El Sol Latino | November 2023 | 19.12

November 2023

Volume 19 No. 12

Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

Celebrating Our 19th Anniversary Keeping our Focus on Social Justice Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

Un Periódico Diferente / A Different Kind of Newspaper

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Foto del Mes /Photo of the Month Remembering our May 2015 Edition

contents

2 Foto del Mes /Photo of the Month Remembering our May 2015 Edition 3 Portada / Front Page The Carlos Vega Fund for Social Justice 2023 Event 4 The 28th Annual Puerto Rican Flag Raising Ceremony in Westfield 5 New Latinx Murals Unveiled at Holyoke Community College 6 ‘Transformation’ At Holyoke Community College 7 Educación / Education STCC to Host Open House to Explore Health Careers American International College Earns Second Consecutive For Social Mobility Access 8 Ponce Health Sciences University & Tiber Health Offers New Model to Diversify MD Programs 9 Opinion / Opinion A Call to Action in Fostering Equity and Inclusion for Latinas/os in Child and Family Welfare 10 Literatura / Literature El acto de matar Segunda parte de una serie: Asesino ritual 12 Libros / Books Inconformes & disidentes: Arte puertorriqueño en el siglo XXI Raza Schools: The Fight for Latino Educational Autonomy in a West Texas Borderlands Town 13 Comercio /Business MassHire Holyoke Career Services: We are here to serve!

Finanzas / Finances Scammers Stepped Up Their Game…You Should Too! 14 Deportes / Sports Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana Regresa a Televisión Dominicana 15 Astros Hartford Campeones Temporada 2023

Founded in 2004 n Volume 19, No. 12 n November 2023

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

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

Portada / Front Page

El Sol Latino November 2023

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The Carlos Vega Fund for Social Justice 2023 Event by MANUEL FRAU RAMOS On Saturday, October 21st the Carlos Vega Fund for Social Justice (CVFSJ) announced the recipients of this year’s appreciation grants during the annual fall event held at Fame Lounge/Eatery, 386 Dwight Street in Holyoke.

The event included complimentary tapas, a musical performance by José González and his Banda Criolla, and a short program to honor the 2023 Social Justice Awardee and to announce the Appreciation Grant recipients.

Carlos Vega Fund for Social Justice Advisory Board Jon Weissman, 2023 Social Justice Awardee.

CVFSJ honored Jon Weissman as the 2023 Social Justice Awardee.

Weissman, a well-known community activist and organizer, has devoted his life to fighting for social justice, from serving as Union President of the National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 46 to working with Jobs With Justice. His current efforts focus on passing a bill in Massachusetts to establish a single payer health care system (Medicare for All). Weissman worked closely form many years on many grassroots organizing activities and social justice community oriented projects with Carlos Vega.

Jon Weissman is the 8th Social Justice award recipient since 2015 that honors outstanding peoples who, like Carlos, demonstrate a deep commitment to improving the Greater Holyoke community.

Carlos Vega was an advocate for those experiencing hardship because of poverty, homelessness, lack of education and job opportunities, as well as unfair treatment based on racism and intolerance. His organizing work on behalf of people in Holyoke spanned over four decades. He died in 2011.

In 2010, to honor Carlos on his 60th birthday, a group of Vega’s close friends and relatives established the Carlos Vega Fund for Social Justice to keep his legacy of compassion and social activism alive. The focus of the CVFSJ (a Donor Advised Fund managed by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts) is to provide modest grants to grassroots organizations to support small but meaningful social change projects that address poverty, oppression, environmental concerns, race, and the needs of vulnerable communities.

As part of the event, the Advisory Board announced the 13 recipients of this year’s “Appreciation Grants”. These are unsolicited mini grants that the board awards to organizations doing “good work” in the Greater Holyoke and surrounding communities. These grants highlight the valuable work undertaken by smaller community-based organizations, individuals, or groups in their ongoing pursuit of social justice.

The awardees were: El Colibrí, AAFPAA, Alianza, Community Legal Aid, HPS Valley Project, Community Survival Center, Resilient Community Arts, Western Massachusetts Policy Center, Indian Orchard Neighborhood Council, Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen, MABETA and Scarlet Sock Foundation.

The members of the Carlos Vega Fund for Social Justice Advisory Board are: Miguel Arce, Carey Baker, Amber Black, Iris Crespo, Jane Frey, Sylvia Galván, Tom Hidalgo, Courtney Joaquin, Orlando Isaza, Liz O’Dair, Idali Torres, Aaron Vega and Debra Vega.

It is a Donor Advised Fund that is managed by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts with the assistance of an Advisory Board.

Donations made to the Carlos Vega Fund are tax-deductible because the Community Foundation is exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c) (3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. The fund supports individuals and organizations in activities designed to advance social justice resembling Carlos’ grassroots organizing approaches.

For more information about the Fund or to donate online, visit carlosvegafund.org.

Un podcast sobre la historia del archipiélago de Puerto Rico y el Caribe Conversaciones con expertos sobre el tema y personalidades de interés.

Con el historiador público Ramón A. González-Arango López. ¡Nuevo episodio todos los jueves! ¡Comparte y disfrútalo!

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Portada / Front Page

El Sol Latino November 2023

The 28th Annual Puerto Rican Flag Raising Ceremony in Westfield by MANUEL FRAU RAMOS The 28th annual ceremony to raise the flag of Puerto Rico it was held place on Sunday, October 1st at 1 PM in front of Westfield City Hall on 59 Court Street in Westfield, MA.

contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States

Since 1995, the Puerto Rican residents of Westfield had organized a ceremony to raise the flag of Puerto Rico on the grounds of Westfield City Hall. The event featured an official flag of Puerto Rico that is flown in the island’s municipalities and at the Puerto Rico Capitol building in San Juan.

L to R: Isaias Colombani, Wilson Colombani, Adrian Colombani, Awilda Colombani Méndez, this year’s Westfield Puerto Rican Association’s Recognition of Excellence Award honoree, and Adianez Colombani

The event is organized by the Westfield Puerto Rican Association (WEPRA) as part of the National Hispanic Heritage Month that is annually celebrated from September 15 to October 15 in the United States for recognizing the

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Awilda Colombani Méndez, raising the Puerto Rican flag at Westfield City Hall

WEPRA continues this tradition of celebrating our culture and honoring those families who settled in Westfield in the mid 20th century. Puerto Ricans began settling in Westfield during the 1950s. These families founded what now has become a thriving Puerto Rican community in Westfield.

This year’s honoree was Awilda Colombani. A Westfield resident for the past 28 years, the successful businesswoman was recognized for her perseverance, success, religious life, and contributions to family and community. WEPRA highlighted her embodiment of Hispanic values as she has dedicated herself to her community, church, and family.

Awilda attributes all her accomplishments to God, who has been her strength and guiding force. WEPRA recognized Awilda as a standout businesswoman for thirty years in downtown Westfield. She opened her beauty salon on Arnold Street in 1983. When the building where her business was located was taken by eminent domain, she not only relocated, but expanded her business, the Slight Edge Salon, now located at 20 Elm Street, in the center of the city.

Following the ceremony, there was a gathering at the YMCA with traditional Puerto Rican food catered by Sabor Latino of Chicopee, and desserts prepared by members of the Westfield Latino community. A musical event

by Bomba de Aquí, a dance and music company that performs and teaches Afro-Puerto Rican traditions in the region, followed. Bomba de Aquí’s lead dancer is Brendaliz Cepeda who is the granddaughter of the renowned patriarch and matriarch of Puerto Rican bomba and plena, Don Rafael Cepeda and Doña Caridad Brenes.

The national anthems of the United States and of Puerto Rico, “La Borinqueña”, were sung by Adrian Colombani, Alisa Soto and Ariana Roldán. DJ music was provided by Doug Sweeney.

For more information about WEPRA, contact: Agma M. Sweeney Phone (413) 3489-0163 Email: wepra.westfield@gmail.com

Portada / Front Page

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New Latinx Murals Unveiled at Holyoke Community College by MANUEL FRAU RAMOS On October 4, 2023, the recently appointed president of Holyoke Community College (HCC) George Timmons and muralist artist Betsy Casañas, along with HCC faculty, staff, and students officially held a mural ribbon-cutting celebration to unveiled three new murals featuring Latinx themes.

All three murals were painted by muralist Betsy Casañas in collaboration with the city of Holyoke and the nonprofit Beyond Walls project. Even though the murals had been completed during the summer, the official unveiling was set for October 4 as part of the National Hispanic Heritage Month that annually is celebrated from September 15 to October 15.

This outstanding event came seventeen years (May 10, 2006) after ‘Transformation’, the 40-foot long canvas mural of the Latino Mural Collaborative Project worked under the direction of author and painter Deborah Savage was unveiled at HCC campus.

The event was part of HCC’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month on Wed., Oct. 4, with two simultaneous events: the mural ribbon-cutting ceremony, and the annual Latinx Fiesta recognizing Latinx art, history, and culture.

Latinx Fiesta featured food, music, and craft representing HCC faculty, staff, and students from some South American, Latin American, and Caribbean countries.

HCC President George Timmons, Muralist Betsy Casañas, Aaron Vega, Director of Planning & Economic Development of the city of Holyoke, Alan H. Bloomgarden, Director of Foundation and Government Grants HCC, and Julissa Colón, director of El CENTRO.

The biggest mural, located on the wall of Marieb Building facing the Holyoke Community College courtyard, features a sepia-toned likeness of a Bomba dancer and drummer and stands three stories tall. The mural portrait is an actual representation of a classroom at the famous Tata Cepeda school in Puerto Rico. Tata Cepeda (born Margarita Sánchez Cepeda) is considered one of the most important and influential Afro-Puerto Rican folklorists of our time. She is the granddaughter of Rafael Cepeda Atiles, recognized as “The Patriarch” of the moderm form of Bomba and Plena.

The second mural on the second floor of the Campus Center, spelling out “E-L C-E-N-T-R-O” in bold, blue letters from floor to ceiling behind silhouettes of icons of U.S Latinx, Caribbean and Latin American history.

Among the 16 figures featured on the mural are Baseball Hall Famer of Roberto Clemente (Puerto Rico), and 1982 Literature Nobel Prize winning author Gabriel García Márquez (Colombia), Luisa Moreno, a Guatemalanborn labor activist, Víctor Jara, the Chilean folk singer who was tortured and murdered on by the Pinochet’s dictatorship, and the Mirabal sisters, who were murdered by demonstrating their opposition against the regime of the dictator Rafael Trujillo (El Jefe) in the Dominican Republic.

A third mural presents a brightly colored image of a traditional Puerto Rican vejigante mask. It is located on the wall in the reception area of El Centro that can be seen through glass windows of the office. El CENTRO is a bilingual student-support program to meet the needs of HCC Latinx students.

Julissa Colón, director of El CENTRO, shared that, “Not only are the murals beautiful, but they show our students that their history has value, that they come from incredible stories of strength, success, bravery.” She added, “I want to say that you showing up today matters, It shows the institution and our community that we have a voice and that we are unafraid to use it, and that the work that is being brought to our campus represents us and what we want to say about ourselves.”

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Mural portraying Tata Cepeda

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Portada / Front Page

El Sol Latino November 2023

Note of the editor. We are including this front page and the story that were published in our June, 2006 edition.

We wanted to frame this month’s story on the mural project at HCC within a historical perspective.

‘Transformation’ At Holyoke Community College By Manuel Frau Ramos lighter and better defined as the transformation towards the positive unfolds.

The transformation ends in a note of hope with an angelical figure, and Latino youth looking towards a better future.

Latino Mural - 2006 The inclusion the Puerto Rican flag in the positive section of the mural highlights the message of ‘transformation’ with more than one interpretation: a better future for the city of Holyoke, and a new phase of Holyoke Community College as an educational institution for all.

On May 10 the community in general, but especially the Puerto Rican community of Holyoke, witnessed the official unveiling of the long-awaited Latino mural at Holyoke Community College (HCC).

‘Transformation’, the 40-foot long canvas mural of the Latino Mural Collaborative Project that depicts daily life in the city of Holyoke, is the product of 16 Latino youth, most of the Boricuas residing in Holyoke that worked under the direction of author and painter Deborah Savage.

The mural’s images and message undergo a transformation, from the negative to the positive. To the left, the intense colors, and the dark, poorly defined images appear to represent and transmit a negative message about the experience of growing up in Holyoke. The colors and the figures become

It pleases us to see how the mural symbolically replaces what seemed to be an “invisible wall” that separated the college from the Puerto Rican community of Holyoke. The fact that the mural was placed in the Campus Student plaza, a highly visible place that represents the “common” or the “heart” of the building complex that makes up the college, reinforces the message of transformation and inclusion. The mural faces South Holyoke, where most of the Puerto Rican community resides; the “marginalized” are now part of the “center.” The image of the Puerto Rican flag on the right sends a clear message to the Puerto Rican community. Just as the cultural symbols of other ethnic groups are displayed, it was time for the Puerto Rican cultural symbols to be visible in the Holyoke “landscape.”

In the past, the political discourse of welcome and inclusiveness on the part of the administrators did not translate into realities. The lack of Latino students, faculty and administrators, especially Puerto Ricans, demonstrated this rhetorical abyss. As Heriberto “Herbie” Flores, HCC trustee, pointed out not too long ago, “As a Puerto Rican, I have to ask, where has the College been for years? This College at this point does not reflect the African American community or the Puerto Rican community.”

We hope the Latino Mural Project marks the beginning of a real transformation at Holyoke Community College.

Educación / Education

El Sol Latino November 2023

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STCC to Host Open House to Explore Health Careers SPRINGFIELD, MA | SPRINGFIELD TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE | October 24, 2023 - Springfield Technical Community College will host Allied Health Careers Exploration Night on Thursday, Nov. 16, to give the public a close-up look at the hands-on programs that lead to in-demand careers in the medical profession.

Scheduled 4:30 p.m.-7 p.m., the free event open to the public is an opportunity to see demonstrations with state-of-the-art training equipment and speak to faculty, staff and students in the STCC School of Health and Patient Simulation.

Some Massachusetts residents may be eligible to enroll in allied health programs at no cost. The state offers a program called MassReconnect, a version of free community college for Massachusetts residents 25 years of age or older to earn an associate degree or certificate.

The night will feature tours of STCC’s SIMS Medical Center, a nationally recognized patient simulation facility, and tours of departments. Visitors can meet faculty and current students and observe demonstrations and handson activities.

“This is a terrific opportunity to see if the health care field is a good fit,” Scott said.

Prospective students can ask questions and experience hands-on opportunities that will allow them immersive experiences in each of the healthcare professions offered at STCC. STCC offers the following programs to get started on the path to a health career:

The Allied Health Careers Exploration Night at STCC will feature demonstrations in the SIMS Medical Center

While no registration is required, visitors are asked to check in with organizers in the first-floor lobby of Building 20, on the Pearl Street side of the campus.

“We encourage anyone interested in learning more about our programs and health careers to attend,” said Christopher Scott, dean of the School of Health and Patient Simulation. “We’re opening our doors to high school students, STCC students who are in general studies or other majors, people thinking of changing careers – really anyone who wants to explore our programs and learn about career opportunities in the health field.”

• Dental Assistant • Dental Hygiene • Diagnostic Medical Sonography • Fire Science • Health Information Technology • Health Science • Medical Assistant • Medical Coding & Billing Specialist • Medical Laboratory Technician • Medical Office Administrative Assistant • Nursing • Occupational Therapy Assistant • Physical Therapist Assistant • Respiratory Care • Radiologic Technology • Surgical Technology

The following courses are available: • Certified Nursing Assistant • Emergency Medical Technician • Patient Care Technician • Phlebotomy Technician • Sterile Processing Technician For more information, contact the School of Health & Patient Simulation.

Email SHPS@stcc.edu or call (413) 755-7477.

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

AIC Earns Second Consecutive Recognition for Social Mobility Access SPRINGFIELD, MA | AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE | October 2, 2023 – For the second year in a row, American International College (AIC) has achieved recognition from U.S. News & World Report as a top performer in social mobility within the National Universities category. AIC’s 2024 ranking at ninety-three positions the College in the top fourth nationwide, among the top six in Massachusetts, and the leader in Western Massachusetts in this category.

Social mobility is one of the key areas evaluated for excellence by U.S. News to help students and families identify colleges that align

best with their needs. This category assesses how well schools graduate economically disadvantaged students, a demographic that, according to the publication, faces greater challenges in completing their college education. By factoring in graduation rates of Pellawarded and first-generation students in their rankings, the report highlights institutions like AIC that excel in fostering social mobility.

AIC President Hubert Benítez, DDS, PhD, refers to the ranking as a testament to the College’s ongoing commitment to ensuring access to higher education. continued on next page

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Educación / Education

El Sol Latino November 2023

Ponce Health Sciences University & Tiber Health Offers New Model to Diversify MD Programs ST. LOUIS, MO | PR UNDERGROUND | October 1, 2023 - Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU) and Tiber Health Innovation (THI) announce the publication of a report in Academic Medicine, the flagship journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), that’s titled “Increasing Diversity in the Physician Workforce: Pathway Programs and Predictive Analytics.”

The report presents a model, which is the first and only of its kind in the world, that helps medical schools to increase the socio-economic diversity among students within their MD programs by creating a pathway program coupled with predictive analytics. The model allows MD admissions committees to rely less on the MCAT (which peer-reviewed studies have found to be a weak to moderate predictor of success in medical school, especially for underrepresented groups) and more on performance data when evaluating diverse MD applicants from the pathway program.

“The challenge of achieving socio-economic diversity among medical education students has been long standing, and our research highlights an approach that can level the playing field,” says Dr. David Lenihan, CEO of Tiber Health Corporation and PHSU. “We now have tangible proof that a pathway program combined with THI’s predictive analytics can be an effective way for MD admissions committees to better evaluate the capabilities of applicants from underrepresented and lower socioeconomic backgrounds without relying on the MCAT.” The report presents the outcomes of a 10-year research project that has been conducted by PHSU and THI. The three phases of the project are (1) creating and implementing a pathway program; (2) building and validating a

predictive analytics platform; and (3) working with the MD admissions committee to gain trust and adoption, including ongoing evaluation and monitoring.

At PHSU, which offers 15 health education programs including an LCME accredited medical school (campuses in Puerto Rico and Missouri), this pathway program is the Master of Science in Medical Sciences (MSMS) degree, the curriculum of which is the same as year one of PHSU’s MD program. Coupled with THI’s predictive analytics platform, these two components provide the PHSU MD Admissions committee with a highly accurate data-driven process for evaluating medical school applicants.

The report found that PHSU’s students (100% Hispanic with the majority coming from households earning less than $100K per year) who were directly admitted to PHSU MD had higher MCAT scores compared to students who went through MSMS before PHSU MD. However, there was no difference in USMLE Step 1 scores when comparing MSMS and nonMSMS groups (see “MD Cohort Data” bar graph image).

“This data is revelatory because it confirms our hypothesis that underrepresented students from lower economic backgrounds with below 500 MCAT scores can be successful in med school and pass the Step 1,” says Dr. Mayrath. “MD programs that have used a traditional MCAT-reliant evaluation methodology can enhance or upgrade their admissions policies by implementing this data-driven, performance-based process. It’s a more accurate measure of the capabilities of minority MD applicants from lower economic backgrounds who might not fit the traditional profile but possess the proficiencies and ambition to become the future physicians who are needed for an ever-changing U.S. population.”

Tiber Health is a global network of progressive medical universities united in a transformative enterprise to reshape medical education worldwide. With a team of dedicated educators, practitioners, and entrepreneurs, Tiber Health leverages predictive learning analytics to widen access to healthcare education, foster diversity in the physician workforce, and address the global shortage of trained physicians. Tiber’s approach has revolutionized medical education and reduced costs while elevating quality, graduation rates, and U.S. Board scores.

AIC Earns Second Consecutive Recognition for Social Mobility Access continued from page 7 “AIC, and its faculty and staff, understand that earning a college degree is vital in increasing and achieving social mobility,” said College President Hubert Benítez, DDS, PhD. “For this reason, AIC continues to strive to offer a high-quality education at an affordable cost, leading to a successful career path. In doing so, it is committed to helping every student, despite their background, to succeed.”

gaps, focusing on being an institution where access, opportunity, equity, and belonging are defining characteristics.”

Why does college matter for social mobility? According to research conducted by the Hamilton Project published by the Brookings Institution, higher education plays a crucial role in providing opportunities for disadvantaged Americans to transform their economic circumstances. In an era marked by increasing inequality and limited social mobility, enhancing access to education holds the potential to promote equality of opportunity for all.

Founded in 1885, American International College (AIC) is a private, co-educational, doctoral granting institution located in Springfield, Massachusetts comprising the School of Business, Arts, and Sciences, the School of Health Sciences, and the School of Education. AIC supports and advances education, diversity, and opportunity for its students and the community.

“Today, students who attend higher education institutions come from diverse backgrounds, and the landscape shows vast social and economic disparities,” added Benitez. “Despite inherent obstacles, AIC is keeping true to its commitment to prepare and serve lowerincome students, and it continues to take steps towards bridging the

As AIC continues its mission of educating and empowering the next generation, the College remains committed to advancing social mobility to ensure a brighter future is attainable for every aspiring student.

Opinion / Opinion A Call to Action in Fostering Equity and Inclusion for Latinas/os in Child and Family Welfare by JOSÉ P. ARCE and MIGUEL L. ARCE According to the 2010 Census, the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area was ranked first in the nation for Hispanic-White segregation. The conditions of segregation lead to unacceptable housing, to inadequate primary and secondary education, to significantly underpaid employment, and to inaccessible or unavailable health services. Latinas/os experience a wide range of dreadful, dramatic, and urgent social vulnerabilities that are scarcely captured in any demographic profile.

Historic patterns of segregation and disinvestment have led to the convergence of Latina/o families within areas of concentrated poverty, particularly in larger urban areas of Springfield and Holyoke. This inequality, stemming from segregation, manifests itself in disparities of income and wealth, status, access, and opportunity.

Poverty is only one of the countless consequences of inequality, but importantly Latina/o families are extremely vulnerable to poverty. Poverty is a risk factor that interferes with a families’ ability to care for their children by restricting access to basic needs, such as housing, food, and healthcare.

Latina/o children and their families have daily challenges in their life circumstance that are mentioned above. Despite these social vulnerabilities, families can (with great difficulty) bounce back. There are examples of countless stories of heroism, by navigating, if not overcoming, the intentional and unintentional systemic obstacles that are placed before them. All children and their families deserve lives of dignity.

There exist dedicated individuals and organizations that seek to highlight and build on the resourcefulness, strengths and courage of Latina/o community. A partnership, with those families and those individuals who seek the social betterment of a vulnerable Latina/o community, is required. Springfield College has embarked on a campaign not only to highlight the disparities but also to provide solutions. The campaign has three objectives: to raise awareness, to organize a response, and to undertake a one-day conference on March 13, 2024. The campaign titled Fostering Equity and Inclusion for Latina/o Children and their Families, seeks to gather an interdisciplinary team of academicians, community organizers, elected officials,

El Sol Latino November 2023

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governmental public agencies, community-based organizations, and families who are either consumers or providers of services to address disparities that impact Latina/o families.

This community organizing campaign/conference also seeks to assess policies, implementation of programs, and practices that contribute to disparities. The campaign will make alternative policy recommendations and provide leadership in the identification of targeted solutions to systemic problems affecting the Latina/o family. Strategies used to address disproportionality and disparity for Latina/o families are often the same strategies used to improve outcomes for all children and families; however, the campaign seeks to explore more deliberative and antiracist approaches to policy practice.

The conference is seeking options that offer culturally specific or responsive approaches. There are agencies that provide culturally specific services designed to respond respectfully, empathetically, and effectively to the challenges of the Latina/o child and their families’ wellbeing. The conference will search for potential solutions to challenges faced by large sectors of low-income Latina/o families.

This community organizing campaign and conference also seeks to assess policies, program implementation and practices that contribute to disparities and make policy alternative recommendations. As mentioned above, in spite of disparities, inequities and the growing difficult life circumstances faced by Latina/o children, youth and families, there exist many dedicated individuals and community organizations that plan and create on the strengths of Latina/o children and families.

The Fostering Equity and Inclusion for Latinas/os in Child and Family Welfare campaign and conference should have profound and long lasting impact on the quality of life in the community of Puerto Rican families. A massive response is essential to support the resilience of Latina/o children and families, a community set apart. Ending segregation and poverty is not only possible, it is necessary.

The conference organizer is currently seeking solution-based child and family practices to be highlighted in the March 13, 2024 conference. For information about the Fostering Equity and Inclusion for Latina/o Child and Family Welfare conference being held on March 13, 2024, follow this link: https://gulick.springfield.edu/fosteringequityconference/

5ta campaña anual de paquetes de atención comunitaria MUCHAS DE LAS PERSONAS A LAS QUE SERVIMOS NO PUEDEN PAGAR LAS NECESIDADES BÁSICAS...

POR FAVOR AYÚDENOS A BRINDAR COMODIDADES SIMPLES A LOS NIÑOS, JÓVENES SIN HOGAR, PERSONAS EN RECUPERACIÓN + FAMILIAS EN LUCHA. Sólo artículos nuevos. Done: artículos de tocador, calcetines, artículos de invierno, toallitas húmedas para bebés, desinfectante de manos, bolsos de lona, mochilas (adultos y niños)

Lugares de entrega: 933 East Columbus Avenue, Springfield 80 Comercial Street, Holyoke

También se aceptarán donaciones monetarias.

Cheques Pagables A: Gándara Center Memo: 2023 Community Care Package Drive

16 George Street, Westfield PARA MÁS INFORMACIÓN CONTÁCTESE: JRIVERAMCFARLIN@GANDARACENTER.ORG

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Literatura / Literature

El Sol Latino November 2023

El acto de matar Segunda parte de una serie: Asesino ritual por José Edgardo Cruz Figueroa Por unas cuantas horas, el asesino pareció ser un puertorriqueño y alegadamente había matado a ocho personas: cinco mujeres y tres hombres. El caso aparentaba ser de homicidios en serie, excepto por la variación en el sexo de las víctimas. Esto sugería espontaneidad en vez de premeditación pero no negaba la alevosía que siempre acompaña a un asesinato.

Las primeras tres mujeres habían muerto de la misma manera: apuñaladas.

Las tres andaban solas a las tantas de la madrugada y sus cuerpos fueron encontrados justo al salir el sol. Los familiares no entendían nada. Eran muchachas buenas, trabajadoras, honestas, sin predisposición a los desarreglos, y sin historial libertino o de provocación erótica o sexual. Y no es que si hubiesen sido unas flamas habrían estado más sujetas a ser asaltadas sino más bien que por ser quienes eran resultaba más difícil entender el motivo por el cual habían sido acuchilladas. Una de ellas le había sido infiel a su marido pero a la hora de su muerte eso no constaba.

En todo caso, que fuese adúltera no era razón para que la mataran.

La verdad es que las familias no eran los únicos desconcertados. La policía misma se sentía confusa y no daba pie con bola en ninguno de los casos.

Así, antes de que los oficiales pestañearan, tres víctimas más—dos mujeres y un hombre—habían aparecido en varias partes de la ciudad llenos de tajos. Todos excepto la primera víctima estaban vestidos. El motivo no podía ser el robo pues sus pertenencias estaban intactas. A nadie le faltaba nada de lo que llevaba: carteras, dinero, prendas, tarjetas de crédito. Solo la primera víctima estaba semi-desnuda, en panties y brassiere y calzando zapatos negros de taco alto.

Una vez un hombre figuró entre las partes afectadas, las teorías que se sustentaban en el machismo, el sexismo, y el odio a las mujeres como motivo de los asesinatos se fueron al carajo. La homofobia tampoco aplicaba pues el hombre era conocido como heterosexual. En una entrevista con la policía un amigo reveló que el tipo era un mujeriego y sugirió que si alguien tenía un motivo claro para matarlo era su esposa. Cuando el oficial que lo entrevistó le preguntó que si eso significaba que si su mujer le era infiel él era capaz de matarla, el amigo se puso pálido y admitió que con su sugerencia se había pasado de la raya. “Si estos son crímenes de odio, el fulano que anda por ahí acuchillando a diestra y siniestra, odia a los hombres y a las mujeres por igual”, dijo el detective González, a quien un periódico citó pues él solía bregar con casos similares. En ese momento estaba investigando el homicidio de un concejal de izquierda que resultó ser una anomalía en los anales del crimen pasional.

Si el motivo era odio éste parecía tener cierta especificidad. Las dos víctimas siguientes fueron hombres. Ambos habían sido acuchillados y sus cuerpos exhibían múltiples tajos. La especificidad en estos dos casos estaba en un detalle singular. A ambos les habían cortado las bolas y el pene. Eso no se veía a simple vista. Al descubrir los cadáveres la policía lo intuyó al ver la mancha enorme de sangre rodeando sus braguetas para luego confirmarlo.

Por lo visto el asesino se había quedado con los órganos mutilados quizás como trofeos o para dárselos de comida a un animal. Ese pensamiento hizo que uno de los policías presente en la escena del crimen se retorciera de naúseas.

González, como siempre, se explicaba las cosas pensando contraintuitivamente. Si el homicida seguía un patrón no era porque fuese un asesino ritual o en serie sino porque quería despistar a las autoridades.

El crimen no era de odio sino pasional aunque pareciera lo contrario. Se trataba de un crimen acompañado de otras muertes que eran periféricas al asesinato principal. Solo con una víctima la pasión había dictado el resultado. En los demás el motivo era gratuito, reflejo de una vocación tétrica descubierta en el acto de matar. ¿Era este caso un ejemplo de la tendencia nefasta en civilizaciones avanzadas a la coexistencia de lo más bajo y lo más refinado? Mirando la

cosa objetivamente, se podía decir que sí. La cultura existente cobijaba tanto el crimen como la virtud, el egoísmo y el altruismo eran dos caras de la misma moneda y la desfachatez tenía tanto arraigo como el buen gusto.

El sistema político era democrático, la escena literaria y musical era de altura, y sin embargo, el bajo mundo campeaba por sus respetos, a la cabeza del tráfico de drogas, el lavado de dinero y la trata blanca. Mirando el caso específico de la mujer desnuda y estasajada, era posible que su asesino fuese tan excelso como tan desalmado, empático para algunas cosas y sociopático para otras, culto y bárbaro a la misma vez, un clásico Doctor Jekill/Señor Hyde.

Según González, el criminal se quería desquitar de una de sus víctimas y una vez lo hizo se dio cuenta de lo mucho que le había gustado matarla. Al mismo tiempo, para evitar levantar sospechas contra sí, siguió matando hasta asegurarse que la conexión entre él y la víctima con la cual se había desquitado quedara oscurecida por los otros casos. Lo que nadie sabía era que la tesis de González era una proyección, una hipótesis generada a partir de hechos de los cuales él era responsable. Él era, precisamente, la encarnación de la dupleta vil de civilización y barbarie, un personaje capaz de apuñalar a un enemigo después de ir a misa y comulgar. El suyo era un crimen de amor pero no como el crimen de amor revolucionario en el cual el amor es un escudo que usa la razón para encubrir propósitos homicidas.

No, su crimen estaba motivado por una traición que le daba motivo para matar pero no para justificar el asesinato.

El día que la prensa anunció la muerte de la primera mujer, González estaba desayunando. Como de costumbre había ido al diner en la esquina de Spring y Lafayette. Vivía en un apartamento de cuatro cuartos en un edificio destartalado en esa intersección, que era el punto de partida hacia SOHO, el east village, el west village, la pequeña Italia, o Chinatown, dependiendo del punto cardinal hacia donde uno decidiera desplazarse. En el diner tenían un televisor inmenso colgando del plafón y viendo las noticias vio el reportaje. El televisor estaba callado para no molestar a los comensales y entre sorbos de café y mordizcos de su croissant tostado, mirando hacia arriba, González leyó los closed captions que decían que la mujer había sido encontrada la noche anterior en un parque, tirada en una cuneta, semi desnuda y acuchillada. González bajó los ojos del televisor y miró a los lados como el que acaba de cometer una indiscreción y se preocupa que alguien lo haya detectado.

Terminó su desayuno y salió volando hacia el cuartel para pedir que le asignaran el caso. No se lo dijo a nadie pero él sabía quién era la mujer asesinada. No quería que se enteraran pues de ser así le prohibirían envolverse para evitar que la investigación quedara prejuiciada. González quería asumir la investigación pues para él ello era una manera efectiva de ocultar el papel que había jugado en el destino marchito de esa víctima. La muerte de las siete personas siguientes fueron parte de su cobertura, aunque desde el principio a él no le importaba tanto lo que pudiera pasar pues comprendió que matar le gustaba. Ese placer era tan grande que hacía papilla de su super ego y reducía el miedo a ser cogido en pifia a una pila de caca. ¡Qué gran diferencia entre ese momento y el día en que se preguntó si era mejor matar por un amor o por una causa! Entonces había concluído que era mejor no matar pero lo hizo cuando todavía estaba enamorado. La traición de la mujer casada a la que se había entregado de pies a cabeza todavía no había ocurrido y por ello su perspectiva había sido ecuánime.

Ahora no. Ahora estaba lleno de un odio superlativo que había salido de su cuerpo en el momento de matar, dándole reposo a su alma atormentada de la misma manera que un vómito alivia las naúseas. Antes de matar, algunas de sus acciones habían sido reprochables pero menores en su impacto, como acostarse con esa mujer ajena, algo que él equivocadamente pensó

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Literatura / Literature

El Sol Latino November 2023

11

El acto de matar Segunda parte de una serie: Asesino ritual continued from page 10 que no le hacía daño a nadie. Irónicamente, por esa infracción menor su vida había terminado.

Cuando los superiores de González se percataron de que él conocía a una de las víctimas, no le permitieron envolverse en el caso. La coincidencia lo convirtió en una persona de interés, lo cual era una mera formalidad pues nadie pensaba que él pudiese ser responsable. A los seis meses de la muerte de la conocida de González, él resolvió el caso del concejal de izquierdas que se había ligado con la prima hermana de su esposa, lo cual llevó al marido de la prima a contratar a tres delincuentes para que lo mataran. González quebró ese caso estableciendo que había sido provocado por celos y por la vergüenza que sentía el marido a consecuencia de que un puto izquierdista lo había convertido en cabrón. Fue durante el juicio de los criminales que González sufrió la misma suerte que el concejal, después de vivir el desengaño amoroso que le indujo a cambiar su actitud respecto al asesinato, para luego de disfrutar de su venganza y del placer de seguir matando.

El responsable de la muerte de las ocho víctimas había dejado una pista.

Junto al cadáver de la primera había un boleto de Amtrak con destino a Montreal. Siguiendo ese rastro, la policía arrestó al presunto dueño del boleto. El boleto estaba partido en dos y el nombre del pasajero estaba incompleto.”Resultó que el tipo era puertorriqueño, como tú”, le dijo un colega a González. “Lo interrogamos exhaustivamente explorando tu teoría de que mató a esa mujer para desquitarse de un engaño y que las víctimas que sucumbieron después fueron para encubrir su conexión con la amante, para desvíar nuestra atención de la posibilidad de que ella hubiese sido acuchillada por razones personales. Fíjate qué cosa: el boleto solo tenía su apellido y era González. Como estaba partido por la mitad, no supimos las fechas de su viaje hasta que lo entrevistamos. Su estancia en Montreal fue durante la semana en que la mujer fue asesinada. El boleto que encontramos tenía su apellido pero no era el de él. Por el momento la investigación está estancada. Nos falta ver si hay otros González que estuvieron en Montreal antes del asesinato”.

González se alegró calladamente al escuchar el recuento de su colega. Se sintió libre. Todavía se preocupaba de que al descubrir que el boleto encontrado al lado de la víctima era de él, alguien tocara a su puerta de noche o en la mañana para arrestarlo. Era una preocupación mínima pero real. Aunque conocía a la primera víctima, por ser policía nadie había sospechado que él fuera el culpable. Me salí con la mía, pensó. Y ahora me conozco un poco mejor, sé bien de lo que soy capaz. ¡Qué ironía descubrir que me encanta ver correr la sangre!

El descubrimiento era retrospectivo. Antes de matar, se excitaba muchísimo al ver a los toros botando sangre a chorros por la boca justo antes del tercio de muerte de las corridas en España. Lo que no sabía entonces era que ese placer turístico encubría lo que quedaría expuesto más tarde: la delicia de ver borbotones de sangre humana saliendo hasta por los poros de la gente que mataba.

Me pregunto qué pensarían mis colegas si supieran con quién trabajan, concluyó. Me lo imagino pero no lo voy a confirmar.

Ya en su apartamento, González se duchó con agua prácticamente congelada. Sintió el chorro de la ducha como una ráfaga de dardos que le punzaban sin parar. No sabía con certeza si evitaba el agua caliente para martirizarse. No era un gran castigo pero como quiera era una forma leve y simbólica de tortura, una pequeña penitencia que se imponía para limpiarse un poco su culpa. Todavía tiritando y solo con una toalla amarrada a su cintura, se metió al internet e hizo una reservación para pasarse una semana de vacaciones. En realidad no eran vacaciones pero así se lo pintó para no admitir abiertamente que era una fuga.

A la mañana siguiente tomó el tren y al mismo tiempo que la policía

conducía una conferencia de prensa revelando que el asesino ritual había cometido otro asesinato y que habían re-abierto la investigación de los ocho que habían sido asesinados previamente, él se dirigió hacia Montreal, la ciudad adonde sus padres habían emigrado. Esta vez se aseguró de destruir su boleto aunque en realidad era innecesario. Estaba seguro de no haber dejado un rastro en la escena del crimen que la policía anunció en la conferencia de prensa. No había nada que amenazara revelar su participación en la ejecución del nuevo asesinato. Como ahora disfrutaba de la violencia que perpetraba tenía necesidad de ser reconocido para así llevar a un nivel más alto la satisfacción macabra que sentía al ver la sangre chorreando de los cuerpos de sus víctimas. Para ello necesitaba ser descubierto pues la satisfacción que acompaña la comisión de un acto impuro nunca es total si la autoría permanece siendo un secreto.

No se sentía culpable ni arrepentido. No tenía remordimientos. Había actuado impulsivamente, desquiciado por el despecho pero luego recobró la razón y se dispuso a sacarle provecho al torbellino que había desatado.

Sacarle provecho era una forma más bien espeluznante de decir que quería cultivar esta parte antes oculta de su carácter. A veces nadie, ni siquiera uno mismo, sabe para quién trabaja. Él lo supo tarde pero nunca es tarde si la dicha es buena, aunque la dicha de uno se fundamente en la desgracia de otros.

Ahora, de camino a Montreal, se sentía feliz de estar en tránsito, aunque no estaba convencido de haber escapado. No sabía con certeza si en efecto le interesaba escapar. ¿Quería que lo descubrieran para que así constara que su existencia era mucho más que datos en el registro demográfico?

Después fue a Puerto Rico siguiendo una pista en otro caso que imaginó podía proveerle una coartada. No la necesitaba en ese momento pero la concibió en medio de la ambivalencia entre confesar para ser reconocido y disfrutar de su vicio a plenitud y mantener su secreto para evitar la condena inevitable y el castigo que sería harto severo.

Cuando regresó fue al cuartel al otro día para entregarle a su jefe el informe de lo que había descubierto en Puerto Rico. En la tarde cenó en el diner de la calle Lafayette. La mesera lo trató con más gentileza que de costumbre y González le dejó una buena propina. Al cruzar la calle notó que su edificio se veía menos destartalado en la luz de la noche. Entró a su apartamento con trepidación al ver que la cerradura había sido violada. La puerta estaba entreabierta. Adentro, cuatro hombres lo estaban esperando. Cada uno le parecía un mequetrefe pero como grupo su aspecto era imponente, amenazante. González reconoció a uno de ellos, el marido de la mujer que se hizo su amante para después traicionarlo. No necesitó explicaciones.

Puso la mano derecha en la perilla, dejó caer su maletín en el suelo y cerró la puerta sin protestar.

JOSÉ EDGARDO CRUZ FIGUEROA (cruzjose5319@ gmail.com) es natural de San Juan y criado en El Fanguito y Barrio Obrero en Santurce.

Tiene una maestría en estudios latinoamericanos con una concentración en literatura de Queens College-CUNY y un doctorado en ciencias políticas del Graduate Center-CUNY. Es profesor en el Departamento de Ciencia Políticas en Rockefeller College, University at AlbanySUNY. José Edgardo Cruz Figueroa

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Libros / Books

El Sol Latino November 2023

Inconformes & disidentes: Arte puertorriqueño en el siglo XXI por NELSON RIVERA • SAN JUAN, PR | ‎ EDITORIAL ISLA NEGRA | 2023 | 101 páginas Descripción General Bajo el título de “Inconformes & disidentes: Arte puertorriqueño en el siglo XXI” el reconocido teatrero, académico y crítico de arte Nelson Rivera recientemente publicó bajo la Editorial Isla Negra y Editorial Callejón su más reciente libro sobre arte puertorriqueño.

Este nuevo libro de Nelson Rivera es una celebración de la vitalidad y potencia del arte puertorriqueño. Tras una reflexiva exploración de las circunstancias en las que en Puerto Rico el arte se desenvuelve, Rivera aborda la obra de ciento doce artistas que dan vida a una imparable tradición estética manifestada en la nación puertorriqueña durante más de dos siglos. Este libro demuestra, fuera de toda duda, que el arte puertorriqueño resulta imprescindible al examinar los logros y aciertos del arte latinoamericano contemporáneo. Sienta, además, un apoyo para futuros estudios sobre una singular riqueza artística que mucho tiene que ofrecer al mundo. Un libro que dará qué pensar, tanto a conocedores como al público general interesado en conocer las artes de una colectividad militante, desafiante, exitosa.

NELSON RIVERA nació en Fajardo, Puerto Rico, en 1953. Ha publicado: su obra teatral en Sucio Difícil: Piezas para el teatro 1974-2002 (Isla Negra Editores, 2005); cuatro estudios sobre las artes, Visual Artists and the Puerto Rican Performing Arts, 1950– 1990 (Peter Lang Publishing, 1997); Con urgencia: escritos sobre arte puertorriqueño contemporáneo (Editorial Universidad de Puerto Rico, 2009); Hinca por ahí: escritos sobre las artes y asuntos limítrofes (Ediciones Callejón, 2016); y Cathy Berberian: Entrevistas (Riel, 2019).

En 2015-16 presenta su exhibición retrospectiva Sucio Difícil–Nelson Rivera: teatro, música, performance en el Museo de Arte de Caguas.

Ha sido curador de numerosas exhibiciones de arte en instituciones tales como Museo de Antropología, Historia y Arte de la Universidad de Puerto Rico; Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico; Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña; Liga Estudiantes de Arte de San Juan; Museo Biblioteca La Casa del Libro; Museo de Arte de Ponce; Museo de Antropología y Arte Contemporáneo de Guayaquil, Ecuador; Museo del Barrio, Nueva York. Asimismo, ha ofrecido conferencias sobre arte contemporáneo en Puerto Rico, Cuba, Martinica, Ecuador, Estados Unidos, Gran Bretaña, Alemania, Polonia y Rusia. Es catedrático retirado de la Universidad de Puerto Rico en Humacao.

Raza Schools: The Fight for Latino Educational Autonomy in a West Texas Borderlands Town ‎by JESÚS JESSE ESPARZA • NORMAN, OK | UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA PRESS | September 2023 | 264 pages Description: In 1929, a Latino community in the borderlands city of Del Rio, Texas, established the first and perhaps only autonomous Mexican American school district in Texas history. How it did so—against a background of institutional racism, poverty, and segregation—is the story Jesús Jesse Esparza tells in Raza Schools, a history of the rise and fall of the San Felipe Independent School District from the end of World War I through the post– civil rights era.

The residents of San Felipe, whose roots Esparza traces back to the nineteenth century, faced a Jim Crow society in which deep-seated discrimination extended to education, making biased curriculum, inferior facilities, and prejudiced teachers the norm. Raza Schools highlights how the people of San Felipe harnessed the mechanisms and structures of this discriminatory system to create their own educational institutions,

using the courts whenever necessary to protect their autonomy. For forty-two years, the Latino community funded, maintained, and managed its own school system—until 1971, when in an attempt to address school segregation, the federal government forced the San Felipe Independent School District to consolidate with a larger neighboring, mostly white school district. Esparza describes the ensuing clashes—over curriculum, school governance, teachers’ positions, and funding—that challenged Latino autonomy. While focusing on the relationships between Latinos and whites who shared a segregated city, his work also explores the experience of African Americans who lived in Del Rio and attended schools in both districts as a segregated population.

Telling the complex story of how territorial pride, race and racism, politics, economic pressures, local control, and the federal government collided in Del Rio, Raza Schools recovers a lost chapter in the history of educational civil rights—and in doing so, offers a more nuanced understanding of race relations, educational politics, and school activism in the US-Mexico borderlands.

JESÚS JESSE ESPARZA is Associate Professor in the Department of History, Geography, and General Studies at Texas Southern University.

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

Comercio /Business

El Sol Latino November 2023

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MassHire Holyoke Career Services: We are here to serve!

“I got the job!” The magic words the MassHire Holyoke staff love to hear.

MassHire Holyoke is located at 850 High Street. MHH is in a slow move to new quarters; all its career counseling, reentry and recovery, and job development services are still located at 850 High Street. Visitors use the computers in the Resource Center to write and print resumes, view job postings, and complete on-line job applications. A printer and fax are also available.

MHH counselors and job developers assist eligible individuals through several different grants and programs. Some only want career readiness support or advice, information about free training programs, or resume and interviewing advice.

The Business Services Team works with local employers, listing job openings of all kinds, providing job fairs and recruitment events.

The MHH team members truly enjoy providing what is needed to assist individuals move forward more positively with their professional lives.

Services are in both English and Spanish.

To register or to get more information, please call 413-532-4900, visit the MassHire Holyoke website, masshireholyoke.org, or stop by one of our offices.

And again, there is nothing more staff enjoy than hearing those magic words, “I got the job!”

Several on-site and virtual workshops and webinars are available. Topics include titles like career exploration, resume writing, computer conquest, networking, interviewing, on-line job applications and/or job search, and more.

To access these services and programs, one must first attend a Career Center Seminar or Orientation. They provide an in-depth overview of what we do. Once registered, the fun begins. And please don’t forget that these services are free! There is no cost whatsoever to use MassHire Holyoke’s Career Services.

Yes, some of the career center’s offices have moved. The Youth Services Program and the Business Services Program are now in lovely new quarters in the Steam Building, 208 Race Street, Holyoke.

The Youth Team helps teens and young adults obtain part-time or fulltime work, internships, and career certification programs. MHH partners with several local organizations to provide coordinated support for the community’s young adults.

Finanzas / Finances

Scammers Stepped Up Their Game…You Should Too! by MILAGROS S. JOHNSON I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…

When we suspect the caller, an email or text is attempting to rob us of our money or personal information, then it’s time for us to get tough. Put your guard up, immediately!

We must learn to exercise our power by saying NO, or nothing at all!

Hang up the telephone, or delete the email or text when you suspect it to be a scam. Never second guess yourself. In fact, I encourage consumers to take a deep breath and step away from “it” for a minute or two. Doing this will allow you time to gather your composure and thoughts so you don’t overreact, or react in a harmful way, such as fall for the scam.

I can assure you that scams have become much more sophisticated, convincing and creative. While I don’t like the idea of having to give these bad actors so much credit, it’s a reality check for all of us. If I don’t share this information with you, then I am not doing my job effectively.

I’ve always said that, “If it’s important to you, it’s important to me…and vice versa!”

Currently the Phantom Hacker Scam(s) is doing wonders in wiping out bank, retirement or investment accounts. Let me explain how they work: Tech Support Imposter: They pretend to provide technical support, directing you to download software on your computer so they can gain remote access to your financial records and more.

Financial Institution Imposter: They claim your computer or financial

accounts were hacked, directing you to immediately transfer funds to another account, or asking you for privy information about your account so they can do it for you.

IRS or Government Imposter (the scam that won’t go away but with a new twist): They are now cloning the official letterhead of government agencies, to get you to call a redirected telephone number.

So how do you protect yourself? Let me remind you: 1. Allow calls to go your voicemail when you don’t recognize a number 2. Never give remote access to anyone over the telephone 3. When in doubt, call your bank or financial institution (get number from a statement, or back of card) 4. Don’t trust everything you hear or read 5. Never be “quick to click on any links” you receive via email or text 6. Change your passwords when in doubt For more information, or to speak with a Consumer Specialist, call (413) 787-6437 or email us at moci@springfieldcityhall.com.

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.

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Deportes / Sports

El Sol Latino November 2023

Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana Regresa a Televisión Dominicana Miami, FL —17 de octubre, 2023 — La transmisión televisiva de la temporada de invierno 2023-2024 de la Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana (LIDOM) regresa este 19 de octubre sólo por Televisión Dominicana, la cadena de televisión oficial de la comunidad dominicana en los EE. UU. y Puerto Rico. El torneo invernal de béisbol se llevará a cabo entre mediados de octubre y mediados de diciembre brindando más de 40 partidos durante la temporada, y los televidentes podrán disfrutar de hasta seis juegos por semana.

De la capital dominicana se espera a los Leones del Escogido quienes buscan superar las dificultades de la temporada pasada. Ahora los escarlatas contarán con los servicios del veterano Junior Lake, quien será una de las piezas fundamentales de la manada roja. Por otra parte, en La Romana, los Toros Azucareros del Este abrieron la cartera para buscar a varios de los mejores peloteros de la liga y de esta forma armar un verdadero Torolío en esta temporada.

El equipo con sede en La Romana tendrá muchos rostros nuevos que adquirieron en la agencia libre donde reforzaron su plantel.

Para más información y los horarios completos de todos los partidos, los televidentes pueden visitar televisiondominicana.tv.

También de la costa este y con una corona de campeón y tres finales en las últimas cuatro temporadas, la escuadra de las Estrellas Orientales, manejados por Fernando Tatis, esperan conseguir en esta temporada su cuarto título de campeón nacional, donde figuras como Robinson Canó y Fernando Tatis Jr. podrían volver a vestir la camiseta del equipo de San Pedro de Macorís.

Una reconocida residencia fuera de temporada para jugadores de primer nivel de la Liga de Béisbol de Grandes Ligas de EE. UU., o MLB como se le conoce por sus siglas en inglés, LIDOM cuenta con una plantilla impresionante de jugadores de la talla de los seis veces All-Stars de la MLB César Valdez y Nelson Cruz dentro de sus filas.

Los miembros del Salón de la Fama de la MLB Pedro Martínez y Vladimir Guerrero, así como los candidatos al Salón de la Fama David Ortiz, Manny Ramírez y Sammy Sosa también han participado en esta impresionante liga.

Esta emocionante nueva temporada viene encabezada por seis de los equipos más destacados de la isla, entre los cuales se perfilan los campeones Tigres del Licey, quienes salen a defender su título con una mezcla de jóvenes y veteranos, encabezados por el capitán Emilio Bonifacio. Los otros cinco equipos que forman parte de esta importante edición invernal del béisbol dominicano incluyen a los subcampeones, las Estrellas Orientales, además de los Toros Azucareros del Este, los Leones del Escogido, los Gigantes del Cibao y las Águilas Cibaeñas.

Desde San Francisco de Macorís, los Gigantes del Cibao están decididos a volver a ganar el campeonato y con una reestructuración gerencial apuestan a que la Tierra del Cacao vuelva a ser, una vez más, el epicentro de las emociones en la pelota criolla. El equipo del Jaya espera que figuras como Hanser Alberto, Richard Ureña, Carlos Peguero y Kelvin Gutiérrez, junto al resto de sus compañeros, hagan que otra vez el Cibao sea Gigante.

Por último, pero no menos importante, desde Santiago de los Caballeros, tenemos a las Águilas, cuyo nido yace en el Estadio Cibao y que cuenta con una fila de veteranos que ya están entrenando, para jugar desde el primer día y que de nuevo las Cuyayas vuelvan a volar alto para que Santana Martínez diga “Reeeeecojan que ganaron las Águilas”.

Deportes / Sports

El Sol Latino November 2023

Astros Hartford Campeones Temporada 2023

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Springfield Old Timers Softball League • Septiembre 28, 2023

ASTROS Roster

Nombre del Jugador

#24

Luis “Fernan” Rivera

#13

Angel “Compy” Ortiz

#15

Miguel “Yiyo” Fontanez

#41

Karel Garcia

#10

Carlos “Poly’’ DeJesus

#19

Luis “Waco’’ Pérez

#21

Antonio “Tony’’ Marti

#713

Angel “Tonaka’’ Velez

#53

Luis Oznar Santiago

#20

Jose “Nelo” Oquendo

#08

Jose “Colito” Torres

#8

Gabriel “Gaby’’ Figueroa

#22

Luis “Luisito” Claudio

#1

Richard “Richie’’ Carrion

# 11

Juan “Papo” Melendez

#29

Harry Rivera

#25

Efrain Monell

Lanzadores Disponibles

16

El Sol Latino November 2023

Fine Arts Center

TEMPORADA DEL 2023-2024 Eventos de Noviembre

René Izquierdo ¡Guitarra! Series

Sábado, 18 de noviembre | 8:00 PM UMass Old Chapel $20, Admisión General René Izquierdo, nacido en Cuba, es un artista único y un educador apasionado cuya carrera se ha dedicado a inspirar a personas y conectar comunidades. A través de su “inolvidable versatilidad, sensibilidad y sublime musicalidad” (revista Guitarra Clásica), Izquierdo se ha establecido firmemente como uno de los virtuosos de la guitarra clásica del mundo.

Es célebre por su capacidad para combinar un dominio técnico incomparable de su instrumento con su don de contar historias, logrando una experiencia musical íntima con su audiencia.

El enfoque multifacético de Izquierdo se esfuerza por crear experiencias que enriquezcan la vida de las personas y agreguen belleza a nuestro mundo.

¡Guitarra! fué organizado para el Centro de Bellas Artes por Ronna Erickso.

Cuban-born René Izquierdo is a unique artist and passionate educator whose career has been dedicated to inspiring individuals and connecting communities. Through his “unforgettable versatility, sensitivity and sublime musicianship” (Classical Guitar magazine), Izquierdo has firmly established himself as one of the world’s classical guitar virtuosos.

He is celebrated for his ability to weave an unparalleled technical command of his instrument with his gift of storytelling, accomplishing an intimate musical experience with his audience. Izquierdo’s multi-faceted approach endeavors to create experiences that enrich people’s lives and add beauty to our world.

¡Guitarra! is curated for the Fine Arts Center by Ronna Erickson

René Izquierdo

Master Class Observation

René Izquierdo impartirá una clase magistral con alumnos de nivel avanzado de guitarra. La clase está abierta a observadores. Disfrute de la interacción entre este magnífico músico y selectos estudiantes de guitarra clásica.

René Izquierdo will conduct a master class with advanced guitar students. The class is open to observers. Enjoy the interaction between this superb musician and select classical guitar students.

Para nuestra programación de la temporada completa o boletos de entrada llamar al: 413-545-2511 ó al 800-999-UMAS ó en línea fineartscenter.com