January 2021
Volume 17 No. 2
Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper
Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper
Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper Con
Silverio Pérez
18 de diciembre de 2020
Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper
2
Editorial / Editorial
El Sol Latino en el 2021 Adaptándonos a una Nueva Realidad El 2020 fue un año muy difícil para todos. De una o de otra manera todos fuimos afectados por la pandemia del Covid19. Son nuestros mas sinceros deseos que el 2021 sea uno de paz, salud y prosperidad para todos. Muchos medios de comunicación, especialmente los periódicos regionales y locales, sufrieron graves consecuencias como resultado de la pandemia. Hoy en día, muchos medios no son lo que eran un año atrás. Algunos periódicos se vieron forzados a reducir personal, el número de páginas y/o el número de ejemplares. Varios de estos periódicos tuvieron que cerrar sus operaciones por completo.
Como ya habrán notado, El Sol Latino no estuvo exento de los retos que presentó la pandemia. Los cambios que ocasionó el Covid19 nos presentaron nuevas oportunidades para ser más creativos y así lograr adaptarnos a la nueva realidad. Varios meses atrás, decidimos descontinuar nuestra edición impresa y concentrarnos en seguir desarrollando y expandiendo la edición digital y fortalecer nuestra presencia en las redes sociales. Nuestro trabajo continúa hoy gracias al apoyo que por 17 años nos han brindado. Esperamos seguir siendo su fuente de noticias e información en esta nueva fase de El Sol Latino. ¡Feliz y próspero 2021!
contents
2 Editorial / Editorial El Sol Latino en el 2021 - Adaptándonos a una Nueva Realidad 3 Tinta Caliente / Hot Ink
Portada / Front Page Aguinaldo a la Banda Allá: Regalo Navideño a los de Aquí y a los de Allá
4 Biden to nominate Miguel Cardona as education secretary, sidestepping fraught policy debates 5 Connecticut Becomes First State in Nation To Require High Schools Provide Courses on Black and Puerto Ricans / Latino Studies 6 California Vetoed Ethnic Studies Requirements for Public High School Students, but the Movement Grows 7 Statement From Mayor Alex B. Morse Regarding His Future 8 Opinión / Opinion Letter to the Editor: Statement on Alex Morse’s departure 9 Libros/ Books Professor’s book reframes the story of Latinos in the United States 10 Cultura / Culture Remembering Adál Maldonado 11 Finanzas / Finances 2021 Consumer Pledge
Cita del Mes/Quote of the Month “I was blessed to attend the public schools in my home town of Meriden, Connecticut where I was able to expand my horizons and become the first in my family to graduate from college and become a teacher, a principal, and assistant superintendent in the same community that gave me so much. This is the power of America…and I, being bilingual and bicultural, am as American as apple pie and rice and beans.” Dr. Miguel Cardona - President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee for Secretary of Education December 23, 2020
12 Educación / Education The Truck Stops Here STCC’s new majors ease transfer to 4-year colleges or universities 13 Black Segregation Matters 14 S alud / Health Exposure to Metals Can Impact Pregnancy / Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Contamination Threats Study 15 Ciencias / Science Arecibo telescope’s fall is indicative of global divide around funding science infrastructure
Foto del Mes/Photo of the Month
Dr. Miguel Cardona
President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee for Secretary of Education
Founded in 2004
n
Volume 17, No. 2 n January 2021
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.
Portada / Front Page
El Sol Latino January 2021
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Aguinaldo a la Banda Allá: Regalo Navideño a los de Aquí y a los de Allá por MANUEL FRAU RAMOS El 18 de diciembre de 2020 se celebró el concierto navideño Aguinaldo a la Banda Allá: Un regalo de Silverio Pérez y sus amigos el cual fue transmitido a través de Facebook Live desde su residencia en Puerto Rico.
En adición a Silverio Pérez y a Fabiola Méndez, de Puerto Rico figuraron la directora musical, actriz, cantante y compositora, Aidita Encarnación, el bongosero y reconocido músico Irvin García, y el guitarrista Manny Trinidad.
Este concierto fue presentado por Ágora Cultural Architects, firma de producción y consultoría comprometida con las artes y la comunicación de la cultura latinoamericana. El junte musical virtual unió por primera vez a varios artistas de la región metropolitana de Boston (MA), del oeste de Massachusetts (Holyoke y Amherst) y de Puerto Rico.
Silverio Pérez y Fabiola Méndez | Facebook Live
Aidita Encarnación | Facebook Live
El anfitrión y artista principal, Silverio Pérez, junto a la cuatrista Fabiola Méndez, tuvieron a su cargo la producción musical de este obsequio navideño que buscó fortalecer la conexión fraternal que ya une a la banda de Puerto Rico y a la banda de Massachusetts. Como enmarcó Silverio esta conexión en sus redes sociales: ¡Únete, canta y baila con nosotros desde aquí o desde allá! : ) ¡Porque la música nos une, y cómo!
La invitada especial de la noche lo fue Josy Latorre, única mujer miembro fundador del exitoso e icónico grupo musical Haciendo Punto en otro Son, quien junto a Irvin García y a Silverio Pérez revivieron la reconocida música de este grupo.
En entrevista en el programa El Sol Latino Podcast 413 del 9 de diciembre de 2020 (episodio #38) previo al concierto, Silverio expresó que este obsequio musical era una forma de agradecer a la diáspora puertorriqueña por la ayuda, apoyo y solidaridad que recientemente le brindaron a sus compatriotas en el archipiélago de Puerto Rico. En los últimos años, la isla ha pasado por varios desastres climáticos y crisis políticas, incluyendo los desastrosos huracanes Irma y María, terremotos y temblores, y una crisis política que resultó en la renuncia del entonces gobernador Ricardo Rosselló. Estos eventos sirvieron para seguir fortaleciendo los lazos que siempre han existido entre los de aquí y los de allá. En el concierto, Massachusetts estuvo representado por varios reconocidos músicos locales: Sol y Canto – grupo pan-latino compuesto por Rosi Amador (dirigente), Brian Amador y Alisa Amador -, la cantautora puertorriqueña Andrea Cruz, el cuatrista y compositor José González, la cantante y percusionista Zayra Pola, y el tenor Charlie Berríos.
OT TINTA H N I K
In Connecticut …
actions speak louder than words. On December 9, 2020, Governor E CALIENTAU Ned Lamont announced that RAMOS FR por MANUEL Connecticut had become the first state in the nation to require all high schools in the state to offer courses on AfricanAmerican, Black, Puerto Rican, and Latino studies. In Holyoke and Springfield, cities with two of the highest concentrations of Puerto Ricans in the US mainland, the public conversation among educational and political leaders about this social justice agenda has not yet begun.
Irvin García, Silverio Pérez y Josy Latorre- Haciendo Punto en Otro Son | Facebook Live
El equipo de esta producción virtual estuvo compuesto por Sheila Lee Rodríguez (grabación y edición en Puerto Rico), Jesús Chuíto Muñoz (sonido y mezcla en PR), y Ana Inés Juliá (contenido de redes sociales). Las organizaciones e instituciones auspiciadoras y colaboradores del concierto lo fueron: Ágora Cultural Architects, The Puerto Rican Cultural Project, El Corazón de Holyoke, Holyoke Public Media, Holyoke Public Library, Holyoke City Hall, Hispanic American Library, El Sol Latino, Nueva Esperanza, radioplasma, City of Boston y el Boston Cultural Council. Silverio Pérez es un reconocido humorista, escritor, cantante, músico, compositor, ingeniero químico y autor galardonado con cuatro décadas de experiencia en radio y televisión. Fabiola Méndez es compositora, maestra de música, aclamada intérprete del Cuatro puertorriqueño y graduada de Berklee College of Music en Boston. Es la primera estudiante de Berklee College en graduarse con el Cuatro como instrumento musical principal.
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Portada / Front Page
El Sol Latino January 2021
Biden to nominate Miguel Cardona as education secretary, sidestepping fraught policy debates by MATT BARNUM and SARAH DARVILLE CHALKBEAT – Federal Policy & Reform | December 22, 2020. President-elect Joe Biden will nominate Miguel Cardona to become the country’s education secretary, Biden announced Tuesday. Choosing the Connecticut education commissioner, a relative unknown on the national stage, allows Biden to briefly sidestep fraught debates over charter schools, teachers unions, and testing that have divided his party. Biden would also fulfill his promise to nominate a former public school teacher to replace Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. “In Miguel Cardona, America will have an experienced and dedicated public school teacher leading the way at the Department of Education — ensuring that every student is equipped to thrive in the economy of the future, that every educator has the resources they need to do their jobs with dignity and success, and that every school is on track to reopen safely,” Biden said in a statement. If confirmed, Cardona will oversee the federal education department as schools grapple with the unprecedented disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic. As commissioner in Connecticut, Cardona encouraged schools to reopen their buildings, but with mixed success, as only about a third of students in the state have access to full-time in-person instruction. He will likely face the same challenge on the national stage. The role of U.S. education secretary is a limited one, as states and school boards make most education policy decisions. But the position took on increased prominence under DeVos, and Biden’s education secretary is set to oversee the dispersal of tens of billions of dollars in new federal relief — and to decide whether states can cancel federally required tests this year. If Biden was counting on Cardona to be a unifying choice, the bet paid off Tuesday, with a wide array of education groups praising the pick. Cardona also adds to the diversity of Biden’s cabinet, a top priority for the president-elect. Cardona is Latino and as a child was an English learner, and he has focused on improving outcomes for those students throughout his career. His doctoral dissertation, the CT Mirror reported, was about building political will to end the “normalization of failure” of English learners. Cardona’s biography makes for a sharp contrast with DeVos, a billionaire philanthropist who focused on private schools. He grew up in public housing and didn’t speak English until starting school. And his career has been spent almost exclusively inside public schools and within a single school district. Cardona began his career as an elementary school teacher in Meriden, Connecticut. He quickly became a school principal — the youngest in the state at 28, according to the local Record-Journal. He then served as the district’s assistant superintendent before being named the state schools chief. He seems to have won affection locally, with city officials and Gov. Ned Lamont offering praise as his name was floated in recent days. “I don’t want to lose him,” the governor said. “He understands the challenges of our students and a district like Meriden,” the city’s mayor said. Cardona’s management experience is fairly limited, though. He never oversaw a school district before being appointed schools chief in August 2019 by Lamont. The pandemic has dominated Cardona’s tenure. He has pushed schools to keep their buildings open, emphasizing the benefits of in-person school, especially for struggling students. When several districts decided to switch to all-remote learning after Thanksgiving, he challenged the move, saying the virus isn’t spreading in schools. Cardona has allowed districts to make their own calls, though. “When a superintendent tells me, ‘Miguel, my staffing is so bad that I have to close the school because I don’t have enough staff to keep it safe,’ I respect that decision,” Cardona said in November.
That stance has prompted criticism from some who say he should have intervened as districts chose not to reopen. It’s also garnered pushback from the other side: teachers and their unions who have circulated a petition urging Cardona and Lamont to close schools that they said weren’t fully complying with safety guidelines. Biden’s choice of Cardona represents a less Miguel Cardona. Connecticut State Colleges & Universities/ union-aligned approach than some other potential picks. AFT President Randi Weingarten Biden transition and former National Education Association President Lily Eskelsen García were themselves reportedly under consideration for the role. Still, Cardona is likely to have a much closer relationship with the country’s two major teachers unions than his predecessors in both the Trump and Obama administrations. “Miguel Cardona’s formative experience as a teacher and administrator has been critical to his accomplishments as Connecticut Education Commissioner,” a coalition of Connecticut labor unions said in a joint statement last week. “If selected as Secretary of Education, Dr. Cardona would be a positive force for public education — light years ahead of the dismal Betsy DeVos track record.” In 2013, the American Federation of Teachers highlighted Meriden, Connecticut, where Cardona was then an assistant superintendent, as a model for labor-management partnerships. He was in charge of the district’s teacher evaluation system, and the AFT profile suggests that he prioritized getting teacher buy-in. Both Weingarten and Eskelsen García praised Cardona’s nomination Tuesday. If confirmed, Cardona will also face an immediate decision that could further illuminate his relationship with unions: whether to allow states to cancel federally required annual testing this year. Unions are pushing for the Biden administration to do so, but some civil rights groups say that testing must continue to measure learning gaps. Connecticut, like every state in the country, canceled state testing last school year. But unlike a number of other states, Connecticut has not sought a waiver from testing in spring 2021, a spokesperson for the state education department said. Instead, Cardona’s department issued a memo in October saying the tests would go on. “State assessments are important guideposts to our promise of equity,” the memo said. Cardona, though, has criticized linking state tests to teachers’ evaluations. “Not reducing a teacher to a test score and bringing the voices of teachers and leaders into the process of professional learning — those are the two things I really felt like I had to champion,” he said about his work on a state evaluation committee. On two other particularly contentious education issues, charter schools and private school vouchers, Cardona has a limited track record. While the Obama administration championed charter schools, and the Trump administration sought (unsuccessfully) to expand access to private schools, Biden has promised to focus on neighborhood district schools while limiting, but not entirely restricting, charters. Cardona’s philosophy seems in line with the President-elect’s, although his influence on the issue as education secretary would be limited. “Charter schools provide choice for parents that are seeking choice, so I think it’s a viable option,” he said during his Connecticut confirmation continued on page 8
Portada / Front Page
El Sol Latino January 2021
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Connecticut Becomes First State in Nation To Require High Schools Provide Courses on Black and Puerto Ricans / Latino Studies HARTFORD, CT | THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR NED LAMONT | December 9, 2020 – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that Connecticut has become the first state in the nation to require all high schools in the state offer courses on African-American, Black, Puerto Rican, and Latino studies. The requirement is the result of a law Governor Lamont signed last year – Public Act 19-12 – that directs all regional and local boards of education to include an elective course of studies at the high school level that provides students with a better understanding of the African-American, Black, Puerto Rican, and Latino contributions to United States history, society, economy, and culture. Last week, the Connecticut State Board of Education unanimously approved the curriculum for the course, which was a final step needed to implement the requirement. High schools may offer the course in 2021-2022 and will be required to offer it during the school year that begins in the fall of 2022.
“Increasing the diversity of what we teach is critical to providing students with a better understanding of who we are as a society and where we are going,” Governor Lamont said. “Adding this course in our high schools will be an enormous benefit not only to our Black and Latino students, but to students of all backgrounds because everyone can benefit from these studies. This is a step that is long overdue, and I applaud the work of the General Assembly, State Board of Education, and everyone at the State Education Resource Center whose collaborative work helped get this done.” “Identities matter, especially when 27 percent of our students identify as Hispanic or Latino and 13 percent identify as Black or African-American,” Connecticut Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona said. “This curriculum acknowledges that by connecting the story of people of color in the U.S. to the larger story of American history. The fact is that more inclusive, culturally relevant content in classrooms leads to greater student engagement and better outcomes for all. This law passed due in large part to the strong advocacy of students from around the state and the legislative leadership of State Representative Bobby Gibson and State Senator Doug McCrory. I thank Ingrid Canady, the SERC team, and all of our partners who contributed to and drove us to this historic moment.” The adopted curriculum focuses on a two-pronged, inquiry-based approach, including both content knowledge and student identity development. It utilizes Connecticut’s Social Studies Framework themes and inquiry-based approach already familiar to social studies teachers to deliver a content rich and personalized learning experience. The Connecticut State Department of Education partnered with the State Education Resource Center (SERC) to develop the curriculum.
The development process was guided by a 150- member advisory group comprised of educators, administrators, higher education professors and scholars, national researchers and historians, representatives from education and community organizations, and studies and families. The group organized into nine committees with specific tasks. The work of each committee was facilitated by a SERC liaison to ensure seamless communication and workflow between committees. Additionally, an expert review panel was convened, consisting of ten national and state-level experts to review course deliverables as they were developed and provide critical feedback and resources. Other opportunities for stakeholder involvement included providing feedback through surveys and focus groups. “I am extremely proud of the passage of this bill,” State Senator Douglas McCrory (D-Hartford), co-chair of the Education Committee, said. “It was a humbling experience to hear students passionately call for the Black and Latino studies curriculum, and I thank them for it. Nelson Mandela once said, ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,’ and I hope this new curriculum will facilitate a greater understanding and appreciation of the many contributions made by Black and Latino Americans.” “I am excited to see implementation of this bipartisan legislation that will give students a more realistic view of their heritage and the many accomplishments of their ancestors,” State Representative Bobby Sanchez (D-New Britain) said. “This curriculum, which is a year-long study of Black and Latino history, will lead to better racial relations in our communities and a more inclusive state for our children and theirs. At public hearings, last year students explained how history classes didn’t reflect their heritage. Now, high schoolers will have that opportunity.” “I am so proud of how the state came together to make this legislation I brought forth come to fruition,” State Representative Bobby Gibson (D-Bloomfield, Windsor) said. “This history is for everyone. Our nation is at a point where we must change the one-sided narrative of how we view history. Racism stems from the lack of knowledge and respect for one another. Perhaps if our children grew up knowing more about the amazing accomplishments of our people, the actions of this past summer would not have had to happen. We would be doing an injustice to our children if we didn’t do our part to help them to understand each other more.” “SERC’s mission has always been about access and opportunity, and our team is proud to have been part of this moment affirming our students’ racial identity and ensuring it is at the forefront,” Ingrid Canady, executive director of SERC, said. “Our coordination of this endeavor involved an advisory group of racially diverse, passionate, and committed individuals from across Connecticut and we have made history together because we passionately believed it could be done. Even through challenges like the pandemic, the group never backed down because we knew that every single student in Connecticut needs to understand the history of people of color in the American story which has been denied by textbooks for too long.” To learn more about the curriculum and the next steps for district implementation, visit pa1912.serc.co.
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Portada / Front Page
El Sol Latino January 2021
California Vetoed Ethnic Studies Requirements for Public High School Students, but the Movement Grows by WAYNE AU This article was originally published in THE CONVERSATION | November 25, 2020 California Gov. Gavin Newsom surprised many supporters in his state earlier this fall when he vetoed a bill that would have required public high school students to take ethnic studies. The move was unexpected as, just a few weeks earlier, the state had made ethnic studies mandatory for the California State University system. Furthermore, in 2016 the state passed a measure establishing a commission to create a model ethnic studies curriculum for high schools. Newsom vetoed the bill after a mix of liberals and conservatives argued the curriculum was too radical, and that as drafted it would not encompass all of California’s many ethnic communities. In Newsom’s opinion, the model curriculum “still needs revision.”
African-centered schools opened in Chicago, Los Angeles and other cities. A handful of high schools introduced electives in African American, Asian American, Native American and Mexican American studies.
Arizona bans Mexican American studies
However, the current K-12 ethnic studies movement took off when Arizona lawmakers passed HB 2281 in 2010. That law prohibited any course deemed to “promote the overthrow of the United States government or promote resentment toward a race or class of people,” or any classes that “advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals.” The state government then took aim at the Tucson Unified School District’s Mexican American Studies program. The program had been under attack by conservative state officials. They claimed it was un-American and biased against white people.
Despite the veto, California’s struggle highlights a growing national movement to teach ethnic studies in K-12 classrooms. As a professor, a scholar of educational justice and the co-editor of the book “Rethinking Ethnic Studies,” I have tracked this movement for years.
When HB 2281 took effect in 2012, officials stopped the Mexican American studies classes in Tucson and removed banned books from classrooms – sometimes while classes were in session.
What is ethnic studies?
The ban became a flashpoint for educators and activists.
Ethnic studies focuses on student and community identity, history and culture. While it originally emphasized race, ethnic studies now also looks at how gender, sexuality, language and economic class – among other aspects of identity – intersect with race and ethnicity. It requires students to develop an understanding of systematic oppression and encourages them to participate in community activism. For instance, an ethnic studies class might analyze textbooks for omissions about which U.S. presidents were slave owners and then write to the textbook companies. Or it might teach students about the links between anti-Chinese racism and plague in the U.S. at the turn of the 20th century and again today in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Ethnic studies might also teach students about the myths of Thanksgiving and encourage them to challenge these myths at school or at home – and learn more about the experiences of Native American communities. There are a variety of K-12 ethnic studies frameworks in different schools, districts and states. Most include concepts of critical self-reflection, community transformation, social justice in the face of ongoing injustice, caring for self and community, histories of colonization and processes of decolonization, and healing from historical traumas such as slavery and attempted genocide. K-12 ethnic studies also emphasizes teaching through dialogue and other interactive methods – as opposed to lectures and rote memorization. Teachers can then draw on their students’ own personal experiences and what they know about their cultures.
San Francisco students strike
Ethnic studies became an official academic field in 1968 after a coalition of Black, Latino, Asian American and Native American students – known as the Third World Liberation Front – at San Francisco State College (now SFSU) went on strike. Their demands included establishing an ethnic studies department and hiring faculty to teach African American studies and other courses. The rise of ethnic studies on that campus was emblematic of the times, and several K-12 schools across the country followed suit. In the 1970s,
A national movement grows
A few large public school districts like Philadelphia and San Francisco created ethnic studies courses before the Arizona ban. But between 2013 and 2018, districts up and down the West Coast like Seattle, Portland, Oakland, Sacramento, Los Angeles and San Diego adopted courses and established departments. In some cases, these school systems made taking ethnic studies classes a graduation requirement. During the same period, ethnic studies programs and courses also began popping up in Austin, Atlanta, Chicago, Bridgeport, Connecticut and Providence, among other cities.
State legislation
The current struggle in California highlights how K-12 ethnic studies has become a matter of state policy too. Since the 2012 ban in Arizona, nine U.S. states – California, Connecticut, Indiana, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Vermont, Virginia and Washington – and the District of Columbia have passed laws or policies that establish standards, create committees or authorize courses for K-12 ethnic studies specifically, or multicultural history more generally. In the same time period, 12 other states have introduced legislation in support of ethnic studies or multicultural history, but those bills have gotten stuck in committee, been postponed or failed. Teaching about Native Americans It is important to note that K-12 Native American education standards and curriculum have their own history outside of the movement for ethnic studies. Federal and state offices for Native American education have existed for decades. As a 2019 study by the National Congress of American Indians highlights, at least 10 states have standards for, and require, a Native American education curriculum. About a dozen more have standards for teaching content about Native Americans.
continued on page 11
Portada / Front Page
El Sol Latino January 2021
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Statement From Mayor Alex B. Morse Regarding His Future HOLYOKE, MA | HOLYOKE MAYOR’S OFFICE | December 1, 2020 — Next month (January) will mark ten years since I stood on the steps of City Hall and declared my candidacy for mayor of the city of Holyoke.
works best when we create space for more voices and perspectives to influence the public sphere. So, with a municipal election year almost upon us, I feel it’s important to let you know that I will not be seeking re-election.
What a day that was. Weeks shy of my twenty-second birthday, I stood in the freezing cold, surrounded by family, friends, and my earliest supporters, and I made my case. It was the beginning of the most improbable, challenging, and wonderful journey.
I intend to use my remaining year in office to build on our progress, to help us navigate this public health crisis, and to leave the city in the strongest possible position for my successor. I am eager to continue this work.
The case I made was simple, and, in retrospect, it had surprisingly little to do with me. After all, I couldn’t claim years of political experience or institutional knowledge. It was really all about you. It was about the people of Holyoke.
In important respects, the city’s next mayor will govern a city that is stronger – more prosperous, more decent, more just – than it was ten years ago. But challenges do lie ahead. In my most recent inaugural address, I talked about the threats to democracy we’ve seen throughout the country. A rising nativism that deems some people to be more American than others. A contempt for facts, reason, and science. Mean-spirited rhetoric directed at our most vulnerable. An erosion of trust between our fellow citizens. In Holyoke, we have not been immune to these trends. But I argued then, and I still believe now, that local government is uniquely positioned to resist them. In many ways, the work of protecting our democracy begins right here at home. We are not enemies. We are friends and neighbors. We can stand on each other’s doorsteps and have the conversations we need to have. We can refuse to caricature each other. We can insist on each other’s common humanity, and build a community where everyone feels that they belong. These are the values that I’ve fought for over the past ten years, and I will continue fighting for them, right by your side, long after I’ve left the mayor’s office.
We love our city, we believe in our city, and we are fierce in our defense of it. So, I argued, why shouldn’t our politics reflect that same passion? Why shouldn’t we aim higher? When I reflect on these past ten years, I can see that that’s exactly what we’ve done. Together, all across the city, we’ve aimed higher. Think about what we’ve been able to achieve. Think of the neighborhoods that have seen record levels of new investment. Think of the parks we’ve renovated and the new parks we’ve built, and the families who now get to enjoy them. Think of all the new housing completed and in progress. Think of the Holyokers from all different backgrounds and walks of life who got involved in the civic life of our community for the first time. Today, buildings that were once vacant are home to restaurants, housing, and artist spaces. Our population is growing again, and so is our tax base. We’ve empowered local entrepreneurs to create their own businesses. We’ve improved educational outcomes for our students and we’ve made the city safer than it’s been at any time in a generation. We fought to open a needle-exchange program, reducing overdose deaths and the spread of disease. We reduced our carbon footprint and closed the state’s last remaining coal plant. We welcomed the burgeoning cannabis industry, boosting the local economy, and taking a stand against the war on drugs. In the face of federal pressure, we maintained our status as a sanctuary city, and made our whole community safer as a result. But what I’m most proud of is the spirit of community we’ve nurtured – the way we’ve opened doors to people and communities that long felt shut out and left behind. We built a government that reflected and represented everyone, and not only those who traditionally had access. For ten years, we’ve worked together – not always agreeing, sometimes arguing, but ultimately finding ways to lift the city up and move us forward. And I am so deeply honored that you voted to send me back to Room One time and time again. All the hopes I had on that cold January morning have been vindicated, and then some. When I was first elected, I expressed the desire to serve for ten years at most – enough time, I thought, to get some key goals across the finish line, and to secure a legacy we could be proud of. I firmly believe that our democracy
Of course, there will be more time in the year ahead to discuss policies and politics. I’ll be happy to lend my voice to the discussion, and I’m looking forward to hearing what future candidates put forward. For now, I’d like to close on a personal note. It’s only natural, as I look back, to take the measure of my time in office. How has the city changed? What progress have we made? But I am also finding myself taking the measure of my own life. And, when I look at the pictures from my January 2011 announcement, I can’t help but think about the people who are no longer here. Over the course of my time in office – in the midst of all the political back-and-forth, all the policy debates, all the campaign events – I lost my mother, my grandmother, and, most recently, my brother Doug. Some of my closest friends and supporters are gone now, too. If I’m honest, I still don’t think I’ve fully processed these losses. I’m not sure I ever will. What I do know is this: I’m a different person today than I was when this journey began. I’ve grown and changed, and I’ve come to understand, in a deep way, how precious our time together is. It’s a lesson I learned from the loss of family and friends, yes, but also from witnessing the people of Holyoke. People who lost everything in a fire, finding the strength to look out for each other. The kids I met at Kelly School and the War Memorial, whose homes the fire destroyed, who were all still laughing and playing, still finding joy in life. The police officers and firefighters who risk their lives for their neighbors, and the protesters who summon us to higher ground. The teachers who never give up on their students, and the parents who teach their kids to be resilient. Somehow, in the face of everything, you have all found ways to be generous and unafraid. So, to all of you, I want to say thank you. Every single step of the way – through every hill and valley, every moment of sadness and moment of joy – I’ve been lifted up and sustained by you. Through all the calls and cards, the kind words at the grocery store, the encouragement to keep pushing for what I believe in, and to keep fighting for a better Holyoke – you’ve helped me get up each day and keep going. In these ways, and so many more, you’ve brought great joy and satisfaction to my life. With every story you’ve shared, you’ve helped me see that my time as mayor has meant something to you. Please know, from the bottom of my heart, that it’s meant the world to me.
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Opinión / Opinion
El Sol Latino January 2021
Letter to the Editor: Statement on Alex Morse’s departure With Alex Morse announcing that he will not be running for a fifth mayoral term, I want to note that I appreciate the years of service that he gave to our City. I wish him the very best in his next adventure. Many people seemed to have this transition on their minds, as I have been contacted multiple times over the past few months by folks asking if I will be running for the mayoralty. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the confidence and support that so many Holyokers have expressed to me through those conversations. As someone who is always fighting for Holyoke’s future, I am presently considering running for mayor, though I have not firmed up the decision. I have a grasp of the city’s most pressing issues, including the need for significant investments in community development and civic engagement. I would be honored to serve Holyoke in a position with greater reach and capacity for making change. Many of you are already aware of the personal investment of time and resources that I give to my position as City Councilor at-Large. Taking the step to run for higher office would be a commitment with which my family and I are already familiar, but need to be ready for. Again, I want to thank everyone who has reached out to me with their encouragement and support. Let’s end the year reflecting on the legacy that Mayor Morse is leaving behind and I will be in a better position to say more after the New Year. REBECCA LISI December 1, 2020 Holyoke City Councilor at-Large
Holyoke City Councilor at-Large 25 Reservation Rd. Holyoke, MA 01040
413-210-6906 (c) www.votelisi.com
Biden to nominate Miguel Cardona as education secretary… continued from page 4 hearing. But neighborhood schools are “going to be the core work that not only myself but the people behind me in the agency that I represent will have while I’m commissioner.” “He is much more of an educator than a politician or an ideologue — he’s not pro-charter or anti-charter,” Dacia Toll, CEO of Achievement First, a charter network that started in Connecticut, said in an interview. Cardona’s department authorizes the network’s charter schools in the state. When their charters were up for renewal, Toll said, “The state department under him was certainly willing to praise us on the things we were doing well and push on the things we were not doing as well. It felt very fair.” After the network garnered a reputation for high-quality remote instruction during the pandemic, Toll noted, state department officials observed several lessons. Cardona is likely to prioritize the education of English language learners, a population of students who have faced particular challenges during the pandemic. Asked earlier this year about the quality of education those students were receiving in Connecticut, he responded: “Not good enough. Not good enough. We have to focus on that more.” MATT BARNUM is Chalkbeat’s national reporter, covering education policy and research. Previously he was a staff writer at The 74, the policy director for Educators for Excellence – New York, and a middle school language arts teacher in Colorado. SARAH DARVILLE is Chalkbeat’s managing editor for national. She was previously the bureau chief for Chalkbeat New York and a Google Journalism Fellow. CHALKBEAT is a nonprofit news organization committed to covering one of America’s most important stories: the effort to improve schools for all children, especially those who have historically lacked access to a quality education. We are mission-driven, in that we believe that every child deserves an excellent education, and that a strong press is vital to making that happen. Yet we are also fiercely independent, in that we do not take a position on the best path for achieving equity.
HELP YOUR COMMUNITY STOP COVID-19 MANY people in this community have tested positive.
YOU HAVE THE POWER TO SAVE A LIFE Wear a mask • Wash your hands • Keep your distance. Don’t share food, drinks or utensils • Feel sick? Stay home Get tested. Learn more at Mass.gov/StopCOVID19
Libros/ Books
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Essential Boricua Reading List for the 2020 Holiday Season by CENTRO STAFF, CENTER FOR PUERTO RICAN STUDIES - CENTRO VOICES | December 18, 2020 The 2020 holiday season is like no other we have ever experienced. This year has been a challenging one for most of us. Natural disasters, the financial fallout from the pandemic and social justice and political struggles have reshaped society. We are having to assess and reorient our relationship to our communities, government, and each other; while witnessing the formation of a new normal.
Social distancing has forced us to make changes to our daily routines but has also moved many of us to reinvent ourselves, learn a new skill, take up a new hobby, and possibly gain a new appreciation for many of the things that we had overlooked as a result of our hectic lives. As we prepare for a social distanced holiday, consider that no matter what is going on in the world, a good book can be a welcomed escape. The Essential Boricua Reading List for the 2020 Holiday Season recommendations can go on your wishlist or serve as gift ideas. Travel, parrandas and other holiday traditions may have to be postponed until next year, but you can always celebrate by curling up in your favorite chair with a cup of coquito and lose yourself in a book. 1. The News Media in Puerto Rico: Journalism in Colonial Settings and in Times of Crises by Federico A. Subervi-Vélez, Sandra Rodríguez-Cotto, Jairo Lugo-Ocando (Routledge, 2021) In the book, authors Federico Suberví-Vélez, Sandra Rodríguez-Cotto, and Jairo Lugo-Ocando, document the impact of the media and colonialism through a variety of sources, studies, literature, and the opinions of 60 prominent journalists from the Island. They also study new technologies, the challenges faced by the news media, their professionals, and journalism education in Puerto Rico. The island of Puerto Rico has been a colony of the United States for 122 years. At the political level it is called an unincorporated territory. https://www.routledge.com/ The-News-Media-in-Puerto-Rico-Journalism-inColonial-Settings-and-in-Times/Subervi-VelezRodriguez-Cotto-Lugo-Ocando/p/ book/9780367429034 2. The Young Lords: A Radical History, by Johanna Fernández (University of North Carolina Press, 2020) Utilizing oral histories, archival records, and an
enormous cache of police records released only after a decade-long Freedom of Information Law request and subsequent court battle, Johanna Fernández has written the definitive account of the Young Lords, from their roots as a street gang to their rise and fall as a political organization. https://uncpress. org/book/9781469653440/ the-young-lords/ 3. Agrarian Puerto Rico: Reconsidering Rural Economy and Society, 1899–1940 by César J. Ayala and Laird W. Bergad (Cambridge University Press, 2020) Fundamental tenets of colonial historiography are challenged by showing that US capital investment into this colony did not lead to the disappearance of the small farmer. Contrary to well-established narratives, quantitative data show that the increasing integration of rural producers within the US market led to differential outcomes, depending on pre-existing land tenure structures, capital requirements to initiate production, and demographics. https://www.cambridge.org/core/ books/agrarian-puerto-rico/85A9D4FD4E17AF5EA1 DD21CDA80CB50B#fndtn-information 4. Patria: Puerto Rican Revolutionary Exiles in Late Twentieth Century New York by Edgardo Meléndez (Centro Press, 2020) Patria: Puerto Rican Revolutionary Exiles in Late Nineteenth Century New York examines the activities and ideals of Puerto Rican revolutionary exiles in New York City at the end of the nineteenth century. The study is centered in the writings, news reports, and announcements by and about Puerto Ricans in Patria, the official newspaper of the Cuban Revolutionary Party. Both were founded and led by the Cuban patriot José Martí. https://centropr.hunter.cuny.edu/ publications/centro-press/all/patria-puerto-ricanrevolutionary-exiles-late-nineteenth-century-new 5. Colonial Migrant at the Heart of the Empire: Puerto Rican Workers on U.S. Farms by Ismael García-Colón (University of California Press, 2020) Colonial Migrants at the Heart of Empire is the first in-depth look at the experiences of Puerto Rican migrant workers in continental U.S. agriculture in the twentieth century. The Farm Labor Program, established by the government of Puerto Rico in 1947, placed hundreds of thousands of migrant workers on U.S. farms and fostered the emergence of many stateside Puerto Rican communities. Ismael García-Colón investigates the origins and development of this program and uncovers the unique challenges faced by its participants. https:// www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520325791/colonialmigrants-at-the-heart-of-empire
6. Latin Orlando: Suburban Transformation and Racial Conflict by Simone Delerme (University Press of Florida, 2020) Latino Orlando portrays the experiences of first- and second-generation immigrants who have come to the Orlando metropolitan area from Puerto Rico, Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, and other Latin American countries. While much research on immigration focuses on urban destinations, Simone Delerme delves into a middle- and upper-class suburban context, highlighting the profound demographic and cultural transformation of an overlooked immigrant hub. https://upf.com/book. asp?id=9780813066257 7. Sunbelt Diaspora: Race, Class, and Latino Politics in Puerto Rican Orlando by Patricia Silver (University of Texas Press, 2020) Puerto Ricans make up half of Orlando-area Latinos, arriving from Puerto Rico as well as from other long-established diaspora communities to a place where Latino politics has long been about Cubans in Miami. Together with other Latinos from multiple places, Puerto Ricans bring diverse experiences of race and class to this Sunbelt city. Tracing the emergence of the Puerto Rican and Latino presence in Orlando from the 1940s through an ethnographic moment of twenty-first-century electoral redistricting, Sunbelt Diaspora provides a timely prism for viewing how differences of race, class, and place play out in struggles to claim political, social, and economic ground for Latinos. https://utpress. utexas.edu/books/silver-sunbelt-diaspora 8. Race and nation in Puerto Rican folklore: Franz Boas and John Alden Mason in Porto Rico by Rafael Ocasio (Rutgers University Press, 2020) Race and Nation in Puerto Rican Folklore: Franz Boas and John Alden Mason in Porto Rico, 1915 explores the founding father of American anthropology’s historic trip to Puerto Rico in 1915. As a component of the Scientific Survey of Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands, Boas intended to perform field research in the areas of anthropology and ethnography there while other scientists explored the island’s natural resources. Native Puerto Rican cultural practices were also heavily explored through documentation of the island’s oral folklore. https://www.rutgersuniversitypress.org/race-andnation-in-puerto-rican-folklore/9781978810204 9. Loisaida as Urban Laboratory: Puerto Rican Community Activism in New York by Timo Schrader (University of Georgia Press, 2020) Loisaida as Urban Laboratory is the first in-depth analysis of the network of Puerto Rican community activism in New York City’s Lower East Side from 1964 to 2001. Combining social history, cultural history, Latino studies, ethnic studies, studies of social movements, and urban studies, Timo
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Cultura / Culture
Remembering Adál Maldonado por ROSA CRUZ CENTER FOR PUERTO RICAN STUDIES - CENTRO VOICES | December 18, 2020
The Center for Puerto Rican Studies is saddened by the passing of visual artist and playwright Adál Maldonado. We send our most sincere condolences to his loved ones. Adal formed an integral part of the Nuyorican cultural movement in New York City; his art exploring the racial, political, and economic status of Puerto Ricans in the United States. His loss will be felt by many. In the Fall 2013 edition of the Centro Journal, Carlos Garrido Castellano wrote on his interview with Maldonado. In the article, “De claves, enfoques y heartbeats. Entrevista con Adál Maldonado.” Garrido Castellano analyzes the artistic production and the cultural activity of Adál Maldonado in the contexts of New York and Puerto Rico. The conversations reflect on the experience of Foto Gallery, a pioneer expositive space in the scene of the Seventies, where the work of some of the key names of the New York art world was shown; it analyses, furthermore, the collaboration between Adál and Pedro Pietri and Tito Puente, exploring the connections between visual arts, performing arts, literature, and music. Finally, it confronts the artist´s vision on creativity linked to his experience as a nuyorican, offering a broad perspective. The following excerpt of Garrido Castellano’s article is written in Spanish and can be found in its entirety in the Centro Journal, volume xxv, number ii: A number of Adál’s photographs can be found in the Carlos Ortiz Papers at the Centro Library and Archives: https://centroca.hunter.cuny.edu/MultiSearch/Index?search=adal+maldonado De interesar, pueden encontrar algunas fotografías de autoría de Adál en la colección de Carlos Ortiz ubicada en la Biblioteca y Archivos del Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños: https://centroca.hunter.cuny.edu/MultiSearch/ Index?search=adal+maldonado La presente entrevista aborda la producción artística y literaria de Adál Maldonado (Utuado, 1948) con el objetivo de delimitar las coordenadas que definen el contexto cambiante desde el que el artista produce. La experiencia de Adál resulta indicativa de cómo la evolución de la escena artística puertorriqueña en Nueva York ha de ser analizada desde una perspectiva plural y abarcadora, capaz de tener en cuenta no sólo las relaciones existentes en el marco de la comunidad nuyorican, sino también, en un sentido más amplio, las estrategias de inserción en el ámbito artístico neoyorquino, lo cual implica tener en cuenta las conexiones y desconexiones con respecto a otros grupos. La evolución de Foto Gallery, un espacio pionero para la fotografía americana fundado por Adál en los setenta, sirve así de ejemplo de la complejidad de los lazos culturales que se establecen entre grupos caribeños en el ámbito de la música, o entre los intereses artísticos de afroamericanos y puertorriqueños. La trayectoria de Adál Maldonado está marcada por una búsqueda constante de la identidad individual y colectiva, una experiencia que puede ser integrada en lo que el artista denomina “estar fuera de foco”. Ahora bien; lejos de constituir una pérdida, la dislocación—no sólo con respecto a la comunidad de origen, sino también, en un sentido más amplio, respecto a otras comunidades, respecto a uno mismo—supone un factor decisivo del proceso creativo. Adál
El Sol Latino January 2021
subvierte, así, cualquier valor fijo en la construcción identitaria, y también cualquier asomo de pérdida o nostalgia. Más bien, el artista indaga sobre las condiciones en las que se forma comunidad a partir de elementos compartidos, como la música. El “quedar fuera de foco” supone, por tanto, un proceso natural y continuo, observable tanto a nivel social como a nivel artístico, si bien, en algunos casos concretos, Adál vincula dicho proceso a las condiciones específicas de la comunidad puertorriqueña, marcada por la dominación política y cultural y por la existencia en la diáspora. A este respecto, es preciso señalar que Adál habla, significativamente, de “la experiencia nuyorican”. Dicho término puede entenderse como una voluntad de hacer énfasis en el devenir de la comunidad, así como en un conjunto de valores culturales que han conformado un sentido comunitario. Ahora bien; como se verá a lo largo de esa entrevista, dicha “experiencia” implica siempre un plural, una amplia variedad de opciones. Cuando delinea el universo artístico del Nueva York de los setenta y ochenta, Adál tiene en cuenta la multiplicidad de posiciones adoptadas por la comunidad artística nuyorican; valora, asimismo, las interacciones con las comunidades caribeñas y afroamericanas que habitaban la ciudad. Precisamente, esa apertura será un factor importante en los discursos artísticos creados por Adál: sus piezas teatrales y sus fotonovelas parten de una voluntad de integrar múltiples referencias, de sintetizar diversas influencias. La entrevista trata de confrontar dos temas recurrentes en la obra de Adál: la utopía y el trauma. La primera se manifiesta a través de la creación de escenarios imaginarios, ubicados en el futuro o en realidades paralelas. Los personajes que habitan dichos espacios se nos muestran como seres en perpetua búsqueda, alejados por varios motivos de la realidad. Ahora bien; se mueven siguiendo unas motivaciones, respondiendo a una problemática, que no es otra que la del propio artista y la de las comunidades puertorriqueñas de la diáspora. Si tomamos como ejemplo Silencio City, la ciudad donde transcurre La Mambópera, podrá verse cómo la configuración distópica del futuro parte de elementos directamente enraizados en la historia colonial caribeña. Por su parte, en buena parte del trabajo de Adál encontramos una perspectiva susceptible de ironizar y poetizar la experiencia traumática. Ésta, independientemente de su afincamiento en un pasado de siglos—nada más cercano a los mundos imaginarios futuristas construidos por el artista que los miedos y las prohibiciones de épocas pretéritas—o en un presente inmediato, lleva siempre asociado un movimiento de catarsis que busca la recuperación de la capacidad dialógica, de la posibilidad de expresar, complejizándolos y abriendo su significado, acontecimientos y procesos. La experiencia de Adál, si bien perteneciente a un momento anterior a dicho proceso, resulta indicativa de los esfuerzos y las dificultades encaminadas a lograr una ampliación de los límites de lo nacional, uno de los principales objetivos de las últimas generaciones de artistas caribeños. Por último, la entrevista trata de examinar dos elementos que ocupan una posición preeminente en el debate artístico ligado a las comunidades caribeñas actuales. En primer lugar, pretende analizar el peso a nivel artístico de lo que Juan Flores (2009) ha llamado el Counterstream en un momento en que se hace cada vez más frecuente el estar “allá y acá”, la consciencia de varios contextos a un mismo tiempo. La emergencia de nuevos mecanismos de comunicación, como las redes sociales, y el aumento en la frecuencia con que los artistas deciden integrar periodos prolongados de formación y producción en varios países, han generado una nueva dinámica espacial que obliga a repensar las relaciones arte-público y arte-sociedad. La experiencia de Adál, si bien perteneciente a un momento anterior a dicho proceso, resulta indicativa de los esfuerzos y las dificultades encaminadas a lograr una ampliación de los límites de lo nacional, uno de los principales objetivos de las últimas generaciones de artistas caribeños. En segundo lugar, la obra de Adál ofrece una posición excelente desde la que considerar las intermediaciones que se establecen entre imagen y texto. La búsqueda de una expresión performática, que llevará al artista a integrar actuación, video, fotografía y poesía en sus piezas, subsume el medio expresivo a favor de la creación de un discurso susceptible de integrar referencias ya utilizadas en obras anteriores en cada uno de esos formatos. Con ello se consigue, pues, un valor reflexivo y autorreferencial que permea toda la continued on next page
Finanzas / Finances
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2021 Consumer Pledge by MILAGROS S. JOHNSON
California Vetoed Ethnic Studies Requirements
With 2020 now behind us and 2021 at our front door, there’s no better time than now for us to commit to making better informed decisions with our finances, protecting our privacy, and avoiding falling victim to a scam or fraud. Simply stated, these are all our responsibilities and we should never ignore them or take any lightly.
An Arizonan resurgence K-12 ethnic studies has even seen a resurgence in Arizona.
For instance, the 2020 pandemic ravished people’s livelihoods when they lost their jobs, or a loved one who was the sole or primary household provider. We often don’t think of the future, or can predict such turmoil in our lives, but unfortunately many of us are now learning from experience. It has been heart-wrenching having to listen to consumers describe how they are struggling to pay their rent, mortgage, utilities, car payments, or worse, put food on the table. No one should have to succumb to this hardship due to no fault of their own. However, we can plan to learn to make better decisions with our money, perhaps be a little more frugal. One quick and easy way to start is to set a budget, and one that you are honest with. A budget will give you a clear picture of your monthly expenses and what you can eliminate (your wants vs. your needs). One tip I recommend is to times everything by 12 (i.e. $10x12), as long-term savings are more promising to the eye! As to improving the way you can better protect your privacy, you want to avoid “openly” sharing your personal information with others, this includes on social media platforms. Always set strict privacy settings and read terms and conditions better downloading apps on your smartphone and electronic devices. These tips are the best beginner steps for everyone to take. Now, as for the scams...there’s so much more to be said, but I will keep it simple. Know that scams were aggressively here in 2020 and will be here in 2021 and beyond. We need to step up our courage to outsmart the scammers and fraudsters by diverting them when they call. Hang up the telephone. You pay for voicemail, get your monies worth and screen the calls! READ everything in an email (including sender’s email address), never give into pressure or threats, and never click on links from unknown senders (email or text).
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A federal judge ruled in 2017 that Arizona’s law banning ethnic studies was driven by “racial animus,” and therefore unconstitutional. During the 2020 session, Arizona state lawmakers considered Senate Bill 1589, legislation aimed to develop a new “Model Ethnic Studies Curriculum.” It never became law, but the fact that it was even introduced in Arizona speaks volumes. Districts and states may be more open to ethnic studies because the research on its effectiveness is promising. For instance, an analysis of Tucson’s banned Mexican American studies program found that participating in the program increased the likelihood of passing state tests and graduating. Meanwhile, a study of San Francisco’s pilot program found that ethnic studies courses increased attendance by 21%, raised cumulative GPAs by 1.4 points, and increased students’ credits toward graduation significantly.
Inclusive courses in demand
Given the demographics of the country’s students, the movement for ethnic studies should come as no surprise. More than half of the 50 million K-12 students enrolled in U.S. public schools are students of color. Alongside the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, students are often leading demands for racial justice in education once again. They want a curriculum that includes the voices and perspectives of communities of color, and that desire has increased the demand for ethnic studies in a wide range of communities. WAYNE AU is a Professor of Education, University of Washington, Bothell. His academic interests broadly encompass critical education theory and teaching for social justice. More specifically his research focuses on educational equity, high-stakes testing, curriculum theory, educational policy studies and social studies education.
Now, make the 2020 Consumer Pledge! What are you waiting for? Your finances, privacy and avoiding scams matters to me, and it should matter to you too. Stay safe, be well... and continue to be well. MILAGROS S. JOHNSON is the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Consumer Information in Springfield, a Local Consumer Program funded by the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.
Remembering Adál Maldonado continued from previous page
producción de Adál y que tendría uno de sus ejemplos (no el único) en los autorretratos. La capacidad de referir y analizar el contexto del artista, esto es, el de la comunidad nuyorican, dependerá no tanto de la alusión directa, sino de la creación de un substrato expresivo capaz de recibir préstamos de otras épocas y de otras realidades. Piezas como Mambo Rap Sodi o La Mambópera combinan, por ejemplo, la expresión en el spanglish propio del artista con la integración de ritmos musicales de los años cuarenta y cincuenta. Cada uno de esos elementos servirá para resignificar el todo, haciendo oblicua toda referencia y ampliando su significado. ROSA CRUZ es profesor en el Departamento de Estudios de Español, Portugués y Latinoamericano de University College Cork en Irlanda. Su ámbito de investigación académica se centra en las relaciones artísticas en los marcos del Caribe Insular durante los últimos veinte años. Es autor de los libros Arte en diálogo. Conversaciones sobre Práctica Artística Contemporánea, Identidad e integración cultural en República Dominicana (CEE, Ministerio de Cultura [Santo Domingo], 2011) y De los últimos creadores de mapas. Pensamiento crítico y exposiciones colectivas de arte caribeño contemporáneo (1990–2011) (Ediciones de la Discreta [Madrid], 2012) y Beyond Representation in Contemporary Caribbean Art: Space, Politics and the Public Sphere (Rutgers University Press, 2019.
Saturdays 10 AM Domingo 7 PM WHMP radio 1400 AM
biingüe arte, cultura, media politics Natalia Muñoz
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Educación / Education
El Sol Latino January 2021
The Truck Stops Here: HCC Culinary Arts program helps alum fulfill long-time dream HOLYOKE, MA | HOLYOKE COMMUNITY COLLEGE | December 16, 2020 – Nicole Ortiz had already earned an associate degree in business by the time she enrolled at Holyoke Community College in the fall of 2018. After graduating from Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio, the Connecticut native moved to Springfield to be closer to her family. On her travels around the area, something caught her eye – the new HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute in downtown Holyoke. With two years’ experience working in restaurants and a lifelong passion for cooking, Ortiz began the next leg on her professional journey. In spring 2019, she received a certificate in Culinary Arts from HCC and a year later her associate degree. In August, when many restaurants had shut down or reduced operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ortiz opened a food truck business called Crave, selling tacos, rice balls, soups, loaded potatoes, and a variety of vegetarian and vegan options. “This has been a dream of mine for a long time,” Ortiz said back in February after being selected to develop her business idea through Holyoke SPARKS’s EforAll (Entrepreneurship for All) program. That dream is now reality. After two months of test runs in the area, the 25-year-old Holyoke resident returned to the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute earlier this fall to celebrate the grand opening of her food truck business. Holyoke mayor Alex Morse helped her cut the gold ribbon. “I want to thank and congratulate Nicole and her entire team,” Morse said. “This has been a really awesome addition to the city of Holyoke, to the downtown. These are like the most delicious tacos I think you’ll ever have.” When Ortiz started classes at HCC, she had had a lot of wait staff experience, but little professional kitchen experience. She says the Culinary Arts program at HCC not only helped her build her skills but set her up for a career as a professional chef. She was particularly inspired by Culinary Arts instructor Lauren Kendzierski, who taught her how to incorporate sustainable ingredients from local sources into her dishes. Kendzierski’s years of experience as a restaurateur sparked Oritz’s imagination, and her instructor’s stories about having a food truck captured her heart. “I want to give a big shout-out to HCC for teaching me everything I know,” Ortiz said at the grand opening.
Through HCC’s Culinary Arts program, she learned more than the basics of cooking and palate development, she said. A key part of the program includes a spring banquet preparation and service class in which students cook and serve Wednesday lunches as if they were running a real restaurant. That course opened her eyes to real world possibilities and encouraged culinary entrepreneurship, she said. HCC Culinary Arts alumna Nicole Ortiz ‘20 stands
Her business idea got a big boost next to her food truck, Crave, outside the HCC when she was awarded the firstMGM Culinary Arts Institute. place prize of $2,500 for her food truck idea through the EforAll program.
“We’ve had so much support from the community,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of support from the school, HCC, and a lot of support from EforAll Holyoke. It’s been great. It’s really helped us a lot and helped us get going.” Ortiz purchased a truck last spring, graduated from HCC in May and got all her permits in order by the end of the summer. While Ortiz recently put the truck away for the winter, she is in the process of signing a lease for a small, takeout, dine-in restaurant she hopes to open early in 2021. She also expects to add another truck by next summer so she can introduce Crave to another nearby city. “The community has been so supportive,” Ortiz said. “We’ve been selling out most days. We’ve had tons of support. I think people are feeling more comfortable coming to food trucks right now than they are going to restaurants, ‘cause they don’t want to be sitting down in restaurants right now, so we do have that advantage.” Ortiz credits diligence and dedication to where she is now in her career and has some advice for others who might have a dream to fulfill. “Every day, work toward having a better future,” she said. “Stay true to yourself and goals, you can achieve anything.”
STCC’s new majors ease transfer to 4-year colleges or universities SPRINGFIELD, MA | SPRINGFIELD TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE | December 16, 2020 – Springfield Technical Community College unveiled new program options under general studies to prepare students to transfer to four-year colleges and universities and focus on liberal arts majors.
The second new major at STCC is called Social Sciences Transfer, a program for students who want to study human behavior and how individuals react with each other. At the same time, the major gives students the flexibility to determine which fields are of greatest interest to them.
The majors offered this spring are called English Communication and Professional Writing Transfer and Social Sciences Transfer.
“This is a great major for someone who is thinking about transferring and knows that they want to do something in the social science area,” Greco said.
“What the majors do is increase students’ transfer option flexibility as students can select from the options and not lose any credits should they switch majors after the first term,” said Geraldine de Berly, vice president of Academic Affairs at STCC. “Since so many of our students are exploring majors in the first term, this allows them that exploration without it ‘costing credits’. We are excited about offering more intentional pathways for our students.”
Social Sciences Transfer allows students to complete Mass Transfer A2B Pathways in History and Sociology. Themes throughout this program include the balance of power in relationships, race, culture, and ethnicity, economic control of resources, and role of the government and citizenry.
English Communication and Professional Writing Transfer gives students tools to develop and hone critical thinking and communication skills necessary for success in a variety of fields. Coursework in literature, communication, film and digital media, and academic and professional writing gives students a broad foundation for crafting written texts capable of reaching audiences of all types, said Richard Greco, dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies. The major allows students to complete MassTransfer A2B (associate to bachelor’s degree) Pathways in English and Communications. Students who complete a MassTransfer A2B program at STCC can transfer to a state university or state college and see significant cost savings. MassTransfer A2B Students who complete 60 credits at STCC before transferring can save an average of 28 percent on their bachelor’s degree. “This degree is aimed at students who want to write some way professionally in their workplace. They might be interested in journalism or blog posts or writing copy for marketing and public relations, to name a few possible career paths,” Greco said. “This is also good for a student who wants to pursue a four-year degree in English, journalism or communications. Education is another good option.”
“We are excited to offer these two new majors this spring,” Greco said. “These are our newest transfer options. We have several other transfer options for students that also meet the MassTransfer A2B requirements. We would be happy to speak to anyone with questions.” Visit STCC’s YouTube channel to watch a video with more details about the new majors: youtube.com/springfieldtechcc. Prospective students can visit stcc.edu and use the “ChatNow!” feature to ask questions online. They also can call admissions at (413) 755-3333 or send an email to admissions@stcc.edu. The spring semester at STCC begins Monday, Jan. 25. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, STCC this spring will offer online classes with a mix of on-campus labs for health and technical programs. Interested in applying to STCC? Visit stcc.edu/apply or call Admissions at (413) 755-3333. Rubenzahl Student Learning Commons.
Educación / Education Black Segregation Matters LOS ANGELES, CA | THE CIVIL RIGHTS PROJECT / PROYECTO DERECHOS CIVILES – UCLA | December 17, 2020 - As President-elect Joseph R. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris prepare for a new national administration, the Civil Rights Project at UCLA has issued new research underscoring the grievous segregation of Black students and calling on the new administration to act to fulfill the promise of the landmark Brown v. Board of education ruling as pledged in the Democratic campaign. Providing an update on the current status of the nation’s Black students, the report, Black Segregation Matters: School Resegregation and Black Educational Opportunity, makes clear that the segregation of Black students has increased in almost every region of the nation and that Black students in many of nation’s largest school districts have little access to or interaction with White, Asian or middle-class students. It shows substantial Black enrollment in suburban schools, but high levels of segregation. Several of the nation’s largest states, including California, New York and Texas, are among the nation’s most segregated in terms of exposure of Black students to their white counterparts.
“Segregation is intense in the education of Black students in 2020 and segregated schools are on average unequal in many of the critical dimensions that create great barriers to equal education,” said Gary Orfield, co-director of the Civil Rights Project and co-author of the report. “Our hope is that the Biden administration will move with urgency to implement his campaign’s promise to provide incentives for voluntary efforts fostering success in interracial schooling. The new report details how the national student population is changing and examines the basic patterns of enrollment, segregation and integration across the U.S. The analysis includes enrollment and segregation trends for the past several decades, nationally, by region, community type, and poverty level, and showing the most and least segregated states along multiple measures. Some of the key findings include: • The pattern of segregation for Black students has changed and segregation has deepened. At the peak of desegregation in l988, more than a third of Black students (37%) attended schools that had a majority of White students, and in the South, it was 43% in majority-White schools. In 2018, it was down to 19% nationally, 18% in the South and only 14% in the West. The trend of Black students in predominately minority schools is increasing and, in 2018, 40 percent of Black students attended intensely segregated (90-100%) non-White schools. • New York is the most segregated state in the country for Black students. The average Black student in New York attends a school with only 15% White students and 64% of Black students are in intensely segregated schools with 90-100% non-White students. While New York is the most segregated, Illinois, California, and Maryland and others also have extreme segregation levels. • Black students in the country’s largest school districts have little contact with White students except in county-wide or suburban districts. Among the nation’s 20 largest school districts, Black students have the least contact with White students in Chicago, followed by Dallas, Miami, and Prince George’s County, Maryland, each with an average of less than 4% Whites. The least segregated of the largest district Is Wake County, North Carolina (metro Raleigh). The report summarizes recent public opinion research showing that a substantial majority of Blacks believe that White schools provide stronger
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educational opportunities and favor integration efforts. A Gallup poll published during the presidential primaries in 2019 showed that 68% of Blacks, 65% of Latinos and 52% of Whites saw “racial concentration or segregation” as a serious problem. Seventy-five percent of Democrats saw segregation as a serious problem, compared to 35% of Republicans. Fifty-three percent of the public favored governmental action to reduce segregation, but 78% of Blacks favored the same. When asked about methods to desegregate, 86% of Blacks, 88% of Latinos and 76% of Whites favored magnet schools as a method and there was substantial support for others. “This new research documents the segregation that black students face, making clear that in 2020 Black students are locked into schools that perpetuate inequality,” said Danielle Jarvie, the senior policy Research analyst at the Civil Rights Project and the report’s co-author. ”It is time for real and significant work to remedy it.” The report’s authors urge the Biden administration to build on that public interest and support to address the segregation of Black students. One place to start would be with expansion of the federal Magnet Schools Assistance Grant Program. The report notes that there has been no significant federal program to foster school integration for four decades, in spite of accumulating research on its lifelong benefits. This September, the House of Representatives passed by a substantial bipartisan majority the Strength in Diversity Act of 2020, offering planning and implementation grants for integration efforts. If enacted, it could be a framework encouraging local efforts, such as regional magnet and transfer programs. The report offers additional suggestions for meaningful efforts to reduce the segregation of Black students. “Inequality is deeply structured in our schools and in households and communities where many Black families are segregated,” concludes Orfield. “In the wake of this summer’s Black Lives Matter protests and rising concern about racial injustice, we hope the Biden administration will act a long last to confront pervasive racial segregation and address the needs of Black students.” The Civil Rights Project at UCLA has been closely monitoring educational segregation for the last quarter century. This special report on the segregation of Black students and possible solutions is published in honor of the Black Lives Matter movement. THE CIVIL RIGHTS PROJECT/PROYECTO DERECHOS CIVILES is co-directed by UCLA Professors Gary Orfield and Patricia Gándara. Founded in 1996 at Harvard University, CRP’s mission is to create a new generation of research in social science and law on the critical issues of civil rights and equal opportunity for racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. CRP has commissioned more than 400 studies, published more than 20 books and issued numerous reports monitoring the success of American schools in equalizing opportunity and providing the authoritative source of segregation statistics.
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Salud / Health
El Sol Latino January 2021
Exposure to Metals Can Impact Pregnancy/ Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Contamination Threats Study
Prenatal exposure to metals can have enormous consequences even beyond health at birth. Alterations in sex-steroid hormones during pregnancy have been associated with inadequate fetal growth, which leads to low birthweight. Birth size is strongly associated with a child’s growth and risk of chronic diseases, including obesity and breast cancer.
RUTGERS, NJ | RUTGERS UNIVERSITY | December 21, 2020 - Exposure to metals such as nickel, arsenic, cobalt and lead may disrupt a woman’s hormones during pregnancy, according to a Rutgers study. The study appears in the journal Environment International.
“Puerto Rico has one of the highest rates of Superfund sites of any of the U.S. jurisdictions with 18 active sites, which can contribute to the higher rates of exposure to toxic metals,” said Rivera-Núnez.
Exposure to metals has been associated with problems at birth such as preterm birth and low birth weight in babies, and preeclampsia in women. However, little is known about how metals exposure can lead to such problems. This new research shows that some metals may disrupt the endocrine system, which is responsible for regulating our body’s hormones. These disruptions may contribute to children’s later health and disease risk.
Among pregnant women, metal exposure is higher in those living in Puerto Rico than in those in the continental United States. “This is important because, compared to the U.S. overall, women in Puerto Rico have significantly higher rates of preterm birth [nearly 12 percent] and other adverse birth outcomes. Additionally, exposure to environmental pollution is exacerbated by extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, droughts and flooding, which may result in elevated exposures to Superfund sites,” she added. According to the study authors, future research should investigate how changes in markers of endocrine function affect birth and other health outcomes. Future studies also should look at essential metals in relation to maternal and fetal health, and metals as mixtures in relation to markers of endocrine function.
“A delicate hormonal balance orchestrates pregnancy from conception to delivery and perturbations of this balance may negatively impact both mother and fetus,” said lead author Zorimar Rivera-Núnez, an assistant professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the Rutgers School of Public Health. The researchers analyzed blood and urine samples from 815 women enrolled in the Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Contamination Threats (PROTECT) study. Initiated in 2010, PROTECT is an ongoing prospective birth cohort studying environmental exposures in pregnant women and their children around the northern karst zone, which include urban and mountainous rural areas of Puerto Rico. They found that metals can act as endocrine disruptors by altering prenatal hormone concentrations during pregnancy. This disruption may depend on when in the pregnancy the mother was exposed.
Essential Boricua Reading List for the 2020 Holiday Season continued from page 9 Schrader uncovers the radical history of the Lower East Side. As little scholarship exists on the roles of institutions and groups in twentieth and twenty-firstcentury Puerto Rican community activism, Schrader enriches a growing discussion around alternative urbanisms. https://ugapress.org/book/9780820357973/ loisaida-as-urban-laboratory/ 10. Nuyorican Feminist Performance: From the Café to Hip Hop Theater by Patricia Herrera (University of Michigan Press, 2020) The Nuyorican Poets Café has for the past forty years provided a space for multicultural artistic expression and a platform for the articulation of Puerto Rican and black cultural politics. The Café’s performances—poetry, music, hip hop, comedy, and drama—have been studied in detail, but
until now, little attention has been paid to the voices of its women artists. Through archival research and interview, Nuyorican Feminist Performance examines the contributions of 1970s and ’80s performeras and how they challenged the Café’s gender politics. It also looks at recent artists who have built on that foundation with hip hop performances that speak to contemporary audiences. https://www.press.umich.edu/6710954/ nuyorican_feminist_performance 11. Revolution Around the Corner: Voices from the Puerto Rican Socialist Party in the United States Edited by José E. Velázquez, Carmen V. Rivera, and Andrés Torres (Temple University Press, 2020) Active from the late 1960s until the mid-1990s, the U.S. branch of the Puerto Rican Socialist Party (PSP) worked simultaneously to build support for Puerto Rican independence and
to engage in radical social change within the United States. Revolution Around the Corner chronicles this unique social movement, describing various mass campaigns and the inner workings of the organization. The editors and contributors—all former members, leaders, and supporters of the PSP—offer a range of views and interpretations of their experience. http://tupress.temple.edu/ book/20000000010029 12. The Cartographic Journey of Lieutenant William H. Armstrong. Puerto Rico 1908–1912) 2 vols., Edited by María D. Luque and Lanny Thompson. (Ediciones Puerto, 2020) In 1900 William Henry Armstrong arrived in San Juan from Massachusetts. He was 26 years old and had recently been recruited by the Department of Instruction of the new civil government of Puerto Rico. He is one of those forgotten figures in the history of this Island. https://librerialaberintopr.com/products/thecartographic-journey-of-lieutenant-william-harmstrong-puerto-rico-1908-1912-2-vols-lannythompson-y-maria-dolores-luque-editores
Ciencias / Science
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Arecibo telescope’s fall is indicative of global divide around funding science infrastructure by RAQUEL VELHO This article was originally published in The Conversation | December 11, 2020 A mere two weeks after the National Science Foundation declared it would close the Arecibo single-dish radio telescope – once the largest in the world – the observatory took a dramatic dying breath and collapsed on Dec. 1, 2020. While drone footage captured the moment in excruciating detail, in truth, the disintegration of the telescope in Arecibo, Puerto Rico began far before this cinematic end. It is tempting to blame the demise of Arecibo on the physical damage it sustained earlier in 2020, when an auxiliary metal cable snapped – perhaps a delayed consequence of Tropical Storm Isaias or the earthquakes that shook Puerto Rico. But Arecibo’s downfall was, in reality, caused by years of financial struggles. As someone who studies technology and infrastructure development, I see what happened at Arecibo as a classic example of the tension between facility maintenance and scientific progress.
the management of Arecibo in 2011, changing it from a federally funded institution to one that could seek funds from other sources. Optimism about this development soon gave way to pessimism. NSF continued to support Arecibo, with NASA pitching in a third of costs. However, the balancing act of a flat NSF budget and the promise of other new observatory projects once again threatened the observatory. In 2015, Robert Kerr, then facilities director of Arecibo, quit – allegedly over funding clashes. In 2018, the University of Central Florida took over management of Arecibo and helped it recover from damages sustained by Hurricane Maria. But the end was coming. On November 19, 2020, the NSF finally announced the official end of operations at the telescope. Pride of place A community of astronomers and locals are actively mourning the ruins of Arecibo. Beyond its scientific success, Arecibo signified more. #WhatAreciboMeansToMe, a hashtag on Twitter, has collected hundreds of stories from locals and tourists, astronomers and enthusiasts alike. Puerto Rican voices are loud here, many recounting childhood memories of hiking up the trail to the Ángel Ramos Visitors’ Center. The Arecibo Observatory occupied a space of pride for Puerto Rican scientists and the local community. In many ways, it was a symbol of the island. Through this lens, to watch the Arecibo Observatory be allowed to collapse and become rubble is painful for many, especially when contrasted with defunct observatories in the continental United States, where a number are preserved as historical sites. In Latin America, infrastructure projects are often tied to ideas about economic development – a potential answer to solve a country’s ills. In this context, to watch a prized facility literally crumble, as the United States retracted its financial involvement, seems like nothing less than abandonment.
It is interesting to note that controversy has often followed the construction of large astronomy facilities. From the Maunakea Observatories being built on land sacred to native Hawaiians to labor disputes in the building of the Atacama Large Millimeter Array in Chile, to the seizing of lands and racial Arecibo Observatory’s 305-meter telescope in November of 2020 | Credit: University of Central Florida tensions surrounding the Square Kilometer Array in the Karoo region of South Africa, a pattern emerges of Northern From prominence to ruin scientific institutions investing in regions with long colonial histories – and Completed in 1963, Arecibo collected data that led to one Nobel Prize and stirring up local concern and discontent. played a critical role in a second. In 1992, it was the first observatory to spot In the case of Arecibo, these disputes flared at the end rather than at the planets outside Earth’s solar system. In the past decades, it also played a beginning. But a similar lack of interest in how scientific research facilities fit large role in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, including the place they inhabit is clear. In my view, it is time to begin discussions broadcasting the first terrestrial message to outer space. beyond the scientific importance of research facilities. Planners must But for all its achievements, U.S. commitment to Arecibo began to falter in address their full life cycles and their impact on local communities. 2006. The National Science Foundation, which supported Arecibo, implemented a 15% budget cut that year across its Division of Astronomical RAQUEL VELHO is Assistant Professor of Science and Technology Studies, Sciences. Arecibo was among the first facilities on the chopping block, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Raquel Velho is a sociologist of science despite its continued productivity. and technology. Her research intersects the field of Science and Technology Studies (particularly Infrastructure Studies) with research in Disability The previous year, the NSF had announced it was preparing to reallocate Studies. She focuses on the development of large technological system, funds between existing facilities in order to initiate “new activities.” These especially transport infrastructures, and the work undertaken by initiatives included the funding and development of the Atacama Large marginalized communities to mold these networks. Velho’s research Millimeter Array in Chile, starting in 2003. interests are varied and interdisciplinary, including (but not limited to), The decision to cut Arecibo’s funding was met with resistance from the infrastructure studies; cyborg anthropology/sociology; inclusive design; scientific community and beyond, including the then-governor of Puerto social exclusion and inclusion processes; standards and classification in Rico, Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, who wrote to the NSF requesting reconsideration. governance; Latin American science and technology studies/policy; and But in 2007 Arecibo’s budget was slashed from US$10.5 to $8 million. With disability/ableism studies. a second major cut scheduled for four years later, the closure of the facility seemed imminent. Instead, the NSF tasked a new consortium to take over
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El Sol Latino January 2021
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¡Aguinaldo a la Banda Allá! 18 de diciembre de 2020