El Sol Latino | October 2024 | 20.11 by El Sol Latino

Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper October 2024 Volume 20 No.

Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

Un Periódico Difer ent Kind of Ne

Un Periódic

The Multicultural Small Business Accelerator Program is being held in Springfield, MA in partnership with Western New England University Participants are presented with tools and opportunities to increase their visibility, accelerate their business, and achieve success. This 6week program concludes in a pitch competition with opportunities to win cash prizes up to $5,000!

Location:

Delbridge Career Center 1215 Wilbraham Road, Springfield, MA 01119

Days: Wednesday, October 16 — November 20

Time: 6pm — 8pm

Eligibility: • Business located in Springfield

• In business 36 months or less

• Business is in good standing with the state of Massachusetts

To Apply: Scan QR Code to register and view Official Pitch Competition Rules

Limited to 30 participants. Registration is required by September 27, 2024. First come, first served.

Questions?

Contact Mike Walizada at: mwalizada@mtb.com or (716) 559-3214

2 Foto del Mes /Photo of the Month Remembering our October 2010 Edition

3 Portada / Front Page

Springfield Puerto Rican Parade 2024

4 Salsa Sal Pa’ Fuera Partners with MGM Springfield to celebrate a Live Salsa Concert

5 STCC Announces Three New Members Named to the Board of Trustees

6 Opinión / Opinion

Stalled Common Sense Policy Protecting Children

7 Educación / Education

STCC Partners with HCS Head Start to Open an Early Childhood Program

Jorge Duany, CRI Director, Retires after Successful 12 Year Tenure

8 Literatura / Literature

Con la Música a Otra Parte: El Negrito Bembón

11 Magdalena Gómez Receives the International Latino Book Award

12 Libros / Books

Puerto Ricans in Illinois

13 Making the Latino South - A History of Racial Formation

When Colonialism Wins - The Case Against American Statehood for Puerto Rico

15 Arte / Art Journey Stories: The Puerto Rican Experience

16 Deports / Sports Holyoke Old Timers Softball League –Clásico 2024 17 Springfield Old Timers Softball League

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.

Springfield Puerto Rican Parade 2024

The Puerto Rican Parade, held on Sunday, September 15, 2024, celebrated 34 years of recognition and honors of individuals who have made significant contributions to the Puerto Rican community and the community at large.

This year honorees included:

Grand Marshall: Maddy Landrau. She joined MassMutual in 1996 and works in the Community Responsibility Team as Director of Strategic Giving. She is the first Latina trustee of Westfield State University, a trustee of Baystate Health Foundation, a board member of the Springfield Regional Chamber, and Vice President of the Mi Museo Committee for the Springfield Museum.

Madrina: Chali’lnaru Dones. She challenges the misconception that the Taino people are extinct, advocating for education and re-education to reshape this narrative. Serving as a liaison to the United Confederation of Taino People, Dones travels throughout New England, providing knowledge and resources to those seeking truth and a reconnection with their indigenous roots.

Padrino: José Escribano. He is the Chief of Family and Community Engagement at Springfield Public Schools. He embodies the spirit and values of the parade through his unwavering dedication to unity, celebrating cultural heritage, and empowering communities.

Posthumous Community Ambassador: Miguel “Mike” Rivas. He passed away at 66 after battling illness. He leaves behind a legacy of community leadership and advocacy in Springfield, from his early days as a peacemaker during racial tensions in schools to his service in the U.S. Marine Corps. He inspired many to join local politics and played pivotal roles, including as Springfield’s first Puerto Rican park commissioner.

Cultural Ambassador: Brendaliz Cepeda. The granddaughter of the legendary bomba performer Rafael Cepeda, Brendaliz carries on her family’s tradition with passion and dedication with her husband, Saul Peñaloza. Through her work at the Multicultural Learning Center, she’s preserving Puerto Rican culture and folklore for future generations.

Sports Ambassador: Dwayne Early, Jr. A junior at Central High in Springfield, MA, excels academically and athletically. His skills have attracted Division One college offers from Pittsburgh University, ODU, UMASS, and Holy Cross. He is a National Honor Society member, balancing rigorous coursework with competitive sports through exceptional time management and dedication.

Alex

With over three decades of experience in the Springfield Court System, Alex Sierra has demonstrated deep commitment and support for our community in many ways. He is a role model for youth in our community, and we appreciate his hard work and dedication.

Youth Ambassador: Amanda Arce. She is a student at Springfield Conservatory of the Arts. Amanda is deeply passionate about dance and, over the last three years, has excelled as a teaching assistant, choreographing routines for younger students and performing alongside a Latin Grammy-winning children’s artist. Amanda is also a gifted vocalist and a member of the National Honor Society, planning to pursue higher education.

Community Organization Ambassador: New North Citizens Council. Founded in 1973 as the Memorial Square Citizens’ Council under the Springfield Community Development Block Grant Program, NNCC aimed to foster physical, economic, and social progress in the Memorial Square neighborhood within Springfield’s North End. In 1986, the City of Springfield merged the Memorial Square Citizens’ Council with the Brightwood Neighborhood Council to establish the New North Citizens’ Council, Inc.

continued on page 6

Dwayne Early Civil Service Ambassador:

Sierra.

Alex Sierra

/ Front Page

Salsa Sal Pa’ Fuera Partners with MGM Springfield to celebrate a Live Salsa Concert

SPRINGFIELD, MA | SALSA SAL PA’ FUERA | September 2024 – In partnership with MGM Springfield, Salsa Sal Pa’Fuera celebrated the grand finale of its summer season on Sunday, September 15th.

MGM Springfield hosted a live Salsa concert on the MGM Springfield Plaza that paid homage to the enduring legacy of Paquito Acosta and Melvin Martínez, two titans of the Salsa scene. This iconic event followed the 34th annual Springfield Puerto Rican Parade. This year, Salsa Sal Pa’ Fuera celebrated its 7th anniversary.

Paquito Acosta joined Tommy Olivencia’s Salsa Band and was part of hits like “Por Ella,” “Dícelo a El,” and the beloved “Lápiz de Carmín.” Beginning his career at just 14, Paquito shared his musical journey with other greats such as Cano Estremera and Gilberto Santa Rosa, forming the groundbreaking band “Barrio Latino” alongside director Cuto Soto. His first formal recording in the 80’s was with the “Somos Música” band. He later joined forces with other legends of his generation, including Tito Nieves, Charlie Rodríguez, Johnny Pacheco, Hector Tricoche, Frankie Ruiz, and the late Tommy Olivencia.

Melvin Martínez, another celebrated Puerto Rican singer and songwriter, is known for his work with “La Solución,” Roberto Rohena, and Tommy Olivencia. Melvin is renowned for his improvisational skills and powerful vocals in the Salsa genre.

Springfield Puerto Rican Parade 2024 - Grand Marshall: Maddy Landrau with family members

Melvin Martínez

Paquito Acosta

Stalled Common Sense Policy Protecting Children

Enacted in 1997, the Child Tax Credit provides up to $2,000 per child to approximately 40 million families every year (White House. Gov/child tax credit, 9/22/24). It helps families afford groceries, clothes, school supplies, and other basic necessities for children’s well-being. The credit was expanded in 2021 as part of the American Rescue Plan—the hallmark of that expansion—ensured even greater economic security. The expansion helped child and youth poverty in the United States fall to its lowest rate on record. Despite its success, Congress allowed the Rescue Plan to expire in 2022, which enabled the lower rate to skyrocket back up to pre-pandemic levels.

In August 2024, the Child Tax Credit package, which had bolstered children living in poverty, failed to advance in the Senate because of widespread Republican opposition. This resistance existed despite the policy clearing the House by wide bipartisan margins earlier this year. The legislation is known as the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024. It fell short in a vote in August. The credit expansion would cost roughly $33 billion, which according to the Congressional Budget Office would have little impact on the deficit over the next decade.

The Children’s Defense Fund, a long-standing national organization dedicated to promoting child welfare research, showed buying food was the most common use for the payments across all income levels.

A Children’s Defense Fund coalition parent advisory board member who works in social services described the CTC’s impact this way:

The Child Tax Credit is one of the nation’s strongest tools to provide tens of millions of families with some support and breathing room while raising children. It has also been shown to be one of the most effective tools ever for lowering child poverty. Enacted in 1997, the credit currently provides up to $2,000 per child to about 40 million families every year.

MIGUEL L. ARCE and JOSÉ P. ARCE

The common sense tax package provides relief to lower-income families. Despite protestations to the contrary, our treasured children are political victims. Senate Republicans expressed anxiety regarding the cost of the bill and with the passage of the aforementioned bill, crass concerns about possibly bolstering Democrats’ chances in November. With the control of Congress and the White House up for grabs, some Senate Republicans have voiced support to delay any vote on tax issues until after the election. The Senate President Schumer said that there’s no “great mystery” about why Senate Republicans are expected to oppose the package, arguing that they’re looking to the calendar and “have decided they care more about results of the election than in passing a law. They hope that if things go their way they can get a more conservative package sometime in the future,” Schumer said. “And they’re willing to walk away from expanding programs like the Child Tax Credit along the way” (CBS, 9/22/2024). This reaction despite the Office of Management and Budget declaring that the bill “represents a fair bipartisan compromise, and the Senate should send it to the President’s desk” (White House.Gov/child tax credit, 9/22/24).

At the time of this article’s printing, both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump support the Child Tax Credit. We pray they are serious about protecting children.

H.R.7024 - Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024

Tracker: Tip This bill has the status Passed House Here are the steps for Status of Legislation:

1. Introduced

2. Passed House

3. Stuck in the Senate

4. To President before the election?

5. Becomes Law

Community Choice Ambassador: Ramos Detailing (José Ramos). He has always prioritized giving back to his community. He has positively impacted numerous lives by hosting events and giveaways, promoting local businesses, and sharing valuable information. His journey from incarceration to entrepreneurship is inspiring, resonating deeply in a culture affected by incarceration. He embodies the possibility of rehabilitation and rising above hardships, demonstrating that individuals can overcome circumstances and reshape their lives.

LGBTQA+ Ambassador: Xiomara Alban DeLobato. She is a dynamic and accomplished professional with over a decade of experience in the public and private sectors. As Vice President and Chief of Staff for the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council (EDC), she is instrumental in facilitating the region’s economic growth and development, focusing on the industry sector and workforce development, and recognizing community, entrepreneurship, and tourism as integral to a prosperous economy.

Springfield Puerto Rican Parade 2024 continued from page 3

New North Citizens Council

Educación / Education

STCC Partners with HCS Head Start to Open an Early Childhood Program

SPRINGFIELD, MA | SPRINGFIELD TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE

| September 23, 2024 – Springfield Technical Community College, Holyoke-Chicopee-Springfield Head Start (HCS) and dignitaries announced the opening of an HCS early childhood program on the STCC campus.

CEO Nicole Blais, Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, former HCS Head Start CEO Janis Santos, State Sen. Jake Oliveira and Lisandra Rosario, district director for State Rep. Carlos Gonzalez. (Photo courtesy of state Sen. Adam Gomez’s office).

The opening of the facility will provide affordable child care for qualifying families in the region, as well as learning and training opportunities for STCC students.

The announcement came at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in front of the new Head Start location in Building 14. Earlier in the year, the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) and the National Head Start Association (NHSA) initiated a partnership to increase the number of Head Start programs co-located on community college campuses. STCC is the first community college in Western Massachusetts to host a Head Start center.

At the STCC campus location, HCS Head Start will provide services in one of the historic brick buildings located on the south side of the campus near State Street. HCS Head Start will have two classrooms, one

for infants and toddlers, and a preschool classroom.

The partnership will strengthen workforce development opportunities for educators, said HCS Head Start Chief Executive Officer Nicole Blais.

“This exciting partnership will allow us to provide access to affordable care for qualifying students,” Blais said. “We also will collaborate with STCC’s early childhood education program and give students the opportunity to do their student teaching.”

We very much view this collaboration as a version of what is termed in the field as a ‘lab school,’ with a focus on workforce development – our students deeply embedded with Head Start programming and teaching.

John B. Cook, STCC President

HCS Head Start will provide internship opportunities for students studying in various disciplines across the STCC campus. “This partnership allows us to create a pipeline to employment for future early childhood educators,” Blais said.

STCC President John B. Cook expressed enthusiasm for the new partnership. Research shows access to child care can remove barriers for students with children.

“We are thrilled to welcome HCS Head Start to our campus,” he said. “We very much view this collaboration as a version of what is termed in the field as a ‘lab school,’ with a focus on workforce development – our students deeply embedded with Head Start programming and teaching. On the cusp of the 60th anniversary of Head Start, how exciting to formalize this partnership in Springfield.”

Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said, “I want to thank Nicole Blais, CEO of HCS Head Start, and her dedicated staff for everything they do for our students and the community. I also want to thank STCC President John Cook and team for being great partners to our Springfield.

Visit hcsheadstart.org for more information about HCS Head Start and to find out if you and your family are eligible for enrollment.

Jorge Duany, CRI Director, Retires after Successful 12 Year Tenure

MIAMI, FL | FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL

UNIVERSITY | September 11, 2024 – Dr. Jorge Duany, Director of the Cuban Research Institute, will retire this Friday, September 13. Dr. Duany has had a long and distinguished academic career, with the last 12 years at the helm of CRI and as a professor in the Department of Global and Sociocultural Studies.

Born in Cuba and raised in Panama and Puerto Rico, Dr. Duany previously served as acting dean of the College of Social Sciences and professor of anthropology at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras (UPR). He was also chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and director of the journal Revista de Ciencias Sociales at UPR. He has held visiting research and teaching appointments at several U.S. universities, including Harvard, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and the City University of New York. He earned his Ph.D. in Latin American studies, specializing in anthropology, at the University of California, Berkeley. He also holds an M.A. in social sciences from the University of Chicago and a B.A. in psychology from Columbia University. Dr. Duany has published extensively on migration, ethnicity, race, nationalism, and transnationalism in Cuba, the Caribbean, and the United States. He is

the author, coauthor, editor, or coeditor of twenty-two books, including Cuba and Puerto Rico: Transdisciplinary Approaches to History, Literature, and Culture (2023); Picturing Cuba: Art, Culture, and Identity on the Island and in the Diaspora (2019); and Blurred Borders: Transnational Migration between the Hispanic Caribbean and the United States (2011).

Under his leadership, CRI achieved many extraordinary milestones that have enhanced its recognition as a top academic center of its type in the world. To cite just a few examples:

• raised nearly $1.4 million from private foundations, nonprofit organizations, and individual gifts

• won a major grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to establish a fellowship program for threatened Cuban scholars in the humanities

• organized the Conference on Cuban and Cuban American Studies, the largest international conference outside the island, and six FIU Cuba Polls, the longest-running survey of Cuban American views on U.S. policy toward Cuba

• cosponsored the publication of Briefings on Cuba, a series of analyses of current affairs by top experts

• organized more than 300 public lectures and panel discussions by leading and emerging scholars, writers, and artists

From left: STCC President John B. Cook, State Sen. Adam Gómez, HCS Head Start

Jorge Duany

- Photo by Stephanye Hunter | University Press of Florida

Con la Música a Otra Parte: El Negrito Bembón

Sexto cuento de la serie Con la música a otra parte por JOSÉ EDGARDO CRUZ FIGUEROA

Quienes decían que el homicidio de Adolfina Villanueva Osorio era el primer crimen de odio racial en Puerto Rico, no estaban al tanto de la historia de Rubén Clemente, mejor conocido en su barrio de Carolina como “El negrito bembón”. Adolfina había muerto a manos de los policías que intentaban deshauciarla un fatídico 6 de febrero de 1980. Clemente había sufrido igual suerte pero a manos de un vecino que como él era negro.

Rubén, a quien algunos también le decían Clemente, usando su apellido como su nombre, era albañil de profesión. A él no le importaba si lo llamaban Rubén o Clemente pues decía que ambos eran su nombre. Eso sí, aborrecía que lo describieran usando como referencia el grueso de sus labios. La referencia no admitía confusión. No había duda de que sus labios eran desproporcionalmente gruesos y por eso era el único hombre en su vecindario conocido por el epíteto de bembón, el cual además de ser una descripción era un insulto.

Insultos recibía de sobra. Cuando no le decían negro bembón, le decían negro prieto, mono, o negro angolo. Aun los que trataban de elogiarlo terminaban insultándolo, aunque no a propósito pues pensaban que le estaban haciendo el favor de tratarlo como merecía ser tratado un ser humano al decirle que era un negro fino o que era negro pero tenía un corazón blanco. Con ello creían resaltar su buen porte o su generosidad. En más de una ocasión le confesó al cura de su iglesia que un día de estos iba a perder la paciencia y lleno de rabia iba a matar al primer incordio racista que le saliera al paso. El cura se alarmaba y hacía lo que podía para calmarlo sin darse cuenta de que Rubén decía eso nada más que para desahogarse. Jamás se le ocurrió que, al contrario, Rubén nunca iba a dejar que su rabia lo desbocara y que en realidad iba a ser él quien sería asesinado.

En 1957, Carolina había sido escenario de una serie de crímenes que nadie catalogaba como raciales pues Carolina era un pueblo de negros y las muertes habían sido ejecutadas por negros contra negros. Algunos de los crímenes eran pasionales y otros eran motivados por razones comunes y corrientes. En enero, durante una fiesta de reyes un hombre había matado a su esposa después de encontrarla en la cama con su mejor amigo. A base de ese suceso, el Trío San Juan había grabado una canción que el compositor tituló “Noche de Reyes”. En marzo, un vecino decidió cortarle la cara a su mujer cuando supo que estaba embarazada pues él era estéril. Ese acto tuvo una gran repercusión. Los que saben cuentan que la noticia cundió por todo Puerto Rico y dicen que años más tarde, en el 1971, fue pensando en ese acto que el novio de Elena Rodríguez, la llamada “Reina del Arrabal” en El Fanguito, famosa por la canción “Cortaron a Elena”, decidió, obedeciendo a un impulso quizás subconsciente, cortarle el cuello y darle dos tajos en la cara para castigar su infidelidad. El resto del año, los homicidios habían sido la culminación de robos malogrados, trifulcas entre borrachos, discusiones caldeadas por motivos de deudas y conflictos por cuestiones de propiedad. Todos los criminales y todas las víctimas eran negros pero ninguno había muerto por ser negro. Esa distinción

se la llevó Clemente una semana después de terminar un trabajo que Bobby Capó le había encargado.

En el 1957, Bobby Capó llevaba 17 años viviendo en Nueva York adonde se había ido una vez cumplidos los 18. Ya para entonces era famoso por haber cantado con Rafael Hernández en Colombia y por haber grabado con Xavier Cugat y Noro Morales en la ciudad. Además de cantante él era compositor, maestro de ceremonias en shows de televisión, director musical y director técnico. Lo más que él quería en los años 50 era regresar a Puerto Rico y durante una presentación en Carolina conoció a Rubén Clemente. Clemente le había construido una casa a un amigo de Bobby y fue a través de éste que Capó se conectó con él.

“A la casa que tengo en Coamo le hace falta una terraza y tengo entendido que usted es tremendo albañil”, le dijo Bobby a Clemente. “Coamo está un poco lejos de Carolina”, respondió Clemente. “No te preocupes”, dijo Bobby, “que yo te facilito el viaje”. A los tres días, Clemente llegó a Coamo y después de comprar los materiales que necesitaba y de contratar a tres ayudantes locales comenzó su trabajo. Capó le había explicado lo que quería y luego se había regresado a San Juan. A la semana de terminar, ya de vuelta en Carolina, Clemente se enteró de que Capó había regresado a Nueva York. Mientras miraba el cheque que él había dejado con su esposa se sintió satisfecho de que Capó tuviera tanta confianza en él que había estado dispuesto a pagarle sin antes ir a Coamo para inspeccionar la terraza.

Después de cambiar el cheque Clemente se fue a un bar a celebrar. Antes de salir de la casa su mujer le advirtió que no debía beber mucho ni regresar muy tarde. Él era un tipo bueno y en el vecindario todo el mundo lo quería pero con su mujer era a veces desconsiderado. Si ella lo amonestaba él la miraba de medio lao y no le hacía caso. Cumplir con sus obligaciones era suficiente, pensaba. Encima de eso no necesitaba a una jueza que le dijera lo que tenía que hacer ni que lo censurara. En su época la norma era tener una corteja y una retrajila de muchachos pero Clemente era fiel a su mujer y tener hijos no le interesaba a él ni a ella. Los padres de ambos estaban muertos así que aparte de ellos mismos no tenían que atender o mantener a nadie. En gran parte por eso, ninguno de los dos tuvo necesidad de emigrar. Con ella planchando ropa y haciendo trabajo de costura y él dedicado a la albañilería les bastaba para vivir con cierta comodidad.

En el bar pidió lo de costumbre: ron con Coca-Cola, el famoso Cuba Libre que había sido inventado, irónicamente y sin querer, por un capitán del ejército norteamericano en la Habana allá por el 1900. Ya iba por el tercer trago cuando sintió algo como un tubito presionando su espalda. Era el cañón de una pistola. Entonces escuchó un mandato: “Date la vuelta cabrón que quiero verte esa cara zalapastrosa que tienes antes de matarte”. Clemente reconoció al matón. No eran vecinos pero tampoco vivían muy alejados. Que él recordara entre ellos nunca había habido rencillas, desacuerdos, o agravios. ¿Por qué quiere matarme este tipo?, Clemente se preguntó con una cara que era mezcla de sorpresa y terror. De la boca del hombre salía un tufo de madre que claramente indicaba que estaba borracho. Venía de otro bar donde había estado bebiendo a boca de jarro. Clemente no tuvo tiempo de decir nada. Solo trató sin éxito de empujar la pistola del matón hacia un lado.

continued on next page

Con la

Música

a

Otra Parte: El Negrito Bembón continued from page 8

El bar estaba vacío y el dueño estaba en el baño. Al regresar a la barra comprendió lo que estaba pasando pero antes de que pudiera reaccionar vio a Clemente desplomarse después de recibir un balazo. El asesino miró al dueño y no dijo nada. El dueño estaba petrificado. El criminal se ajustó la camisa y después guardó la pistola en el bolsillo derecho de su pantalón. La pistola estaba caliente y le quemó el muslo. La sacó rápidamente del bolsillo y salió del bar con toda la pasta del mundo, aguantando la pistola en la mano. El dueño del bar se aproximó a Clemente con la esperanza de poder ayudarlo. La mancha de sangre que tenía sobre el pecho delataba su condición. No había nada que hacer excepto llamar a las autoridades. Estaba claro que la ambulancia no lo llevaría al hospital pues el balazo en el corazón había sido terminante. La policía capturó al asesino a las pocas horas del suceso. Del bar caminó hasta la plaza de Carolina y se sentó tranquilamente en un banco. Miró a su alrededor y sus ojos se detuvieron frente a la vista de la iglesia del pueblo, nombrada iglesia de San Fernando de la Carolina en el 1862. Le dieron ganas de entrar para confesarse, pero la iglesia estaba cerrada. Varios carros patrulleros rodearon la plaza, pero el hombre no opuso resistencia. Aun así, los guardias se le acercaron con cautela ordenándole que pusiera las manos en alto. Ya con la pistola fría se la había vuelto a meter en el bolsillo derecho del pantalón. Después de ponerle las esposas lo rebuscaron. La pistola tenía cinco balas en el cilindro. La camisa estaba salpicada de sangre. De la plaza se lo llevaron al cuartel donde lo ficharon y luego lo pusieron en un cuarto sin ventanas donde procedieron a interrogarlo.

Como era otro caso de un negro matando a otro negro nadie se planteó un motivo racial. La sospecha era que se trataba de una manera extrema de resolver un desacuerdo o de cobrar una deuda o, en el peor de los casos, de un crimen pasional. Pero en vez de teorías sólidas los agentes tenían interrogantes que eran como hielo derretido. Nadie comprendía qué podía haber hecho Clemente, que era un tipo muy bueno, para suscitar una agresión tan violenta y fatal. En tono perentorio, el guardia que estaba a cargo de la investigación le dijo al matón: “Por qué lo mató, diga usted la razón”. El matón le dio una mirada salvaje. Se veía tenso y si hubiese sido blanco la cara se le habría puesto colorá. Bajó los ojos y luego viró la cara como si estuviera buscando algo. Con un rictus en los labios respondió: “Lo maté por ser tan bembón.”

El guardia se estremeció. Por un instante no supo qué hacer entre echarse a reir o salir gritando. Al salir de su pasme exclamó: “¡Eso no es razón!” Luego, el psicólogo del cuartel especuló que la bemba era un símbolo que encapsulaba toda una serie de maltratos y frustraciones, un recordatorio de las desventajas y el oprobio que el matón quizás había sufrido. Matar a Clemente por ser bembón era absurdo a simple vista, pero para el matón ello había sido un desquite simbólico, un ajuste de cuentas consigo mismo, canalizado a través de otro igual que él. Matar a Clemente había sido como mirarse con desprecio en un espejo y romper el cristal para mancillarse pero a la misma vez salir ileso. Y no era que el matón hubiese actuado en un estado de locura temporal. El homicidio tenía su lógica pero era al mismo tiempo un acto irracional.

“Eso no es más que psicología barata”, dijo el guardia que había

La audiencia no era muy grande quizás porque el cartel decía 1968 en vez de 1958.

interrogado al matón. Él no podía aceptar la idea de que un negro fuese racista y mucho menos que se odiara a sí mismo tanto como para matar a otro porque reflejaba la negrura que él odiaba. Aceptaba la idea de que el racismo era un fenómeno estructural, conectado con el ejercicio del poder, del cual los negros no tenían ni una pizca. Estaba equivocado—no hay que tener poder para ser racista—pero sin duda era un guardia muy sofisticado. Lo de la bemba tenía que ser una mera excusa, un subterfugio del matón usado para no confesar su motivo real. Quizás el motivo eran los celos, la envidia que le provocaba saber que Clemente tenía un oficio útil y respetable y que era querido por todos en el vecindario. Aun así, ¿por qué matarlo? ¿No era mejor propagar un rumor soez para desprestigiarlo? ¿Quizás sonsacar a su mujer para que le fuera infiel? Esa habría sido una mejor alternativa. Habría sido la agresión perfecta pues para el hombre la infidelidad de la mujer es peor que la muerte. Después de muerto uno no sufre pero vivir después de sufrir una indignidad como esa conlleva desprestigio, mofa, la hombría hecha trizas, sufrimiento eterno. Bobby Capó se enteró de la muerte de Clemente en Nueva York. Cortijo y su Combo andaba de gira por la ciudad. Tenía guisos en El Barrio, en Brooklyn y en el Bronx. La noche en que tocó en el Tropicoro, en la avenida Longwood y el Southern Boulevard, Carlos Ortíz, campeón mundial de boxeo y propietario del club, le estaba rindiendo homenaje al promotor Federico Pagani por motivo de su cumpleaños. Esa noche tocaban ocho orquestas y la entrada era cuatro dólares. El cartel anunciando el evento decía que habría bizcocho gratis. La audiencia no era muy grande quizás porque el cartel tenía la fecha equivocada. Cuando Capó se acercó a la mesa donde estaban Cortijo y Ortíz escuchó a Cortijo quejarse de que el cartel incluía los nombres de todas las orquestas menos la de él. “Es que tú no tienes una orquesta”, dijo Ortíz, “lo tuyo es un combo”, y se echó a reir. Estaba tratando de minimizar el fallo con una broma que a Cortijo no le dio ninguna gracia. “¿Ah sí, y entonces por qué pusiste al New Swing Sextet?”, ripostó Cortijo encabronado. Bobby Capó intervino tratando de aplacarlo a lo que éste respondió: “Tú no te metas que tampoco estoy muy contento contigo. ¿Dónde está la canción que me prometiste el año pasado?”

Capó se tardó seis meses en componer la canción que le debía a Cortijo. Quería escribir sobre la muerte de su albañil pero no continued on next page

Literatura / Literature

Con la Música a Otra Parte: El Negrito Bembón continued from page 9

encontraba qué decir. Después que compuso “El negrito bembón”, tuvo miedo de que lo acusaran de oportunista, de buscar ganancia en la desgracia de Clemente, de que le faltaba el respeto a su memoria con el tono jocoso de la letra. Ya para entonces había quedado claro que el homicidio tenía motivos raciales y eso era terrible. No obstante, la letra era sardónica y el arreglo musical era festivo. ¿Cómo podía evitar ser acusado de minimizar la gravedad y repugnancia del homicidio de Clemente al convertirlo en tema de baile y risa? Es que así es la música, pensaba, buscando cómo justificarse. La mejor manera de condenar un crimen no es con un lamento o una denuncia sino con una guaracha. Con esa racionalización volvió a respirar. Recordó la anécdota que contó Guillermo Cabrera Infante en el documental sobre Cachao, Como su ritmo no hay dos. El escritor decía que un español le había comentado que los cubanos estaban locos porque tenían una guitarra de seis cuerdas a la que llamaban tres y un tambor muy alegre al que le llamaban tumba. Con los puertorriqueños era igual, pensó Capó: a una guitarra de diez cuerdas le llamaban cuatro y a un ritmo de gran bulla le habían puesto de nombre bomba. Asimismo son las canciones, concluyó, pensando en voz alta, no nos dicen las cosas directamente sino mediante la contradicción y la paradoja. Si “El negrito bembón” causa risa no por eso deja de transmitir su mensaje antiracista.

catársis pues hace que el sentimiento crezca hacia adentro como un tumor. Para que la pesadumbre se externalize lo mejor es reirse a carcajadas. En efecto, uno no podía evitar reírse al escuchar

la frase: “el guardia escondió la bemba y le dijo...” Quizás en vez de señalizar rendimiento ante el prejuicio racial, el acto de esconder la bemba sugería que era necesario no solo condenar al matón sino también erradicar el racismo de manera que en el futuro no fuese necesario esconder la bemba frente a nadie.

En la canción, Capó hizo que el guardia escondiera la bemba al escuchar la razón del homicidio y que le dijera al matón que ser bembón no era razón para matar a alguien. ¿Por qué tenía que esconder la bemba el guardia? Al hacerlo, admitía que por más odioso y deleznable que fuese un crimen racial, ello de por sí no servía para prevenir que otros le cayeran encima a un negro o que lo mataran. “No matarás” era un mandamiento que se había formulado para ser violado y el racismo era la excusa perfecta para hacerlo. Si el guardia escondía la bemba no era para negar su raza sino para reconocer, aunque veladamente, que si una característica fisica lo ponía a riesgo de muerte, más valía no hacerla resaltar. Ah, pero qué encerrona pues la línea que distingue una negación de una falta de énfasis es muy débil, tanto así que la distinción entre una cosa y la otra es prácticamente falsa. Quien se blanquea la cara o se estira el pelo no es muy convincente cuando alega no ser racista.

Quizás el acto de esconder la bemba en la canción era un recurso humorístico para hacer que el reconocimiento del racismo en la acción del matón no fuese abrumador. El propósito de una canción debía ser causar alegría no depresión. La depresión no induce la

A los seis meses del encuentro en el Tropicoro, Capó le entregó a Cortijo la partitura de “El negrito bembón”. La canción fue incluida en el disco de Cortijo titulado Baile con Cortijo y su Combo que fue publicado por Tropical Records en el 1958. El disco estuvo a la venta en noviembre. En la carátula el grupo vestía de rojo y Cortijo portaba un smoking blanco. El aire era de fiesta, de alegría. Los músicos que no tenían instrumentos en la boca lucían sonrientes. En el trasfondo, la sonrisa y el gesto de Miguel Cruz, el bajista del combo, podía haber sido un intento de sobresalir por encima del hombro de Ismael Rivera pero también podía ser un gesto de orgullo o soberbia. Cortijo posaba tocando una campana y con los labios fruncidos Ismael Rivera pretendía cantar. Las bembas de Cortijo e Ismael eran prominentes. Ahí estaba un grupo de negros afirmando su presencia sin preocupación, todos desplegando sus bembas sin pudor. En el contraste entre el rojo, el blanco y el negro, la negrura del grupo resaltaba, bien definida y sin ambajes.

Sin saber cómo era Puerto Rico en cuestiones raciales en el 1958, no era posible adivinar que la imagen de la carátula era la reivindicación de un negrito desdichado, un negrito cuyo único delito había sido tener una bemba grande.

Cortijo lo hizo sin proponérselo. Esa carátula alegre y fiestera era un símbolo poderoso. Con su derroche de color y sonrisas, era una protesta afirmativa y silente, un desafío social disfrazado de invitación al baile.

JOSÉ EDGARDO CRUZ FIGUEROA (cruzjose5319@gmail.com) es natural de San Juan y criado en El Fanguito y Barrio Obrero en Santurce, Puerto Rico. Es profesor emérito de ciencias políticas en la Universidad del Estado de Nueva York en Albany.

JOSÉ EDGARDO CRUZ FIGUEROA

Esa carátula alegre y fiestera era un desafío social disfrazado de invitación al baile.

Literatura / Literature

Magdalena Gómez Receives the International Latino Book Award

SPRINGFIELD, MA | September 16, 2024 - Magdale

Springﬁeld’s Poet Laureate (2019-2022) and an Aca Poets Laureate Fellow, (2021 - 2022) has won the c International Latino Book Award for her highly accl Mi’ja (Heliotrope Books, NYC; May, 2022) Other wi year include: Chita Rivera, Julia Alvarez, Carmen Taf and Richard Wolffe

The 26th annual International Latino Book Awards wil October 19, 2024, on the campus of Los Angeles Ci award ceremony will celebrate this year’s Gold, Silve winners in 105 categories of Children and Young Ad NonFiction, Poetry, Translation, and Mariposa books categories are named after Alma Flor Ada, Isabel All Anaya, Charlie Eriksen, Juan Felipe Herrera, Dolores Lacayo, Mimi Lozano, Am Nava, Victor Villasenñor, an

We now have added an a noted author and director

Gómez was the co-founde Director of Springfield’s fir theater, Teatro V!da, (2006 the program have gone on professionals in their chos include academia; law; he mental health practices; s ownership and managem entrepreneurs and activis in diverse fields, including performing arts; complem professional public speak enforcement; and buildin families, among others M stay local and help reinvig communities

Gómez states: “I congratulate all of the 2024 award recipients from around the world The founders of ILBA, actor Edward James Olmos and author Kirk Whisler, along with their small and mighty staff and volunteers, have been at this endeavor since 1997 They have made it clear to the world that Latinx Literature and readership, of all genres and in all categories, for and by all ages, by the famous and yet to be known, are integral and necessary to global literary enrichment. The Latinx canon offers global inspiration, education, life enrichment, history and is an economic engine that continues to pick up speed in the literary market place. We need these books to be included in our school curriculums, not as something special, but as necessary and integral to the education and foundational literacy of ALL students ”

Gómez currently serves as a Trustee of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts and is Commissioner with the Hampden County Massachusetts Commission of the Status of Women

To learn more about the awards and the ceremony, go to www. LatinoBookAwards.org

Gratis para

TODOS.

Magdalena Gómez

Comienza aquí. Empieza ahora.

Puerto Ricans in Illinois

by MAURA TORO-MORN and IVIS GARCÍA CARBONDALE, IL | SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY PRESS |

August 26, 2024 | 220 pages

Overview

As the first book to document the experiences of Puerto Ricans in the state of Illinois, this inviting book maps the pedacito de patria (little piece of home) that many Puerto Ricans have carved from the bitter hardships faced in Illinois. Authors Maura Toro-Morn and Ivis García illustrate the multiple paradoxes underlying the experience of Puerto Ricans in Illinois: an island people in a heartland state, native-born citizens living an immigrant’s experience, climate refugees in the Midwest. They live a vaivén (coming and going). This volume partially exposes these paradoxes through a narrative of common survival and achievement. Along the proud Paseo Boricua (Puerto Rican Promenade) in Chicago and in smaller cities around the state, Puerto Ricans find and create the means to keep their national identity while contributing to the health and wealth of their adopted state.

From the voices of the people, the authors offer readers an opportunity to learn about the history of Puerto Rico, the migration of Puerto Ricans to Illinois, and the cultural, economic, and political contributions of the Puerto Rican women, men, and families that call Illinois home. In Chicago and across the heartland, Puerto Ricans have negotiated the gap between home and country, mobilized state-wide against the federal government’s virtual abandonment in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. A compelling weave of scholarship summary, archival research, and extensive sociological study including interviews conducted across the state, the book documents just how much many fail to know about a growing and transforming community in Illinois. The stories of Puerto Ricans are here.

Reviews

“An informative, well-documented, and clearly written chronicle of the displacement and resettlement of Puerto Ricans in Illinois, focusing on their community organization and mobilization, social and educational struggles, and cultural and political resilience. Drawing on census data, personal interviews, and ethnographic fieldwork, Puerto Ricans in Illinois makes a noteworthy contribution to Puerto Rican and Latino studies as well as to immigrant and ethnic studies more broadly.”—Jorge Duany, author of Puerto Rico: What Everyone Needs to Know

“In Puerto Ricans in Illinois, Maura I. Toro-Morn and Ivis Garcia have crafted a detailed, comprehensive and accessible account of Puerto Ricans in Illinois. Through the use of archival collections, aggregate data, interviews and focus groups, and a profound sociological analysis the authors bring to life the history, peculiarities, struggles, and contributions of Illinois’s—and the nation’s—second-largest Latino group. There are no better scholars who could bring us this

well-crafted book about the Puerto Rican experiences in Illinois.”— Xavier Totti, editor of Centro Journal

“Toro-Morn and García weave the story of Puerto Ricans into the story of the state, showing us where Puerto Ricans cross paths or join with African Americans, Mexicans, and whites in creating communities in Illinois while also providing a valuable glimpse of Puerto Rican populations in smaller cities and towns. This volume presents a rich analysis of the self-organization of Puerto Ricans in multiple spheres as it documents the shifting contours of Puerto Rican belonging and community in the state. Always present are the reverberations of Puerto Rico’s continued status as a U.S. territory in many aspects of Puerto Rican life in Illinois. A terrific new contribution to the study of Latinx in the Midwest!”—Theresa Ann Delgadillo, author of Latina Lives in Milwaukee

About the authors

MAURA TORO-MORN is a professor of sociology at Illinois State University and director of the Latin American and Latino Studies program. IVIS GARCÍA, associate professor of landscape architecture and urban planning at Texas A&M University, was the cochair of the Puerto Rican Agenda of Chicago and a Chicago-based oral historian with Centro at City University of New York.

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Conversaciones con expertos sobre el tema y personalidades de interés.

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Making the Latino South - A History of Racial Formation

by CECILIA MÁRQUEZ

CHAPEL HILL, NC | THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA

PRESS | September, 2023 | 284 pages

Overview

In the 1940s South, it seemed that non-Black Latino people were on the road to whiteness. In fact, in many places throughout the region governed by Jim Crow, they were able to attend white schools, live in white neighborhoods, and marry white southerners. However, by the early 2000s, Latino people in the South were routinely cast as “illegal aliens” and targeted by some of the harshest anti-immigrant legislation in the country. This book helps explain how race evolved so dramatically for this population over the course of the second half of the twentieth century.

Cecilia Márquez guides readers through time and place from Washington, DC, to the deep South, tracing how non-Black Latino people moved through the region’s evolving racial landscape. In considering Latino presence in the South’s schools, its workplaces, its tourist destinations, and more, Márquez tells a challenging story of race-making that defies easy narratives of progressive change and promises to reshape the broader American histories of Jim Crow, the civil rights movement, immigration, work, and culture.

Reviews

“Wonderfully engaging. . . . Making the Latino South is thoughtprovoking and raises questions and potential new research threads for future scholars . . . [and] reminds its reader that the South is not a new destination for Latinas and Latinos. Instead, the South is significantly defined by its Latino presence. . . . [A] must-read for those interested in the US South and its history of race, civil rights, and immigration.”—Journal of Working-Class Studies

“Marquez’s field-changing history of the US South is the first to show us why racial diversity within categories such as ‘Mexican’ or ‘Latino’ matters for the region’s past and future.”—Julie Weise, University of Oregon.

“It is common to say that Latinos occupy every point along a racial spectrum from Black to White, but Cecilia Márquez brilliantly shows how the racial identity of Latinos is constructed in relation to these and other identities. The result is a stunningly original work on race in a storied region, with Latinos at the center.”--Geraldo L. Cadava, Northwestern University

About

the

author CECILIA MÁRQUEZ

is the Hunt Family Assistant Professor in History at Duke University. Her research focuses on the history of Latinx people in the US South. Dr. Márquez writes and teaches about the formation of Latinx identity, Latinx social movements, and the importance of region in shaping Latinx identity. Her work has been supported by the Mellon Foundation, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

When Colonialism Wins - The Case Against American Statehood for Puerto Rico

by JOSÉ TORRES PABÓN

MOUNT PLEASANT, SC | PALMETTO

PUBLISHING | March 18, 2024 | 400 pages

Overview

A Bold Decolonial Argument and interrogation of Puerto Rico’s future within the American Nation. This book has been acknowledged and utilized by members of the U.S. Congress and Congressional Staff as a timely and insightful resource regarding Puerto Rico.

When Colonialism Wins, The Case Against American Statehood for Puerto Rico, by former U.S. Marine, DIA, and CIA officer Torres Pabon, seamlessly blends military expertise with insights from psychology, economics, and intelligence operations to decisively assert that Puerto Rico’s current state of affairs is incompatible within the construct of the United States of America.

In this thought-provoking book, Torres Pabon invokes the works of prominent scholars such as Anibal Quijano, Jack Brehm, and Robert Lupton to analyze 500 years of Spanish and U.S. colonialism on Puerto Rico. He highlights the island’s ongoing societal collapse and dependency mindset challenging Puerto Rico’s future and cultural preservation.

Drawing on his experiences-from Marine Corps recruit training to operational assignments in Lebanon, Israel, Afghanistan, and Colombia-Torres Pabon weaves a compelling and touching narrative that resonates deeply with readers as he explores his own coloniality.

His moving personal accounts embody allegories in Puerto Rico’s struggle for self-determination.

Including a preface by Dr. Migna L. Rivera García, past president of the Puerto Rico Psychological Association, this book underlines the need for Puerto Ricans to exercise personal agency to control their political destiny.

More than just a geopolitical analysis, “When Colonialism Wins” is a call to action-a roadmap towards Puerto Rico’s decolonization and a powerful discourse on identity and freedom. With all net proceeds dedicated to supporting vulnerable communities in Puerto Rico, this impactful work transcends boundaries, inspiring readers.

About the Author

JOSÉ TORRES PABÓN is a retired U.S. Marine and former DIA and CIA paramilitary officer, is a seasoned special operations officer and author. With military and intelligence operations background spanning 40 years, Torres Pabon’s writings, often in classified form, have served to inform the U.S. National Command Authority for decades. With operational assignments throughout Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Central Asia, the Persian Gulf, the Mediterranean, and the Caribbean Seas, he blends personal experience from his military, special operations, and diplomatic service to shed light on the complexities of Puerto Rico’s colonial dilemma. Dedicated to both his nation and his hometown in Puerto Rico, Torres Pabon donates all net proceeds from When Colonialism Wins: The Case Against American Statehood for Puerto Rico to shelters aiding homeless and abused women and children on the island.

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Journey Stories: The Puerto Rican Experience

Westfield on Weekends (WOW) is celebrating Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month with the ground-breaking art exhibition Journey Stories: The Puerto Experience, featuring the work of local Puerto Rican professional artists George Ramírez and El Pecador. The exhibit also includes the works of two island artists, digital artist Mary Tere Pérez and acrylic/watercolor artist Vicky Ortiz-Santiago, three vintage silk screens, and two pieces from Sweeney’s private collection (Frederic Leighton’s “Flaming June” and a traditional coconut mask). Agma Sweeney, President of the Westfield Puerto Rican Association (WPRA), was the exhibit curator.

The exhibit opened September 16 and will be at the Westfield Creative Arts Center, 105 Elm Street, Westfield, from September 16 through October 31.

“WOW is proud to spotlight Westfield’s ethnic diversity with our Journey Stories exhibits throughout the year,” Kathi Bradford, director of the Center, posted on their website. “We are particularly excited about this group show, given the rich history of the Puerto Rican community in Westfield and the contributions of our Latino/ Hispanic neighbors.”

Agma María Sweeney, President of the Westfield Puerto Rican Association (WEPRA Inc.) and curator of art from two Puerto Rico island artists, emphasized that “It’s a privilege and brings me joy for WEPRA to collaborate with WOW Creative Arts Center and with local artists. Curating a collection directly from Puerto Rico is a work of discovery. I found new island artists and meaningful art that portray our culture, history, and traditions.”

George Ramírez, born in New York City, has been associated with Westfield State University (WSU) for many years. A WSU alumni graduate, he worked as a graphic artist for the university’s Marketing Department for several years and is now an instructor in graphic design, animation, and courses related to illustration.

El Pecador, a pseudonym for a regional professional artist, prefers to remain anonymous to ensure total freedom in their artistic vision, like the renowned artist Banksy. His works include silk-screen pieces that incorporate powerful images, representing mythic images and cultural references that reflect his journey as a Latino in today’s world.

Vicky Ortiz-Santiago, a resident of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, captures the culture, history, and Puerto Rican identity in her art. Vicki studied art at the Liga de Arte in San Juan and earned a degree in Marine Biology. Working with acrylics and watercolors on canvas or paper and the bright colors of yellow, fuchsia, blue, and orange, she captures elements of Puerto Rican life - plantains, bananas, hibiscus flowers, marine life, espresso coffee makers, as well as religious images of the Three Kings and the Nativity.

Mary Tere Pérez, originally from San Sebastián, Puerto Rico, is a resident of San Juan, where she studied art. She is a self-taught digital artist. Her famous Old San Juan façade paintings highlight her skills as a former architectural draftsman. Using acrylics, colored pencils, oil pastels, and linocut prints, her artwork reflects her optimistic view of what is essential in her life - happiness, love, and the beauty of nature. Her work features bright, solid colors, defined shapes, and a fluent black or white line that harmonizes her compositions.

Agma María Sweeney, President of the Westfield Puerto Rican Association (WEPRA Inc.) and curator of art from Puerto Rico Island artists, was born in San Juan and has been a Westfield resident for most of her life. She was a congressional aide, first for U.S. Congressman John Olver and later for Richard Neil. Agma served as an elected Westfield City councilor.

The Westfield Puerto Rican Association advocates for the education, history, and culture of Latinos/Hispanics and Puerto Ricans. The proceeds from the sale of our curated art collection will be applied towards a new WEPRA scholarship to help with the education costs of Westfield’s Latino/Hispanic students. Journey Stories is partially funded by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the in-kind sponsorship of The Reminder Publications.

WOW’s Creative Arts Center is a program of Westfield on Weekends, a volunteer non-profit that seeks to enhance community life through accessible and affordable programming that celebrates Westfield’s diversity.

Samantha Larriu, Nancy Halloran, Agma Sweeney, Angel Larriu, Josián Madera, Aidelisa Carrasco and Pedro Rivera

Puerto Rican musicians Gilberto, Víctor, Junior y Adán