El Sol Latino - May 2022 | 18.6

May 2022

Volume 18 No. 6

Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

Springfield Old Timers Softball League Temporada 2022

Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

contents

2

Foto del Mes/Photo of the Month

Celebration of National Borinqueneers Day April 13, 2022 Hispanic-American Library Springfield’s Union Station, Springfield, MA

Left to right - Gumersindo Gómez (Bilingual Veterans Outreach Center of Massachusetts, Inc.), Carlos J. Ribot (Borinqueneers), Juan R. Fálcon (Executive Director of Hispanic American Library) and Antonio Morales (Borinqueneers)

2 Editorial / Editorial Celebration of National Borinqueneers Day 3 Portada / Front Page Springfield Old Timers Softball League Springfield Old Timers Softball League 5 Despite Hispanic Population Growth, the Number of HSIs has Dropped for the First Time in 20 Years 6 Puerto Rico Residents Continue to Receive Second Class Treatment from the U.S. Government 7 Oral History Center Releases Project Documenting Founding Generation of Chicana/o Studies 9 Nueva Esperanza – 40th Anniversary Fundraising Gala Educación / Education STCC Connects with Hispanic American Institute to offer Courses for Entrepreneurs 10 State Awards $30 Million to STCC to Relocate Health Programs HCC Opens Registration for Summer and Fall 11 Política / Politics Rep. Torres Introduces New Bipartisan Legislation to Disband Puerto Rico’s Financial Oversight & Management Board 12 Cultura / Culture Mark Guglielmo - Exhibition at Vermont Center for Photography 13 Música / Music Northampton Jazz Festival’s Jazz Artists in the Schools Program Returns to Northampton High School 14 Libros / Books Mi’ja Julia de Burgos:La creación de un ícono puertorriqueño 15 Pioneras y Transgresoras: Mujeres en las artes en Puerto Rico

National Borinqueneers Day The Borinqueneers were a segregated unit of the U.S. Army formed by Congress in 1898. The Puerto Rican and Latino Veterans served during World War I, World War II and the Korean War. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 designated April 13 National Borinqueneers Day. In the Act, Congress “recognizes the bravery, service, and sacrifice of the Puerto Rican soldiers of the 65th Infantry Regiment in the armed conflicts of the United States in the 20th and 21st centuries.”

Founded in 2004

n

Volume 18, No. 6 n May 2022

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.

at https://www.facebook.com/ El-Sol-Latino-280862535259910

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 May 2022

Springfield Old Timers Softball League Ceremonia Inaugural • 30 de abril de 2022 Temporada 2022 Dedicada a Víctor Velázquez

José Santos (Vicepresidente Springfield OTSL), Víctor Velázquez, Roberto Fontánez (Presidente Springfield OTSL)

Víctor Velázquez

Lanzamiento de la primera bola

Orlando Ramos (Representante Estatal), Víctor Velázquez, Carlos González (Representante Estatal), José Santos

Lanzamiento de la primera bola por Orlando Ramos y Carlos González

3

4

Portada / Front Page

El Sol Latino May 2022

Springfield Old Timers Softball League

Primer Juego de la Temporada – Clemente 21 vs Cubs 30 de abril de 2022

Portada / Front Page

El Sol Latino May 2022

5

Despite Hispanic Population Growth, the Number of HSIs has Dropped for the First Time in 20 Years by OLIVIA SÁNCHEZ This article was originally posted in The Hechinger Report | April 1, 2022 The number of colleges with Latino enrollment of at least 25 percent has declined during the pandemic, reversing a 20-year trend in higher education, and putting these students at a disadvantage, experts say.

In a recent Congressional hearing, Northern Arizona University’s president José Luis Cruz Rivera said that investing in HSIs will help reduce educational inequities and will ultimately be an investment in the country’s economy.

Colleges with at least 25 percent Latino enrollment are designated as Hispanic-serving Institutions, or HSIs, by the federal government and are eligible for certain grant programs to further Latino student success. Such resources can improve the quality of education for these students and ensure they receive enough support to earn their degrees.

Northern Arizona University has about 26 percent Latino students — just over the threshold needed for HSI status. He urged Congress to increase the federal cash flow to HSIs and other colleges that serve large populations of students from underrepresented groups by boosting Pell Grants and funding infrastructure improvements.

Data from the 2020-2021 academic year shows that 42 colleges previously designated as HSIs dipped below the threshold that qualifies them.

Nationally, greater investment in the K-12 public school system will also be critical, Cruz Rivera said, to help foster students’ college aspirations and ensure they’re ready to pursue them.

“Attending one of these institutions could be a path for many Americans to achieve a successful career.”

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Republican of Iowa

At the same time, 32 new HSIs were added, leaving the list of schools with this designation 10 shorter than it was the year before. This is the first time in two decades that the total number of HSIs has fallen, according to the advocacy group Excelencia in Education, which tracks colleges that are at and around the HSI threshold. Advocates attribute these shifts to drops in enrollment, changes in the way some colleges report their student demographics, and a handful of small, private, nonprofit colleges designated as HSIs that closed entirely.

Despite the decrease of almost 2 percent, the total number of HSIs still stands at 559. Although they represent only about 18 percent of all postsecondary institutions in the United States and Puerto Rico, they enroll about 66 percent of all Latino students, according to Excelencia in Education.

Nationally, the number of Latino students enrolled in college between the fall of 2019 and the fall of 2021 decreased by about 7 percent, data from the National Student Clearinghouse shows. But the Latino population in the United States continues to increase.

The decrease in HSIs and the decrease in Latino student enrollment point to a clear conclusion for Deborah Santiago, the president and CEO of Excelencia in Education: Institutions need to invest more and work harder to serve Latino students pursuing degrees. And even though enrollment is the sole criterion for earning HSI status, Santiago said efforts need to go beyond that, and do more to determine what it actually means to serve and support Latino students.

“You have to know who you’re serving and what serves them well, and something that works in another community might not work in yours,” Santiago said during a recent Exelencia online event. “It does take that extra effort, rather than assuming” to know what Latino students need.

Instead of focusing exclusively on the deficits they assume these students will have, college administrators need to focus on the value of the Hispanic culture and community, and find a way to leverage that to help the students succeed, Santiago said.

U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, a Republican from Iowa, said despite the infusion of federal pandemic relief funds, colleges need to be strategic about how to use their regular funding to tailor their academic programs to help students excel in the workforce.

HSIs and other institutions that serve students from historically underrepresented groups “are known for being engines of upward mobility for millions of students,” Miller-Meeks said. “Attending one of these institutions could be a path for many Americans to achieve a successful career.”

At the University of California, Riverside, serving Latino students during the pandemic to make sure they stay enrolled and engaged has been a challenge, but one that administrators find worth taking up, said Chancellor Kim Wilcox.

The university has been an HSI since 2008, and its Latino enrollment has hovered around 40 percent for several years. For Latino, Black and white students, the six-year graduation rate is about 75 percent, a number Wilcox hopes to increase for all students.

To do that, he said, the university is working to identify and address the specific needs of different student groups, including racial and ethnic groups, students who were formerly in the foster care system and students from other historically underserved groups. He said they are trying to foster a sense of belonging on campus from the first year and to make classes accessible at more times throughout the day to accommodate students with work or family responsibilities.

“You need to be deliberate,” Wilcox said. “Some things that help all students help all students, but there are groups of students who need particular attention.”

Olivia Sánchez (osanchez@hechingerreport.org) is a higher education reporter. She previously covered local and state government for the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland. Sanchez earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. The Hechinger Report provides in-depth, fact-based, unbiased reporting on education that is free to all readers. But that doesn’t mean it’s free to produce. Our work keeps educators and the public informed about pressing issues at schools and on campuses throughout the country. We tell the whole story, even when the details are inconvenient.

Help us keep doing that.

6

Portada / Front Page

El Sol Latino May 2022

Puerto Rico Residents Continue to Receive Second Class Treatment from the U.S. Government WASHINGTON, DC | HISPANIC FEDERATION | April 21, 2022 - Civil rights groups condemn the Supreme Court’s decision to exclude citizen residents of Puerto Rico from federal safety-net programs in the U.S. v. Vaello-Madero case, and demand the Biden administration stop defending discrimination against Puerto Ricans and other citizens living in U.S. territories, especially when it comes to federal benefits for disabled, low-income, and elderly citizens.

The Supreme Court’s decision today represents the continuation of the U.S. government’s century-long discriminatory treatment of Americans living in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories. In spite of the Court’s assertion, this discrimination is not just based on the Territorial Clause of the Constitution but also on racist cases decided by the Supreme Court in the early 20th century in a series of decisions known as the Insular Cases. Despite his campaign promise to end discrimination against Puerto Ricans, President Biden failed to use this historic opportunity to exercise his powers and immediately fulfill his commitment. Instead, he deferred to Congress, whose rationale for this discrimination seems to be that it is too costly to ensure that a federal safety-net exists for all of the nation’s most vulnerable if they live in a U.S. territory.

The lone voice of justice on the court came from Justice Sotomayor, who in her dissent stated, “SSI is designed to support the neediest citizens. As a program of last resort, it is aimed at preventing the most severe poverty. In view of that core purpose, denying benefits to hundreds of thousands of eligible Puerto Rico residents because they do not pay enough in taxes is utterly irrational. Congress’ decision to deny to the U. S. citizens of Puerto Rico a social safety net that it provides to almost all other U. S. citizens is especially cruel given those citizens’ dire need for aid.” We concur.

Hispanic Federation and its allies recognize this decision as a setback, not a defeat, and vow to continue our collective work to ensure all U.S. citizens are treated equally and fairly regardless of where they live.

Congress must act now to end this injustice that perpetuates a two-tier system of citizenship among potentially millions of residents of Puerto Rico and other territories. We also call on President Biden to fight to ensure Congress enacts legislation to treat Puerto Ricans equitably in all federal safety net programs that support the most vulnerable citizens.

“We condemn the Supreme Court’s decision today to exclude Puerto Ricans from SSI and their defense of ongoing discrimination in federal safety-net programs. It is shameful that our nation’s highest court once again failed to protect the democratic and constitutional rights of ALL U.S. citizens and continues to treat Puerto Ricans with such appalling injustice. Such cruel practices counter the fundamental objective of federal welfare programs, helping the most vulnerable citizens. Although this decision is a setback, it is not a defeat. Hispanic Federation will continue to work to ensure that all U.S. citizens, regardless of where they live, are treated equally and fairly,” said Frankie Miranda, President and CEO of Hispanic Federation.

Vaello-Madero, a U.S. citizen with a disability, was sued for nearly $28,000 for receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments after he moved from New York to Puerto Rico to be with his family. Although Madero won his case in the lower courts, the Justice Department appealed it at the Supreme Court. SSI provides funding to the most vulnerable people, including the disabled, blind, and elderly, who cannot support themselves. It is available only to U.S. citizens living in the 50 states, D.C., and the Northern Mariana Islands but excludes U.S. citizens living in other territories.

“The Supreme Court turned a blind eye to the historical discrimination in federal safety-net programs against Puerto Ricans and other citizens living in U.S. territories. SSI is not just a policy; it is a policy that could save the lives of vulnerable people, including my daughter Isabella who was born with major heart conditions. My daughter did not ask for her illness, yet she has to continue to suffer the consequences of such injustice. Is it fair to prevent Puerto Ricans from accessing potentially life-saving assistance only because of where they live?

This injustice is causing a lot of pain and suffering for families in similar situations and worse because they may not have a voice to be heard against this discriminatory decision. I am hurt and disappointed that the U.S. government, once again, decided to discriminate against my daughter and the thousands of families like ours. Now it is time for Congress to fight this discriminatory practice and guarantee that all U.S. citizens receive equal access to federal safety-net programs, no matter where they live,” said Aurelis Aponte, mother of a child with a disability who lost benefits when returning to Puerto Rico.

“Excluding Puerto Rico’s residents from the SSI program is particularly harmful given the island’s older population, high poverty rate, and the number of older adults with disabilities,” said Kate Lang, senior staff attorney at Justice in Aging. “Puerto Rico has a higher percentage of older residents than any state in the U.S., and more than 40% of Puerto Rico’s residents 65 and older live in poverty. We are disappointed in the Supreme Court’s ruling and urge Congress to take steps to correct this injustice.”

“LatinoJustice PRLDEF is appalled by the Supreme Court’s decision to deny Jose Luis Vaello-Madero, and by extension all residents of Puerto Rico, entitlement to SSI. This decision is outrageous on many fronts. In opposition to the findings of the District Court and Court of Appeals, in this case, the Supreme Court decision wrongly reinforces the notion that those in Puerto Rico are less than full citizens of the United States and deserve less than full access to the rights and benefits of citizenship. The decision also prolongs the racist exclusion of Puerto Ricans from vital federal benefits afforded to citizens living in the 50 states, undergirded by precedents that compound wrongs and historical practices that should have been rejected long ago. As Justice Sonia Sotomayor stated in her dissent, there is ‘no rational basis’ to treat U.S. citizens anywhere so differently, especially when the impacts of this differential treatment so starkly abdicate basic responsibilities to the neediest citizens. We agree with Justice Neil Gorsuch that the Insular Cases ‘rest on a rotten foundation’ and must be discarded as a rationale for discriminatory decisions that exclude Puerto Ricans and residents of other U.S. territories from the Constitutional rights and protections to which they are entitled,” said Lourdes M. Rosado, President and General Counsel, LatinoJustice PRLDE

Oportunidades de empleo para maestros en Paulo Freire Social Justice Charter School

La Escuela Charter de Justicia Social Paulo Freire (Paulo Freire Social Justice Charter School), con sus siglas en ingles PFSJCS, ubicada en Chicopee MA abre convocatorias para oportunidades de empleos a maestros para el próximo año académico en las siguientes áreas de especialidad: Justicia social, Historia, ELA, Matemáticas, Idiomas Mundiales (específicamente español), Educación Especial, Música y Arte.

La expectativa profesional de cada maestro está basada en proporcionar un entorno de clase bien organizado y que funcione libre de complicaciones para que los estudiantes (1) puedan acceder y progresar hacia el plan de estudios basado en los estándares del Departamento de Educación Elemental y Secundaria (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) de Massachusetts, y en (2) desarrollar habilidades socio-emocionales que permita a los estudiantes funcionar al máximo en la sociedad.

Buscamos profesionales que proporcionen un entorno educativo seguro y de apoyo para todos los estudiantes. Nuestro enfoque es la excelencia académica y una conciencia activa en justicia social.

En PFSJCS se fomentan bases intelectuales y éticas sólidas para (1) preparar a los estudiantes con el fin de que asistan a la universidad y tengan éxito, (2) que aumenten la comprensión y la participación comunitaria y global y (3) que inspiren a los futuros líderes de nuestra sociedad.

Nuestra escuela suprior, grados 9no al 12mo, sirve a los distritos de escuelas públicas en Springfield, Holyoke, West Springfield, Chicopee y South Hadley.

Para más información comuníquese con Diana Landry a la siguiente dirección electrónica, dlandry@paulofreirechraterschool.org.

Portada / Front Page

El Sol Latino May 2022

7

Oral History Center Releases Project Documenting Founding Generation of Chicana/o Studies by TODD HOLMES | Project Director, Chicana/o Studies Oral History Project Berkeley, CA | THE BANCROFT LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA | April 18, 2022 - In April 1969, over a hundred students, faculty, and staff from California’s colleges descended on the campus of UC Santa Barbara.

For an era known for campus activism, the event was anything but uncommon. Its focus, however, certainly was. The aim of the gathering was to develop a master plan for the inclusion of the Chicano community within the curriculum and infrastructure of higher education. Ultimately, the 155-page document that resulted, titled El Plan de Santa Bárbara, proved one of the most important works of the civil rights era.

El Plan demanded the inclusion of the Chicano community within the state’s education system, and provided a roadmap for its incorporation within college teaching and research. Above all, it forged a bridge between civil rights activism and classroom curricula, creating the foundation for the academic field known as Chicana/o studies. As Mario T. García, who later became a professor at UC Santa Barbara, remembered it, “That year, I would say ’69, ’70, I became Chicano. The movement created Chicano studies. Without the movement, we wouldn’t be around. It wasn’t that the Chancellor here all of a sudden woke up one morning and said ‘Oh, it would be great to have Chicano studies.’ That came as a result of protests and demonstrations.”

In commemoration of the 54th anniversary of this historic event, the UC Berkeley Oral History Center is releasing the Chicana/o Studies Oral History Project, which examines the formation and evolution of this academic discipline through in-depth oral histories with the first generation of scholars who shaped it. These interviews offer a rare, firsthand look at the development of Chicana/o studies over the last fifty years, as well as unique insight into the lives and careers of the pioneering scholars involved. To be sure, that journey was marked by struggle, which makes the stature enjoyed today by both the discipline and its scholars even more noteworthy.

These interviews go beyond the “published” history of the field, as the scholars themselves discuss their experiences in the academy, the

institutional challenges they confronted over their career, the works that inspired them, and the discipline’s struggle to attain academic legitimacy.

Most of the founding faculty entered the halls of academia in similar fashion.

They were first generation students drawn to the developing field of Chicana/o Studies out of the desire to know their history and make sense of the gap between the stories told at home and those taught in the classroom.

“My family was the first family out of the barrio to send someone to college.

There were 44 Mexican-Americans out of, I think 28,000 students at that time. . . Chicano Studies has allowed us to see a diversity in the American experience, where my generation growing up in public schools, had no inkling of whatsoever.” – Albert Camarillo, Stanford University “I’m a Tejana, I was born in Texas. There was history that we learned sitting around the table, but there was no reflection of it in the books, at all. . . . It was a lifeline to finally put together my experiences.” – Antonia Castañeda, St. Mary’s University To simply say their academic path was a rough climb could be deemed an understatement. Support was in short supply; barriers and naysayers certainly were not. From the start, racial stereotypes had them automatically placed in vocational classes by administrators, just as teachers often met their academic achievements with more surprise than praise. As Vicki Ruiz remembered, “I went to community college, for many reasons, but one of the reasons was, I was told by a counselor Mrs. Callahan that I was probably not college material.” Decades later, Ruiz would become the first Latina historian to be inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The graduate experience did not prove any easier. Older faculty, firmly situated within the orthodoxy of their respective disciplines, afforded little latitude for the research agendas of the new Chicana and Chicano students.

Patience and understanding was offered even less. In such an environment, many struggled with feelings of homesickness, resentment, and an isolation that blurred the lines between graduate student and outsider. To cope, they built networks and interdisciplinary groups such as El Comité at Yale, the Chicano Political Economy Collective (ChPEC) and Chicana Colectiva at Berkeley, and Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social (MALCS).

“At Berkeley, Winthrop Jordan (of Mayflower lineage) asked me how long my family had been in the country. I told him, ‘My dad’s family has been here since 1598. My mother’s, I don’t know 25,000 years, whatever the anthropologists finally determined.’”

– Deena González, Gonzaga University “On campus itself, we had a graduate student group. We called ourselves The Committee, or El Comité, because there were only ten of us. This included the law school. This is across the board.” – David Montejano, UC Berkeley

Clockwise: Chicano activists rally in front of Campbell Hall on the UC Santa Barbara campus (courtesy of UC Santa Barbara). Vicki Ruiz (R) as a junior scholar interviewing Rosa Guerrero, choreographer of ballet folklorico (courtesy of Vicki Ruiz). Rudy Acuňa at Cal State University Northridge (courtesy of CSUN). Participants in the Chicano Movement march in Los Angeles (courtesy of UC Santa Barbara).

Even as university professors, the founding generation of Chicana/o Studies continued to struggle for legitimacy. Many stepped into faculty positions only to find

continued on page 8

8

Portada / Front Page

El Sol Latino May 2022

Oral History Center Releases Project Documenting Founding Generation of Chicana/o Studies continued from page 7

their programs underfunded and facilities relegated to outskirts of campus – a not-so-subtle reminder that while a PhD may open the door, it did not guarantee an equal seat at the table. Undeterred, they developed the Chicana/o Studies curriculum from scratch, with material so scant as to hardly fill a single bookshelf in the early days. They organized student events, fostered community partnerships, founded innovative teaching and research programs, and created collaborative networks with universities throughout the West, all under the skeptical eye of university administrators and rival departments anxious to protect their academic turf. Moreover, they worked diligently to expand the selection of published works in the field from one bookshelf to many. Most academic careers are spent in the pursuit of contributing to a respective discipline. This generation did not merely contribute to Chicana/o Studies, they built it.

“Oh yeah, there was an awful lot of resentment… [They thought] the students were disrespectful. They were bringing in a lot of color, you see.

And so consequently, yeah, they were very resentful.” – Rudy Acuña, CSU Northridge “It was hard to put together a reading list because there was so little… today, the challenge is, what do I use, because there’s so much that has been produced since I first had to deal with that challenge in the fall of 1969.” – Mario T. García, UC Santa Barbara “For a long time, the idea was, you know, Chicana history, why is that important? Why are Chicanas important? Why are these women important? I just feel very privileged, because I’ve had the opportunity to interview so many people, so many women whose quiet courage made a difference, not just in their lives, in their families’ lives, but in their communities.” – Vicki Ruiz, UC Irvine Much has certainly changed since those early decades. What began a half-century ago as a fledgling academic field now stands as a vibrant mainstay on college campuses across the United States, just as the young professors who built the field came to be celebrated as some of the most distinguished scholars in the humanities and social sciences. University presidents and National Humanities Medal winners are listed within their ranks, as are Guggenheim Fellows, award-winning authors, and nationally recognized educators. They came to head national organizations, create innovative programs, conduct groundbreaking research, and take their place within the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In short, their teaching and scholarship fulfilled the very mission espoused in the 1969 El Plan: the creation of an American curriculum that includes all its people.

In this respect, the Chicana/o Studies Oral History Project serves as a model for the distinctive contributions oral history can make to the documentation and study of intellectual history. The interviews, which are ongoing, will take center stage in the two main products of this project. First, each interview is transcribed and made available with other relevant material on the project’s dedicated website. To date, the project features well over 100 hours of recordings with 22 of the most distinguished scholars in the field; sixteen of these interviews are available now; the others are forthcoming. Second, the oral histories form the heart of a short film series, tentatively titled, Chicana/o Studies: The Legacy of a Movement and the Forging of a Discipline. Here a series of short edited videos will put the interviews into conversation around selected themes for use in high school and college classrooms. A short trailer for the film series is below.

Today, we commemorate over 50 years of Chicana/o Studies and the pioneering scholars who built it. It is hoped, however, that this project gives as much a nod to the future as it does the past. For as each scholar makes clear in their interview, the development of Chicana/o Studies has just begun.

“I think that there’s still so much to do… I believe in the young

generation. I watch them. I really think they can teach us so much, because they come with freshness and eagerness and new ideas. And I just want them to know their history.” – Emma Pérez, University of Arizona For more information on the project and forthcoming film series, please visit the project webpage and/or email Todd Holmes todd.holmes@ berkeley.edu.

El Plan de Santa Bárbara Published 1969

Educación / Education

El Sol Latino May 2022

9

Nueva Esperanza – 40th Anniversary Fundraising Gala HOLYOKE, MA | April 15, 2022 - Nueva Esperanza, Inc. in collaboration with Glammoré Premier Events, is excited to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their organization by hosting the 40 for 40 fundraising gala event at El Mercado in Holyoke, MA, on Friday, July 29, 2022. The event will be from 6:00 pm-11:00 pm.

Guests can expect a night of entertainment, performers, raffles, silent auction, special guest, honorary guests, award ceremony and much more.

Guests can purchase tickets at $75.00 per person and $150.00 per couple.

This event will serve cocktails and heavy hors d’oeuvres from diverse Afro- Caribbean restaurants in the area.

Nueva Esperanza, Inc. is using all proceeds to renovate Nueva Esperanza’s three properties to create a multipurpose space that will include lounge area, digital production, community podcast workshop, efficient apartment space for artists, external theater, and art for both the youth and the community. The gross income goal is to raise 40k in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of Nueva Esperanza, Inc. Our goal is to raise public awareness about our organization, increase net revenue to rebuild our infrastructure for the community, and put on an entertaining event that our contributors and guests will enjoy.

To learn more or to make an online contribution to the 40 for 40 fundraising causes, go to: https://nuevaofholyoke.org/donate/ Check contributions made payable to: Nueva Esperanza, Inc. Questions regarding this event may be directed to Cynthia Espinosa Marrero, 413-437-7666, and info@nuevaofholyoke.org

Educación / Education STCC Connects with Hispanic American Institute to offer Courses for Entrepreneurs

SPRINGFIELD, MA | SPRINGFIELD TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE | April 21, 2022 – The Hispanic American Institute, in partnership with Springfield Technical Community College (STCC), is offering free courses to support Latino and minority entrepreneurs in Springfield by providing education and tools which will help them achieve economic prosperity.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with the Hispanic American Institute to help entrepreneurs thrive in Springfield and are appreciative of their support,” Franco said. “This effort not only is good for individuals who enroll in the courses, but ultimately it will enrich our community by creating economic opportunities. We’re proud to offer students the necessary skills to become entrepreneurs or expand their knowledge as business owners.”

STCC, which has a technical focus in all of its programs, is designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution. That means at least 25 percent of the full-time equivalent students are Hispanic and the college is eligible for grants to benefit all students.

The two courses are “English for Entrepreneurs,” that started on Monday, April 25, and “Basic Computer Skills Classes,” started on Tuesday, April 26. STCC’s Workforce Development Center will offer the two courses for HAI. Learn more about the classes at stcc.edu/wdc.

Courses are open to Springfield residents or any entrepreneur who has a business in Springfield or wants to start a business in Springfield. Courses are taught in English, but translation in Spanish will be available as needed.

The Boston office of the Hispanic American Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting social, educational, and economic development in Hispanic communities in the continental United States, Puerto Rico, and Latin America, will provide funding for the courses.

As part of this Springfield project, the Hispanic American Institute will provide bilingual and culturally competent business technical assistance to minority-owned businesses. The goal is to increase revenues, create and retain jobs and help start new businesses. The Hispanic American Institute has recently opened a local office at 1350 Main St., Suite 1508, in Springfield.

John Perez, consulting project manager for the Hispanic American Institute, said, “We were inspired to create a holistic approach to supporting immigrants, particularly Latino entrepreneurs, in Springfield by providing educational courses and one-on-one business coaching.

“We know lack of English language proficiency is a barrier to economic prosperity,” Perez added. “Further, lack of computer skills further inhibits access to knowledge and opportunities to start and manage a business successfully. Through this collaboration and the courses being offered, we hope to address all these issues and open opportunities for the participants.”

Gladys Franco, interim assistant vice president of Workforce Development at STCC, thanked the Institute for its commitment to support Latino and minority entrepreneurs.

About the courses English for Entrepreneurs: This course, taught virtually via Zoom, is designed for business owners, entrepreneurs and adults. Participants will learn English in the context of managing a business. Vocabulary will cover marketing, management, accounting and legal terms frequently used in casual conversations. As part of this class, participants will be asked to create a business pitch.

Prior to starting the course, STCC will assess each participant to place them at the correct level. The course runs for 10 weeks. Classes will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. April 25 through June 29.

Basic Computer Skills Classes: This in-person course is designed for business owners, entrepreneurs and adults. Participants will develop basic computer skills for office work, as well as for the effective management of a business. Students will participate in activities to learn: Google Documents, Google Sheets basics (spreadsheets), efficient use of the internet, Google Slides basics, efficient use of electronic communications (e-mail), and file management and storage in Google Drive.

There will be two cohorts. The first cohort started Tuesday, April 26 and will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. at STCC. The course runs for 5 weeks (last class May 26). The second cohort will start on May 31 and end on June 30.

For more information, contact the Workforce Development Center at STCC. Visit the office at Building 27, Second Floor. Call (413) 755-4225 or email workforcetraining@stcc.edu. If you need support completing the registration, please contact Shirley Rodriguez at 413-755-4502.

The Hispanic American Institute is an IRS Section 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation dedicated to promoting social, educational and economic development in Hispanic communities in the continental United States, Puerto Rico, and Latin America. The Institute has offices and staff in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Boston, Massachusetts and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

10

Educación / Education

El Sol Latino May 2022

State Awards $30 Million to STCC to Relocate Health Programs SPRINGFIELD, MA | SPRINGFIELD TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE | April 13, 2022 – Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) has received $30 million in state funding to move healthcare programs out of an aging building on campus that has outlived its usefulness.

Gov. Charlie Baker announced the award on Wednesday, April 13. College officials in December asked the state for the maximum amount of $30 million to vacate Building 20, which houses 18 degree and certificate allied health programs as well as the acclaimed SIMS Medical Center. STCC has secured $11.5 million from other sources for the $41.5 million project.

The award announced by the governor comes from the state Division of Capital Management and Maintenance (DCAMM).

Constructed in 1941, Building 20 is past its useful life and has a history of expensive emergency repairs. The healthcare programs in the School of Health and Patient Simulation educate more than 700 students per semester and employ over 120 faculty and staff. The School of Health is a key contributor to the education, training, employment and business needs of the community.

“We offer our thanks to Governor Baker, Lieutenant Governor (Karyn) Polito and Education Secretary (James) Peyser for investing in the future of healthcare and workforce development in such an impactful way. This has been a true team effort between the administration, trustees, our legislative delegation and the STCC Foundation.” said STCC President John B. Cook.

The STCC Board of Trustees committed $6 million from the college’s budget to the project. Trustees Chair Marikate Murren said, “We’re thrilled and grateful to

HCC Opens Registration for Summer and Fall HOLYOKE, MA | HOLYOKE COMMUNITY COLLEGE | April 19, 2022 — Registration is now open for summer and fall classes at Holyoke Community College.

Summer classes at HCC begin May 24 and run in two, consecutive seven-week sessions: Summer Session I (May 24-July 8); Summer Session II (July 11-Aug. 26).

The fall 2022 semester begins on Tuesday, Sept. 6. Full 15-week semester classes begin Sept. 6. HCC will also be running three accelerated flex start sessions: Flex Start I classes also begin Sept. 6 and run for seven weeks; Flex Start II classes begin Monday, Sept. 26, and run for 12 weeks; Flex Start III classes begin Monday, Oct. 31, and run for seven weeks.

Gov. Baker and DCAMM for their support to make this move possible.

The relocation of the programs in the School of Health and Patient Simulation will allow STCC to continue to prepare students for healthcare careers.

The investment in this project represents an investment in the City of Springfield and the region.”

To best summarize the outlook for the College, Cook said, “I am delighted for our students and faculty as this ensures that STCC stays on the leading edge of healthcare education; the future of STCC is bright.”

Interested in applying to STCC? Visit stcc.edu/apply or call Admissions at (413) 755-3333.

About Springfield Technical Community College STCC, the Commonwealth’s only technical community college, continues the pioneering legacy of the Springfield Armory with comprehensive and technical education in manufacturing, STEM, healthcare, business, social services, and the liberal arts. STCC’s highly regarded workforce, certificate, degree, and transfer programs are the most affordable in Springfield and provide unequaled opportunity for the vitality of Western Massachusetts. Founded in 1967, the college – a designated Hispanic Serving Institution – seeks to close achievement gaps among students who traditionally face societal barriers. STCC supports students as they transform their lives through intellectual, cultural, and economic engagement while becoming thoughtful, committed and socially responsible graduates.

s u T n e C C T S a e ¡Incluy ! o n a r e V e d s e n a Pl Tenemos disponibles en-línea docenas de cursos de educación general y electivas.

“Fall offers a mix of classes, fully online, fully on campus, and hybrid – partly on campus and partly online, allowing students the opportunity to find what works best for them,” said Mark Hudgik, HCC director of Admissions. “Students should register early to ensure they get the classes they need, taught in the way they want, before they fill up. Students looking to complete credits and also experience summer will find both online and on-campus options, with the majority being online.”

¡Garantizamos que los cursos de educación general se pueden transferir a UMass, Westfield State (y otros más) para que así puedas ahorrar dinero!

Prospective students can peruse all the course options for summer and fall at: hcc.edu/class-schedule Students interested in visiting campus, should contact the HCC Admissions office at admissions@hcc.edu For more information on HCC classes or to enroll, please visit hcc.edu/admission or call 413-552-2321.

Please note that while HCC is ending its mask mandate on May 20, proof of COVID-19 vaccination remains a requirement to enroll in oncampus classes for summer and fall 2022.

!Matricúlate Ahora!

stcc.edu/summer 4/8/22 El Sol Latino 1/4 page: 4.75” x 5.75” Manuel Frau Ramos: manuelfrau@gmail.com Due: 5 days prior to the run month Runs: May

Publish your bilingual ad in El Sol Latino! Call us today at (413) 320-3826.

Política / Politics

El Sol Latino May 2022

11

Rep. Torres Introduces New Bipartisan Legislation to Disband Puerto Rico’s Financial Oversight & Management Board WASHINGTON, D.C. | OFFICE OF CONGRESSMAN RITCHIE TORRES | April 7, 2022 – On April 7, Rep. Ritchie Torres (NY-15) was joined by Rep. Jenniffer González-Colón (PR-At-Large), Rep. Nydia Velázquez (NY-07), Rep. Darren Soto (FL-09), and Natural Resources Committee Chair Rep. Raúl Grijalva (AZ-03) in introducing new bipartisan legislation to provide a process for the dissolution of the Financial Oversight and Management Board of Puerto Rico.

The “TRUST for Puerto Rico Act of 2022” (HR 7409) would terminate the Oversight Board no later than 90 days after the certification of 2 balanced budgets and transfers all duties and responsibilities to the Government of Puerto Rico after the Oversight Board is terminated. If the bill is passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden, it could lead to the Oversight Board leaving Puerto Rico as soon as late 2023 or early 2024, if the balanced budgets are certified.

The bill was assigned to the House Natural Resources Committee and the House Judiciary Committee and is expected to receive a hearing in Spring 2022.

“The Financial Oversight and Management Board represents a cardinal sin against the sovereignty and self-determination of Puerto Rico. It is the single most egregious example of modern-day colonialism in Puerto Rico and must be disbanded. The undemocratic, unelected Oversight Board has driven the island into fiscal mismanagement and has prevented Puerto Ricans from taking control over of their own destiny. I’m proud to introduce the TRUST for Puerto Rico Act, along with my colleagues, to finally provide a path for the dissolution of the Oversight Board and return control and power to the island’s residents and government,” said Rep. Ritchie Torres (NY-15).

“Now that Puerto Rico has exited bankruptcy, we are ready for another chapter without an Oversight Board. I’m proud to work alongside my colleague Rep. Ritchie Torres on this bill to outline a way forward, renew access credit to markets, and establish a clear transition of assets managements duties back to the government of Puerto Rico. I look forward to seeing that happen,” said Rep. Jenniffer González-Colón.

“This bipartisan bill takes meaningful steps to phase out the role of the Oversight Board in statute,” said Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07). “As I have said before, it is time to have a conversation about how the government of Puerto Rico can move to best represent the interests of the people without the presence of the Board. By setting the parameters for that transition, this bill is an important step. I encourage both the House and the Senate to move quickly to pass it into law.”

“The PROMESA board’s austerity cuts have gone on for long enough. We must ensure that the island’s budget is managed in a fiscally responsible way that doesn’t cut social programs and other vital services. I believe that our brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico deserve better, and this bill is a step in the right direction towards returning power to the people,” said Rep. Darren Soto (FL-09).

“Now that Puerto Rico has embarked on a path towards resolving its bankruptcy, it is time to start talking about terminating the Financial Oversight and Management Board and returning control back into the hands of Puerto Rico’s elected government officials. I’m proud to cosponsor this bill and want to thank Rep. Torres for his leadership in making this happen,” said Rep. Raúl Grijalva (AZ-03), Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee.

The Board’s tenure has been characterized by controversy over the fiscal measures required for the debt settlement and their impact on areas such as pensions and worker benefits. The labor sector in the Island has opposed the budgetary and regulatory measures; economic analysts have questioned the cost and benefit balance of the debt renegotiation; and figures across the political spectrum have expressed dissatisfaction with the limiting of the powers of the elected government.

The “Trust for Puerto Rico Act” addresses the following: 1. Eliminates the requirement of access to credit markets and reduces the required number of balanced budgets from 4 to 2 consecutive fiscal years without regard to whether the applicable budget provides for the payment of debt service.

2. Establishes that the Oversight Board shall be terminated no later than 90 days after certification of the 2 balanced budgets and clarifies that any balanced budget before the enactment of this bill should be taken into account.

3. Enables the Legislative Assembly and Governor of Puerto Rico to adopt a resolution after the certification of 2 balanced budgets to set forth Rep. Ritchie Torres - Wikipedia the transfer of functions. The Fiscal Oversight Board shall transfer all funds, assets, and records to the Government of Puerto Rico and provide a copy of all records to Congress.

4. Transfer all duties and responsibilities under Title III and Title VI to the Government of Puerto Rico after the Oversight Board terminates, respect to any pending action.

“Congressman Ritchie Torres’ bill is targeted and reasonable, and it has my full support. After putting an end to our central government’s bankruptcy process, it is time to begin the transition towards returning the public policy decision-making responsibilities back to Puerto Rico’s elected leaders who represent our people. It is also necessary to have a clear and agile process for the Oversight Board’s exit. The time has come to look towards a future of progress and fiscal responsibility for Puerto Rico without the Board,” said Puerto Rico Governor Pedro R. Pierluisi.

“Over the past 5 years, the Fiscal Oversight Management Board (FOMB) has been negotiating lopsided debt agreements with bondholders that have made hedge funds rich while putting the weight of the debt crisis on the people of Puerto Rico.

This undemocratic board - riddled with conflicts of interest - has pushed austerity measures that have driven hundreds of thousands of people to leave the island, while those of us who have stayed are faced with rising costs of living, crumbling infrastructure and another default in less than 10 years. Today an important step was taken by Congress to address one of the biggest failures of PROMESA. By taking steps to abolish the FOMB, Congress recognizes that the board has failed and that the people of Puerto Rico can and should be at the driver’s seat of their own recovery,” said Julio López Varona, Center for Popular Democracy’s Campaign Director.

Saturdays 10 AM Domingo 7 PM WHMP radio 1400 AM

biingüe arte, cultura, media politics Natalia Muñoz

12

Cultura / Culture

El Sol Latino May 2022

Mark Guglielmo - Exhibition at Vermont Center for Photography NORTHAMPTON, MA | April 19, 2022 – Mark Guglielmo, in a follow-up to his Cuba series, will mount a new exhibition of painted large-scale photocollages of Sicily at the Vermont Center for Photography,10 Green St, Brattleboro, VT running from May 6—June 26, 2022. It is the New Yorkborn artist’s first exhibition at VCP. The Opening Reception will be on Friday May 6 from 5-8pm (Gallery Walk), and an artist talk will take place on Sunday June 26 from 6-7pm.

Gallery hours are Wed-Sun 11-5, Closed Mon and Tue. In September 2019, Guglielmo took a three-week pilgrimage to Sicily, his third trip to the island. He went intent on portraying his own culture and family history. His great grandparents were peasants from southern Italy who worked the land with their hands. They migrated to New York City in the late 1890s, opened a produce stand in the Bronx and raised 14 children in 2 rooms.

An antiquated and laborious method, Guglielmo makes his photocollages by hand, taping together hundreds of individual 4x6-inch photographs he shot on his Sicilian sojourn. He visited Palermo, Siracusa, Trapani, Erice, and Scopello, and captured dozens of landscape and village scenes using a small, handheld digital point-and-shoot camera and sometimes his smartphone.

Aiming the lens in different directions, and moving as he goes, he compiles fragmented, close-up detail images of his subject from multiple angles. Once home, he gets prints made by a lab using a traditional chemical process and begins to assemble each piece in the studio layering, positioning, and re-positioning, one photo next to another until he arrives at a balanced composition.

Then, working with archival black and white photographs of Southern Italians as references by such noted photographers as Letizia Battaglia and Lewis Hine, Guglielmo, for the first time, painted and photo-transferred portraits onto his mural-size photographic assemblages to address intersecting themes of memory, vulnerability, im/migration, identity, and the imprinted legacies of his ancestors on the land they inhabited and the people that followed.

His creative process was informed by the work of Sicilian artist Andrea Chisesi, whom he met on his trip, acclaimed African American artist Whitfield Lovell and the photocollages of David Hockney from the 1980s.

The work is also inspired by the multicultural rich tapestry of Sicilian life, where the history, culture, music, dialect, and people itself are a blend of indigenous peoples (Sicani, Siculi and Elymians), Carthaginians (North Africans), Phoenicians (modern Lebanon), ancient Greeks, Muslim Moors, Jews, and Normans, among others.

List of works in the series: 1. The Portal (Pictured above) Scopello, Sicily, 2019 Acrylic and photo-transfers on photocollage 88.5 x 75 inches

2. Making Ricotta Ballaro Market, Palermo, Sicily, 2019 Acrylic and photo-transfers on photocollage 64 x 118 inches

3. Exodus: Harbinger of Things to Come (triptych) Lido Cala Mazzo di Sciacca, Scopello, Sicily, 2019 Acrylic and photo-transfers on photocollage 48 x 192 inches

4. Everything Must Go: The Things We Left Behind (diptych) Ballaro Market, Palermo, Sicily, 2020 Acrylic on photocollage 83 x 96 inches 5. Riserva naturale dello Zingaro Scopello, Sicily, 2020 Photocollage 57.5 x 86.5 inches

MARK GUGLIELMO - A 2021 Community Foundation of Western Mass/ MASS MoCA A4A Capital Grant Recipient, Guglielmo received a B.A. in History from Haverford College in 1992 spending a year at Université de Paul Valéry in Montpellier, France. Solo exhibitions of his work have been organized at von Auersberg Gallery, Deerfield Academy, Deerfield, MA (2019); Loveland Museum, Loveland, CO (2018); Grubbs Gallery, Williston Northampton School, Easthampton, MA (2018); Villa Victoria Center for the Arts, Boston, MA (2017), and A.P.E. Gallery, Northampton, MA (2017, 2013).

His work has been featured in Huffington Post, The Sun, Rolling Stone, Art New England, Bay State Banner, The Recorder, The Republican, Valley Advocate, and Daily Hampshire Gazette. A former rapper and hip-hop producer, Guglielmo’s collaborated with Eminem, Evelyn Harris, Cut Chemist, Dilated Peoples, and Young@Heart Chorus, helping facilitate their PrisonVision music program of weekly rehearsals with the incarcerated at two area prisons from 2014 to 2019. His instrumentals were the soundtrack to hundreds of TV shows including Pimp My Ride and The Real World while his artwork is in public and private collections around the world.

• To preview Guglielmo’s new Sicily artworks, https://www.markguglielmo.com/work/sicily • To view the exhibition announcement on VCP’s website, https://vcphoto.org/mark-guglielmo-spirits-in-the-land For further Mark Guglielmo info: Mark Guglielmo Studio PH: 917-655-5719 • info@markguglielmo.com For further VCP info: Joshua Farr Vermont Center for Photography PH: 802-251-6051• info@vcphoto.org

Música / Music Northampton Jazz Festival’s Jazz Artists in the Schools Program Returns to Northampton High School NORTHAMPTON, MA | NORTHAMPTON JAZZ FESTIVAL | April 15, 2022—After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Elliot Ross Memorial Jazz Artists in the Schools program has returned to Northampton High School with five guest musicians teaching four sessions to students in the Jazz and Rock Improvisation Workshop.

This visiting musician teaching program is solely funded through donations from family and friends of the late Elliot Ross, a musician and graduate of the high school. Ross died at age 21 in November 2018. By request of the Ross family, the Northampton Jazz Festival established the Jazz Artists in the Schools program at Northampton High School the following year.

El Sol Latino May 2022

13

pianist and senior at the school. “I have also been surprised by how the diversity of the other student musicians around me has helped me grow in this class.”

The guest musicians have included Evan Arntzen, a jazz clarinetist and saxophonist who received his master’s from the Jazz Arts program at The Manhattan School of Music this spring; George Kaye, a lifelong professional jazz bassist; Gabe Childs, a guitarist and recent graduate of the Berklee School of Music; Justin Esiason, a professional trumpeter and a graduate in music at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; and Dave Haughey, a professional cellist, composer, teacher and improviser.

“For me, starting out improvising, listening to all of the greats play, it was really frustrating to me because it wasn’t as easy to play as they made it sound,” said Bryant. “So, to actually have seasoned musicians come in and break down improvising in all these different parts makes me appreciate how difficult, how complicated and how interesting it is, but it has also allowed me to take steps in the right direction to work on my own solo.”

The visiting musicians were given the opportunity to teach students different aspects of improvisation given their own professional experience.

Topics included melodic variations in improvisation, harmonic considerations in improvisation, the role of guide tones and voicings in improvisation and the role of rhythm in improvisation.

“Each one of the guest musicians is an improviser at a high level and brings his/her own perspective to this very large field of music— improvisation and jazz in general. Having that many different perspectives really benefits the students’ growth,” said Kinsman.

For more information on the Jazz Artists in the Schools Program visit www.northamptonjazzfest.org/jazz-artists-in-the-schools or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/northamptonjazzfest or email to info@ northamptonjazzfest.org.

Un gran lugar para realizar un trabajo satisfactorio Students at Northampton High School take part in the Northampton Jazz Festival Jazz Artists in the Schools program recently

Donations to the program now top $15,000 and make it possible for students of music at the high school to gain insight, tips and techniques from professional, working musicians.

Led by band director Paul Kinsman, the program is a collaboration between Kinsman and Northampton Jazz Festival’s Creative Director and Producer Paul Arslanian.

“I am so grateful for all the guest lecturers Paul Arslanian is bringing in, and the Ross family that has kept this program going. It’s really important that we keep jazz in the schools, and this has really helped us come back strong after two years when we were silenced,” said Kinsman.

This spring, five visiting musicians have visited the high school to teach four sessions each of Kinsman’s Jazz and Rock Improvisation Workshop, an elective scheduled during normal academic hours. Each guest musician has led a clinic and workshopped with the students on various topics around the art of improvisation to help hone their skills.

“Jazz as a genre of music is so diverse and so wide that having a different guest musician come in every week has really exposed me to different ideas that I can absorb and then incorporate into my improvisations,” said Ilan Bryant, a

Publish your bilingual ad in El Sol Latino!

Call us today at (413) 320-3826.

BHN tiene puestos disponibles para todos los niveles profesionales, desde el diploma de escuela secundaria hasta el nivel de maestría, que incluyen: Enfermeras registradas | Clínicos de salud conductual Supervisores clínicos | Especialistas en atención directa Operaciones no clínicas Visite bhnworks.org para ver todos los empleos disponibles. ¡Bonificaciones de inicio de sesión para muchos puestos!

BHN mantiene su compromiso con la justicia social y alienta encarecidamente a diversos candidatos a postularse.

Personas apasionadas que trabajan para mejorar la vida de los demás en las áreas de asesoramiento, bienestar, adicción y recuperación.

Solicite hoy: BHNWorks.org o llame al 413-747-0705

14

Libros / Books

El Sol Latino May 2022

Mi’ja by MAGDALENA GÓMEZ • New York, NY | HELIOTROPE BOOKS | May 10, 2022 | 260 pages ...a time machine we are all invited to enter to reclaim the genius of our youth, an opportunity to revisit the loneliness and wonder of things we could see and under- stand only as children. At once heartbreaking and hilarious.

Mi’ja chronicles the first nineteen years of the life of Magdalena Gómez—a life not meant for a child, nor is this book. It is fairytales and bestiaries in ceiling cracks; mythologies on the fire escape; realities of how the small- est acts of kindness can conquer despair. This book will reward you with revelations and celebrations of your own life; it may help you remember or perhaps even discover your truest, most honest self.

“Mesmerizing and hypnotic—I want the sequel. Can’t wait for the film.”

—Naomi Jacobson, Helen Hayes award-winning actor “A fiercely honest, wickedly humorous, and immensely insightful look at the heart of a poet. Gómez dances with her ancestors, despite the stale cookies and slaps of childhood. What a harvest!” —Beverly Naidus, author of Arts for Change: Teaching Outside the Frame “Pure poetry, pure life, pure New York City. We thrill watching the narrator survive, thrive and tell her tale. Brilliant!”—Dr. Lisa Aronson-Fontes, PhD, psychologist, professor, Fulbright Scholar, global speaker and author of Invisible Chains: Overcoming Coercive Control in Your Intimate Relationship; Child Abuse and Culture: Working with Diverse Families.

About the Author MAGDALENA GÓMEZ is Poet Laureate of Springfield, MA, where she co-founded Teatro V!da, a performing arts collective; she is also an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow, the author of Shameless Woman (Red Sugarcane Press) and Bullying: Replies, Rebuttals, Confessions, and Catharsis (Skyhorse, 2012), a winner of Fordham University’s 2019 Latinas 50 Plus Literature Award, the 2019 Latinx Excellence on the Hill Award from the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus of MA State House, and other arts awards.

Her widely acclaimed musical play Dancing in My Cockroach Killers (2013) is a performing arts piece consisting of a collection of Gómez’s poems and monologues set to music by composer Desmar Guevara. It has been performed in Los Angeles, DC, Massachusetts, and Off-Broadway in New York City.

Born to a Puerto Rican mother and Spanish Roma father, Gómez has been writing, performing and telling stories since early childhood. A devotee of Lorca, Emerson and Chinese women poets since the third grade, this eclectic thinker is at once fierce and tender, one who creates a mystical bond with every audience.

Julia de Burgos:La creación de un ícono puertorriqueño por VANESSA PÉREZ-ROSARIO Traducido por Isabel Zapata, en colaboración con la autora Champaign, IL | UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS PRESS | Abril 12, 2022 | 208 páginas Durante más de cincuenta años, Julia de Burgos ha evocado sentimientos de identidad y unión entre puertorriqueños y latinxs en Estados Unidos.

Vanessa Pérez-Rosario va más allá del enfoque trágico de otras biografías de Burgos para examinar la vida de la artista considerando el trasfondo de la cultura puertorriqueña y la compleja historia de la isla y la diáspora.

Enfocándose en Burgos como escritora y activista, Pérez-Rosario profundiza en su desarrollo artístico, su experiencia como migrante, sus luchas contra el colonialismo y la injusticia social y sus contribuciones a la cultura literaria y visual latinoamericanas. Al mismo tiempo, desentraña las dinámicas culturales y políticas que operan en las revisiones y reinvenciones de Burgos que escritores y artistas latinxs contemporáneos en Nueva York llevan a cabo para imaginar nuevas posibilidades para sí mismos y sus comunidades.

Disponible por primera vez en español, Julia de Burgos cuenta la destacada historia de la poeta y activista puertorriqueña.

VANESSA PÉREZ-ROSARIO es traductora profesora de Inglés en Queens College, y profesora de Latin American, Iberian, and Latino Cultures en el Graduate Center, CUNY. Es la autora de Becoming Julia de Burgos: The Making of a Puerto Rican Icon (2014) publicado en español bajo el título Julia de Burgos: la creación de un ícono puertorriqueño (2022).

Editó Hispanic Caribbean Literature of Migration: Narratives of Displacement (Palgrave 2010) y tradujo Boat People de Mayra Santos-Febres (Cardboard House Press 2021). Esla editora de Small Axe: A Caribbean Journal of Criticism.

Pérez-Rosario ha recibido reconocimientos de las fundaciones Woodrow Wilson y Mellon, del American Association of University Women, y del David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies en Harvard University.

Ella es parte del Advisory Board of Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage Project en el University of Houston, y por cuatro años ha servido como Associate Investigator, incluyendo un año como Interim-Principal Investigator en el CUNY-New York State Initiative on Emergent Bilinguals at The Graduate Center-CUNY, donde actualmente sirve en la capadidad de consultora.

Libros / Books

El Sol Latino May 2022

15

Pioneras y Transgresoras: Mujeres en las artes en Puerto Rico por YAMILA AZIZE VARGAS (editora) • Primedia eLaunch LLC, 2021 Pioneras y transgresoras: mujeres en las artes en Puerto Rico recoge ensayos y reproduce obras de varias artistas de Puerto Rico que se destacaron por ser precursoras en la práctica artística y en la enseñanza del arte.

El proyecto surge de una serie de conferencias magistrales impartidas entre marzo de 2020 y septiembre de 2021, auspiciada por la Liga de Arte de San Juan y la Fundación Puertorriqueña de las Humanidades.

Desde diferentes miradas y posiciones estas mujeres artistas quebrantaron normas y transgredieron su entorno. Introdujeron estilos pictóricos originales dentro del contexto del arte en Puerto Rico. Fueron mujeres independientes, viajeras por motivos de estudio y deseos de explorar el mundo. Las historias oficiales no han documentado sus aportaciones con toda la atención que merecen.

Los museos tampoco les han dedicado todo el espacio que ameritan, y algunas de sus obras más importantes permanecen en sus depósitos.

Fueron nuestras Maestras: Luisa Géigel Brunet, Luisina Ordóñez Sabater, María Luisa Penne de Castillo, Cecilia Orta Allende y Ana Bassó Bruno.

El libro también incorpora al Colectivo Moriviví, representante de una nueva generación de artistas que rompen con los esquemas del arte tradicional y se lanzan a crear con medios novedosos, particularmente a través del arte público. Deciden ignorar los museos y apropiarse de las paredes del vecindario, de la ciudad para plasmar sus imágenes comprometidas con las luchas de las mujeres y de la comunidad por mayor justicia. Su consigna: el ‘artivismo’.Confiamos en que esta publicación contribuya a documentar las aportaciones de estas artistas y estimule más investigaciones y exposiciones sobre ellas.

16

El Sol Latino May 2022

Join us for a book signing with graphic novelist

EDGARDO MIRANDA-RODRIGUEZ

friday

may 6, 2022 6:00 pm War memorial

310 Appleton Street Holyoke, MA

for more info: www.la-borinquena.com