El Sol Latino | March 2023 | 19.4

Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

Un Periódico Difer wspaper

Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

Héctor ‘Picky’ Soto

Honored with Inaugural IVHF Mayoral Award of Excellence

(Photo Courtesy of Holyoke Mayor Office)

Foto del Mes/Photo of the Month

Héctor ‘Picky’ Soto Honored with Inaugural IVHF Mayoral Award of Excellence

contents

3 Portada / Front Page

Puerto Rican Volleybal Player Héctor ‘Picky’ Soto Honored with inaugural IVHF Mayoral Award of Excellence

4 Dr. Javier Reyes Appointed Chancellor of UMass Amherst

5 NASA’s Joe Acaba to Serve as Agency’s Chief Astronaut

6 Izamiento de la Bandera Dominicana

7 Educación / Education

AIC Appoints Bianca Figueroa-Santana as Director of New DEIB Office

Espaillat, Schumer, Gillibrand Deliver Federal Grant to Launch New CUNY DSI-led Cultural/Historical Initiative

8 D.C. Summit Connects Legislators with Community College Leaders

9 Finanzas / Finances

Getting the Green Light before Buying a Car

10 Cultura / Culture

The Whitney Museum Names Marcela Guerrero the DeMartini Family Curator

11 Mellon, Ford, Getty, and Terra Foundations Announce New Initiative Designed to Advance Latinx Art in Museums

12 Música / Music

Conozcan a los Músicos de la Orquesta Salsa Brava

13 Libros / Books

Revisiting Herstories: The Young Lords Party

14 Homo Novus

15 Salud/Health

BHN Holds Ribbon Cuttings for “BHN WellBeing” Centers in Springfield, Westfield

Founded in 2004 n Volume 19, No. 4 n March 2023

Editor Manuel Frau Ramos manuelfrau@gmail.com

413-320-3826

Assistant Editor Ingrid Estrany-Frau

Art Director Tennessee Media Design

Business Address El Sol Latino P.O Box 572 Amherst, MA 01004-0572

Editorial Policy

El Sol Latino acepta colaboraciones tanto en español como en inglés. Nos comprometemos a examinarlas, pero no necesariamente a publicarlas. Nos reservamos el derecho de editar los textos y hacer correcciones por razones de espacio y/o estilo. Las colaboraciones pueden ser enviadas a nuestra dirección postal o a través de correo electrónico a: info@elsollatino.net.

El Sol Latino welcomes submissions in either English or Spanish. We consider and review all submissions but reserve the right to not publish them. We reserve the right to edit texts and make corrections for reasons of space and/or style. Submissions may be sent to our postal address or via electronic mail to: info@elsollatino.net.

El Sol Latino is published monthly by Coquí Media Group. El Sol Latino es publicado mensualmente por Coquí Media Group, P.O Box 572, Amherst, MA 01004-0572.

Puerto Rican Volleybal Player Héctor ‘Picky’ Soto

Honored with inaugural IVHF Mayoral Award of Excellence

by MANUEL FRAU RAMOS

In the 2006 and 2007 FIVB World Championship, he was selected the Best Scorer of the tournament. Soto’s 271 points still stand as the record for most points in an FIVB World Championship.

During his long and successful sports career, Picky was a member of the Men’s National Team that ended up in sixth place at the 2007 FIVB Men’s World Cup in Japan, where he received an individual award as Best Scorer. In addition, Picky won gold 3 medals won at the Central America and Caribbean Games as part of with the Puerto Rican Men’s National Team. In 2007 he was NORCECA Championship “Best Scorer” and FIVB World Cup “Best Scorer”, and in 2010 he was as “Most Valuable Player” in the Central American and Caribbean Games.

Prominent Puerto Rican volleyball player Héctor ‘Picky’ Soto received the inaugural International Volleyball Hall of Fame (IVHF) Mayoral Award of Excellence. The event was held on February 15, 2023 at the Teatro Renacimiento in the city of Arroyo, Puerto Rico. The award was presented by fellow Boricua, IVHF Board Member and current Mayor of the City of Holyoke (MA) Joshua García. The City of Holyoke is the Birthplace of Volleyball and home of the IVHF.

The International Volleyball Hall of Fame Mayoral Award of Excellence was created this year (2023) as a way to recognize an athlete, group or organization that has directly contributed to the sport of volleyball or to the International Volleyball Hall of Fame. The award will be presented at the discretion of the sitting Mayor of Holyoke, with the consent by the IVHF Board of Directors.

A group of Puerto Rican local political and sport personalities, along with a Western Massachusetts delegation, joined Mayor García in Arroyo. Mr. Eric Román, mayor of Arroyo, Puerto Rican Senator Gretchen Hau, and officials of the Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation, Noel Marrero y Jesús Prieto, joined the members of the Commonwealth delegation, Massachusetts House of Representatives Carlos González and Legislative Aide to State Representative Patricia Duffy, Juan Anderson-Burgos.

Soto, considered one of the most accomplished volleyball players to come out of Puerto Rico, started playing professionally with the Puerto Rican club Bucaneros de Arroyo in the 1995 season. Since 1998 he played with Caribes de San Sebastián. In 1999 the team won the Puerto Rican League Championship and he was named the Final Series Most Valuable Player.

Picky Soto attended Indiana University at Fort Wayne where he was a two time AVCA Division I First Team All-American (1999, 2000,) and a Second Team All-American selection in 1998. In 2006 her was inducted to the University of Indiana – Ft. Wayne Hall of Fame.

During the recognition event held in Puerto Rico, Major Joshua García highlighted Picky’s legendary trajectory as the principal reason for his recognition. “He has been to High Scorer and a Most Valuable Player from his college days in Indiana to his professional career that brought him from Puerto Rico to Italy, Russia, Japan, Korea, Belgium, Turkey, and Tunisia. As Mayor of the City of Holyoke, the Birthplace of Volleyball, it iss my honor and privilege to recognize Arroyo native Picky Soto with the inaugural Mayoral Award of Excellence.”

“On behalf of the IVHF Board of Directors, we welcome Mr. Héctor ‘Picky’ Soto as the inaugural recipient of the newly established Mayoral Award of Excellence,” commented IVHF President Steve Bishop.

“Mr. Soto’s contributions to volleyball and the Federation of Puerto Rico are numerous. He has a storied career that merits recognition and this award will record his name in history alongside some of the sport’s greatest athletes, coaches, officials and leaders from around the world. We celebrate Mr. Soto and welcome him to the IVHF family.”

“I’m grateful,” Soto said. “Coming out of a small place (Arroyo) compared to the world, it is difficult to process this recognition. It’s a lot to process to have the International Hall of Fame recognize my career. I have the opportunity to receive this award, but many more citizens deserve it.”

Soto, for his part recognized the important role of his parents, María and Héctor, for supporting his athletic dreams and driving him to all his scheduled games around the island when he was a child. He also thanked his wife and children. His wife Amnerys accompanied him in his travels the world when he played.

Soto also acknowledged his teammates on the National Team, like Enrique Escalante, who helped him shine on the court, and his teachers in volleyball, Frankie Santana and César Díaz as well as fellow player, the late Carlos Arroyo.

L to R - Legendary Volleyball teacher Frankie Santana. Arroyo Mayor Eric Bachier Román, Puerto Rican Senator Gretchen Hau, Héctor “Picky” Soto, Holyoke Mayor Joshua A. García, and Massachusetts State Representative Carlos González of Springfield (Photo Courtesy of Holyoke Mayor Office)

Dr. Javier Reyes Appointed Chancellor of UMass Amherst

AMHERST, MA | UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS - Office of Communications | February 16, 2023 – Pointing to his record of innovative leadership and embrace of public higher education’s historic mission, the UMass Board of Trustees, acting on President Marty Meehan’s recommendation, has selected Dr. Javier Reyes to be the next chancellor of UMass Amherst.

Governor Maura Healey praised Dr. Reyes’ appointment as “historic.”

“Javier Reyes is an innovative and dynamic leader who will harness the full potential of UMass Amherst. I’m confident that he will inspire students and faculty alike to continue growing the school’s excellence in education and research. I congratulate Dr. Reyes, President Meehan, and the UMass Board of Trustees on this historic appointment. I am grateful to Chancellor Subbaswamy for his many years of service to the university and for taking it to new heights. I wish him the very best in his future endeavors.”

than 33,000 students and $440 million in research awards. He will succeed Chancellor Subbaswamy, who has led UMass Amherst for the past 11 years.

“I am honored by the opportunity to lead UMass Amherst, a world class university that is on the rise, and humbled by the trust that President Meehan and the Board of Trustees are placing in me,” Reyes said. “My visit to campus and meetings with students, faculty, staff, alumni and community partners were truly inspiring. My wife, Maritza, and I are excited about making Massachusetts our home and doing our part to elevate UMass Amherst toward the top 20 public universities in the United States.”

UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy welcomed Reyes to the university. ““I am really excited to welcome Javier Reyes as the next chancellor of UMass Amherst,” Subbaswamy said. “His prior experience at two land-grant flagships, his record of assembling and leading collaborative teams, his temperament, and his friendly personality all bode well for the continuation of UMass Amherst’s progress and impact into the future.”

Reyes will be the sixth chancellor appointed on President Meehan’s watch, following: Jacquie Moloney (UMass Lowell), Robert Johnson (UMass Dartmouth), Marcelo Suárez-Orozco (UMass Boston), Mark Fuller (UMass Dartmouth), and Julie Chen (UMass Lowell).

A Rising Star in Public Higher Education

Reyes, 48, was appointed interim chancellor of the University of Illinois Chicago on July 1, 2022, and previously served as UIC’s provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.

The University of Illinois Chicago is an R1 Carnegie Classification research institution. With its $440 million in research awards, UIC places in the top 65 among the more than 650 national universities in research funding.

“Dr. Reyes understands that UMass Amherst is the Commonwealth’s indispensable education and research engine,” said Stephen R. Karam, chairman of the UMass Board of Trustees. “From the very beginning, we were determined to find a special leader who could build on all that has been accomplished over the past decade and help drive our flagship campus even higher. We have found that exact person in Dr. Javier Reyes.”

“Javier Reyes has demonstrated uncommon energy and vision throughout his career,” UMass President Marty Meehan said. “A bold and innovative leader, he has inspired students in the classroom, supported initiatives that have unleashed the teaching and research talents of faculty, and connected great public universities to the socio-economic aspirations of their communities. He is well-prepared to build on the strong foundation that has been built under Chancellor Subbaswamy’s stellar leadership.”

Born and raised in Mexico, Reyes is an economist who has devoted his career to the cause of public higher education. He will be the first Hispanic to serve as Chancellor of UMass Amherst.

Reyes currently serves as interim chancellor of the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), Chicago’s largest university campus, with more

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago are developing cleaner, more sustainable sources of energy, creating new medical diagnostic techniques, focusing on ways to improve the quality of urban life and are examining ways to manage large amounts of computer-generated data.

UIC is classified as a Minority Serving Institution, a Hispanic Serving Institution, and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution.

Prior to his arrival at UIC, Reyes served as dean of the John Chambers College of Business and Economics at West Virginia University and as vice president for the state’s economic development program Startup West Virginia. Under his leadership, enrollment of the Chambers College of Business grew by 20 percent.

Reyes began his career in higher education in 2003, when he joined the University of Arkansas economics faculty after earning a Ph.D. in economics from Texas A&M University. He later became vice provost for distance education and associate dean for undergraduate studies and executive education at the Arkansas Sam M. Walton College of Business.

Javier Reyes was born and raised in Mexico and attended Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico City, where he earned his continued on page 5

Javier Reyes, the next chancellor of UMass Amherst (UMass Amherst photo)

NASA’s Joe Acaba to Serve as Agency’s Chief Astronaut

WASHINGTON, DC | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | February 2, 2023 - NASA has selected veteran astronaut Joe Acaba as chief of the Astronaut Office at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. A decorated veteran of multiple spaceflights, as well a former U.S. Marine and former educator, Acaba is the first person of Hispanic heritage selected to lead the office.

Acaba takes the place of NASA astronaut Drew Feustel, who spent two years as deputy chief and has been acting chief of the office since NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman left the post late last year.

“Congratulations to Joe Acaba on being named the new chief of the astronaut office! Joe is an experienced space flyer and a proven leader, and he will undoubtedly inspire the next generation of NASA astronauts. As we build on the International Space Station’s unparalleled success in low-Earth orbit with our eyes on the Moon and then Mars, Joe will play an integral role in ensuring our NASA astronauts are prepared for the challenges ahead,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “I also want to thank Reid Wiseman for his steady leadership, and to Drew Feustel for jumping in to continue the office’s long legacy of excellence and integrity.”

“Our Johnson Space Center team congratulates Joe Acaba on his selection to chief of the Astronaut Office. We wish him well as he takes on this new and exciting leadership role,” said NASA Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche. “I extend my sincerest thanks to Reid Wiseman for his dedicated service to the Astronaut Office, as he completed the tremendous task of preparing our astronaut corps for daring missions to and from the International Space Station, and integrating their expertise and space knowledge to develop and test future technologies, software, and procedures, making space travel safer, reliable, comfortable, and attainable for our nation’s explorers. A special thank you to Drew Feustel for stepping in to lead our astronaut corps following Reid’s transition. I appreciate his willingness to step in and help prepare our nation’s astronauts to explore space for the benefit of humanity.”

A veteran of three spaceflights, Acaba was born in Inglewood, California. He earned a bachelor’s degree in geology at University of California in Santa Barbara, one master’s degree in geology from the University of Arizona, and one in education, curriculum and instruction from Texas Tech University, Lubbock. Before his selection as an astronaut candidate in 2004, Acaba spent time in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves and the Peace Corps, worked as a hydrogeologist, and taught high school and middle school.

“Joe is an excellent leader who brings a wealth of experience to the Astronaut Office,” said NASA’s Director of Flight Operations Norm Knight, who made the selection. “Knowing the significance of this position and the integrity of those who have previously served, I am confident Joe will be an outstanding chief for the Astronaut Office who will successfully lead our astronauts through an exciting future.”

In his new role, Acaba will be responsible for managing astronaut resources and operations. He also will help develop astronaut flight crew operation concepts and make crew assignments for future spaceflight missions, including astronauts assigned to fly on Artemis missions.

Acaba spent 306 days in space, serving as mission specialist on space shuttle Discovery’s STS-119 mission and as flight engineer aboard the International Space Station for Expeditions 31 and 32 in 2012, as well as Expeditions 53 and 54 in 2017-2018. During that time, he took part in three spacewalks building and upgrading the space station, supported the arrival of the first commercial resupply spacecraft, SpaceX’s Dragon, in May 2012. He was aboard the station when its standard crew complement increased from three to six, enabling NASA and its international partners to double the amount time dedicated to research. Since returning to Earth, he has supported the astronaut office in a number of roles, including director of operations in Russia, and chief of the Vehicle Integration Test Office.

Dr. Javier Reyes Appointed Chancellor of UMass Amherst

bachelor’s degree in economics. Reyes is considered an expert in distance education and global economic matters. He is an accomplished researcher and has published articles in many leading economics and business journals.

“Like Chancellor Subbaswamy, Dr. Reyes is grounded and humble, and he brings these attributes into his engagement with the student body,” said UMass Amherst Student Government Association President Shayan Raza, a member of the search committee.

“Throughout his career, Dr. Reyes has worked in partnership with students, not only giving them a seat at the table, but also ensuring that their voices are prioritized. His approachable and empathetic

continued from page 4

demeanor makes him a chancellor whom I am certain will be a beacon on our campus, whether in the Whitmore Administration Building or the Worcester Dining Commons.”

“Seeing Latino leadership at the highest levels of education is an important signal to not only the Latino community, but to an everdiverse student body that representation matters,” said Amanda Fernandez, CEO and Founder, Latinos for Education. “From leading a large and diverse urban campus at the University of Illinois-Chicago, Mr. Reyes will certainly bring an important perspective to UMass Amherst. We look forward to seeing his vision outlined and implemented in the coming years.”

NASA astronaut JOE ACABA / Credits: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Izamiento de la Bandera Dominicana

Springfield City Hall

25 de Febrero de 2023

Foto cortesía de Julián Peralta

Educación / Education

AIC Appoints Bianca Figueroa-Santana as Director of New DEIB Office

SPRINGFIELD, MA | AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE |

January 18, 2023 – American International College (AIC)-is taking a major step toward implementing its diversity and equity objectives with the establishment of an Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB).

The College also announces the appointment of Bianca Figueroa-Santana as director of this newly created office, effective February 1, 2023. In her former role as AIC’s assistant director of Diversity Education, Figueroa-Santana demonstrated an ongoing commitment to the work and principles of DEIB.

Bianca Figueroa-Santana will lead AIC’s new Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

Coordinator

Figueroa-Santana says she is eager to get to work with faculty, staff, and students to assess the College’s current DEIB infrastructure, look at perceived barriers, and author a DEIB plan that includes initiatives for strengthening the College’s infrastructure as outlined in its new

five-year strategic plan AIC Reimagined. “I am excited to step into the role of Director of the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. This is a pivotal moment for the College in its journey to ensure our diverse community feels a sense of inclusion on campus. This new office not only reaffirms the College’s commitment to DEIB but also empowers us to make positive changes on campus through thoughtful programming and targeted initiatives.”

AIC President Hubert Benitez, DDS, PhD Hubert Benitez congratulates Figueroa-Santana on her new role, and adds, “We look forward to supporting Bianca as she takes on this new and important responsibility. By continuing to work together, we will transform the AIC climate to ensure we create an environment where we all belong and can thrive.” The creation of the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging is made possible, partly, by two recent grants; One for $30,000 awarded to AIC by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, and another for $35,000 from the Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation

Founded in 1885, American International College (AIC) is a private, co-educational, doctoral-granting institution in Springfield, Massachusetts comprising the School of Business, Arts and Sciences, the School of Health Service, and the School of Education. AIC supports and advances education, diversity, and opportunity for its students and the community.

Espaillat, Schumer, Gillibrand Deliver Federal Grant to Launch New CUNY DSI-led Cultural/Historical Initiative

NEW YORK, NY | CUNY DOMINICAN STUDIES INSTITUTE |

February 6, 2023 - The CUNY Dominican Studies Institute (CUNY DSI) has received $809,092 in federal funding for the creation of a City University of New York Cultural/Historical Legacy Initiative (CUNY CHLI) that will generate culturally and historically rich curricula and enrichment programs for K-12 students in partnership with the New York City Department of Education.

CUNY CHLI will provide special training and faculty development programs for teachers and educators. It will use assets and inputs from The City College of New York-based CUNY DSI Archives, Library, and Research Unit to produce educational training and resources that promote and preserve the formidable cultural and historical legacies of Dominican, Latinos/a/x people in the United States. One CUNY CHLI thrust will be to produce a series of children’s books and audiovisual documentaries featuring unsung heroes of Dominican history and culture.

“I am thrilled to receive such an important grant that will allow us to work even more closely with the next generations who, now more than ever, need to know about the contributions of their ancestors and their parents to U.S. society, so they continue on the same path,” said Dr. Ramona Hernandez, Director, CUNY DSI. “This is really a dream program for us.”

CUNY CHLI will also enhance CUNY DSI’s High School Archival Program. It provides hands-on archival experience and research opportunities through paid internships for high-school students from New York City and beyond, who can also earn course credit for their

participation via our Bridge to College Program partnership with NYC Public Schools

“We are deeply grateful to Representative Adriano Espaillat, Senator Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, all long-time friends of City College and the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute. This support is thanks to them, and they have brought vital vision and leadership to this new and exciting initiative,” said Andrew Rich, the Richard J. Henley and Susan L. Davis Dean of the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at The City College. “By fostering culturally responsive curricula for K-12 students and training programs for their teachers, CUNY CHLI will benefit immigrant communities in New York City and throughout the country.”

CUNY DOMINICAN STUDIES INSTITUTE - Founded in 1992 and housed at The City College of New York, the Dominican Studies Institute of the City University of New York (CUNY DSI) is the nation’s first university-based research institute devoted to the study of people of Dominican descent in the United States and other parts of the world. CUNY DSI’s mission is to produce and disseminate research and scholarship about Dominicans, and about the Dominican Republic. CUNY DSI is the locus for a community of scholars, including doctoral fellows, in the field of Dominican Studies and sponsors multidisciplinary research projects. The Institute houses the Dominican Archives, the first and only of its kind outside of the Dominican Republic, dedicated to preserving the records reflecting the experiences of Dominicans in the U.S., and the Dominican Library, the largest depository of bibliographical resources in the U.S. related to Dominican Studies.

Photo by Zachary Cunningham, AIC Digital and Social Media

Education

D.C. Summit Connects Legislators with Community College Leaders

SPRINGFIELD, MA | SPRINGFIELD TECHNICAL COMMUNITY

COLLEGE| February 23, 2023 – The Community College National Legislative Summit offered Springfield Technical Community College President John B. Cook and STCC trustees an opportunity to speak with lawmakers about federal priorities, including reducing barriers to receive Pell Grants that help low-income students access higher education.

Cook went to the Summit, which is the premier community college advocacy event in Washington, D.C., with STCC trustees Jynai McDonald and Tonia Butler Perez on Feb. 5-8. Massachusetts featured a delegation of close to 40 people, including other community college presidents and trustees as well as staff from the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges.

enrollment. We ought not add an additional barrier to funding their education by taxing the Pell grant and giving them less resources towards achieving academic success.”

She commented on the importance of expanding the Pell Grant to short-term programs. “In order to strengthen our workforce we must remove the financial barriers for students. Expansion on the short term Pell grant means that more STCC students get increased access to programs, which means increased access to career opportunities and self-sufficiency for them and their families.”

President Cook noted that more than half of STCC’s students receive Pell Grants.

“We hope to see these grants expanded to short-term workforce development programs to reduce barriers and provide a more accessible pathway to higher wages and stable careers. This is one of the priorities we discussed with legislators, including Congressman Neal,” he said.

Cook thanked Congressman Neal for his support, noting he has long been a champion for STCC and its students.

In January, Neal announced a $3 million earmark which funded the Cybersecurity Center of Excellence at Springfield Union Station. The funding will be used to establish the center, which will be developed and operated in collaboration with the MassCyberCenter, and serve as a regional CCE for western Massachusetts and beyond.

“The Summit provided a great opportunity for those of us leading community colleges to learn more about federal policy issues and discuss the priorities of our institutions,” Cook said. “I appreciated meeting face to face with the decision makers in Washington, including Congressman Richard E. Neal, who has been a longtime supporter of STCC.”

STCC, the only technical community college in Massachusetts, serves a diverse student population who seek degrees and certificates in manufacturing, STEM, healthcare, business, social services and the liberal arts. STCC, which is the most affordable college in Springfield, is a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution and offers a variety of noncredit workforce development programs.

Cook and trustees met with Neal and several Massachusetts legislators. They discussed federal priorities, including tax-free Pell grants as well as establishing Pell Grants for short-term programs that Cook said would greatly benefit STCC students.

Pell Grants enable millions of low-income community college students to pay tuition and fees and meet other college expenses and are the foundation of all other student aid. Increasing the maximum award promotes affordability and student success for low-income students, while reducing their need to borrow.

Trustee Jynai McDonald said, “STCC students have had to overcome so many barriers to make sure they are able to maintain their

In 2021, Neal helped STCC secure two grants worth more than $7 million from the U.S. Department of Education to boost student success among Latinx and low-income students in STEM fields. Over a five-year span, the grants will support science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs at the college and welcome more students into the ever-growing field.

The following are among the 2023 community college federal legislative priorities identified by the American Association of Community Colleges:

• Bolster the role of community colleges in workforce development

• Fund key education and workforce programs

• Enact the Dream Act to provide a path to citizenship for undocumented young people

• Reform student aid for today’s students

• End taxation of Pell Grants

In addition to focusing on priorities, the Summit provided professional development opportunities for trustees of community colleges.

“This is my first time ever going, and I really thought it was one of the best summits I’ve ever been to,” said Butler Perez, who joined STCC as a trustee in August 2022. “It was called the New Trustee Academy, and it was the best thing a trustee, and even a president, could have gone to. Trustees and presidents from other colleges were there, and they had some of the same problems we have. It was a good conglomeration of different people from different areas.”

The National Legislative Summit brought together more than 1,000 community college leaders. The event put a spotlight on the importance of community colleges for Congress and the Administration. Interested in applying to STCC? Visit stcc.edu/apply or call Admissions at (413) 755-3333.

From left: STCC President John B. Cook, STCC Trustee Tonia Butler Perez, U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal and STCC Trustee Jynai S. McDonald attend the summit in February 2023.

Getting the Green Light before Buying a Car

Cars. We love them. Need them. Buy them. Sometimes we buy the one “we (really) want” without making an informed decision. Other times, we rely on the seller to tell us all the good things about the car, such as its features, that we forget that there are other important questions we need answers to.

While we may not necessarily ask the dealer, “Is this car a lemon?” it’s an important question we may want to seek the answer to. I always tell consumers to do their homework before buying anything, especially a car. We should never rely solely on a dealer/seller to tell us the history of a car we’re considering buying.

Though it may be a thoughtful gesture by the dealer, we don’t want to depend on just a CarFax report they give us. Those reports are only as good as the information that goes into them, so they could potentially be missing information. As consumers, we have other options.

The most important one is for us to bring the car for a “pre-purchase inspection” to an independent, trustworthy, certified mechanic who can put the car on a lift and give us an honest, professional opinion. I refer to the mechanic’s report as the safety green light, or potentially red light. The money we pay for the red light may be an significant expense if the car is deemed a lemon, and we’re spared from buying it. If we get a green light then we know that the pre-purchase inspection was well-worth every penny. In other words, the inspection will make or break the deal.

Ask to see the original title to the vehicle as this will tell a story of a salvaged, rebuilt or flood vehicle, or if the title has been rebranded.

by MILAGROS S. JOHNSON

A car with a branded title will typically cost less than one with a clean title, and have a significantly lower resale or trade-in value. Other risks are the vehicle’s safety and reliability, as well as its performance. Many of the repairs associated with those repairs are most often expensive and cumbersome.

I strongly recommend a Google search on the VIN number when we suspect the vehicle had previously been in a collision. It is possible we may discover the vehicle was sold at an auction and find photos depicting the previous damage. For a vehicle declared by an insurance company to have extensive flood damage, we can obtain a title report from the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System for a nominal cost.

I’m sure you would agree that a car is an expensive purchase, and repairs can be just as costly. We work hard for our money, and we want to get our monies worth when we spend it. So why rush through the process when buying our next car? Be sure to read next month’s column for a refresher on how we can better protect our investment under the Massachusetts Lemon Aid Law when buying a used car. For more information, or to speak with a Consumer Specialist, call (413) 787-6437 or email us at moci@springfieldcityhall.com.

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.

Cultura / Culture

The Whitney Museum Names Marcela Guerrero the DeMartini Family Curator

NEW YORK, NY | WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART | February 16, 2023

— The Whitney Museum of American Art has named Marcela Guerrero the DeMartini Family Curator. In her new role, Guerrero will continue her pioneering work on acquiring and exhibiting contemporary and historical Latinx artists in the Whitney’s program and collection. She will also play a key strategic role in working crossdepartmentally to broaden the Whitney’s engagement with Latinx audiences and community partners while supporting overall strategic planning for the collection. She begins her new position on February 18, 2023.

Guerrero has worked at the Whitney for nearly six years and was the Museum’s first curator to specialize inLatinx art. She currently serves as the Jennifer Rubio Associate Curator and has curated landmark exhibitions like no existe un mundo poshuracán: Puerto Rican Art in the Wake of Hurricane Maria. That show, on view at the Museum through April 23, explores the impact of the devastating storm on contemporary Puerto Rican art. This powerful and renowned exhibition is the first survey of Puerto Rican art at a major U.S. art museum in fifty years.

Guerrero was also part of the curatorial team that organized Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 at the Whitney in 2020, and curated Pacha, Llaqta, Wasichay: Indigenous Space, Modern Architecture, a 2018 exhibition that featured the work of seven emerging Latinx artists. This summer, Guerrero will co-curate an exhibition of artist Ilana Savdie’s latest work, including paintings and drawings, as well as new works produced for the Whitney. Guerrero is responsible for many major acquisitions of work by prominent Latinx artists to the Whitney’s collection, including Laura Aguilar, Patrick Martinez, and Freddy Rodriguez. She has also been instrumental in the Museum’s digital and on-site Spanish language initiatives.

“Marcela is a visionary curator who has truly transformed the field of Latinx art not just at the Whitney but internationally through her passionate advocacy for living artists, brilliant scholarship, groundbreaking exhibitions, and care for our audiences,” said Scott Rothkopf, Senior Deputy Director and Nancy and Steve Crown Family Chief Curator. “Her new senior role demonstrates the Whitney’s growing commitment to Latinx art, artists, and audiences as one of our core priorities.”

The Museum also announced that current Assistant Curator Jennie Goldstein has been named the Jennifer Rubio Associate Curator of the Collection. In this role, Goldstein will focus primarily on building the Whitney’s collection and its displays, deepening the productive exchange between collection stewardship and exhibitions. She will support ongoing efforts to strategically develop the collection—an area where she has already made an impact, acquiring works by Darrel Ellis and Marie Watt, among others—and the artists, objects, and ideas that fuel the Museum. She will continue to work on exhibitions; her most recent curatorial project, In the Balance: Between Painting and Sculpture, 1965–1985, is on view at the Museum through March 5.

“Jennie has been an extraordinary champion of the Whitney’s collection and has a rare range of knowledge spanning from its earliest to most recent works. Her exhibitions Making Knowing: Craft in Art, 1950–2019 and In the Balance reframed key themes and moments in American art history with great flair and originality,” Rothkopf said. “In her new role, she will expand our efforts around the collection and contribute further to our exhibition program.”

MARCELA GUERRERO came to the Whitney from the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, where she worked as a Curatorial Fellow from 2014 to 2017. At the Hammer, she was involved in the muchlauded exhibition Radical Women: Latin American Art, 1960–1985, organized as part of the Getty Foundation’s Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA initiative, and guest-curated by Cecilia Fajardo-Hill and Andrea Giunta. Prior to joining the Hammer, she worked in the Latin American and Latino art department at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, where she served as Research Coordinator for the International Center for the Arts of the Americas. In her current role as Assistant Curator at the Whitney, Guerrero has organized important exhibitions and worked to foreground the contributions of Latinx artists in the U.S. and increase the presence of their works in the Whitney’s collection.

Most recently, she curated the landmark exhibition no existe un mundo poshuracán: Puerto Rican Art in the Wake of Hurricane Maria, the first survey of Puerto Rican art at a major U.S. art museum in fifty years, and organized a public art installation on the facade of 95 Horatio Street by Martine Gutierrez. Previously, she was part of the curatorial team that organized Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945, and curated Pacha, Llaqta, Wasichay: Indigenous Space, Modern Architecture, an exhibition featuring the work of seven emerging Latinx artists. Guerrero has served as co-chair of the Whitney’s Emerging Artist Working Group and has been instrumental in the Museum’s recent Spanish language initiatives both digitally and on-site.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico and now a Brooklyn resident, Guerrero holds a Ph.D. in art history from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

JENNIE GOLDSTEIN has worked in various positions at the Whitney Museum of Art, beginning as a Curatorial Assistant before pursuing a graduate degree. Most recently, as Assistant Curator, a position she has held since 2015, she has focused on collection building and collections-based and loan exhibitions. Goldstein has curated several prominent exhibitions, including the currently on-view In the Balance: Between Painting and Sculpture, 1965–1985. She also curated or co-curated Making Knowing: Craft in Art, 1950–2019; Christine Sun Kim: Too Much Future; and An Incomplete History of Protest: Selections from the Whitney’s Collection, 1940–2019 Goldstein recently served as a member of the Museum’s Equity and Inclusion Steering Group, which centered staff voices in the institution’s Equity and Inclusion Plan. Prior to her current role, she worked as a Joan Tisch Teaching Fellow at the Whitney.

Goldstein holds a master’s degree in art history from Stony Brook University in New York.

Marcela Guerrero and Jennie Goldstein

Cultura

Mellon, Ford, Getty, and Terra Foundations Announce New Initiative Designed to Advance Latinx Art in Museums

NEW YORK, NY | THE ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION |

February 13, 2023- Mellon, Ford, Getty, and Terra Foundations today announced Advancing Latinx Art in Museums (ALAM)—the new initiative represents the second phase of a multi-year funding collaboration seeking to nurture and prioritize US Latinx art. The funding partners have committed a combined $5 million to the initiative, which will provide ten grants of $500,000 to institutions in support of the creation and formalization of 10 permanent early and mid-career curatorial positions with expertise in Latinx art.

“We are beyond thrilled to be selected as it represents a milestone for our institution to bring on more curatorial support in our projects specific to Puerto Rican artists in our collection,” explains Marianne Ramírez Aponte, executive director and chief curator of the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico. “With this funding, we will encourage greater knowledge about contemporary art by Latinx artists, expand our network with US-based Puerto Rican artists and other Latinx intersections, and build our support for artists on the island and in the diaspora.”

“Institutional change can happen when we have experienced and knowledgeable voices at the table. We are eager to support the new curator as they join our team and help shape our work, all while affirming the importance of Latinx art and artists in the wider story of art and reinforcing our commitment to engage and serve Latinx audiences,” says E. Carmen Ramos, chief curatorial and conservation officer of the National Gallery of Art. “Our renowned collection offers opportunities for Latinx art to be presented in dialogue with both the national and the global, and we anticipate that the curator’s work will benefit from the breadth and depth of our expanding holdings.”

Latinx artists—creatives of Latin American or Caribbean descent who live and work in the US—have made significant and vital contributions to American culture for generations. ALAM is a collaborative initiative that aims to bolster museums and visual art organizations that have shown a commitment to collecting, studying, exhibiting, and engaging with Latinx art and artists by ensuring they have the capacity to employ specialist curators. Funding will support the hiring of five new curators and the promotion of five curatorial staff into permanent roles at institutions across the United States and Puerto Rico. The grant program will also include opportunities to enhance and grow the existing community of curators with expertise in Latinx art, connecting the individuals supported at each participating institution to each other and to a wider circle of museum professionals working in this space.

“The deep knowledge and understanding of Latinx art these ten curators hold comes from rigorous expertise and commitment to the creative expression of Latinx communities in the United States and Puerto Rico,” said Elizabeth Alexander, president of the Mellon Foundation

“Through ALAM we are proud to help expand opportunities for Latinx art curatorship across the country, and to do our part in upholding the centrality of this work in our museums and arts organizations.”

“We need to invest more if we want Latinx art to be more broadly represented in our museums, with dedicated curators who can focus exclusively on building and stewarding these collections,” urges Joan Weinstein, director of the Getty Foundation. “ALAM is a decisive next step made possible through collaborative funding.”

People who identify as Latinx comprise nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population overall and considerably more in some of the country’s largest cities. Yet, Latinx causes and organizations routinely receive less than two percent of philanthropic funding. While annual funding for Latinx arts and culture has seen a gradual annual increase since 2020, Latinx artists remain the largest majority missing from most museum collections, exhibitions, scholarship, and programming. ALAM, and the greater Latinx Art Visibility Initiative, is part of a long overdue effort to support Latinx artists and to ignite a public conversation about the rightful place of Latinx art within American art. ALAM recipients include large institutions, college and university museums, and leading Latinx museums—spanning scale, modality, and location—all aligned in their commitment to building or expanding a curatorial focus on Latinx art and ultimately creating a more inclusive curatorial field.

The 2022 Advancing Latinx Art Museums Recipients Institutions are:

• 516 ARTS, Albuquerque, NM

• Arizona State University Art Museum in partnership with CALA Alliance, Tempe, AZ

• Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas at Austin, TX

• El Museo del Barrio, New York, NY

• Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR

• Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, San Diego, CA

• National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

• National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago, IL

• Newark Museum of Art; Newark, NJ

• Vincent Price Art Museum at East Los Angeles College, Los Angeles, CA

Forty-eight museums and visual arts organizations from the US and Puerto Rico, that have shown a commitment to collecting, studying, exhibiting, and engaging with Latinx art and artists, were invited to apply. Applications were reviewed by a panel of five experts in Latinx visual art and museums.

For more information on Advancing Latinx Art in Museums, visit the mellon.org/programs/arts-and-culture/faq-advancing-latinx-art-museums

Patrick Martinez: America is for Dreamers, a 2017 exhibition at VPAM curated by Pilar Tompkins Rivas with Joseph Valencia. Credits: Courtesy of VPAM and Charlie James Gallery, photo by Monica Orozco. Artwork © Patrick Martinez

Música / Music

Conozcan a los Músicos de la Orquesta Salsa Brava

• José Febres (Fundador y Director) • Mondongo (Trombón & Director Musical • Willie Rodríguez (Cantante) • Papo Osteman (Trompeta) • Manuel Montas (Trompeta) •Austin Isue (Trompeta) • Ray Natal (Conga) •- Pedro Aguayo (Piano) • Wilfredo Mateo (Timbal) • Nolbel ( Bongo) • Eduardo (Bajo) – Para mas información y contrataciones 413-250-4897.

Revisiting Herstories: The Young Lords Party by IRIS MORALES

NEW YORK, NY | RED SUGARCANE PRESS | January 6, 2022 | 270 pages

Description:

During the 1960s and 1970s, the Young Lords organized for the rights of Puerto Ricans in the United States and to end colonialism in Puerto Rico. Revisiting Herstories: The Young Lords Party examines the rise of feminism in the New York organization from 1969 to 1972 and the factors that advanced or derailed it. The book centers on the activism of women and the battle of ideas vital to the group’s liberatory politics that charted new ground in the Puerto Rican diaspora.

Women in the Young Lords organized “serve the people” programs and fought institutionalized racism—lack of jobs, inadequate housing, police brutality, inferior education, and horrendous public health care. As nationalists, they mobilized for Puerto Rico’s independence. Importantly, feminist members also brought attention to gender inequality and the oppression of Puerto Rican and other women of color. The book traces their challenges to male supremacist ideas, methods, and institutions, the roadblocks and setbacks they encountered, and their achievements.

In this seminal period for US feminists of color, the women in the Young Lords united with Black, Latinx, Asian, and Indigenous women, rallied for reproductive rights, equal pay, and childcare, and protested sterilization abuse and gender violence, among other issues. Insisting capitalism, racism, and sexism are interconnected systems of exploitation, they advocated for revolutionary, socialist feminism. They fought patriarchy, classism, racism, and imperialism to bring about systemic changes and a just society for everyone.

Iris Morales, a leading member of the New York Young Lords, shares an insider/outsider perspective, interweaving lived experiences, primary sources, and research. She chronicles the rise and decline of revolutionary feminism in the organization and its consequences, providing a more nuanced account of the Young Lords’ history. Grappling with a past whose social justice concerns are still present, the lessons gained continue to have relevance.

Scholars Comments:

“Iris Morales makes an important addition, giving due recognition to the transformative work that audacious visionary women can accomplish through unwavering determination, shared solidarity, and collective action. Morales continues to be an inspiring voice to new generations of Puerto Ricans eager to learn about their history and legacy of struggles for social, racial, and gender justice in US society and to forge ahead in giving continuity to those battles.”

EDNA ACOSTA-BELÈN, Distinguished Professor Emerita, University at Albany, SUNY

“Puerto Rico has been the site of resistance to colonial domination for generations, with struggles against racism and gender injustice intensifying in recent years. Iris Morales brings experience and talent to elevate the voices of Puerto Rican feminists. This book is about the heroic struggles of the Puerto Rican people but is a must read for all of us fighting, hoping, and working for a more just future everywhere.”

BARBARA RANSBY, Professor, writer, longtime activist, and author of the award-winning Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement

“Iris Morales—organizer, writer, freedom fighter, filmmaker—offers us an expansive and illuminating herstory of the “revolution within the revolution” enacted by the women of the Young Lords. This book continues her decadeslong work of creating urgent feminist interventions in prevailing histories of the freedom movements of the 1960s and 70s. Revisiting Herstories is at once a vital documentation of the past and a roadmap guiding us toward a radical future.”

DEBORAH PAREDEZ, Poet, scholar, cultural critic, and author, teaches creative writing and ethnic studies at Columbia University

Author:

Iris Morales is a longtime activist, educator, and author. Her focus is on economic and racial justice, women’s rights, and the decolonization of Puerto Rico. Morales serves on the advisory board of the Instituto de Formación Política of Mijente, a political home for Latinx people who seek racial, economic, gender, and climate justice. She is the author of Through the Eyes of Rebel Women, editor of Latinas: Struggles & Protests in 21st Century USA and Voices from Puerto Rico Post-Hurricane Maria, and producer of ¡Palante Siempre Palante!, the award-winning documentary about the Young Lords. Morales holds a JD degree from New York University School of Law and an M.F.A in Integrated Media Arts from Hunter College.

Piety, compassion, lust, love… Feelings all the more potent when you are a Catholic priest confined to your hospital bed by an AIDS diagnosis, being comforted by the seminarian you sexually abused as an adolescent. It’s Holy Week 1987. The priest is Fr. Linus Fitzgerald, the young seminarian is Orlando Rosario. Both are shocked and shaken as they reflect on their desires and dreams, secrets and sins, hopes and faith, and the paths that brought them together.

In HOMO NOVUS, Gerard Cabrera illuminates with deep empathy and stark emotional honesty the journey these two men take separately and together — a journey that began with a violation of trust and leads them to places – sacred and profane — that they never imagined.

Praise for Homo Novus:

Martín Espada

Author of Floaters: Poems (2021 National Book Award)

“Gerard Cabrera weaves a compelling and terribly human story from the strands of sexuality, self-discovery, secrets, violations, hypocrisy, betrayal, and redemption. He paints vivid landscapes ranging from Boston to Puerto Rico, from gay clubs to the Catholic Church. In these days of fanaticism and fear, this tale could not be more relevant, an eloquent rejoinder to those who would dehumanize this or any community. As one character says: ‘Love is love.’ Yes.”

Booklife by Publisher’s Weekly

This stellar novel lays bare the heart and secrets of a priest with AIDS in 1987.

“A spirit of mercy powers this humane story of transgression, abuse, sin, and connection. Sexually frank, emotionally bold, and always arresting, Homo Novus digs deep into relationships most fiction shies away from, laying bare the toll of repression and secretkeeping, while charting a rich generational shift at an impossibly perilous moment for gay men. The final pages will stir tears from readers of serious fiction.”

Michael Bronski

Lambda Literary Award-winning Author of A Queer History of the United States

“Sex, grace, power, and commitment drive this powerful narrative to its shattering conclusion of personal transfigurations and fearful redemptions. In Homo Novus, Gerard Cabrera’s lucid and startling prose pierces the heart making us rethink our deeply held beliefs about faith, love, courage, and betrayal. The journeys that Orlando and Linus take – with one another, away from one another, and to new understandings – are specific to their lives, and always frighteningly relevant to ours. Homo Novus is a masterful, powerful work – the perfect balancing of the profane and sacred that strikes at the heart of what it is to be human.”

Mario Alberto Zambrano

Dancer, Choreographer, and Author of the Acclaimed Novel Lotería

“Cabrera’s Homo Novus wrestles with the desire of forbidden love. As the AIDS crisis begins to surface, the characters in this novel find themselves entangled within the undistinguished extremities of a religious vocation, vacillating between secrets and their own

identities. In lyrical and often heartbreaking prose, Cabrera weaves a story that illuminates the unanswered questions surrounding morality, faith, lust and love, and what it means to forgive in the face of loss.”

Charles Rice González Author of Chulito

“A potent, pensive, and poignant novel in which gay priests delve into themselves as they navigate lust, love, theology, and the human condition. Filled with strong imagery and dialogue as biting as a bitchslap, follow along as their pasts destroy their present lives and threaten their futures in a time where the specter of AIDS draws the last card. Cabrera creates sexy, complex characters who lure you into the inner recesses of their psyches and libidos so that you end up incriminated through your own voyeurism. But don’t shut your eyes because you’re in for a wild ride with these men of the cloth who disrobe way more than just their bodies.”

About the Author

GERARD CABRERA is Puerto Rican born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts, the birthplace of Dr. Seuss, basketball, and the first American dictionary. His fiction has appeared in numerous online and print literary journals. He has attended the Bread Loaf Writers Conference, The Writers Studio, and was awarded a Bread Loaf Camargo Foundation Fellow in Cassis, France. Gerard earned a degree in English and American Literature from Brandeis University, his Master’s Degree in Public Health from Hunter College, and his law degree from Northeastern University School of Law. He lives and works in New York City.

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.

El Sol Latino is your local Latinx-owned, independent news source that brings to the front lines diverse Latino voices, perspectives, news and stories. SUPPORT EL SOL

HOMO NOVUS by Gerard Cabrera • CATHEDRAL CITY, CA | RATTLING GOOD YARNS PRESS | October 17,

Cultura / Culture

BHN Holds Ribbon Cuttings for “BHN WellBeing” Centers in Springfield, Westfield

SPRINGFIELD, MA | BEHAVIORAL HEALTH NETWORK, INC.| January 31, 2023— Behavioral Health Network, Inc. (BHN) recently held Ribbon Cuttings at its new “BHN WellBeing” centers in Springfield and Westfield with elected and public officials, BHN staff and members of the community in attendance. The Centers provide a new model of care, born out of the state’s new Community Behavioral Health Centers (CBHC) designation, designed to shorten wait times and expand access for individuals seeking behavioral health treatment.

At the Springfield Ribbon Cutting event, which took place at 417 Liberty Street, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno; Springfield Health and Human Services (HHS) Commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris; State Senator Jacob Oliveira; State Representatives Orlando Ramos, Carlos González, Brian Ashe, and Bud Williams; Armando Olivares, Aide to Senator Adam Gómez; and BHN President and CEO Steve Winn each offered remarks during the program. Bruce Adams, Aide to Representative Puppolo, was also in attendance, along with state health officials, BHN staff and members of the community. Representative Gonzalez presented a citation from the State House of Representatives to mark the occasion.

At the Westfield event, the program included Westfield Mayor Michael McCabe, State Representative Kelly Pease, and Kevin Chambers, Aide to State Senator John Velis, who offered a citation from the Massachusetts Senate to mark the occasion. Westfield City Councilor William Onyski was also in attendance.

BHN WellBeing officially launched on January 3 and is a new model of behavioral health services designed to streamline and shorten wait times for individuals seeking behavioral health treatment with MassHealth and Health New England insurances. The goal is to ensure the right mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) care when and where people need it: “At home, in your community, at our clinic, and/or via telehealth.”

BHN WellBeing has two locations: 417 Liberty Street in Springfield and 77 Mill St. in Westfield campus which serve 17 cities and towns in the region via in person, community-based and telehealth services.

The hours for walk-in care at both locations are Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm; and Saturday and Sunday, 9am to 5pm. Those seeking care can also call (413) 301-WELL (413-301-9355) to be connected to services, or go online to bhninc.org for more information.

BHN has been providing behavioral health services to children and families in Western Massachusetts since 1938. The agency provides communitybased services that include innovative, integrated whole-health models as well as traditional clinical and outpatient and therapeutic services, day treatment, addiction services, crisis intervention, and residential supports.

(L-R) Armado Olivares, Aide to Senator Adam Gómez; HHS Commissioner Helen CaultonHarris; Representative Brian Ashe; Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno; BHN President and CEO Steve Winn; Representative Carlos González; Representative Bud Williams; Representative Orlando Ramos; and Senator Jacob Oliveira cut the ribbon for BHN WellBeing

Fine Arts Center

UMass Fine Arts Center continúa su Temporada 2023 con una fascinante programación de conciertos, danza, and teatro. ARTS.LIVE.HERE. UMass Amherst Fine Arts Center

Conciertos en Abril 2023

Sean Jones Quartet

Sábado, 1 de abril 8:00 p.m. | Frederick C. Tillis Performance Hall

Asientos Reservados $40 y $30 - Jóvenes menores de 17 y estudiantes de los Five College $10

El magistral trompetista Sean Jones ha estado llamando la atención en el mundo del jazz durante dos décadas. Tiene ocho discos aclamados por la crítica en su haber como director de orquesta. Es ex trompetista principal de Jazz en el Lincoln Center Orchestra de Wynton Marsalis. Pasó dos años como miembro del Colectivo SFJAZZ. Y ha grabado y compartido escenarios con artistas de jazz tan destacados como Illinois Jacquet, Jimmy Heath, Frank Foster, Nancy Wilson, Dianne Reeves, Gerald Wilson y Marcus Miller.

Gina Chávez

Miércoles, 19 de abril, 7:30 p.m. | Bowker Auditorium

Entrada General $33 - Jóvenes menores de 17 y estudiantes de los Five College $10

La cantautora residente en Austin, Gina Chávez, combina los sonidos de las Américas con tensión y gracia. Sólo la segunda artista de Austin y la tercera Latina nacida en los EE.UU. continentales en recibir una nominación al Latin Grammy en la historia de los premios, esta artista queer, bilingüe y fusionadora de géneros es una profesional cuyo talento hay que reconocer.

Chávez, ganadora de 12 premios Austin Music Award (sus honores incluyen Vocalista Femenina del Año en 2019 y Músico del Año de Austin en 2015), explora el verdadero significado de “Americana” mientras ella y su banda llevan al público en un viaje lleno de energía a través de Latinoamérica. Su apasionante colección de canciones bilingües que atraviesan la cumbia, la rumba y el soul llevan al público en un viaje de descubrimiento de sus raíces Latinas.

Política de Salud y Seguridad COVID-19: El Centro de Bellas Artes se adherirá a las políticas actuales de la Universidad de Massachusetts Amherst. Para mas información visite la guía actualizada para los eventos en el campus UMass Amherst: www.umass.edu/coronavirus/news/public-health-preparations-fall-semester

Para nuestra programación de la temporada completa o boletos de entrada llamar al: 413-545-2511 ó al 800-999-UMAS ó en línea fineartscenter.com