El Sol Latino | September 2016 | 12.11

September 2016

Volume 12 No. 11

Un Periรณdico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

Free Oscar Lรณpez Rivera!

Un Periรณdico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

Un Periรณdico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

Un Periรณdico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

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Editorial/Editorial

Keeping Oscar López Rivera’s Dream Alive* To appreciate and understand the social justice community work that characterized the life of Oscar Lopez Rivera we need to frame it within a historical context. His political ideas, his actions and his successes and failures happened within the turbulent times of the civil rights movement and the increasing opposition to the Vietnam War. When López Rivera returned to Illinois from the war in 1967, he found the Chicago Puerto Rican community in distress, succumbing to a wide range of socioeconomic problems. He concluded that the existing Chicago economic and political power structure was guilty of negligence and bigotry because it was not making any real efforts to improve the quality of life for Puerto Ricans.

Today, almost 48 years later, despite considerable civil rights advancements and progress in the quality of life in the Puerto Rican neighborhoods, most of the public policies initiatives enacted have largely failed to solve the problems. Crime, drugs, sub-standard education, lack of jobs, deplorable housing, and persistent, intergenerational poverty among Puerto Rican families living in distressed neighborhoods still persist.

In fact, the outcome of one of the federal public policy initiatives enacted in the early 80s, popularly known as War on Drugs, was not what policy makers expected. The “zero tolerance” initiatives and policies originally written for the war on drugs became key components of the education reform movement and were implemented in many public school systems. The use of a mano dura approach to discipline students contributed to create what today is

Foto del Mes/ Photo of the Month

known as the School to Prison Pipeline problem.

According to the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), the School to Prison Pipeline is “a nationwide system of local, state and federal education and public safety policies that pushes students out of school and into the criminal justice system. This system disproportionately targets youth of color and youth with disabilities.

Inequities in areas such as school discipline, policing practices, high-stakes testing and the prison industry contribute to the pipeline.”

NYCLU explains that the pipeline “operates directly and indirectly. Schools directly send students into the pipeline through zero tolerance policies that involve the police in minor incidents and often lead to arrests, juvenile detention referrals, and even criminal charges and incarceration. Schools indirectly push students towards the criminal justice system by excluding them from school through suspension, expulsion, discouragement and high stakes testing requirements.”

In our own backyard, cities like Holyoke and Springfield continue to be impacted by longstanding problems such as educational mal practice by the school systems, and mass incarceration of youth that have resulted in a vicious circle for individuals and communities.

“It is much easier not to struggle, to give up and take the path of the living dead. But if we want to live, we must struggle.” –Oscar López Rivera, 1991 * This editorial was originally published September 2015.

contents

2 Editorial / Editorial Keeping Oscar López Rivera’s Dream Alive* 3 Portada / Front Page Who is Oscar López Rivera?* 4 Invitan a Holyoke y a Springfield a la Fiesta Boricua de Chicago 5 Puerto Rico is a Colony of the United States of America* 6 A fake PROMESA for Puerto Rico: the “new” Financial Control Board bill 7 How the Zika Narrative About Puerto Rico Explains US Colonialism 8 The National Puerto Rican Agenda (NPRA) Reaches New Heights 9 ¿Qué Pasa en...?

11 Tinta Caliente / Hot Ink Opinión / Opinion Preparing children for school 12 Mary Hurley Jeff Morneau 13 Libros / Books La Noche de la Usina 14 Medio Ambiente / Environment Recurso disponible en español sobre los ríos

Cita del Mes/ Quote of the Month

Primera Visita del Congresista Luis Gutiérrez a Holyoke

Founded in 2004 n Volume 12, No. 11 n september 2016 Editor Manuel Frau Ramos manuelfrau@gmail.com 413-320-3826 Assistant Editor Ingrid Estrany-Frau Managing Editor Diosdado López

Art Director Tennessee Media Design Business Address El Sol Latino P.O Box 572 Amherst, MA 01004-0572

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.

En 1997 el Congresista del 4to Distrito de Illinois, Luis Gutiérrez, visitó a Holyoke por primera vez. Esta fue una visita de cortesía a su colega, el concejal de la ciudad de Holyoke, Diosdado López. (Foto cortesía de Diosdado López.)

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.

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El Sol Latino is published monthly by Coquí Media Group.

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

Portada / Front Page

El Sol Latino september 2016

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Who is Oscar López Rivera?* by MANUEL FRAU RAMOS Oscar López Rivera was born in San Sebastián, Puerto Rico in 1943. As a teenager, he moved with his family to the U.S. and eventually graduated from high school in Chicago.

were judged to be “out of proportion to the nationalists’ offenses.” U.S. Government statistics showed their sentences were almost 20 times greater than sentences for similar offenses by the American population at large.

At the age of 18 he was drafted into the army and served in Vietnam. He was awarded the Bronze Star and received an honorable discharge from the Army.

A study by Jan Susler published in the book The Puerto Rican Movement: Voices from the Diaspora edited by Andrés Torres and José Emiliano Velázquez, point outs that U.S. Government statistics showed that the prisoners’ sentences were “about six times longer” than sentences for murder offenses by the American population at large.

When López Rivera returned to Illinois from the war in 1967, he found a Puerto Rican and Latino community in Chicago succumbing to a wide range of socioeconomic problems. The increasing and devastating drug epidemic, shortage of affordable housing, high level of unemployment, lack of access to health care and poor quality education had reached gloomy levels.

He found that the existing Chicago economic and political power structure was guilty of negligence and bigotry for not improving the quality of life of the Puerto Rican and Latino community, and set to work as a community activist. In the process, he became an active and well-respected community organizer as well as an unconditional and prominent advocate for the independence of Puerto Rico.

He engaged in the struggle for the establishment of bilingual education in the Chicago public schools, advocated for more representation and inclusion of Latino students, staff, and faculty in the state higher education institutions, and worked to end racial discrimination in hiring. He also worked to improve working conditions, confronted landlords regarding deplorable housing conditions, and pushed for access to quality and affordable medical services for the poor.

Oscar was co-founder of the Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School, an alternative school controlled by Puerto Ricans. Originally named “La Escuelita Puertorriqueña,” the school began in the basement of a Chicago church as a response to the high dropout rate, Euro-centric curricula, and negative pedagogical conditions of Puerto Ricans in the city public schools.

Oscar also co-founded the Juan Antonio Corretjer Puerto Rican Cultural Center, an initiative to address the socio-economic needs of the community.

He also helped to establish Illinois’ first Latino Cultural Center.

López Rivera was a community organizer for the Northwest Community Organization, ASPIRA, and the 1st Congregational Church of Chicago. He helped to found FREE (a half-way house for convicted drug addicts) and ALAS (an educational program for Latino prisoners at Stateville Prison in Illinois).

In 1980-81, the U.S. Government accused López Rivera of being one of the leaders of the Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional (FALN), a Puerto Rican Nationalist group linked to more than 100 bombings and five deaths in the 1970s. López Rivera will neither confirm nor deny his affiliation with the FALN and disowns any personal involvement in the bombing deaths.

At his trial, López Rivera and the other FALN members were not tied to specific bombings. Instead, he was convicted of seditious conspiracy (“attempt to overthrow the government of the United States in Puerto Rico by force”), armed robbery, and lesser offenses and sentenced to 55 years in jail. Later, another 15 were added for a total of 70 years, due to an alleged escape attempt.

In 1999, President Clinton extended an offer of conditional clemency to 14 of the Puerto Rican political prisoners convicted in 1981, but López Rivera rejected the offer. Twelve accepted the offer and were subsequently released.

President Clinton defended his clemency decision stating that López Rivera was never convicted of crimes that resulted in deaths or injuries. López Rivera was never accused of any act of violence. According to president Bill Clinton, the sentences received by López Rivera and the other Nationalists

In February 2011, López Rivera requested parole via his attorney but it was denied.

In the last decade the calls for the release of Oscar López Rivera have grown. A wide range of artists, political, community and religious leaders, Puerto Ricans and non-Puerto Ricans, have demanded the release of Oscar.

Among them, Puerto Rican politicians representing the three political status parties - independence, statehood and Commonwealth.

María Meléndez, mayor of Ponce, Carmen Yulín Cruz, San Juan mayor, Alejandro J. García Padilla, Governor of Puerto Rico, as well as former governors Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, Sila M. Calderón, Pedro Rosselló and Rafael Hernández Colón have asked for his release.

Congressmen Luis Gutiérrez and José Serrano, as well as Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi and the Speaker of the New York City Council, Melissa Mark-Viverito, have also officially supported the release of Oscar López Rivera.

Among the many artists that have risen their voices in solidarity are singers Andy Montañez, Roy Brown, and Calle 13 - René Pérez Joglar and Eduardo Cabra, actor Edward James Olmos, actor and filmmaker Jacobo Morales, artist Nick Quijano, former Major League baseball player Carlos Delgado, and singer Ricky Martin.

His release has been demanded by several Nobel Peace Prize winners President Jimmy Carter (USA), Archbishop Desmond Tutu (South Africa), Adolfo Pérez Esquivel (Argentina), Corrigan Maguire (Northern Ireland), José Ramos Horta (East Timor), Rigoberta Menchú (Guatemala), and Jody Williams (USA).

On June 8, 2014 the organizers of the most important Puerto Rican cultural event in the US, the National Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City, paid tribute to Oscar López Rivera. *This piece was originally published September 2015.

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Portada / Front Page

El Sol Latino September 2016

Invitan a Holyoke y a Springfield a la Fiesta Boricua de Chicago por MANUEL FRAU RAMOS El Concejo Municipal de la ciudad de Holyoke aprobó el pasado 5 de abril una resolución pidiendo la liberación inmediata e incondicional del prisionero político puertorriqueño Oscar López Rivera. La resolución, aprobada por unanimidad 13-0, propuesta por el concejal Nelson Román le pide al presidente Barack Obama que le otorgue clemencia a Oscar, quien lleva 35 años encarcelado.

De acuerdo a la emisora de televisión Canal 22 –WWLP, “Lo que esta resolución hace es pedirle al presidente Barack Obama que otorgue un indulto y libere a Oscar López, que es un prisionero político de Estados Unidos, que ha pedido libertad para Puerto Rico,” indicó el concejal municipal Nelson Román.

Durante una visita a la ciudad de Holyoke donde conversó con políticos locales y miembros de la comunidad, previa a la votación, José López, hermano de Oscar, habló sobre la importancia de conectar las experiencias de los inmigrantes irlandeses y la lucha irlandesa por la independencia con las experiencias de los migrantes puertorriqueños y la lucha pro-independencia de Puerto Rico.

Esto resonó entre los concejales de descendencia irlandesa de la ciudad.

Un mes después, los concejales de la ciudad de Springfield aprobaron unánimemente una resolución similar a la de Holyoke presentada por el concejal Adam Gómez.

Holyoke y Springfield se convirtieron en la primera y segunda ciudades en Nueva Inglaterra en pasar resoluciones a favor de la liberación del prisionero político Oscar López Rivera.

Por este acto de solidaridad, El Puerto Rican Cultural Center Juan Antonio Corretjer (PRCC, por sus siglas en inglés) de Chicago anunció que las ciudades de Holyoke y Springfield serían los invitados especiales en la celebración de la 23ra Fiesta Boricua a celebrarse los días 2, 3 y 4 de septiembre de 2016.

La noticia vino a través de una carta enviada por José López, director ejecutivo del PRCC, a los concejales de la ciudad de Springfield, Adam Gómez y Orlando Ramos al igual que al concejal de la ciudad de Holyoke Nelson Román.

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Springfield y Holyoke fueron seleccionadas por el comité organizador porque estas representan “Lo Mejor de Nuestros Barrios.” Este reconocimiento, establecido en el 2014 por el comité organizador, fue añadido a la Fiesta Boricua para reconocer la creciente importancia de las comunidades de la diáspora puertorriqueña en el proceso de redefinir la identidad puertorriqueña. El Bronx en New York y Orlando, Florida fueron las primeras dos ciudades reconocidas.

Este festival se ha convertido en sinónimo del Paseo Boricua. Celebra lo mejor del talento y la cultura musical puertorriqueña así como el Paseo Boricua hace visible un pasillo permanente a través del corazón de la comunidad puertorriqueña de Chicago. “De Bandera a Bandera” (From Flag to Flag) es la consigna que los organizadores han seleccionado para este encuentro cultural en Division Street.

Desde el 1993 se ha celebrado a lo largo del vibrante corredor comercial y cultural de Division Street llamado Paseo Boricua. Fiesta Boricua se ha convertido en uno de los festivales mas grandes y mas importantes de la comunidad Latina en esa región, atrayendo a mas de 200,000 personas. Pone en despliegue la diversidad de la expresión musical puertorriqueña, desde Plena y Bomba hasta Salsa y Merengue, desde Música Típica hasta Hip Hop. Juan Antonio Corretjer Puerto Rican Cultural Center (PRCC) en Chicago es una organización comunitaria sin fines de lucro establecida en 1973 por la comunidad puertorriqueña y latina/o de Chicago para encarar las necesidades sociales y culturales de la comunidad. La filosofía del centro enfatiza la auto-determinación y la importancia del pensamiento critico.

Portada / Front Page

El Sol Latino september 2016

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Puerto Rico is a Colony of the United States of America* by LUIS GUTIÉRREZ On February 4, 2016 during a House Committee on Natural Resources hearing about Puerto Rico’s economic crisis, Illinois Congressman Luis Gutiérrez (D) shared his thoughts about the island’s problems. Here are some highlights of his speech: I’m just going go back to the memorandum that was issued to everyone. At the end of the second paragraph on background, it says: ‘Congress retains plenary authority under Article IV, Section 3, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution to determine the ultimate disposition of the political status of Puerto Rico.’

That fact is that the Congress of the United States retains plenary powers over everything in Puerto Rico, not just the status of Puerto Rico. And that is fundamentally what should be at issue too at this hearing, because you can’t resolve one without the other. You want to take the government of Puerto Rico, that doesn’t control how merchandise is brought in or out, because the Jones Act says we must use the U.S. Merchant Marine. We’re not going to discuss that here today, tomorrow, or anytime between now and March 31st yet the consumers in Puerto Rico need.

Credit: Office El Sol Latino May 2014for Congressman Luis Gutiérrez.

9 1/8 x 5 3/8 You want to talk about economic development? How do you have economic

development if your energy is outlandishly expensive, and if you don’t invest in making sure that you have a clear water supply in a tropical island? So, look, there’s a lot of things, but fundamentally let’s deal with one thing because the background statement doesn’t say it.

Why don’t we all just come to the conclusion, which I’m sure Mr. [Pedro] Pierluisi agrees as the resident commissioner of Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico is a colony of the United States of America. Puerto Rico is war booty from the war in 1898. It wasn’t– I mean, how does Puerto Rico become part of the United States of America? It wasn’t like the Puerto Ricans all got together one day, held a convention and said, “Would you allow us?” No. It was a military intervention in Puerto Rico.

The truth is, that we don’t control in Puerto Rico any of the basic things. We don’t control who comes to the island or who leaves the island because that’s controlled by the federal government. Our court system? No, you simply appeal to the [U.S.] Supreme Court …. and the laws that we pass here.

So when people say, “Oh, the people of Puerto Rico, they’re responsible for everything that happened bad there and they need to take responsibility” — no, the Congress of the United States has to assume responsibility over Puerto Rico, because we have, as is stated here, plenary powers over the people of Puerto Rico.

Why are we having this hearing here, and why aren’t they having it in Puerto Rico? Because they can’t have it there cause they don’t have those plenary powers.

Puerto Rico belongs to but is not a part of the United States of America. I am not saying that. That is what the Supreme Court of the United States of America stated. Puerto Rico is a colony of the United States. There is no way around it. Otherwise we would not be here and the statement as made by the Committee, very ably, that we have plenary powers over the people of Puerto Rico.

Let’s restructure this debt…Let the Congress of the United States take the heel off the people of Puerto Rico, and let them live prosperly, let them have the economic development that they so deserve. *This piece was originally published September 2015.

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Portada / Front Page

El Sol Latino September 2016

A fake PROMESA for Puerto Rico: the “new” Financial Control Board bill

by NELSON A. DENNIS | May 21, 2016 | waragainstallpuertoricans.com A new Caribbean dictatorship will soon take charge of Puerto Rico. The final PROMESA bill finally arrived…and it is the WORST one of all.

After five months of “hearings” and “analysis,” the US Congress announced HR 5278…the law which will officially kill the economy of Puerto Rico. Here is the bill, all 148 pages of it: http://naturalresources.house.gov/uploadedfiles/promesa_hr_5278.pdf The economy of Puerto Rico will soon be handed over to a “Financial Oversight and Management Board,” and the billionaires behind them.

AUTHORITY TO RECEIVE GIFTS One of the more astounding “good government” powers of the Board will be its right to “accept, use, and dispose of gifts, bequests, or devises of services and real and personal property.” There is no explanation of how these gifts will “aid or facilitate” the work of the Board.

This incredible invitation to bribery, influence peddling, and money laundering appears on pages 24-25 of the PROMESA bill.

ABSOLUTE BUDGET POWERS AND POLITICAL CONTROL The Board will “re-structure the workforce of the Commonwealth government,” ensure “the payment of debt obligations,” and reduce or freeze public pensions.

It will also supervise the budget and finances of the entire Commonwealth government, its pension system, courts, legislature, public authorities, and all leases, union contracts, and collective bargaining agreements.

Anyone (public official or otherwise) who defies or obstructs the Board, will be found guilty of “criminal misdemeanor” and will be subject to suspension without pay, and removal from office.

NO MINIMUM WAGE Section 403 of the bill contains an extreme wage cut, from $7.25 to $4.25 an hour. It will apply to everyone aged 20-24 in Puerto Rico, whenever they start a new job.

If this bill is passed then over 200,000 young people, many of them paying student loans, will soon be working for $4.25 an hour in Puerto Rico… because that will be their new “minimum wage.”

The supply side argument that this will “create more jobs and economic development on the island” is woefully myopic. At $4.25 an hour, $170 a week, $8,840 a year, a young worker will make 25 percent of the per capita income of a resident of Mississippi, the poorest state in the US. Someone needs to explain to the House Committee on Natural Resources that this is not “economic development.” It is indentured servitude that smells of racism.

No tortured logic, no trickle-down theorist or hedge fund hustler can credibly argue that a minimum wage reduction to $4.25 will help the island — especially when the rest of the US is pushing for $15 an hour in all 50 states.

CREATION OF DEBT, WITH NO ACCOUNTABILITY The government of Puerto Rico must appeal to the Board for any possibility of bankruptcy. Through a “certification procedure” controlled by the Board itself (see Sections 206 (a) and 206 (b) of the bill), the Board decides if and when any bankruptcy re-structuring will be allowed. The Board will also decide which part of the Puerto Rico physical infrastructure (electrical grid, water supply, roads, bridges, highways, schools, prisons, airports, beaches) will serve as collateral for the debt re-structuring.

The Board can also directly encumber the physical infrastructure of Puerto Rico… because any and all debt issuances of the Puerto Rican government must receive the prior approval of the Board. In other words, the Board will be the debt issuing authority of Puerto Rico.

Nelson A. Denis

The physical infrastructure of Puerto Rico (highways, bridges, schools, prisons, electrical grid, water supply, public housing, prime coastal real estate) will all be available as “collateral” for the debt decisions of this Board.

Despite all of this power, neither the chairperson nor any of the seven Board members, will be accountable or liable to the government of Puerto Rico.

The PROMESA bill is careful to mention that “the United States is not responsible for any principal or interest on any bond, note, or other obligation issued by the Board.” This means that Puerto Rico – its taxpayers and its physical infrastructure – will be solely and exclusively responsible for repayment of the Board’s debt decisions.

PUBLIC PROSECUTOR The Board will also have prosecutorial powers.

It is authorized to “conduct necessary investigations” into the government of Puerto Rico. It is empowered to hold hearings, secure government records, demand evidence, take testimony, subpoena witnesses, and administer oaths (under penalty of perjury) to all witnesses.

Anyone who fails to appear, refuses to testify, or withholds evidence, can be held in contempt of court. The result of any Board investigation can lead to criminal and civil penalties – including, but not limited to, getting fired from your job.

AN EMPTY PROMESA This Financial Control Board will be the governor, banker, judge, jury, and prosecutor of Puerto Rico.

It will manage the entire Puerto Rican economy, and be accountable to no one on the island. It will tell the entire Puerto Rican government what to do, when to jump, and how high. It will issue debt, spend the money in any manner it sees fit, and leave Puerto Rico to pay the bill.

It will do nothing about Jones Act reform, the privatization of the island’s public schools, or the hedge funds that will own the physical infrastructure of Puerto Rico – its schools, prisons, highways, electrical grid, and water supply.

This is where our “Commonwealth” relationship to the US has gotten us: a dictatorship in the Caribbean, owned and operated from Wall Street, all disguised as a “management assistance board.”

The branding is very catchy, though.

With a wink and a nod to George Orwell, the US Congress took five months of hedge fund bribe money, slapped some lipstick and high heels on Senate Bill 2381, and called it PROMESA for Puerto Rico.

There is no “promesa” in this bill. It simply creates a collection agency in the Caribbean.

It is one great big lie.

Portada / Front Page

El Sol Latino september 2016

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How the Zika Narrative About Puerto Rico Explains US Colonialism

by FIRUZEH SHOKOOH VALLE | (August 2016 , Global Voices)

Uncle Sam schools the newest recruits to the US imperial fold in the art of “civilization.”

Originally published under the title “School Begins” in the January 25, 1899 issue of Puck magazine. By Louis Dalrymple (1866-1905) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

The natives are in “chaos.” The “war against Zika” has been “a failure.” A governor’s adviser left his position “in disgust,” and went to vacation in Spain. Disease is rampant. “Some” has been done, “sometimes effectively.”

Mosquitoes “breed” in old tires. There are no “cutting-edge plans” to avert the chaos. As “a last resort” the CDC comes to the rescue with the insecticide naled: but, oh, wait, naled is toxic. The natives “rebelled” against the use of naled, and have accused the US of “colonialism” (yes, in quotes!). Ignorant, rebellious, pregnant women do not want to use repellent to protect their babies. What “a horror story.”

This narrative dates, not from the period of the 1898 Spanish-American War, during which the United States invaded and colonized Puerto Rico, together with Cuba, the Philippines, and Guam. This narrative, rather, forms part of a story published in the July 30, 2016 edition of the New York Times.

It immediately brought to mind those political cartoons that appeared during the Spanish-American War, when the US media played a pivotal role in presenting Uncle Sam as the savior of the half-naked, infantile, natives of the diseased and poverty-stricken tropics.

In the NYT story about the Zika epidemic in Puerto Rico, the imperial gaze is clear. The story also contradicts itself: for if no one is doing anything on the island, why is the fact that women are taking measures against the Zika virus, and the possibility of having babies with microcephaly, cited as one of the reasons for the decrease in the birth rate?

Following the publication of this article, a worried US president Barack Obama issued a broadcast warning Puerto Ricans that they must take the Zika virus seriously. The governor of the island, Alejandro García Padilla, expressed support for the President’s message, but the secretary of Health, Ana Ríus Armendáriz, said she felt “scolded.” And in fact we all should have felt scolded. Among other critics, the mayor of the city of Bayamón, Ramón Luis Rivera—who is in favor of Puerto Rico changing its political status from territory to federated state—said that Obama should also take

the island’s colonial status seriously, as well as release 73-year-old political prisoner Oscar López Rivera, who has been imprisoned in the United States for 35 years.

Many other countries in the world deal with tropical diseases. Most recently and famously, Brazil is hosting the Olympics amid a Zika epidemic. But these countries are rarely treated in this heavy-handed manner, perhaps because they are autonomous states.

Puerto Rico has fought successfully against tropical diseases for decades.

Dengue has been endemic in the country since the 1960s, and more recently we have grappled with chikungunya, and now Zika, among others.

These diseases that seem so outrageous and unique to people in the United States have long been part of our daily lives. Both government agencies and citizens are well informed about them. There have been education campaigns, cleaning brigades, and extensive media coverage. And, yes, life goes on. People continue to work, love, live, struggle, and resist, not only the Zika virus, but something much more devastating: over a 100 years of colonialism and its many consequences.

Most recently, Puerto Rico is resisting yet another manifestation of colonialism, in the form of the US-imposed fiscal oversight board that will control many decisions of the government.

Those who live on this Caribbean island are well informed and aware, not helpless infants in need of being rescued, much less scolded. What we need, at the very least, and at this critical moment in our history, is media coverage that is accurate and demonstrates local awareness—stories that treat Puerto Rico and its people with respect, dignity, and humanity. * Firuzeh Shokooh Valle is Editor of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Spain and Latin American/Caribbean diasporic blogospheres. Puerto Rican journalist specialized in human rights issues. PhD research focuses on social movements, digital technologies, gender, and development in Latin America and the Caribbean.

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El Sol Latino September 2016

The National Puerto Rican Agenda (NPRA) Reaches New Heights

by JOSÉ E. VELÁZQUEZ LUYANDA | The NiLP Report (July 27, 2016)

Over 150 delegates and dozens of Puerto Rican organizations met in Camden, NJ on July 25, 2016 in the Constituent Assembly of the National Puerto Rican Agenda. This was the culmination of an effort that began on October 14, 2015 in Orlando, Florida with subsequent meetings in Washington, D.C. and New York. The mission of the NPRA will be to “unite, organize, mobilize, and empower stateside Puerto Ricans to advance the interests of the Puerto Rican people.” (please note that all further references to the NPRA platform are based on the actual approved motions from the plenary session of the Constituent Assembly).

The NPRA Constituent Assembly represents the greatest effort in a long time to gather diverse political tendencies and elements of civil society of the Puerto Rican Diaspora on a national level. The platform adopted by the NPRA has the potential of creating a political agenda that can guide Puerto Rican elected officials and organizations at all levels throughout the Diaspora.

If successful, the Puerto Rican Diaspora should develop the political power that would dictate American policy toward Puerto Rico, and in coordination with other Americans help to develop a government of justice and equality.

In response to political and economic crisis in Puerto Rico, after extensive debate the NPRA, by a vast majority of its members, voted to oppose the imposition of a Fiscal Control Board in the PROMESA legislation and to recognize the gravity of the potential effects of PROMESA on Puerto Rico’s socio-economic development. The NPRA also called for the implementation of a plan of action to advocate for the interests of the Puerto Rican people that includes serving as an advocacy watchdog on policy matters in Washington. DC and coordinating educational and action campaigns on relevant and urgent policy issues. The NPRA avoided the problem that an imposed PROMESA legislation could serve as a divisive poison pill within the Puerto Rican Diaspora. More importantly, the NPRA will focus on policies that will go to the heart of the future development of Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans stateside.

The NPRA platform also calls for Congressional and Presidential action for decolonization or ending the territorial status of Puerto Rico, in compliance with international law and the United Nations principles of selfdetermination as detailed in General Assembly Resolution 1541 (XV).

Furthermore, the NPRA states that the process should be inclusive of stateside Puerto Ricans who shall have the right to participate as equals in any referendum, constituent assembly or any other consultation process on the political status options for Puerto Rico.

Other parts of the NPRA program on Puerto Rico called for an exemption from the Jones Act, stimulus for renewable energy sources and alternatives to fossil fuels, climate resilience planning, the clean-up of Vieques and Culebra, and support for the Martin Peña Channel project.

Similarly, one of the greatest points of unity was the call for the release of Oscar Lopez Rivera, who languishes in Federal jail for more than 35 years, principally for the overt political charge of sedition. The NPRA joins all of the political parties and civil society in Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican organizations in the United States, and humanitarian forces worldwide in urging President Obama for his immediate release.

The NPRA Assembly approved an extensive platform for political, economic, and social progress for Puerto Ricans in the United States. Highlights of this platform include: • Improving Puerto Rican electoral and political engagement beyond elections while in this election cycle, focusing on Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio, swing states with a sizeable Puerto Rican population and the greatest potential to impact significantly the upcoming presidential elections.

• Working to strengthen the educational pipeline, support our youth transition to adulthood and college completion, and creating pathways to

economic opportunity.

The platform includes support for pre-school programs and Head Start, support for English Language Learners; increase in the high school graduation rate; increasing school to work pathways; support for free public community colleges; and various strategies to close the gap in college graduation rates.

• Implementing a transition from low wage jobs into occupations that offer family sustaining wages, health benefits, pensions and to close occupational disparities. The platform calls for protecting worker’s rights and the right to organize unions and for raising the minimum wage.

• Recognizing that access to quality affordable health care for all is a fundamental human right regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, social status, sexual orientation, immigration or economic status. Furthermore it recognizes the need to attack diseases having an adverse affect on Puerto Ricans, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, cancer and obesity.

• Calling for environmental justice, transforming public spaces, and engaging residents in building their communities.

• Affirming the urgent need to supporting cultural organizations, and the education and engagement of Puerto Rican youth. It calls for a national network of Puerto Rican cultural and historical preservation organizations, artists and community leaders in a national celebration and preservation of Puerto Rican culture.

• The development of strong alliances with other advocacy and political organizations to advance the Puerto Rican agenda and to reciprocate in solidarity in issues of great significance such as comprehensive immigration reform, criminal justice reform, gun control, access to health services and eliminating disparities in education and employment.

• Support for multi-racial and intersectional coalitions aimed at eliminating the vestiges of racism and discrimination in the United States.

An important feature since its initial meeting in Orlando, Florida has been the formation of an organization of Puerto Rican elected officials from the local level to Congressional leaders, whose representatives will serve on the NPRA Board of Directors. The adopted By-Laws characterize the NPRA as a coalition of National, State, and local Puerto Rican organizations, as well as an individual membership organization.

Congratulations go out to Edwin Melendez of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies and to the interim steering committee formed in Washington, D.C. (of which I was a member) for developing the process under trying conditions that led to the Constituent Assembly. Now the hard work of consolidating the process begins, with the legal incorporation, the consolidation of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee, the recruitment of new members in the formation of State Chapters, the further recruitment of Puerto Rican elected officials, and the development of an action plan to meet the challenges faced by our people in Puerto Rico and the United States. All Puerto Ricans should wish the NPRA great success and participate in its efforts according to their abilities.

José E. Velázquez Luyand, M.Ed. is a historian and educator, with a long history as a political activist in the Puerto Rican community. He is co-editor, with Andrés Torres, of The Puerto Rican Movement: Voices from the Diaspora (1998), working as a social studies teacher in the Newark, New Jersey, public school system. He can be reached at jevche@aol.com.

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

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Holyoke Wistariahurst Museum: September Events

Holyoke Renaissance; Rising from the Ashes Saturday September 10, 2016 - Saturday October 29, 2016 10:00 am - 2:00 pm Frank Lloyd Wright famously said, “The mother art is architecture. Without architecture of our own, we have no soul of our own civilization.”

Three area artists will showcase architecture as art when they present their work in a joint exhibition celebrating the renaissance of the City of Holyoke.

The exhibit by artists Debra Dunphy, Nancy Howard, and Kristine Villeneuve-Topor, will feature various views of the old industrial city of Holyoke and its architectural designs.

Each artist has a distinctive style and has taken a different path in honing their artistic talents. Dunphy credits her style to years of teaching both oil painting and pastels in group classes she provides at her teaching studio in the city’s Canal Walk Art District. She is a self-taught artist. Nancy Howard earned a BFA in painting at the Rhode Island School of Design as well as her master’s degree in landscape architecture at the University of Massachusetts. She too has done her fair share of teaching and demonstrations, and has a key interest in the role artist play in the vitality of urban life Villeneuve-Topor didn’t begin to pursue her art until her early thirties. She became enthralled by the artistic process and began spending her free time in galleries, museums, and libraries. She learned to draw and paint by studying and absorbing the work of many different artists.

El Sol Latino september 2016

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Olde Holyoke Development Corporation se convierte en OneHolyoke CDC Olde Holyoke Development Corporation, pasará a llamarse OneHolyoke CDC (Community Development Corporation) para reflejar mejor su servicio a los barrios más necesitados de Holyoke y su compromiso con las mejores prácticas en el campo de desarrollo de la comunidad.

“Se trata de ‘Fuera el Olde’ en Olde Holyoke Development Corporation,” según el director ejecutivo de OneHolyoke CDC Michael Moriarty. “Nuestro nuevo nombre refleja los cambios que hemos hecho para ser una Corporación de Desarrollo de la Comunidad que representa un catalizador para el cambio del siglo 21 en Holyoke.”

Their work will be on display at the Wistariahurst Museum’s Gallery in Holyoke September and October, with an opening reception on Sunday, September 18 th from 2 – 4 p.m. Painting will include local landmarks and streetscapes from around the city. Holyoke is currently undergoing a transformation that is renewing much of a downtown that has suffered from urban blight for decades. The three woman exhibit is being presented to shine a light on the beautiful art and architecture in the city that is slowly but surely regaining its stature.

MFR. Membros de la Junta de Directores de One Holyoke CDC, Armando Santiago, Libby Hernández y Michael J. Moriarty (Director Ejecutivo).

Beethoven’s Wig Sunday September 25, 2016 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm Some years ago, Richard Perlmutter toyed with the idea of writing lyrics to masterpieces of classical music. While humming Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, the words “Beethoven’s Wig is very big” popped into his head.

With that spark of inspiration, Beethoven’s Wig was born.

En 2014, Olde Holyoke Development Corporation se convirtió en el único Community Development Corporation certificado con sede en la ciudad de Holyoke. “OneHolyoke es un nombre que refleja la unificación, flexibillidad y sensibilidad que se esfuerza por ser,” dijo Moriarty. “Estamos haciendo todo lo posible para construir comunidades, realizar mejoras y transformar vidas.”

The first Beethoven’s Wig album, Sing Along Symphonies, was released on Rounder Records in 2002 to overwhelming fanfare. Perlmutter was invited to appear on NPR’s All Things Considered, and then on NBC’s Today Show.

National press and critics loved the fresh approach to classical music that anyone, especially youngsters, can enjoy. The album accelerated to the top of Amazon’s Bestseller List, where it held the #1 position on both the Amazon Classical and Children’s Music Sales Charts for four months. Over the next year, Beethoven’s Wig received 15 national awards, including a Grammy Nomination for Best Musical Album for Children and the designation of ‘Notable Recording’ by the American Library Association.

En los últimos años, la agencia de desarrollo de la vivienda ha diversificado su consejo de administración, la ampliación de su servicio a la comunidad, y ha puesto en marcha esfuerzos para colaborar con muchas agencias de la ciudad y algunas sin fines de lucro. Moriarty dijo que el nuevo nombre refleja la evolución de la compañía.

Since its exciting beginning, Beethoven’s Wig has consistently released quality family-friendly music, with a total of 5 albums that have cumulatively earned 4 GRAMMY nominations, 5 Parent’s Choice Awards, and dozens of additional honors.

To date, the Beethoven’s Wig series has received a record 50+ National Awards. Perlmutter continues to perform with his group of four Beethoven’s Wig singers. Hailed as opening the door to “serious music” in a way that’s fun, Beethoven’s Wig is now the most honored musical group in family entertainment.

For more information - Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot Street.

Holyoke MA 01040 - (413) 322 5660 - wistariahurst@gmail.com

Fundada en 1971, el recién nombrado OneHolyoke CDC ha creado más de 160 nuevas viviendas en los barrios Churchill y South Holyoke, rehabilitando cientos de apartamentos y proporcionando miles de ayudas económicas para mejoras en el hogar a los propietarios de viviendas a través del Programa de Mejoramiento de Barrios. Olde Holyoke Development Corporation fue formado originalmente como un modelo de desarrollo comunitario.

Moriarty dijo: “La ‘Olde’ ha cumplido su propósito y ha sobrevivido a través del tiempo. Tenemos un legado de servicio y el éxito nos enorgullece como “Olde Holyoke” pero no es nuestro nombre original. En los años 80 se adoptó el nombre Olde Holyoke porque nuestro enfoque era servir a la parte antigua de Holyoke, que estaba densamente poblada. Ahora, en 2016, hemos estado trabajando desde hace años en toda la ciudad.

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El Sol Latino September 2016

Springfield Paintings Of Alvilda Sophia Anaya-Alegría Visit Library Local artist Alvilda Sophia Anaya-Alegría’s new exhibit, Puerto Rican Pablo Casals Art Exhibit in Honor of His Mother Pilar Úrsula Defilló Amiguet, will be on display in the Springfield City Library Central Library from Tuesday, September 6th through Thursday, September 29th.

Pablo Casals, who is often regarded as one of the best cellists of all time, was born in Spain in 1876. His mother, Pilar Úrsula Defilló Amiguet, was originally from Puerto Rico; the paintings are influenced by Casals, Puerto Rico, and themes of motherhood. The exhibit is one of many activities hosted by the Springfield City Library to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.

A reception for the exhibit will be held on Sunday, September 11th at 2 p.m. in the Central Library, and will feature cellist Boris Kogan from 2:15-2:45 p.m. playing in the style of Pablo Casals. Refreshments will be served, compliments of the Friends of the Library. The Central Library is located at 220 State Street in Springfield.

To learn more, visit www. springfieldlibrary.org

Nuevo Nombre, Nueva Localización, Los Mismos Magníficos Servicios de Salud para Mujeres MercyCare-Forest Park AHORA es Mercy Women’s Health Services

¡En agosto del 2016 Mercy Women’s Health Servicies se estará mudando a su nueva localización en 1777 Dwight Street en Springfield! La nueva localización ofrece un conveniente estacionamiento e interiores recientemente renovados, agradables para los pacientes.

Localizado en Springfield y Holyoke, Mercy Women’s Health Services provee el mismo enfoque holístico para su salud y bienestar. Nuestro equipo de doctores, enfermeras y comadronas se interesan en usted como una persona completa, prestándole atención a todos los aspectos físicos y emocionales que afectan su salud.

New Name, New Location,

Same Great Women’s Health Services MercyCare–Forest Park is NOW Mercy Women’s Health Services Mercy Women’s Health Services is moving to a new location at 1777 Dwight Street in Springfield in August 2016! The new location offers convenient parking and a newly renovated, patient-friendly interior.

Located in Springfield and Holyoke, Mercy Women’s Health Services provides the same holistic approach to your health and well being. Our team of doctors, nurses and midwives cares for you as a whole person, paying attention to all the physical and emotional aspects of your life that can affect your health.

Mercy Women’s Health Services—Springfield (Our NEW location beginning in August) 1777 Dwight Street • 413-886-0410 Mercy Women’s Health Services—Holyoke 306 Race Street • 413-536-7385 Mercycares.com/Womens-Health A member of the Sisters of Providence Health System and Trinity Health

El Sol Latino september 2016

OT TINTNAT E H INK CALIE au Ramos

Por Manuel Fr

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In Amherst…a sad time for the Amherst Public Schools The Amherst Public School system has been in the news lately, and not for good reasons. This system, which has always been known for its excellence and for being a source of pride for this college town, emphasizes its commitment to multiculturalism, “Our mission is the academic achievement of every student learning in a system dedicated to social justice and multiculturalism. “

However, the latest news paints a very different picture regarding race relations, multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion at all levels – students, staff and administration.

A while ago the system tried to address these long standing issues through the implementation of the Becoming a Multicultural School System (BAMSS) initiative. However, during the last few years the BAMSS initiative faded into oblivion. At this point, it is truly sad to read the recent news about the Amherst schools. It is ironic that, to a large extent, the news have to do with the same racial issues that the BAMSS initiative tried to address in the past. Whatever happened with the Amherst Schools Becoming a (Truly) Multicultural School System?

Opinión / Opinion Preparing children for school by WALTER MULLIN, Ph.D. and MIGUEL ARCE Summer is winding down. Vacations are ending. As the beginning of the new school year is imminent, parents are preparing to send their children into another school year. What did parents do to enhance their children’s wellbeing during the summer? Did they send their children to away camp?

Could they afford to provide their children enrichment activities such as basketball camp, archery, the arts or reading? Does it really matter if the children went to camp? Furthermore, what is important then for parents to do so that their children will be prepared for school especially if they didn’t have the resources for archery lessons? What could be the importance of providing a good backpack and filling it with the necessary school supplies?

Which is the better backpack: Lands’ End or LL Bean?

Walter Mullin and Miguel Arce

Summer activities are crucial to a child’s development. As public schools continually work to ensure that all children have equal access to quality learning, income inequality determines how children will spend their summer vacations. Parents who can afford summer programs enroll their children in them, knowing these programs will benefit their children.

Summertime experiences have the potential to advantage some children over others. They build self-esteem and position children towards other life successes. But, in reality, can you benefit from summer if your child has not been involved in costly activities?

Now that school is beginning, what are the things parents do to make sure their child is as advantaged as the next child? How can families with limited economic resources afford either a Lands’ End or LL Bean backpack much less the school supplies to fill those back packs. The financial burden of affording these basic supplies is not taken for granted. Families are forced

to choose between equipping their children with them as well as buying outfits for a new school year and paying for medicine or buying food. While children are eagerly anticipating a new school year and catching up with friends, some of the neediest students do not have the gear to go back to school making them feel less than confident and prepared for school.

Partnership between the city and state governments, including local and state law enforcement, community and faith based organizations, local businesses, school personnel, and neighborhood residents have sprung up through the country. President Obama, in a back to school speech stated, “…in this country, we not only reach for our own dreams, we help others do the same. This is a country that gives all its daughters and all its sons a fair chance. A chance to make the most of their lives. A chance to fulfill their God-given potential.” President Obama acknowledges “the strain of these difficult times” in remarks about back to school. The truth is that resources are required to be successful in school. The United States Census in archival records for 2011-2012 indicates that $7.4 billion was spent at family clothing stores.

In the face of the “strain” of going back to school, state governments, local police departments, faith and community based organizations have stepped forward. In 2014, New Mexico Governor, Susana Martínez, announced a back to school program for foster and low-income children seeking to ensure that the neediest have the resources to enable them to focus in the classroom. For fourteen years, the Portland Police created “Shop with a Cop”. In Portland, Oregon police officers and 240 children spend a morning together shopping for back to school clothing. In Wimauma, Hillsborough County, Florida, hundreds of low-income families came out to receive free back to school supplies including backpacks, pencils and erasers last month, August 2016. Faith based organizations are also working to make sure the neediest students have the supplies they need when school begins this September. Interfaith Works located in Rockville Maryland goal is to provide 2,500 economically vulnerable students with new backpacks filled with school supplies. A retired pediatrician in Rochester Hills Michigan founded KidzKare in 2011. Retired, he has devoted himself to partnering with community members, non-profits, schools and other to improve the lives of children.

There are numerous others which exemplify a commitment to providing goods and services for low-income children. One such organization is the South Holyoke Safe Neighborhood Initiative (SHSNI). SHSNI is a partnership between the city and state governments, including local and state law enforcement, community and faith based organizations, local businesses, school personnel, and neighborhood residents. It seeks to promote a “safe, healthy and economically viable neighborhood through information sharing, referrals and community efforts in the South Holyoke continued on page 13

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Opinión / Opinion

El Sol Latino September 2016

Mary Hurley

Jeff Morneau

Candidate for Governor’s Council in the 8th District

Candidate for Governor’s Council in the 8th District

I am Mary Hurley, Candidate for Governor’s Council in the 8th District. I am a five-term City Councilor and was the first and only female Mayor of Springfield for two terms. I am also a retired District Court Judge, where I served the residents of Western Massachusetts for more than 19 years.

During this time, I was fortunate enough to sit in all the courts throughout Western Massachusetts, including Springfield, Chicopee, Holyoke, and Westfield District Court’s. The Governor’s Council for the 8th District includes Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire Counties. The Governor’s Council main duties include the approval of nominees of the Governor for judgeships, clerkships and parole board members.

Nobody Wants To Go To Court . . . But It Happens. If you or someone you know is going to court, wouldn’t you like to choose the judge that will decide your case? Unfortunately, you cannot pick the judge on the day you go to court…but…on Thursday, September 8th you can vote Governor’s Council and pick the person who will help to select the judges in our community.

During my tenure as Mayor of the City of Springfield, I was voted the “Education Mayor.” I also got the Rebecca Johnson School in Mason Square constructed with minority contractor participation. I worked hard for the city during challenging economic times, and I know the hard choices that public officials make day-in-and-day-out.

I am the best choice for Governor’s Council because I have the most experience as a lawyer and judge, sitting in the District Courts for almost two decades. I know the qualities of a good judge, including judicial temperament, tact and understanding. A good judicial candidate should present instances where they have demonstrated understanding of legal principles and procedures. I also believe there should be more African American, Latino, Asian and women represented on the bench, and in the Clerk Magistrate. The judges who serve in these positions should be a reflection of the cultures and communities they serve.

I also know first-hand the shortage of judges that Western Massachusetts is currently facing as it relates to both judges and court personnel. This has many adverse effects on our community, and ultimately delays justice, because justice delayed is justice denied. Because of these judicial vacancies we currently face, the trial court’s ability to deliver access to justice in a timely fashion is hindered.

After a conversation with the Chief Justice of the District Court, Paul Dawley, on August 5, 2016, there are 16 vacancies throughout Massachusetts, nine of them being right here in Western Massachusetts. These shortages not only effect judges, but impacts victims, witnesses, jurors, lawyers and defendants.

I want to make sure our district gets its fair share, because we are being short-changed. I will work with our elected officials to make sure these vacancies are filled and our needs are being addressed in Boston.

Additionally, Governor Baker has a unique opportunity to appoint five new Massachusetts Supreme Court Justices, although three have already been nominated. That being said, I will work tirelessly to make sure Western Massachusetts is adequately represented on our highest court.

I have had two loves in my life - the law and public service. It would be my honor to serve Western Massachusetts. I respectfully ask for your vote on Thursday, September 8th.

The main job of a Governor’s Councilor is to help with the selection of judges and parole board members and we only get one representative for all of Western Massachusetts. Jeff Morneau is one of the candidates for the position.

Jeff Morneau is a Progressive Democrat and newcomer to politics. Morneau was born and raised in Holyoke and earned his undergraduate degree from Providence College, his law degree from Western New England College School of Law, and a Master of Laws degree from Georgetown University. He has 18 years of legal experience representing workers, unions and consumers throughout all of the courts in Western Massachusetts. Morneau was elected and served as President of the Hampden County Bar Association (20152016) and is Chair of its Judiciary and Courthouse Advocacy committees.

He also served on the Joint Bar Committee – one of the last layers of review in the judicial nominating process and is charged with reporting to the Governor on the qualifications of individuals under consideration for judicial nominations. Morneau also serves on the Board of Directors for Hampden County Lawyers for Justice, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to providing legal representation to indigent defendants.

On the issues, Morneau is a Progressive thinker who supports treatment and counseling for non-violent drug offenders who have an addiction problem. He said that “too many politicians and judges believe that they have to incarcerate people to look tough to the public but the statistics have proven that lock-em-up and throw away the key mentality of the 1980’s and 1990’s failed. The incarceration of nonviolent drug users has led to the disproportionate imprisonment of persons of color, and has not deterred drug crimes, reduced drug addiction, or made our communities safer.”

Morneau believes that judicial diversity is essential to delivering equal justice and he supports recruiting a diverse judiciary. Morneau said that “an ideal judiciary is representative of the larger community that it serves and that includes women, persons of color, members of the LGBT community, and other under-represented groups.” He believes that the lack of judicial diversity in courts is a problem of recruitment, not a deficit of qualified diverse candidates.

Morneau is against mandatory minimum sentencing. Morneau said that “there are serious problems with mandatory minimums, from the inability of a judge to consider mitigating circumstances to the intolerably disproportionate rate of enforcement against people of color. It is unjust and unfair to have a one-size-fits-all sentencing structure.”

These are some of the values and beliefs that Morneau thinks are important for the voters to know about him and asks for your vote on September 8th.

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Libros / Books

El Sol Latino september 2016

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La Noche de la Usina por EDUARDO SACHERI (Barcelona: Alfaguara - Penguin Random House), 2016. 367 páginas. ¡Reirme a carcajadas!

Esto es lo que hice más de una vez al leer La noche de la Usina del argentino Eduardo Sacheri, última novela premiada por Alfaguara.

Aunque La noche de la Usina se trata de aquella desastrosa época banquera en La Argentina de 2001, durante la cual muchos ciudadanos sufrieron verdaderos apuros y grandes pérdidas financieras y “El país se va a la mierda”, la novela imagina una venganza llevada a cabo por hombres ordinarios. ¿Hombres ordinarios? Pues sí, aunque forman un “pelotón desquiciado” de unos “tipos un poco a la deriva.”

El protagonista Fermín Perlassi propone que él y sus amigos compren “seis silos enormes y vacíos” en donde los chacareros pueden almacenar sus cosechas hasta cuando sean mejores los precios. El dueño se los venderá por 400.000 dólares. Entre el grupo de once amigos inversores sólo llegan a casi 300.000. Meten los dólares ya reunidos en una cuenta de ahorros, pensando en pedirle prestados al banco los dólares que les faltan.

Al hacerlo, Perlassi “fue incapaz de detectar las numerosas alarmas que debió haber percibido.”

El gerente del banco, Alvarado, sabiendo que la crisis económica es inminente, arregla en secreto con Fortunato Manzi, un hombre de negocios sin escrúpulos, que retire estos mismos dólares como “préstamo”. Manzi entonces le pagará al gerente una buena “comisión.” Alvarado le dice que “Si la semana que viene no se puede retirar plata, tenerla fuera de la cuenta es un negoción porque no habrá un billete ni dibujado.” Y así pasa.

Manzi primero piensa enterrar el dinero en el sótano de su casa hasta que escucha a un compatriota borracho jactándose en público que eso es precisamente lo que hizo él con sus dólares. Por eso, temiendo un robo de su robo, Manzi compra tierra fuera de la ciudad en donde dice que se va a dedicar a cultivos y a ganado. En medio de aquel campo construye una bóveda bajo tierra y allí es donde mete los dólares sacados del banco.

Alrededor de este sitio pone un elaborado sistema de alarmas.

Por espiar y vigilar las acciones de Manzi, Perlassi y sus amigos descubren en donde tiene escondidos sus dólares y resuelven robárselos. Pero no es tan fácil. Hay que tener un plan bien elaborado para que nadie sospeche que son ellos los ladrones. No quieren pasar el resto de sus días en prisión.

Y así empieza una serie de salvaguardias complejas de parte de Manzi para proteger los dólares robados, serie que alterna con los esfuerzos por parte

Opinión Preparing children for school neighborhood.” SHSNI and many similar community efforts have given away supplies at back to school events. Recently, on August 13th, a group of committed volunteers provided 1,200 school backpacks to children. The back to school event not only gave away backpacks, provided an enjoyable evening event for families including laser tag, rock climbing, power cars and music and more. The volunteers were there to serve the residents of South Holyoke where a number of families live who need this kind of support.

These efforts are commendable as they represent the idea that all children, regardless of income, deserve a good school year. Community partnerships and the generosity of the larger community are critical to ensuring this. The most essential idea, however, is to those parents in local communities such as South Holyoke know themselves that it is important to prepare their children. In spite of their poverty, they also want the best for their children.

It must be stated aloud and validated that parents know what is needed, they know what is good for their children and they want their children to

de Perlassi y sus amigos de robárselos y recuperar lo que les pertenece.

Por intrigante que sea la trama, lo que sobresale de la novela son los personajes. El autor enfoca su atención en las relaciones entre los personajes, sobre todo en las relaciones entre padres e hijos. Están bien desarrollados y el lector no puede más que admirarl sus ambiciones y reírse con ellos cuando los planes no salen exactamente como los habían pensado.

Por ejemplo, según el plan de Perlassi y sus compatriotas, su hijo Rodrigo va a trabajar como jardinero en las oficinas de Manzi como espía. Lo que les dificulta el plan es que Rodrigo no sabe nada de plantas; y lo que es de más, se enamora de la empleada, la bella Florencia, “linda, lindísima.” Mientras trata de impresionarla, primero se fija en una planta que resulta ser artificial; después empieza a podar las hojas venenosas de las difenbaquias. Mientras imagina que Florencia se está fijando en su persona, el nervioso Rodrigo pasa los dedos de la mano por su cara. Por fin Florencia le dice que “Tenés aspecto de tener toda la cara hinchada.” Rodrigo, “De pronto, comprende: sus gestos de pensar, tocándose la cara, y la reputísima madre que la parió a la difenbaquia y sus toxinas.”

Cuando los de Perlassi se reúnen para trama sus próximos planes, siguen las costumbres sociales del país y la cantidad de mate que beben los protagonistas debe de haberle dejado a la Argentina en escasez de la bebida nacional.

A pesar de que la trama tiene muchos momentos de risa, el autor no minimiza la catástrofe de lo que era la situación de los bancos en 2001, y el lector puede entender lo difícil que era económicamente para el país de Argentina y sus ciudadanos durante aquella época.

Reseña de Cathleen Robinson, profesora jubilada de español y de la historia de América Latina.

continued from page 11 have every advantage that is possible. When this becomes the emphasis, the family is empowered and the summer has been good.

Walter Mullin, PhD (wmullin@springfieldcollege.edu) is a Professor at the School of Social Work at Springfield College. Miguel Arce MSW (marce@ springfieldcollege.edu) is an Associate Professor at the School of Social work at Springfield College.

Veanos@www.issuu.com/elsollatino Veanos@www.issuu.com/elsollatino

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Medio Ambiente / Environment

Recurso disponible en español sobre los ríos Greenfield, MA- Hace unos meses, al comienzo de la temporada de recreación, el Connecticut River Watershed Council (CRCW) y sus dieciséis socios lanzaron el programa de muestras de agua del Río Connecticut.

Ahora, justo a tiempo para las celebraciones de “Labor Day”, han lanzado este programa en español.

Usuarios del río pueden ir al sitio web “¿Está Limpio?” localizado en www.

ConnecticutRiver.us/estalimpio para encontrar los resultados de las muestras recogidas, semanal o bisemanal, en los 147 sitios de acceso y recreación, en los estados de Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts y el Norte de Connecticut. Las muestras de aguas son examinadas para determinar si la bacteria del E. coli, indicador de otros tipos de patógenos que causan enfermedades, está presente en los lugares de recreación. Los resultados están disponibles en 24 horas, hasta principios de octubre.

“Cuando el clima está caliente, las personas van a nuestros ríos a refrescarse y a divertirse, y quieren saber si el río está limpio. Los datos nos indican que es una buena idea mantenerse fuera del agua por 24-48 horas después de lluvia fuerte porque los niveles de bacteria pueden estar altos,” dice la Administradora del CRCW Río Bajo Alicea Charamut. “La lluvia fuerte es muchas veces la causa de los altos niveles de bacteria. La bacteria puede subir después de una tormenta debido a una combinación de alcantarillas desbordadas y agua de áreas suburbanas, urbanas y agrícolas contaminadas.”

El Sol Latino September 2016

Farmington en Connecticut y muchos más.

Las organizaciones colaboradoras incluyen, Connecticut River Watershed Council, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, Southeastern Vermont Watershed Alliance, Friends of Lake Warner, Putney Rowing Club, Black River Action Team, White River Partnership, Ottauquechee River Group, Ashuelot River Local Advisory Committee, Greater Northfield Watershed Association, Greenfield Health Department, Farmington River Watershed Association, Connecticut River Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Scantic River Watershed Association/University of Saint Joseph, Goodwin College, the CT River Academy, and USGS. Todas estas organizaciones dependen de los voluntarios que son entrenados para recoger las muestras.

Para aprender más sobre CRCW o para hacer una contribución y proteger el Rio de Connecticut visite: www.ctriver.org

VAYACON VAYA CON MUÑOZ Saturdays 10AM

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1600 AM Hampden 1400 AM Hampshire

“Las ciudades y los pueblos cerca del río están haciendo inversiones significativas para reducir la contaminación de nuestros ríos y esto ha hecho una tremenda diferencia,” dice la Administradora del Río CRCW MA Andrea Donlon. “Ciertamente, nuestros ríos están más limpios de lo que estaban, pero hace sentido que los usuarios del rio presten atención a esta información para que sepan cuándo está limpio para nadar o navegar.”

Los resultados de las muestras están clasificados por colores y basados en un mapa, para guiar a los usuarios y dejarles saber si el agua está lo suficientemente limpia para nadar o navegar. Los resultados graban el momento cuando la muestra fue recogida, y les dan a los usuarios del río información que pueden utilizar para tomar decisiones informadas y prevenir posibles enfermedades. La página web provee datos de la bacteria en el Rio Connecticut y en más de 20 afluentes del río incluyendo el Río de Chicopee, el Rio Mill (Northampton), Río Mill/Lago Warner (Hadley), el Río

extraordinary people multicultural views Natalia Muñoz w/ N

MUÑOZ

El Sol Latino september 2016

15

EAT. Art. Love.

Experience the Nourishing Power of the Arts UMass Fine Arts Center - Temporada 2016-17 Subscríbase ahora! Ahorre un 15%* de los precios generales de entrada al comprar boletos para tres o más eventos.

ALAN CUMMING SINGS SAPPY SONGS Sábado, 24 de Septiembre, 8 p.m., FAC Concert Hall El actor, cantante, autor y activista Alan Cumming trae su exitosa presentación Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs al FAC. Fiesta de apertura que incluye postres y cash bar, a las 6:30 pm en el vestíbulo.

CONTRA-TIEMPO | URBAN LATIN DANCE THEATER Jueves, 6 de Octubre, 7:30 p.m., FAC Concert Hall Fusionando salsa, música afro-cubana y teatro urbano contemporáneo, esta compañía presenta un trabajo original, el electrizante e interesante Agua Furiosa.

MARIZA Jueves, 20 de Octubre, 7:30 p.m., FAC Concert Hall La diva internacional Mariza canta sus fascinantes interpretaciones del fado - las canciones del antiguo Portugal.

WARSAW PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA Jacek Kaspszyk, Conductor Domingo, 30 de Octubre, 7 p.m., FAC Concert Hall Junto al galardonado pianista Seong-Jin Cho, la renombrada orquesta toca Beethoven, Brahms, y Mieczyslaw Weinberg.

MARCUS ROBERTS TRIO Jueves, 3 de Noviembre, 7:30 p.m., Bowker Auditorium Dirigido por el “genio del piano moderno,” el trio toca composiciones originales de Roberts y estándares del jazz.

ANTONIO SANCHEZ: BiRDMAN LiVE

Martes, 15 de Noviembre, 7:30 p.m., Fine Arts Center Concert Hall, Chamber Seating Recreando su explosiva creación ganadora de un Grammy, el percusionista de jazz Antonio Sánchez acompaña la película ganadora del Oscar como Mejor Película 2015. Pelicula clasificada R.

ONCE Jueves, 1 de Diciembre, 7:30 p.m., FAC Concert Hall Ganador de ocho Premios Tony, incluyendo Mejor Musical, Once cuenta la historia del encuentro de músicos de las calles de Dublin

JELLY & GEORGE: CELEBRATING THE MUSIC OF JELLY ROLL MORTON AND GEORGE GERSHWIN

Aaron Diehl and Cécile McLorin Salvant Jueves, 16 de Febrero, 7:30 p.m., FAC Concert Hall Estos maestros modernos revisitan y revitalizan los trabajos de dos americanos maestros compositores para piano.

SYDNEY DANCE COMPANY Martes, 28 de Febrero, 7:30 p.m., FAC Concert Hall Para su presentación en Amherst, la compañía presenta un poderoso repertorio mixto que es un tour de force de alta energía, celebrando el poder físico de los bailarines.

LES 7 DOIGTS DE LA MAIN: CUISINE & CONFESSIONS

Jueves, 23 de Marzo, 7:30 p.m., FAC Concert Hall Cuisine & Confessions combina acrobacia de alto vuelo, una elaborada coreografía y una música pulsante con batido de mezcla y horneo de pan, iluminando la idea de que la vida se centra alrededor de la cocina.

JASON VIEAUX Presentado junto a ¡Guitarra!

Martes, 4 de Abril, 7:30 p.m., Bowker Auditorium El guitarrista clásico Vieaux trae maestría y un increíble talento expresivo a una amplia gama de música.

TERENCE BLANCHARD, FEATURING THE E-COLLECTIVE Sábado, 8 de Abril, 8 p.m., FAC Concert Hall El trompetista y compositor Terence Blanchard y su nuevo quinteto viajan a un excitante reino de fusión musical.

ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER Robert Battle, Artistic Director Martes, 25 de Abril, 7:30 p.m., Fine Arts Center Concert Hall La aclamada compañía de baile presenta trabajos de su celebrado repertorio de danza moderna y ballet, hasta llegar a un final deslumbrante con “Revelations,” una favorita de la audiencia.

con una bella joven.

Pata boletos: 413-545-2511, 800-999-UMAS o visite (* Precios varían en A & B)