El Sol Latino | October 2014 | 10.11

Octiber 2014

Volume 10 No. 11

Un Peri贸dico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

Un Peri贸dico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

Un Peri贸dico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

Un Peri贸dico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

Art by Gaddier Rosario

2

Editorial / Editorial

¡Bien Hecho!

Nos unimos al coro de individuos, organizaciones y medio noticiosos que han felicitado al Comité Organizador de la Parada Puertorriqueña de Springfield 2014.

A nombre de los tres puertorriqueños dueños de El Sol Latino, aplaudimos los esfuerzos y los logros del Comité que organizó un evento del cual todos pudimos sentirnos orgullosos.

El Comité Organizador 2014 estuvo compuesto por

Ernesto Cruz Jose Delgado Annamarie Golden Adam Gómez Freddy López Luz López

Edward Nuñez Jade Rivera Lucila J. Santana Madeline Landrau Waleska Lugo-de Jesús

En adición, contaron con un grupo de voluntarios, entre ellos Héctor Zavala y Delmarina López quienes contribuyeron en gran manera al éxito durante el día del desfile.

Foto del Mes/Photo of the Month Dr. Samuel Betances en la Conferencia de Baystate Health Foto MFR: Andrés González, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Office of Baystate Health System, Vanessa Pabón, Directora del Community Engagement de WGBY, Dr. Samuel Betances , orador principal del Baystate Health Diversity & Inclusion Conference, y Edward Nuñez, Senior Business Development Officer de Freedom Credit Union.

Cita del Mes/Quote of the Month “We need to help students and parents cherish and preserve the ethnic and cultural diversity that nourishes and strengthens this community - and this nation.”

Cesar Chavez - American farm worker, labor leader and civil rights activist, who, with Dolores Huerta, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association

contents 2 Editorial / Editorial ¡Bien Hecho!

3 Portada / Front Page Presencia 2014 4 Nueva Era para Parada Puertorriqueña de Springfield 5 Isolda Ortega-Bustamante named as Development Director at CES Tinta Caliente / Hot Ink 6 CENTRO VOICES E-MAGAZINE RELAUNCHED 7 Opinión / Opinion El Deseo Media Diversiry Matters!

8 A new chapter on the “War on Poverty,” while income inequality is widening 9 ¿Qué Pasa en...?

10 Medios de Comunicación / Media 11 Música/ Music Latin Rhythms Link Area Communities Through WTCC 90.7 FM (Part 1) 13 Libros / Books Dispara, yo ya estoy muerto 14 Salud / Health

Rays of Hope - Caminata para la cura del cáncer del seno 15 Successful Fitness Campaign in Springfield

Founded in 2004 n Volume 10, No. 11 n October 2014

Editor

Assistant Editor Managing Editor

Art Director Business Address

Manuel Frau Ramos manuelfrau@gmail.com 413-320-3826 Ingrid Estrany-Frau Diosdado López Tennessee Media Design El Sol Latino P.O Box 572 Amherst, MA 01004-0572

Editorial Policy El Sol Latino acepta colaboraciones tanto en español como en inglés.

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

El Sol Latino welcomes submissions in either English or Spanish.

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

El Sol Latino is published monthly by Coquí Media Group.

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

Portada / Front Page

LatinoSolEl October 2014

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Presencia 2014 por MANUEL FRAU RAMOS Presencia , the 2n Annual Celebration of Hispanic Heritage in Western New England event was held on September 26 at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield. Presencia. a flavorful fiesta aimed to celebrate the broad diversity and richness of the Hispanic culture and the community gathered at the Basketball Hall of Fame in an evening of music, culture, food, and dance was presented by WGBY Latino Advisory Board.

This event reaffirms WGBY’s commitment to engaging the Latino community and it benefited WGBY’s Community Engagement programs, Latino Youth Media Institute (LYMI), the Digital Storytelling Workshop (TOLD) and the North End Center for Literacy and Learning (NECLL).

Ross Peotter, WGBY General Manager, Vanessa Pabón, Community Engagement and Education Director, Marie Waechter, Director of Community Relations and Events, and the WGBY Latino Advisory Board event committee with the generous support of Baystate Health Diversity, MassMutual Financial group and Health New England made possible the celebration of this unique event.

Photo MFR. Bachata contestants. From left to right – Thaddeus Miles, Damaris Pérez- Pizarro, Alejandro Cameron, Keisha Ibarra, Dr. Arlene Rodríguez, DJ Jerry, Valeria Zenteno, Rus Peotter

One of the most awaited events of the celebration was the Latin Dance Challenge with the participation of program sponsors and donors in one of three Latin dance contests – merengue, bachata and salsa. This year winners were: Salsa - Kara Herman (Freedom Credit Union) and Joseph Krupczynski (UMass and WGBY Latino Advisory Board), Merengue - Milta Franco (Baystate/ Brightwood Clinic and WGBY Latino Advisory Board) and Dr. Mark Keroack (President and CEO of Baystate Health), and Bachata - Dr. Arleen Rodriguez (Dean of the School of Arts and Hummanities, STCC) and DJ Jerry (WSPR Radio).

Live music was one of the highlights of the night with The Presencia All Star Ensemble under the direction of renowned musician Heshima. The Presencia All Star Ensemble featured Jesús Pagán, and Ray Cruz.

The members of the WGBY Latino Advisory Board event committee are Dr. Arlene Rodríguez, STCC; Lucila J. Santana, Springfield Public Schools; Manuel Frau-Ramos, El Sol Latino; Gaddier Rosario, Gaddier Fine Art Studio; Verónica García, WGBY; Lynn Page (WGBY); Alejandro Cameron, WGBY-LYMI; and Zydalis Zayas, WGBY-LYMI. Dancer Instructor was Sasha Jiménez, a professional Salsa dancer with over 10 tears of experience. She had a pleasure of working with Presencia last year and she was excited that be back this year.

Photo MFR. Salsa contestants. From left to right – Henry East-Trou, Agma Sweeney, Abner Meléndez, Zydalis Zayas, Kara Herman, Joseph Krupczynski, Ana Sánchez, William Dávila

Photo MFR. Dr. Miguel Rodríguez, Jenney Dávila, Dr. William Dávila, Zoraida C. Rodríguez

Photo MFR. Merengue contestants. From left to right – Cynthia Claudio, Harold Wolfe, Dr. Mark Keroack, Milta Franco, Dave Frazer, Karla Santiago, Gaddier Rosario, Mari Castañeda

Photo MFR. Dr. Patricia Romney and Paul Wiley

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Portada / Front Page

LatinoSolEl October 2014

Nueva Era para Parada Puertorriqueña de Springfield El pasado 14 de septiembre se celebró exitosamente la Parada Puertorriqueña de Springfield. El evento, que ha pasado por varias crisis tanto de índole financiero como de problemas organizativos que pusieron en peligro su existencia, parece haber encontrado una nueva fórmula organizativa para asegurar su relevancia histórica y su futura existencia por muchas décadas mas.

Foto MFR. Junta de Directores del Centro cultural Puertorriqueño de Springfield

En una entrevista realizada por El Sol Latino el 15 de septiembre 2011 y publicada en nuestra edición de septiembre, el conocido líder de Western Massachusetts Bilingual Veterans Outreach Center, Gumersindo Gómez, resumió la cronología de eventos que llevó a la creación de la Parada Puertorriqueña de Springfield en noviembre de 1989. Gómez señaló que la misma fue creada por un grupo de residentes de Springfield entre los que se encontraban Wanda Miranda, Félix Morales, María Pérez, el difunto Wilfredo “Freddy” Moreno, el propio Gumersindo Gomes, y la desaparecida Puerto Rican Heritage Association.

Gómez señaló durante la entrevista que la Parada se le “transfirió” al Puerto Rican Cultural Center (PRCC, por sus siglas en inglés) la organización del evento con el “compromiso” de mantener el evento en la ciudad de Springfield para el disfrute “gratuito” de la comunidad.

Foto MFR. Bailarinas de Plena

Foto MFR. Bailarinas de Plena

La Parada, a la cual regularmente se le llama el desfile, pasó por su peores momentos en la década de 2000. En una ocasión ésta fue organizada por un grupo compuesto por no voluntarios no asociados al PRCC, dirigido por Carlos González, cuando el comité organizador anunció que esta no se iba a celebrar por falta de dinero. Aún así, muchos consideran esa parada como la mejor que se había dado hasta el momento.

En el 2008, sorpresivamente se anunció la cancelación del Festival Puertorriqueño, evento también organizado por el PRCC. La Parada también fue brevemente cancelada.

En el 2010, la organización Las Mujeres a la Vanguardia, conjuntamente con la nueva administración del PRCC, revivieron la Parada. Al año siguiente, el PRCC tomo la difícil decisión de mudar ambos eventos a las facilidades del Eastern States Exposition (Big E) en West Springfield bajo el nombre de 2011 New England Puerto Rican Festival/Parade. Los eventos volvieron a celebrase en el Big E en el 2012.

En el 2013, el PRCC tomó la decisión de regresar ambos eventos a su lugar de origen, en Springfield.

por MANUEL FRAU RAMOS

Este año el evento fue organizado por un grupo de profesionales, es su mayoría puertorriqueños, bajo el nombre de Springfield Puerto Rican Parade 2014. El comité organizador, o como lo llamaron en inglés Parade Planning Committee - aunque funcionó independientemente del PRCP, la organización sirvió de agente fiscal del grupo. Para muchos, la labor de este nuevo comité fue extraordinaria. No solo la parada de este año fue la mejor organizada en mucho tiempo, si no también hubo una notable ausencia de incidentes policíacos. Otros señalaron que el éxito del Comité se debió a la representación ¿de la diáspora puertorriqueña y el background profesional que éstos trajeron a la mesa.

Foto MFR. Vejigantes

En 2014, Springfield Puerto Rican Parade fue dedicado al legendario 65th of Infantry Regiment, conocidos como los Borinqueneers compuesto mayormente por soldados Puertorriqueños que participaron en la Primera Guerra Mundial, World War II y la Guerra de Corea. Recientemente les fue otorgado el Congressional Gold Medal.

Los seis residentes de Springfield que fueron reconocidos por el comité organizador fueron  Gran Mariscal: Gumersindo Gómez - Fundador del Bilingual Veterans Outreach Center of Mass., Inc. y uno de los fundadores de la Parada Puertorriqueña de Springfield  Madrina: Cheryl Coakley Rivera- Primera Latina en servir como Representante Estatal en Massachusetts  Padrino: William Dávila- Director de Operaciones de UMass Center at Springfield Ambasador de la Comunidad: Grisel Delgado- Advocate de la juventud por mas de 30 años y fundadora de Juventud Hacia Adelante  Embajadores Juveniles : Ashley Betancourt – Líder de la juventud y Fundadora del grupo Putnam’s Voices, y Román Foto MFR. William Dávila, Heribeto Flores Cheryl Rodríguez – Líder estudiantil y Coakley Rivera Atleta.

Portada / Front Page

LatinoSolEl October 2014

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Isolda Ortega-Bustamante named as Development Director at CES NORTHAMPTON - Isolda Ortega-Bustamante was recently hired as Development Director of the Collaborative for Educational Services (CES).

CES Executive Director Bill Diehl said Ortega-Bustamante brings over a dozen years of public sector fundraising and development experience to her new position. In addition, he said, “Isolda has a wealth of experience in developing partnerships with foundations, community-based organizations, universities, and community colleges. I see her playing an important role in deepening the work we’ve already initiated to expand our work in new arenas.”

Most recently, Ortega-Bustamante worked as the Director of State and Federal Programs for Holyoke Public Schools, overseeing $17 million dollars in public grant programs, and leading the district in securing a $300,000 state grant to bolster enrichment activities for English Language Learners. She also oversaw the successful application for state funds to expand the district’s Full Service Community School reform model at three schools in Holyoke with the highest number of low income children.

Previously, she served as Director of Engaging Communities for Education (ENLACE), an initiative to increase enrollment of Holyoke’s Latino students at Holyoke Community College (HCC). Prior to that, she served for several years as HCC’s College and Community Grants Specialist.

“This is a watershed moment for me,” said Ortega-Bustamante. “To be working on a team that combines true educational expertise with a commitment to all children and a respect for all teachers, is both energizing and inspiring. I believe schools are the cornerstones of building a more democratic society. As a first-generation immigrant who benefited from the power of education to uplift my family, I am passionate about the focus of the Collaborative’s work.”

Ortega-Bustamante received a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin, and completed course work towards a doctorate in Political Science at the City University of New York (CUNY). As Senior Research Associate at a CUNY research center, she co-authored journal articles on urban policy and community development in peer-reviewed journals. Once she is settled in her position, she intends to pursue a doctorate in educational administration.

Isolda Ortega-Bustamante Ortega-Bustamante also has a long history of volunteer involvement in local and state organizations and initiatives. She was appointed as a member to the Whole Child Subcommittee of the Governor’s Readiness Project Leadership Council in 2007.

She was also selected as a participant of Leadership Pioneer Valley, a network of emerging and existing leaders focused on raising awareness of the needs and challenges affecting the region.

In addition, she has served on the boards of The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, the UMass Student Bridges program, the Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts, and the Friends of the Fine Arts Center at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Ortega-Bustamante lives with her husband and son, who is a student at Crocker Farm School in Amherst.

Source: CES

OT TINTNAT E H INK CALIE au Ramos

Por Manuel Fr

In Holyoke ... Wanted: a place to put a Boricua mural!

On September 22nd a friend forwarded me an email written originally by David Flores. The email states: “I apologize for the short notice, but I will no longer be unveiling my piece at the Holyoke Alleyway Revitalization Project’s/HARP’s inauguration on Saturday, October 4, 2014.

I created this mural with the goal of visually celebrating Holyoke’s Puerto Rican community, which is and has been deeply unrepresented throughout the city. The mural was to be attached to the building at 158 Chestnut Street.

However, at the moment of installation the owner of the building abruptly reneged because it is a Puerto Rican art piece. I need your help to find this mural a home! “

& Yolanda VanDerdys

les invitan a celebrar con nosotros el

75º Encuentro de Poetas

SÁBADO 25 DE OCTUBRE DE 2014 @ 6:00 PM en

¡Entrada Gratis!

Salsarengue Restaurant 392 High Street, Holyoke, MA 01040 • (413) 533-1894 Para más información puede comunicarse al (413) 533-1894 o (413) 320-3826

Even though the news is disappointing, it comes as no surprise. This reminds me of the heated controversy that occurred years ago when a mural with the two flags – Puerto Rico and United States - was painted by Puerto Rican youth on a building in South Holyoke. The Puerto Rican flag was painted at the top and the flag of the US appeared at the bottom. While the Puerto Rican young artists included both flags as a way of expressing who they are, others did not interpret the art piece in the same way. Some considered the mural disrespectful to the US and its flag.

Once again, both groups – Puerto Rican and Anglosinterpret a Boricua very differently.

o Ricans at the Dawn of the New Millennium

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Puerto Ricans at Portada / Front Page the Dawn of the New Millennium

LatinoSolEl October 2014

CENTRO VOICES E-MAGAZINE RELAUNCHED

The Center for Puerto Rican Studies (Centro) has re-launched our online publication Centro Voices as a completely re-designed and dynamic e-magazine with timely and exciting content covering the current affairs, history, arts and culture of Puerto Ricans throughout the nation.

“We’re delighted to have on board great collaborators from different regions across the U.S. sharing their thoughts and experiences as Puerto Ricans in the diaspora,” said Noraliz Ruiz, publications coordinator.

E d w i n M e l é n d e z a n d C a r l oOriginally, s VaCentro r g aestablished s - R aVoices m o as s ,an Ee-magazine d i t owithout r s fixed timelines for publication. Content will now be issued twice a month, keeping this online

Directed to and written by members of the community, the e-magazine will present high-quality, long-form articles from both established and upcoming writers, poets, journalists, scholars, artists and other contributors with strong interest in the Puerto Rican experience. It will reflect varied perspectives, representing the increasingly diverse population in communities across the U.S. Omar A. Dauhajre, Centro communications coordinator, said, “ We think this is the perfect time to create a single, unified space dedicated to informed commentary from and about the Puerto Rican experience across the United States.”

Centro Voices will function as this vehicle, connecting the dispersed community through the exchange of ideas and information. Centro Director Edwin Meléndez noted that “Despite the significant demographic, socio-economic and cultural transformations affecting Puerto Rican communities, there are few mechanisms linking these communities and sharing information about the challenges and aspirations of our people.” Centro Voices’ stated mission is “to be the online hub where invited contributors chronicle and discuss dynamic issues of importance and of special interest to Puerto Ricans throughout the U.S.” The first issue of the re-imagined e-magazine, issued September 3, included the opening chapter of a beautifully written historical novel by historian Virginia Sánchez Korrol, Inocencia’s Indiscretion, about the 19th century feminist Inocencia Martínez and freedom fighter Sotero Figueroa set against the backdrop of their love and the struggle for Puerto Rican liberation; an insider’s look into the forgotten history of Wynwood, a changing Miami neighborhood, by Marilisa Jimenez-Garcia: a video discussion by two Centro researchers about whether the Puerto Rican brain drain is fact or fiction; and a fascinating, funny

I

T ^P[O UL^ YLHSP[PLZ ;OL KLTVNYHWOPJ HUK ZVJPVLJVUVTPJ WYVÄSL

has changed dramatically. In less than a decade, the Puerto Rican

n the U.S. has surpassed those living in Puerto Rico. The migration decade rivals the magnitude of the Great Migration of the 1950s.

to Ricans on the mainland, the patterns of migration have changed

V]LY H TPSSPVU 7\LY[V 9PJHUZ JYVZZPUN Z[H[L SPULZ V]LY [OL WHZ[ mobility far exceeding that of the U.S. population as a whole, the of Puerto Rican community in the US are changing. Florida is on

g New York State as the major stateside location of Puerto Ricans. the Puerto Rican community has endured the effects of the Great

8 in distinct ways. Economic hard times spurred migration to the

ecession brought unemployment and poverty to a great many Puerto

side, Puerto Ricans recovered faster and fared better overall than

ps. By 2011, Puerto Ricans workers had improved when compared

gs of non-Hispanic white workers. Puerto Rican women show the

NHPUZ PU LHYUPUNZ K\YPUN [OPZ WLYPVK PU IV[O HIZVS\[L HUK YLSH[P]L

ons that emerge from this book are tales of resiliency amid declining

he enduring challenges faced by those still caught in the trough of

throughout the United States in which they have settled.

is the director of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies and professor

and Planning at Hunter College. An economist by training, he has

derable research in the areas of Puerto Rican and Latino studies,

pment, labor markets and poverty.

amos is a research associate at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies

n the impact of migration on Puerto Rican political behavior, political

E d w i n M e l é n d e z a n d C a r l o s Va r g a s - R a m o s , E d i t o r s

Contributors will frequently make use of Centro’s extensive Library and Archives and its research expertise on a wide range of issues related to the Puerto Rican experience in this country. This will serve as a way for Centro to augment its goal of disseminating scholarly contributions about the Puerto Rican experiences and realities in the United States to the general public.

Centro Voices is featured prominently on Centro’s website and social media outlets.

Centro Voices’ general editor Xavier F. Totti, a professor at Lehman College, is also the editor of the award winning peer-reviewed CENTRO Journal. Dauhajre and Ruiz are managing editors for layout and content.

Visit Centro Voices at http://centropr.hunter.cuny.edu/centrovoices.

The Center for Puerto Rican Studies is a research institute dedicated to the study and interpretation of the Puerto Rican experience in the United States, producing and disseminating relevant interdisciplinary research. Centro also collects preserves and provides access to library and archival resources documenting Puerto Rican history and heritage. We seek to link scholarship to social action and policy debates, and to contribute to the betterment of our community and enrichment of Puerto Rican studies.

Source: CENTRO

Research on social, economic, political and health conditions of the Puerto Rican population in the United States, describing improvements in many of these aspects, as well as persistent challenges.

Presenter: Edwin Melendez, Director, Center for Puerto Rican Studies Hunter College, CUNY

Wednesday, October 1, 12-2 pm

NYU Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center 53 Washington Square South, Floor 4W NYC Contact: Kyle Elizabeth Barron, 212-998-8683

Friday, October 31, 6-8 pm

Holyoke Public Library 250 Chestnut Street Holyoke, MA Contact: María Pagan, Director of Library, 413-420-8101

Edwin Meléndez & Carlos Vargas-Ramos

earch of economic opportunities and about the social contexts of the

Puerto Ricans at the Dawn of the New Millennium

I

e book is also a story about those who left the island for the mainland

magazine current. The new Centro Voices also will offer a more dynamic experience by publishing more varied and vibrant articles and visually stimulating pieces utilizing multi-media, including videos produced by Centro’s media team.

Millennium Book Tour puerto Ricans at the Dawn of the New Millennium

Edwin Meléndez & Carlos Vargas-Ramos

Ricans at wn of the New Millennium

ntations as well as on their racial identity.

and enlightening history what is popularly called the Puerto Rico Day Parade by Carlos Rodríguez Fraticelli.

Thursday November 6, 10:30-12:30 pm

Universidad de Puerto Rico, Humacao Avenida José E. Aguiar Aramburu Carretera 908 Km 1.2 Contact: Edna Reyes Pomales, 787-850-9478, edna.reyes2@upr.edu

Saturday, November 8, 12-2 pm

http://centropr.hunter.cuny.edu

Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y el Caribe Calle Cristo #52 en el Viejo San Juan, San Juan, Puerto Rico Contact: Miguel Rodríguez, 787-723-4481

Opinión / Opinion

LatinoSolEl October 2014

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El Deseo por JOSÉ RAÚL GONZÁLEZ

Media Diversity Matters! by MARI CASTAÑEDA

Es un flujo psíquico interno muy vinculado al cuerpo y el aspecto físico.

Tiene que ver con la realidad, placeres, fantasías. Es un lugar de manifestación del ser humano. No es algo natural. Está unido al lenguaje y a la historia de cada uno y no se dirige a algo en concreto. Es un empuje o una tendencia. Se presenta problemáticamente y se perciben los síntomas en la angustia. Se puede distinguir entre los deseos internos de la singularidad de cada uno, y los deseos externos comunes que nos hacen creer que tenemos todos (la publicidad, los medios).

Several years ago, the founder and director of the National Hispanic Media Coalition stated, “the significant lack of positive images of Latinos in the US and insufficient access to the airwaves, [places] the American Latino community at great risk.” Indeed, the lack of diversity across the U.S. media landscape and the racialized caricatures that are often broadcast creates a cultural context in which people of color are particularly viewed through a stereotypical lens.

El deseo es inconsciente. No se puede controlar y es siempre insatisfecho. Cuando se cumple, inmediatamente hay otro. Es una asociación de muchas cosas. Por ejemplo, a nivel consciente uno puede desear un BMW, pero hay cosas detrás de ese deseo, hay una consecuencia: se desea la señorita que va al lado del auto, el apego o afecto amoroso que va a generar, se desean las miradas, la popularidad, etc, y al final de toda una cadena de cosas está el conatus, que es lo que realmente deseamos ser, y es: ‘ser nosotros mismos’.

United States. Consequently, there is a great need to increase positive Latina/o media representation and folks from such as immigrant rights activists, media justice advocates, and critical scholars believe that mass communications can work as powerful tools that have the potential to reshape the negative stereotypes and misinformation about people of color and low income communities that circulate in the mainstream entertainment and news environments, and create dangerous situations for our communities.

The recent controversy of the New York Times review of Shonda Rhimes, one of the few African American television writer and producers in Hollywood, in which the author Los seres humanos no somos categorías determinadas como las cosas. characterized Ms. Rhimes and her work as rooted in the “Angry Black Woman” trope Nos vamos formando y haciendo personas. Somos fugaces territorios demonstrates that even supposedly sophisticated cultural critics are not immune to the de satisfacción con una identidad personal y otra social o humana. Es algo institutional and cultural racism that becomes reinforced when Latino, Black, and móvil, activo, plástico que se va construyendo constantemente. Vamos multiracial people are not represented in the media. The limited media diversity not only probando nuevas cosas para ver si encontramos nuestra identidad, nuestra creates limited understanding of the social world, but can also produce real violence, and humanidad. A este énfasis le llamamos deseo. Y no sabemos lo que thus the “great risk” that the National Hispanic Media Coalition director spoke about above. deseamos, porque al ser seres eróticos (que nos construimos en base a The anti-immigrant reactions (like those seen in Chicopee this summer) and the rise of la mirada de los otros, de los demás, y capaces de conquistar y ser ICE deportations since President Obama took office have sparked a plethora of hate conquistados), no sabemos lo que deseamos porque no sabemos speech on the radio dial as well as a rise in hate crimes, particularly against people of quienes somos. color. Undocumented immigrants are especially under siege and at great risk across the

It is important to also note that the commercial Spanish-language media sector is also part of the problem. Not only does television in particular persist with racist, sexist, and Por eso es fundamental el deseo para construir lo humano y para eso homophobic representations, but a recent study I conducted shows that the majority of hay que probar constantemente muchas cosas, habitar muchos the labor force is from Latin America. Therefore, U.S.-reared, English-speaking Latinos territorios y ver si esos nos satisfacen y nos hacen crecer. La sociedad and the concerns unique to their life experiences are largely invisible from this sector as nos empuja a desear muchas cosas que al realizarlas nos deja algo de well. As a result, the employment and representation of multigenerational U.S. Latinos are culpa y el placer acaba con una dosis de tristeza. disproportionately absent from both the mainstream Spanish-language and Englishlanguage media sectors, while at the same time young American Latinos continue to be De la barbarie entramos a la civilización cuando aprendimos a ejercer el control de los deseos. Luego los sistemas morales siempre pretenden the most coveted consumer demographic of the next decade. tener bajo control los deseos, por ello a veces se dice que es irrefrenable, Given the present contradictions in which Latinos are both celebrated as the next top pero no lo es, y el control es un acicate que alimenta el deseo (cuando consumers and reviled as the least-wanted citizens, it is more crucial than ever to algo esta prohibido vamos a ello). Es algo de orden de la cultura, pero understand the ways in which capitalist practices divide cultural labor into disparate parts en realidad está frenado por nosotros mismos. Platón, tratando el deseo in order to benefit industries while simultaneously producing negative consequences not como una carencia, decía que, ‘cuando lo satisfago me fastidia y mientras only for workers, but also the sociocultural milieu. The fact Latina/os, Afro-Latinos, African no lo satisfago estoy fastidiado’.

Americans and Native Americans are nearly nonexistent and/or stereotyped in the U.S. media is not inconsequential. These material conditions communicate something Estamos en el tiempo del goce más que del deseo y se nos hace creer que deseamos cosas, muchas cosas. Es una época en la que se vende important about how labor of these populations is valued differentially according to the la idea que todo lo podemos satisfacer. Por eso hay tanta angustia y tanta needs of the media sector, the imperatives of the global economy, and the cultural politics depresión, ante la frustración. Es bueno y necesario tener deseos, pero of media in the United States. These issues must be examined closely if all Latino si no se pueden realizar hay que soltarlos no quedarse atrapados de ellos. Americanos, from the U.S., Caribbean and Latin America, are to be full participants in the dismantling of media exploitation.

Finalmente, lo que realmente causa el deseo es lo que tenemos detrás en nuestra historia, en nuestras necesidades y nos empuja. El deseo no es lo Mari Castañeda, Ph.D. is Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the que tenemos adelante, lo que nos atrae y vamos con ojos cerrados hacia ello. University of Massachusetts -Amherst. Her areas of interests include the study of digital media and telecommunication policy, Latina/ethnic media studies, and global El autor es natural de Perú, abogado y sociólogo. Fue Magistrado en communications.

Lima, y Catedrático en la Universidad de San Martin de Porres. Email: qinegro@hotmail.com

JD’S TRANSMISSION AUTO SALES & REPAIRS

Owner: Julio De Jesus 358 Main Street Holyoke, MA 01040 Tel: 413-322-8513 Cell: 413-210-7879 Fax: 413-322-8973

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Opinión / Opinion

LatinoSolEl October 2014

A new chapter on the “War on Poverty,” while income inequality is widening

by ORLANDO ISAZA and MIGUEL ARCE For centuries now, the United States of America has been enshrining into federal law a set of basic guaranteed social security acts to protect workers, dependent children, women, low income families, the elderly and the disabled.

The New Deal that brought us Social Security was followed by the Johnson legislation that gave the elderly Medicare and under Medicaid, healthcare to the poor and Food Stamps, now SNAP, to those needing assistance. The “War on Poverty” of the Johnson years continued support of the New Deal gains. Aid to Dependent Children (ADC) became Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). During the Clinton administration AFDC became the Transitional Assistance to Needy Families (TANF).

The welfare reform laws of 1996, in a hard fought battle with the Grand Old Party (GOP), brought severe restrictions in eligibility for services, such as the establishment of “time limits” and a “work mandate”—with exemptions – for receipt of TANF. As in the case of Massachusetts, increased programmatic resources could be given to employment preparation and job placement. With the reforms of 1996 the old protection and assistance to low income families were made transitional and temporary. The historical safety net had been preserved, but wounded.

In 2014, Paul Ryan, U. S. House of Representatives Budget Chairman and potential GOP presidential candidate, unveiled a new approach to address poverty. Among other changes, eleven programs that benefit children and families would be consolidated. The stated goal would be to provide states with flexibility in addressing the needs of low income children and families. This Block Grant strategy is fundamentally flawed. The history shows that the resources are ultimately diminished through Block Grants. Furthermore and most importantly, by moving the resources to the states, the federal government abandons, relinquishes its central role in protecting the safety net, the guaranteed welfare of citizens in need. When the Block Grant goes to the states, each state makes, within guidelines, independent decisions about allocations, which are sometimes even contrary to the needs of the poor.

According to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, at the onset of welfare reform in1996, 70 percent of Transitional Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds were used for basic assistance to poor families. By 2011, only about 29 percent of TANF funds were used to provide assistance to needy families. Nine states spent less than 15 percent.

Ryan’s Block Grant proposal, which would distribute TANF grants through the states, is a veiled assault on the poor, under the disguise of a new welfare model. It is the latest chapter in the GOP cynical attempt to further distance the federal government from its fundamental responsibility to protect and improve the dire conditions of low income families. Historically, the GOP has promoted policies to subsidize the rich, while seeking to restrict or eliminate programs to serve those in need of assistance. With the Reagan so called “trickle down economics” came tax advantages, gifts for the rich and simultaneous efforts to eliminate or diminish the gains made since the New Deal and the Johnson years which enacted a safety net.

During the Obama administration, the GOP-controlled Congress, the GOP leadership, particularly in the House, has mounted a war (a mega war) on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, Unemployment Benefits, and of course, Obamacare, all gains of the “War on Poverty”. The GOP leadership, including Ryan, vigorously opposes even minimum wage and equal pay for equal work laws, all critical in improving the dire conditions of low income families, the most vulnerable members of our society.

Prior to the 2007 recession, a booming economy contributed to gains in single mothers’ employment, but many of these gains have since disappeared. The number of working poor, the unemployed and the marginally employed has increased. The number of unemployed Americans has doubled. Temporary Aid to Needy Families, (TANF), now serves only 25 of every 100 families with children that live below the poverty line, down from AFDC’s historic 68 of every 100 such families before welfare reform of 1996. States using Block Grants have scaled back their TANF programs designed to benefit women and children. Ryan’s proposal does not include additional resources to assist the growing numbers of working poor, the unemployed and the marginally employed, most of whom are women and children.

Additional resources are now, more than ever, needed to help people become more competitive and successful in today’s fractured economy. Enhanced, additional resources for education, training and employment services are critically needed. Ryan’s proposal does not include new resources.

In fact, income inequality, the gap between the rich and the poor, is dramatically widening. While poverty is getting worse, it is getting even worse for the working poor.The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that there are 17 million people unemployed or underemployed and there are only 4.5 million job openings. Furthermore, researchers at Harvard and the University of Michigan found that 11.4 million American families live in extreme poverty—over 2.8 million children are included in these families. They live on less than $2 per family member per day. These are the imaginary people living “high on the hog”, the “lazy,” the “takers” as labeled in GOP leadership circles. Contrary to popular belief and political stereotypes promoted by the GOP, no one wants to be poor. Survival is a constant, suffocating struggle. The basic needs, not to mention the hopes and aspirations of people, must be well served and better opportunities for a quality life must be provided to all.

We concur with Ryan, new models to better serve the basic needs of the poor should be designed and tested. Pathways or roads out of poverty, including more efficient and effective case management, and coordinated services, as proposed by Ryan, should be explored. Bipartisan discussion on how best to address the needs of the poor is both needed and desired. Public and private partnerships should be promoted, but not so at the expense of the federal government abandoning its obligatory role in the protection of the poor and guaranteed fulfillment of the basic societal needs.

As a nation, we have a moral obligation not only to preserve but to enhance the social safety net, so arduously enacted into law in our history. Transferring responsibility for central elements of the safety net to the states is contrary to the interests of the poor. We believe it will actually increase the growing inequality, the shameful growing gap between the rich and the poor. Ongoing GOP attacks on each and all elements of the safety net is an inept political move, further alienating broad and significant segments of society. Political efforts to weaken or limit the system of services to the poor, refugees, minors, workers, low income families, disregard the fundamental human rights of the most vulnerable.

The war on poverty, like the wars in Viet Nam, Irak and Afghanistan, has alarmingly failed . Instead, poverty keeps getting worse and worse--while the GOP continues to offer subsidized tax gifts to the richest in our society and to further limit the opportunities for the advancement of the poor.

Orlando Isaza and Miguel Arce have been community activists for many years in the Pioneer Valley Holyoke. They both hold Masters Degrees in Social Work.

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LatinoSolEl October 2014

Holyoke Wistariahurst Museum: OCTOBER Events 2014 Columbus Day Weekend – Next Stop Holyoke Explore Holyoke’s exciting and abundant cultural, recreational, and educational venues over Columbus Day Weekend!

Wistariahurst will be giving house tours on the half our starting at 12:30. For more information visit www.PassportHolyoke.org Saturday, October 11 at 1:30 and 3:00 pm Flora and Fun in the Wistariahurst Gardens: Performance by the Massachusetts Academy of Ballet Stop by for a fairy inspired ballet performance and fairy inspired crafts. The gardens will come to life in this very unique and enchanting site specific ballet performance outdoors and around the gardens. You are also invited to take part in the magic by creating your very own fairy crown or magic wand.

Performances at 1:30 and 3:00 with fairy craft activities taking place at 2:00 and 3:30. Event is Rain or Shine (indoor accommodations provided) This event is part of Next Stop Holyoke. Performances are FREE, $3 for crafts Sunday, October 12 from 12:00 to 4:00 pm Gallery of Quilts Opening Reception Admission $5 Saturday, October 18 at 3:00 and 6:00 pm – Historic Holyoke Cemetery Tour Join City Historian Penni Martorell for an insightful afternoon or evening walking tour through historic Forestdale Cemetery. The history of many of Holyoke’s founding families will be revealed. Reservations necessary. Admission $10 general / $7 members.

Sunday, October 19 at 2:00 pm The Fair Magelone, a Romantic Love Story in Words and Music Listen to Johannes Brahms most rapturous music in an unusual complete performance of the Magelone Lieder. The concert features four prominent local

‘Late start’ classes begin at HCC Missed the traditional September start for Fall college classes? It’s not too late to enroll at Holyoke Community College. HCC has dozens of classes that don’t start until October or November. These offerings range from 5-week, 1-credit courses to 7-week accelerated courses that offer a full semester’s worth of credits (3) in half the time, and many of them are offered online.

5-week classes beginning Oct. 2-10: Business 112: Professional Etiquette (online, 1 credit); Business 114: Money Management (online, 1 credit); General Studies 111: Job Search Strategies (1 credit); Health,

artists: tenor, Peter W. Shea; soprano, Louise Fauteux; pianist, Monica Jakuc Leverett and narrator, Vivienne Carey. This event is sponsored by New England Public Radio and the NEPR News Network.Admission $15 general / $12 members Monday, October 20 at 6:00 pm Historical Lecture Series: Threads that Bind – Textiles in the Connecticut River Valley: Weaving Stories Betsy McKee will illustrate, with tools and other objects, what our ancestors did to create their everyday textiles. Using examples of textile tools, she will illustrate the complexity and scarcity of textile objects during our country’s youth. $7 general / $5 members Monday, October 27 at 6:00 pm Historical Lecture Series: Threads that Bind – Textiles in the Connecticut River Valley: Japanese Silk Trade and William Skinner & Sons Manufacturing Ever wonder about William Skinner & Sons Manufacturing’s connections to the Japanese silk trade at the turn of the last century? Resident scholar, Matt Coletti, public history student, will share his findings about the nature of the Japanese silk industry as embodied by artifacts from the museum collections. Matt will introduce integral people, places and factories using photographs, business ledgers, transaction documents, and factory samples. Coletti’s research will enhance your understanding of the international silk trade, and the relationships established and developed by the Skinners. $7 general / $5 members Friday, October 31 at 7:00 pm and at 8:30 pm Candlelight Tour Tour ghostly Wistariahurst by candlelight! Creep down shadowed hallways and darkened rooms of the Skinner Mansion on a rare guided tour at night!

Reservations necessary. Admission $15 general/$10 members Reservations can be made at wistairahurst.org or by calling the museum at 322-5660

Fitness, Nutrition 103: First Aid/Safety (1 credit); Health, Fitness, Nutrition 133: Group Exercise - Step (1 credit); Health, Fitness, Nutrition 148: Yoga II (1 credit); Health, Fitness, Nutrition 181: Physical Conditioning II (1 credit); Health, Fitness, Nutrition 160: Martial Arts - Qigong (1 credit); Health, Fitness, Nutrition 135: Topics in Dance Jazz (1 credit) 7-week accelerated classes beginning Oct. 22-27: Culinary Arts 101: Culinary Foundation II (3 credits); Spanish 102: Elementary Spanish II (3 credits); Political Science 120: State and Local Government (3 credits); Veterinary Science 268: Reproduction of Domestic Animals (2 credits); English 223: Writing for the Professions (3 credits); History 111: History of the U.S. I (3 credits); Social Science

120: Conflict Resolution/Mediation (3 credits); Economics 102: Introduction to Microeconomics (online, 3 credits); Health 114: Medical Terminology (online, 3 credits); Psychology 110: Introduction to Psychology (online, 3 credits); Psychology 216: Human Development (online, 3 credits); Sociology 110: Introduction to Sociology (online, 3 credits) 5-week classes beginning Nov. 5: General Studies 110: Career Planning (1 credit); Health, Fitness, Nutrition 166: Self Defense (1 credit); Health, Fitness, Nutrition 104: Sports First Aid (1 credit); Health, Fitness, Nutrition 133: Group ExerciseAerobics (1 credit); Health, Fitness, Nutrition 182: Physical Conditioning II (1 credit).

For more information on specific classes, please go to the searchable course schedule or contact HCC Admissions at admissions@hcc.edu / (413) 552-2321.

22º Festival de Otoño de Nuestras Raíces • 27 de septiembre en La Finca de Nuestras Raíces

Finqueros Oscar Andino, Juan Rentas y Alberto Díaz

Conjunto Sonido Tropical

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El cantante panameño, Wenther

El kiosko de Rentas Family Farm - Lucy Laboy, Juan Rentas y Lydia Laboy

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LatinoSolEl October 2014

Holyoke CEP: Twenty Years of Service to the Latino Community CEP: Veinte años de Servicio a la Comunidad Latina For over twenty years the mission of Community Education Project (CEP) has been to promote equal access to education, jobs and health care for members of the Puerto Rican and immigrant communities of greater Holyoke and Springfield.

Por maas de veinte años la misión del Proyecto Educativo de la Comunidad (CEP, por sus siglas en inglés) ha sido la promoción de la igualdad de acceso a la educación, trabajos y servicios de salud para los puertorriqueños e inmigrantes recién llegados a Holyoke y Springfield.

CEP works closely with community partners, educational institutions, workforce developers and social service agencies to provide free English (ESOL) and Spanish Native Language Literacy classes, a day and an evening Transition to College and Careers class, educational advising services, and referrals to social service providers in Holyoke.

El CEP trabaja estrechamente con socios comunitarios, instituciones educativas, personas encargadas del desarrollo de mano de obra y agencias de servicios sociales para proveer clases de inglés (ESOL) y clases de alfabetización en español, clases de transición a colegio y carrera profesional que se ofrecen durante el día y la noche, servicios de consejería educacional, y referidos a proveedores de servicios sociales en Holyoke.

Currently we are recruiting candidates for the Spanish Native Language Literacy classes. CEP is the only Department of Education funded program in Western Mass. that offers free classes in Spanish for adults who want to prepare to take the Spanish High School Equivalency Test (HiSET). Adults who received their formal education in Spanish but did not complete their secondary education in their home countries are eligible for this important free educational service.

Spanish Native Language Literacy classes are held in Holyoke at our site at 317 Main St. For more information call: Elizabeth Rivera or Laura Rojas at 413-538-5770

En este momento estamos reclutando candidatos para nuestras clases de alfabetización en español. El CEP es el único programa financiado por el Departamento de Educación en el oeste de Massachusetts que ofrece clases gratis en español para adultos que quieran obtener el diploma de equivalencia de escuela superior (HiSET). Los adultos que recibieron educación en español en su país de origen, pero no completaron su educación secundaria son elegibles para estos servicios importantes y gratuitos. Las clases se ofrecen en Holyoke, en el 317 de la Main St. Para más información llame a Elizabeth Rivera o a Laura Rojas al 413-538-5770

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Medios de Comunicación / Media

ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC’s Latino Inclusion: A Mixed Bag NATIONAL LATINO MEDIA COUNCIL (September 18, 2014) PASADENA, CA. -- The National Latino Media Council (NLMC) released the 2014 NLMC Television Network Diversity Report. The report rates Latino inclusion and diversity performance of ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC in the 2013-2014 television season, based on the employment of Latino actors, writers, producers, directors, and entertainment executives; program development; procurement; and commitment to diversity and transparency.

For the 2013-2014 television season, NLMC assigned “Good,” “Mediocre” and “Bad” ratings for each of the above eight categories for Latino inclusion, which provided the basis for overall scores for each network: ABC: Mediocre ABC had the most Latino scripted actors, and it also led the pack in terms of Latino writers and producers. However, the network underwhelmed with regard to Latino directors and unscripted talent.

ABC is to be commended for its excellent quantity of initiatives to infuse more people of color into its ranks.

CBS: Mediocre CBS’ performance is lagging in nearly every category, including Latino on-screen talent in scripted and unscripted roles. The network shows promise with regard to Latino writers, producers, and directors, but progress remains slow. However, CBS stands out with a Latina entertainment executive, entertainment chairman Nina Tassler, at the helm.

FOX: Mediocre FOX has made great strides in augmenting the amount

of Latino actors, as well as improving portrayals.

Behind the camera, the network showed little improvement in hiring Latino writers, producers and directors. After two years of refusing to supply its diversity data to the coalition, Fox’s commitment to diversity had been in question -- but the network is once again cooperating and showing a commitment to inclusion.

NBC: Mediocre/Good NBC showed great improvement with Latino actors in scripted roles and cast members in unscripted roles. The number of Latino writers and producers increased slightly, but the network had fewer Latino directors. NBC’s commitment to diversity shows in the programs it continues to support to help prepare diverse talent to work in the industry.

“It is clear there is a lot of room for improvement across the board,” said former Congressman Esteban Torres, chair of NLMC. “We will continue to work with the networks to ensure that positive internal changes take place to bring more Latinos in front and behind the camera.”

Alex Nogales, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, which serves as secretariat for NLMC, stated, “It is important to recognize not only how far we’ve come, but also how far we have to go until television accurately reflects the reality that Latinos are an integral part of the American social fabric.”

In 2000, following a two-year campaign, the Multi-Ethnic Media Coalition -- comprised of the National Latino Media Council, the National Asian/ Pacific American Media Coalition, the NAACP and American Indians in Film and Television -- signed Memoranda of Understanding with ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC to diversify the networks’ workforce both in front and behind the camera, and to open up procurement opportunities for people of color. The four networks agreed to diversify their staffs and regularly report to the Multi-Ethnic Media Coalition on their inclusion efforts. Over the years, this long partnership has produced tangible but incremental results. NLMC has issued this report annually since 2001, and evaluates data reported by the four television networks.

Sol Latino 1/8 x 5 3/8

Música/ Music

LatinoSolEl October 2014

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Latin Rhythms Link Area Communities Through WTCC 90.7 FM (Part 1) Antonio DiGioia says, “We play the music from our countries,” and the Latin rhythms heard on WTCC 90.7 FM on weekday afternoons are as varied as the radio hosts who play them. The Ecos del Ritmo (Echoes of Rhythm) program has aired since 1983 and is a favorite of Latino populations and many others, throughout western Mass. and northern Connecticut.

WTCC is the community radio station located at Springfield Technical Community College. The station is staffed 24/7 by community volunteers, and supported primarily by its listeners. Ecos del Ritmo is heard Monday through Friday from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., with a different Latino host behind the mike each afternoon.

Luis A. Rodríguez born in Puerto Rico, and one of the first hosts of the program, credits William Bolivar, originally from Colombia, for starting Ecos more than 30 years ago. Other hosts then included brothers Ozzie and Orlando Alban from Ecuador, as well as Mercedes Chinchilla, and Marilú Bermúdez.

Rodriguez May 2014 notes that today’s listeners include the next generation - the grown-up children of the original Ecos fans.

Antonio DiGioia, from Venezuela, was the Ecos program coordinator and an Ecos host from the late

1980s until 2005. He describes the program as the voice of the community. “As a non-commercial radio station” he says, “we have more focus on community needs. The kind of music we play – cumbia – connects the whole area from Central America to South America, down through Venezuela and Colombia; it’s also strong in Ecuador and Peru, but originated in Colombia.” He added, “Mexican music is different; as is music from Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. Merengue comes from the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo, while salsa has strong roots in Cuba, and spread all over the Caribbean islands, then to South America.”

DiGioia adds, “A big family came from here; WTCC has been one of the only places where a person interested in becoming a radio announcer could come and be trained. From here several people became great announcers, and professional DJs from Puerto Rico would come to us when they were in the area. They loved it – the station has been mother to new talents.”

The Voices Behind the Microphone Mondays-Robert Sandoval is also known as El Pelón (bald) – “That’s how they recognize me,” he says.

Emigrating from Guatemala in 1994, he settled in this area, learned English at the West Springfield public library, and for nearly 20 years has been cooking at Italian restaurants. He’d always enjoyed hosting or performing. In college in Guatemala, Sandoval discovered he loved getting the mike – “it liked me, I liked it” and combined acting in theater with emceeing. He was still a little nervous, though,

when he started in radio; he remembers starting his first day on the air, “shaking like this” he says, wobbling his hand.

Sandoval started at WTCC nine years ago, and hosts the Ecos program on Mondays.

The first hour of his show is a mix of Latin El Pelón Sandoval American music – from Puerto Rico, Colombia, and also Spain. But the second hour is “dedicated to the heart – la hora romantica – and a lot of people are waiting for that,” he says. “Not everyone wants to dance for two hours!”

Sandoval also enjoys helping the community, assisting Mexican, Guatemalan and Salvadoran immigrants with mobile consuls, assistance with passports and IDs, as a translator for interviews, and sometimes talking on the air with embassies. “It satisfies me that I can help my community, my people,” he says.

Tuesdays- Marco Dermith, born in Honduras, started at WTCC assisting on the Cantares LatinoAmericanos program, and now has his own slot on Ecos del Ritmo, hosting on Tuesday afternoons.

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

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

Continued on page 15

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Música/ Music

LatinoSolEl October 2014

Ray Gónzalez Latin Jazz & Salsa Festival reconoce a Rafael Hernández por MANUEL FRAU RAMOS Este año, el Ray Gónzalez Latin Jazz & Salsa Festival fue dedicado a la música de uno de los artistas puertorriqueños mas reconocidos mundialmente, el virtuoso compositor Rafael Hernández Marín.

El concierto celebrado el 6 de septiembre en el Mortensen Riverfront Plaza en Hartford (CT) reunió a un estelar grupo de músicos y cantantes que interpretaron muchas de las canciones mas populares de Rafael Hernández. Acompañados por Ray González y su Orquesta Big Band, cantantes como Gryssel Ramirez “La voz del encanto”, Alejandro “Chalí “ Hernández, hijo de Rafael Hernández, Raúl Santos, Jesús Pagán, José Delgado y Tito Guadalupe interpretaron, individualmente o en grupo, canciones tales como Venus, Campanitas de Cristal, Capullito de Alelí, Cachita, Los Carreteros, Preciosa y El Cumbachero, entre otras.

Hernández nació en Aguadilla, Puerto Rico en el 1891. Su trayectoria artística comenzó en San Juan bajo la tutela de los maestros José Ruellán Lequerica y Jesús Figueroa. Llega a ejecutar varios instrumentos, tales como el violín, trombón, bombardino, guitarra y el piano. Pero son sus composiciones musicales por las que es reconocido mundialmente.

De acuerdo a los Apuntes Biográficos del Compositor Rafael Hernández, (Universidad Interamericana) este escribió más de 2,000 temas que incluyen letra y música. Cultivó múltiples géneros musicales tales como: guaracha (conocida hoy en día como salsa), rumba, bolero, danza puertorriqueña, vals, canción criolla, villancico navideño, aguinaldo, plena, canción patriótica, temas infantiles, corridos mexicanos, himnos, marchas, cantos negroides, música clásica tanto para piano como sinfónico, música para zarzuela y operetas.

Foto MFR. Marcelina Sierra, Directora Ejecutiva de Guakía, Inc., los representates estatales Minnie González y Angel Arce, Alejandro Chalí Hernández, Pedro Segarra, alcalde de Hartford y Ray González.

El corrido mexicano “Qué Chula es Puebla”, es considerado el himno de ese estado mexicano mientras que el tema “Linda Quisqueya”, es considerado como el segundo himno de la República Dominicana.

Por su parte, Alejandro “Chalí” Hernández, hijo del compositor, es un reconocido músico por sus propios méritos. Fue introducido a la música por su padre y estudió canto con Rina de Toledo. Ha sido miembro de agrupaciones musicales como el Quinteto Lírico de Rina de Toledo, Sexteto Pijuán, Banda Estatal de Puerto Rico dirigida por Angel “Lito” Peña, Trío Bohemia Caribe y Orquesta Copacabana.

Chalí también es el Director Ejecutivo de la Sala Museo Rafael Hernández, ubicada en el Recinto Metropolitano de la Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico.

Foto MFR. Gryssel Ramirez “La voz del encanto”, y Alejandro “Chalí “ Hernández.

Desde el 2007, Guakía, Inc., ha estado produciendo el Ray González Latin Jazz and Salsa Festival el cual se celebra anualmente y honra al trabajo pionero de Ray González en CT como músico profesional de jazz latino y salsa y como educador de la juventud latina durante más de 35 años.

También participaron en este concieto único el conjunto de jazz latino caribeño, TROMBEATZ y el Conjunto Antillano el cual homenajeó al recién fallecido Cheo Feliciano El reconocido músico, trompetista, arreglista, conductor y líder de banda nació en Gurabo, Puerto Rico. Asistió al Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico y a la Universidad de Puerto Rico.

A través de los años se han presentado en el Festival muchos talentosos artistas del Latin Jazz y de la Salsa, tales como: Luis Marín, Paoli Mejías, Jerry Medina, Charlie Sepúlveda, Miguel “Meñique” Barcasnegras, Edwin Clemente, PuertoSax, Cándido Reyes y Güiro Jazz, Iván Renta, Anthony Carrillo, entre otros.

Jeroton Clown

Music, Games, Balloons and Much More...

For More information call: Jerry & Brenda 413-557-8273 or 413-210-5458 jero4817@yahoo.com

Libros/ Books

Dispara, yo ya estoy muerto

LatinoSolEl October 2014

de Julia Navarro (Vintage Español: Random House LLC, 2013. 912 páginas)

Parece que toda mi vida, he leído en los periódicos y escuchado en la radio y en la televisión noticias sobre los conflictos entre los judíos y los árabes, entre Israel y Palestina, los cuales parecen pasar por épocas cortas de paz y largas épocas de sangrientas batallas.

Y lamento la violencia, la pérdida de vidas, y la destrucción de casas y tierras, todo que a mi parecer es una brutalidad sin sentido. Me he preguntado, ¿por qué no pueden llegar a un acuerdo que protege las vidas de ambos lados y por fin llegar a convivir en paz?

Es precisamente esta cuestión que la autora/ periodista española Julia Navarro toca en su larga novela, Dispara, yo ya estoy muerto. Al leerla, empecé a comprender algo de este conflicto que tiene una historia que abarca muchas generaciones.

Y decir que el conflicto se debe sólo a una diferencia de creencias religiosas es una exagerada simplificación que menosprecia la profundidad de diferencias entre los árabes y los judíos y, sí, de también las semejanzas que comparten los dos lados tras más de un largo siglo de historia compartida.

La novela empieza en la época actual cuando la señora Marian Miller es enviada al Oriente Medio para hacer una investigación sobre los conflictos entre los palestinos y los israelíes. Ella trabaja para Refugiados, una ONG “que estudia sobre el terreno los problemas que sufren las poblaciones desplazadas a causa de conflictos bélicos [o] catástrofes naturales”. Simpatiza más con los palestinos que “han tenido que abandonar sus hogares...sus casas...sus tierras.” Su misión es “evaluar la política de asentamientos que todavía está produciendo más desplazados.” Sin embargo está dispuesta a escuchar el otro lado de la historia y así se entrevista con el anciano israelí Ezequiel Zucker. La novela se desarrolla con estos dos narradores alternando las historias de los israelíes y los palestinos.

Ezequiel empieza su relato en San Petersburgo, Rusia a fines del siglo diecinueve cuando las persecuciones contra los judíos promulgadas por el Zar resultan en que su padre, el judío ruso Samuel Zucker, huya de su país natal después de que todos los miembros de su familia han sido asesinados. Su fuga y su búsqueda por un país donde pueda sentirse verdaderamente en casa sin temor de prejuicio ni de persecución le lleva a Polonia, Francia, Inglaterra, Grecia, Turquía, Jordania, Israel, Palestina, y por fin a los campos de concentración de Auschwitz y Ravensbrück.

Cuando llega a lo que eventualmente se conoce como Israel, Samuel sólo quiere vivir en paz labrando la tierra y trabajando en su clínica con sus hierbas y medicamentos. Le da la bienvenida Ahmed Ziad y así empieza una larga historia por generaciones de calurosas relaciones íntimas de amistad entre estas dos familias, judía y árabe.

Las cosas empiezan a cambiar cuando en la primera guerra mundial y más tarde en la segunda, aun más judíos llegan buscando una tierra en donde puedan vivir en paz. Pero el problema es que llegan buscando sus raíces históricas en la “tierra prometida” precisamente en exactamente el mismo lugar donde ya han vivido por años los árabes. Durante la segunda guerra mundial, cuando el número de refugiados judíos amenaza con quitarle las tierras a los árabes, las relaciones entre las dos familias se agrian.

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Los judíos lucharon con los aliados contra Hítler; los árabes algunos contra Hítler, otros con él. Pero ambos lados eran víctimas al terminar la guerra cuando los aliados triunfantes solucionaron el problema de miles de refugiados judíos, no dándoles la bienvenida a sus propios países sino dividiendo la tierra no suya en el Medio Oriente entre los árabes y los judíos sin reparar en quienes ya habían vivido ahí por generaciones.

Dos temas sobresalen en la obra: la tolerancia religiosa y la necesidad de pertenecer a una patria.

Cuando la joven judía Marinna y el joven árabe Mohamed se enamoran, los padres de éstos se alarman. Jacob lamenta que las diferencias religiosas son una barrera entre las dos familias: “¿Hasta cuándo vamos a permitir que la religión nos separe y provoque una mirada diferente de los unos hacia los otros? ...queremos un mundo diferente, donde todos los hombres seamos iguales, tengamos los mismos derechos y los mismos deberes, donde no se persiga a nadie rece a quien rece, piense lo que piense.”

De nuevo es Jacob quien expresa el segundo tema de la novela: el ansia de pertenecer: “Quiero que éste sea el hogar de mi hija y el de mis nietos.

Quiero que no vuelvan a ser extranjeros en ninguna tierra, que no les expulsen ni les persigan diciendo que son diferentes.”

Navarro empieza la novela escribiendo que “Hay momentos en la vida en los que la única manera de salvarse a uno mismo es muriendo o matando.” Este lema va repitiéndose por la novela.

La autora, que pasó tres años escribiendo la novela, no toma lados en la historia. Lo explica así en el artículo “Julia Navarro viaja de ‘Doctor Zhivago’ a ‘Éxodo’” por Jacinto Antón que se publicó en El País (el 18 de septiembre de 2013). Según ella, “No he tratado de escribir una novela de judíos y palestinos, simplemente quería un marco para situar una historia de amistad y afectos enfrentados a las vicisitudes de la historia. En cuanto al conflicto árabe-israelí, me muestro equidistante, no tomo partido ni ofrezco soluciones, me limito a mostrar la manera en que se desarrollaron las cosas.”

Si se puede criticar a la novelista en su obra, tal vez sería por su intento de abarcar tanta historia. El lector puede sentirse abrumado por la mera cantidad de personajes y hechos y si no lee la novela de un tirón puede confundirse de quién es quién y qué ha hecho quién y cuál política representa y cómo se relaciona con el resto de los personajes. Personalmente, lamento no haber hecho una lista de los personajes desde el principio.

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

14

Salud / Health

LatinoSolEl October 2014

Rays of Hope - Caminata para la cura del cáncer del seno SPRINGFIELD, MA. – La vigésima primera edición anual de Rays of Hope (Rayos de Esperanza) - Una caminata para la cura del cáncer del seno se llevará a cabo el domingo 19 de octubre. Durante los últimos dos meses Phyllis Dupre buscando apoyo financiero para su equipo en este evento. “Tengo algunos patrocinadores muy generosos y por lo general comienzo a llamarlos en agosto para su continuo apoyo económico,” indicó Dupre, de Springfield, sobreviviente de cáncer del seno desde hace nueve años.

El equipo de Dupre, Bosom Buddies – Fight Like A Girl (Amigas del alma - Pelea como una chica), ha ido creciendo hasta llegar a tener cerca de 40 miembros.

Continúa expandiéndose por la comunicación de boca en boca. “El cáncer del seno no es algo que ocurre únicamente durante el mes de concientización del cáncer del seno en octubre. Ataca a hombres y mujeres los 365 días del año. Así que, bien sea formando su propio equipo, uniéndose a alguno, o simplemente caminando por su propia cuenta, nunca es demasiado temprano para comenzar a reclutar miembros del equipo o para gestionar patrocinadores como parte de su esfuerzo para recaudar fondos para la caminata y carrera,” dijo Michelle Shattuck, directora del evento de Rays of Hope.

Los participantes pueden registrarse en línea en baystatehealth.org/raysofhope, donde también pueden crear su propia página web para ayudarse en sus esfuerzos de recaudación de fondos.

Desde sus inicios en Springfield en 1994 por Lucy Giuggio Carvalho, Rays of Hope, es la caminata y carrera de recaudación de fondos para combatir el cáncer de seno más exitosa en el oeste de Massachusetts. Ha crecido de 500 participantes que recaudaron $50,000 a unos 24,000 caminantes y corredores en un evento expandido que incluye una segunda caminata en Greenfield, así como también la 5ta Carrera anual de 8K Run Toward the Cure (Carrera hacia una cura) de este año en Springfield.

en Temple Beth El en la calle Dickinson. La inscripción comienza a las 9 am, la carrera comienza a las 10:15am, seguida por los caminantes a las 10:30 am. La caminata en Greenfield - una ruta de dos o de tres millas – parte del Energy Park en la calle Miles. La inscripción es a las 10 am y la caminata comienza al mediodía.

La 5ta Carrera Anual de 8K para la Cura continúa este año con la ayuda de Fast Feet en West Springfield y en Westfield. Aunque se considera una “carrera por entretenerse”, habrá un cronómetro en la meta para aquellos corredores que deseen registrar lo que puede ser su “mejor récord personal.”

Desde 1994, Rays of Hope ha recaudado más de $11.8 millones. El dinero es utilizado a nivel local y es administrado por Baystate Health Foundation. Ayuda a los pacientes del cáncer del seno y a sus familias. Los fondos han apoyado a Rays of Hope Center for Breast Cancer Research, así como también a la divulgación y educación sobre el tratamiento de este tipo de cáncer, la compra de equipo tecnológico de punta a través del Baystate Health Breast Network.

Aquellos que deseen apoyar a Rays of Hope de otra manera, pueden participar en el programa 10,000 Steps Toward A Cure (10,000 pasos hacia una cura).

Los participantes recibirán un pedómetro para llevar un registro de sus pasos durante el mes de octubre, mientras recaudan donaciones similares a las de los otros caminantes.

Los principales patrocinadores de Rays of Hope este año son Health New England, Gale Toyota, Baystate Breast & Wellness Center, Baystate Breast Specialists, Chicopee Savings Charitable Foundation, Kinsley Power Systems, Radiology & Imaging y Zasco Productions.

Para obtener más información acerca de la Caminata de Rays of Hope y de la Carrera de 8K de este año, que se llevará a cabo aunque llueva o hogasol, llame al 413-794-8001 o visite baystatehealth.org/raysofhope.

La caminata de Springfield será una ruta de dos o de cinco millas, comenzando

Mercy Women’s Health Services Your Health is Important to Us MercyCare-Forest Park and MercyCare-Holyoke are recognizing National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Free screenings in October

306 Race Street Holyoke, MA 01040 413-536-7385

for women without health insurance.

Monday, October 27 – Friday, October 31, 2014 The centers will provide: • A FREE Physical, PAP screening and STD check for women without health insurance • Mammogram referrals • Assistance with applying for Mass Health • Educational materials and referrals For additional information or to schedule an appointment, call MercyCare-Forest Park at 413-886-0410 or MercyCare-Holyoke at 413-536-738

475 Sumner Avenue Springfield, MA 01108 413-886-0410

Salud / Health

LatinoSolEl October 2014

15

Successful Fitness Campaign in Springfield SPRINGFIELD, MA. September 22, 2014 - Jennifer Mercado, her boyfriend Jermaine Jones, and his brother Jonathon Jones were a family eager to get healthy when they joined the Mason Square Health Task Force’s “Let’s Get Task Force Fit-Together” campaign a few months back.

Over 100 city residents participated in the summer-long fitness challenge that ran from May 3 to August 23. The campaign promoted living a healthier lifestyle and also included a weight-loss competition. Collectively, Mercado and the Jones brothers lost an impressive 46 pounds and turned 67 percent of their body fat into lean muscle. “I have so much more energy now,” Jennifer, 32, said. “This has really changed my life for the good.”

Jennifer and Jonathon won first place in the weight-loss competition, and Brenda Harvey and Omar Phillips, both of Springfield, won first place in the most improved body composition (fat to muscle ratio) category.

Task Force Fit participants said the prizes were not what motivated them most, rather it was gaining the knowledge needed to get fit and implement behavioral changes that will sustain longer, healthier lives.

Wanda Givens, executive director of the Mason Square Health Task Force, said overall, the campaign was a success in raising awareness about the alarmingly high rates of chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

“It’s hard to believe that often those numbers and percentages can be drastically reduced with two simple solutions: diet and exercise,” Givens said.

“This campaign helped spread the word about the dangers of being overweight, and it was a way to show that physical fitness activities are fun.”

Mercado said before the campaign she was shy and experienced anxiety working out in a gym with strangers. She said that changed when she joined the Zumba class at Dunbar and partook in some of the Task Force Fit activities.

She said, “We were all trying to help each other.”

Let’s Get Task Force Fit-Together was part of the Live Well Springfield Movement. Partners in this collaboration included the Pioneer Valley Riverfront

Task Force Fitters, at no cost to them, took fitness classes at the Dunbar Y Family & Community Center, participated in MENU program nutrition classes, went rowing on the Connecticut River, biking on the North Riverfront Park trail, and went walking in city parks.

Kathy Wicks, working on the Live Well Springfield movement, said the program succeeded in encouraging residents to increase their physical activity by exposing them to a variety of resources within the city. “Activities that bring families, friends, and communities together help make it easy to move more and eat healthy. Task Force Fit created a summer filled with those opportunities.”

Sherri Downes, of Springfield, said making the decision to join this campaign had been a worthwhile one. She changed her diet and found a new love for bicycling. “This was the first time I’ve been on a bike in 20 years and now I go riding on the Riverfront Park trail as much as possible.”

Tasha Moultrie-Phillips project manager of the Mason Square Health Task Forces Community Classroom, said it was good to see the community come together to help each other. Moultrie facilitates the MENU nutrition program. “So many people turned out to join Task Force Fit and were interested in changing their lives, having access to healthy foods and wanting to live longer lives and that makes me feel great,” she said.

Beatrice Dewberry is director of marketing and community engagement for the Mason Square Health Task Force.

Latin Rhythms Link Area Communities

Controlar la diabetes es una labor de equipo.

continued from page 11

When he came to the U.S., escaping the war between Honduras and El Salvador, Dermith taught himself English, went to college, became a social worker at the welfare office, and was an interpreter/translator for the court system. Marco later started a company in renovations, became a union painter, and then 22 years ago opened a home inspections company. He’s even once been a merchant marine sailor – “Amazing what you do when you’re looking for life,” he says.

Dermith plays music from all the Latin American countries – salsa, bachata, merengue - and adds some diversity with cumbia: grassroots music, including music from the mountains and the pampas. He says, “My favorite is Latin jazz – from Puerto Rico, Cuba, Brazil and Mexico – and I bring those great musicians into the show too.” He adds that on his program, the music is always in Spanish, while the conversation is both English and Spanish.

Zoraida C. Rodriguez, Dietista Registrada, Dr. John Nicasio, Endocrinólogo, y Paula Santiago-Kelley, Enfermera Registrada

Ahora tiene el Centro de Diabetes de su lado.

Controlando la diabetes incluye la dieta, el ejercicio, la educación y — a veces — la medicación. Nuestro equipo le puede ayudar con los cuatro.

Si usted tiene diabetes o está prediabético, vamos a ayudarle a averiguar cómo afecta a su cuerpo, lo que puede hacer para protegerse, e incluso cómo hacer deliciosas comidas tradicionales que no van a hacer subir el nivel de azúcar en la sangre.

Obtenga el equipo de diabetes de su lado. Llame al Centro de Diabetes al (413) 552-0899.

Marco generally has one or two guests each week, talking about “politics, education, things having to do with the health of our community, especially connections with veterans and the elderly.” He is Marco Dermith also a member of the Community Accountability Board (CAB) at the Ludlow jail, helping people who have just been released from prison. “Who did their crime hurt,” he asks, “how can they repay the community, make the connection to take the GED, learn a trade, and avoid going back to jail?”

As a successful entrepreneur, Dermith also teaches people who want to open their own business. “It’s not connected with any group, just something I enjoy, making connections with people,” he says. “Some now have their own job or even their own company.”

(This is the first part of to two articles) Source: WTCC 90.7 FM

HolyokeHealth.com ElSolLatino_quarter_Color_9-25.indd 1

Club, the YMCA of Greater Springfield, Springfield College’s Center for Wellness Education and Research, American International College, Baystate Health, Health New England, the American Heart Association and MassBike.

9/25/14 1:37 PM

ON STAGE REGINA CARTER’S SOUTHERN COMFORT Jueves, 9 de octubre, 7:30 pm Bowker Auditorium

ANGÉLIQUE KIDJO

Regina Carter es una excepcional violinista que crea una música maravillosa, inteligente, y que lleva al que la escucha hacia el futuro del jazz.

El programa Southern Comfort de Carter consistirá de canciones y música de Alabama – estado donde nació su padre – celebrando así la música alegre que llenó su niñez.

Jueves, 30 de octubre, 7:30 pm Fine Arts Center Concert Hall, Chamber Seating

Angélique Kidjo, ganadora del premio Grammy, es una cantantecompositora y activista de Benin, conocida por sus diversas influencias musicales y sus creativos videos musicales. Tim Magazine la llamó “Africa’s premier diva.” Ha colaborado con Carlos Santana, Peter Gabriel, Alicia Keys, Bono y muchos más. Conocida por su música inspiradora y dinámica y su trabajo filantrópico, viaja por el mundo para inspirar.

Pre-performance talk at 6:30 p.m. at the University Club.

Charla antes de la presentación, a las at 6:30 p.m en el University Club.

Season Sponsors:

Event Sponsors:

Activismo a través de la Música Miércoles, 29 de octubre, 6-7 pm Bowker Auditorium, ¡Gratis!

Conversación con Angélique Kidjo. Moderada por Bode Omojola Presentada en conjunto con el Feinberg Family Distinguished Lecture Series

NO SE PIERDA EL RESTO DE LA TEMPORADA. ¡SUSCRÍBASE A 3 EVENTOS O MÁS Y AHORRE UN 15%!

Season Sponsors:

Event Sponsors:

Llame al 413-545-2511 o al 800-999-UMAS o visite fineartscenter.com