of the White Hispanic: Leaving Out the Rest with Facts, Stats, and Cognitive Dissonance, by Cesar Vargas 4. How “Mestizaje” in Puerto Rico Makes Room for Racism to Flourish, by Dorothy Bell Ferrer 5. Indicators of White Privilege in Latinx Communities, by Jennifer Loubriel 6. Anti-Blackness in Latinx Communities by Raquel Solla 7. Mexican and Argentinian American Perspectives on White Latino Privilege, by Nicholle LaMartina and Julie Ramírez 8. White Latino Racism on the Rise: It’s Time for a Serious Conversation on Euro-Diasporic Whiteness, by William García 9. What Privilege? Mestilegio, Blackness and the Contours of Solidarity, by Ryan Hamilton 10. Internet Responses to Original Postings, by William García and Cesar Vargas Gabriel Hasip-Viera is emeritus professor of social history at the City College of the City University of New York. He is the author of Crime and Punishment in Late Colonial Mexico City, 1692-1810 (University of New Mexico Press, 1999), Race, Identity and Indigenous Politics: Puerto Rican Neo-Taínos in the Diaspora and the Island (Latino Studies Press, 2014), Thieves of Civilization: Afrocentric Attempts to Appropriate the Cultural Heritage of Native Americans and Latino Indo-Mestizos in America (Latino Studies Press, 2014) and editor or co-editor of Taíno Revival: Critical Perspectives on Puerto Rican Identity and Cultural Politics (Markus Wiener, 2001), Boricuas in Gotham: Puerto Ricans in the Making of Modern New York City (Markus Wiener, 2004), and Latinos in New York: Communities in Transition, 2nd Revised Edition (University of Notre Dame Press, 2017).

The NiLP Report on Latino Policy & Politics is an online information service provided by the National Institute for Latino Policy. For further information, visit www.latinopolicy. org. Send comments to editor@latinopolicy.org.

La apertura oficial de la temporada será el 5 de mayo del 2018. Ese día se celebrarán 4 juegos en el Springfield Field. Los encuentros se realizarán todos los sábados en el Springfield Field.

Para mas información sobre el itinerario o cualquier pregunta sobre la liga pueden conseguirlo a través de su página www.springfieldoldtimers.com o en la página de Facebook: Springfield OTSL. La liga tendrá un gran evento el día antes del comienzo de la temporada, BAILE PRO-FONDOS DE SPRINGFIELD OTSL el 4 de mayo del 2018 en Aquarius Night Club, (1217 State Street, Springfield ). Participará la popular agrupación ChocoBand.

Además estará, directamente desde Nueva york, la primera voz de Los Toros Band.

En los platos DJHeri y como animador del evento estará DJConzul El Kabronauta.

Habrá clases de Salsa antes del baile con Sally y Lellys.

Este evento está auspiciado por Fortuna Auto Sales.

De izquierda a derecha, Carlos Gónzalez – Representante Estartal, Daniel “Danny” Bellavista Vice-Presidente de la Liga, Roberto Fontanez - Presidente de la Liga, José Santos - Secretario General de la Liga y Adam Gómez – Concejal de la ciudad de Springfield.

Ciencias / Science

El Sol Latino March 2018

The Flu Season

by BRYAN SALAS-SANTIAGO | bryansalas0815@gmail.com A virus is a very small infectious agent that replicates inside of living organisms. A virus consists of a protein-made capsule that contains genetic material made from either DNA or RNA. This genetic material present inside the virus envelope contains the information necessary to make you sick. The way viruses work is by inserting their genetic material inside of cells and hijacking the system to start producing the genetic information, which in turn makes you sick. It literally works from the inside of our cells which is why our immune system has a hard time working against viruses. The virus will hide inside and your immune system will miss it. This is very different than a bacterial infection. Antibiotics are not made to combat viruses, which is why if you have a sore throat you MUST NOT take antibiotics since it can be a virus. Even if it is a bacterial infection, antibiotics do not work against all bacteria. This is why we need to pursue professional help when dealing with this situation.

Vaccines contain certain agents, specifically proteins from the virus.

When injected into our bodies, our immune system will respond and prepare antibodies specifics against that viral protein. When we get infected by the virus, because we were trained to fight it in advance, our immune system will recognize and start fighting the virus before we get sick.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

Knowing about viruses and vaccines is very important for the understanding of the Flu. This Flu season is bad for a number of reasons, one of which is because there are different types of Flu viruses at the same time. Usually dominates early on in the season and the other one comes in later. One type of Flu is particularly virulent (H3N2), this means that it makes people sicker when compared to any other strains of the Flu. This one in particular can cause such intense reaction that the lungs can become inflamed and airways can be blocked by mucus.

El Fuego Invisible continued from page 13 La novela entretiene a la vez que enseña. Nos advierte que “los descendientes de los que llevaron a Sócrates a la muerte siguen hoy dominando nuestro mundo.” Mientras más se acerca el final de la novela, más amenaza El Oscuro. Describe la maldad del “Oscuro”, diciendo que “no mata con violencia visible. Se limita a arrebatarte la vida. ..Es una energía tenebrosa que cambia de forma continuamente…y cuya única obsesión es apartar a las personas sensibles y creativas como tú del camino de la luz.” La profesora Alessandra le dice a David que “Estás en un grave peligro… .he tenido una visión muy clara sobre vosotros: …Hay un viejo mal que se ha encarnado y que busca vuestro fracaso.”

Si uno lee esta novela buscando el grial, que según Javier Sierra es El Fuego Invisible, dudo que lo encuentre pero es una interesante novela sobre la búsqueda en el Mundo Occidental por una cosa con la que “un alma pura podría servirse de ese objeto y emplearlo para hablar de tú a tú con Dios.”

Reseña de Cathleen C. Robinson, profesora jubilada del castellano y de la historia de la América Latina que ahora se dedica a escribir.

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In addition, Flu vaccines are about 25% effective against the worse virus this year based on recent CDC reports. A problem when working with viruses is that they evolve quickly. This means that in a small period of time, a virus can change enough that it becomes a new version and thus, makes vaccines ineffective. This happens because vaccines are made of very specific proteins from the virus and once the proteins change along with the strain, our immune system cannot recognize it and won’t be as effective fighting the virus. This is the main reason why we have to vaccinate every year against the Flu. Since there are different types circulating and they change so quickly, old vaccines won’t be effective against the new versions of the virus.

Nevertheless, our best option to combat this year’s Flu is vaccination. The main reason we must vaccinate is because 25% of protection is better than NO protection. Also, when comparing individuals that are vaccinated to nonvaccinated individuals, vaccinated people showed milder symptoms. This is very important because having milder symptoms means that you won’t be as sick and won’t spread the virus as much as somebody who is unvaccinated.

This is very important to understand, especially in our community.

We need to understand that we are part of a bigger society and we depend on each other. Vaccinating is not only for you to not get sick, but to also help your society stay healthy; a concept that is referred to by scientist’s as Herd immunity. Herd immunity establishes that if enough people in your community are protected against a disease (some estimates around 90%), it will be harder for the disease to spread. This is very important to comprehend because our communities consist of people from all ages, including babies and elders. Babies and elders are the most vulnerable to diseases because in the case of babies, their immune systems are not well developed and many babies are not old enough to get certain vaccines.

Also, elders have a deteriorating immune system, which in summary means that both groups get sick very easily. If enough people from our community are protected against a virus like the Flu, we will be effectively protecting those who cannot be vaccinated because of allergies, age, or being immune-compromised. This still stands true, even with this year’s vaccine that is only 25% effective.

By February 16th, 84 kids have died because of this Flu, making it the worst season in a decade so far. With such a bad Flu season, I think is our obligation to protect ourselves and our community. It is an ethical and moral responsibility to ensure good public health for everyone, especially for those who due to medical conditions cannot be protected.

Cita del Mes/Quote of the Month Grand Jury Probe is Requested for Possible Criminality Behind PR Debt “I request an investigation by a federal grand jury t o determine if there are criminal cases against individuals and organizations inside and outside of Puerto Rico in relation to the economic crisis facing the country.”

Judge Juan R. Torruella, of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston, during his participation in a conference celebrating the 120th anniversary of the birth of former island governor Luis Muñoz Marín.

Quoted by the San Juan Daily Star (February 22, 2018), page 3.

Berkeley La Raza Law Journal - Volume 13 Number 2 (2002).

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

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El Sol Latino March 2018

Temporada 2017-2018 AIR PLAY

Martes, Marzo 20, 7:00 p.m.* FAC Concert Hall Flying umbrellas, larger-than-life balloons, giant kites floating over the audience, and the biggest snow globe you’ve ever seen will make you gasp in wonder and laugh until it hurts. Air Play merges circus and street theater performance art with sculptural artistry.

With visual images seemingly sewn from the sky, this poetic ode to childhood will enchant and electrify the young and young at heart. Stay after the performance for a special presentation by the artists about their creative process.

*Favor de notar el nuevo horario, especialmente para las familias. Festival para la Familia en el lobby a las 6 p.m.

Sponsored by

Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

Sombrillas voladoras, globos gigantescos, cometas gigantes flotando sobre el público y la bola de nieve más grande que hayas visto te harán reír a carcajadas hasta que te duela. Air Play combina el arte del circo y el teatro de calle con arte escultórico. Con imágenes visuales aparentemente cosidas del cielo, esta oda poética a la infancia encantará y electrificará a los jóvenes y jóvenes de corazón. Quédate después de la actuación para una presentación especial de los artistas sobre su proceso creativo.

Precios de Entrada: $25, $20, $15; estudiantes de los Five College y jóvenes 17 años o menores: $10 Descuento Familiar: $50 (dos adultos/dos niños/as– Asientos en Secciones A y B) $5 bebés menores de 1 año, sentados en la falda de los padres.

Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

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