Sunday, February 20, 2011

Calendar - DIGITAL DIASPORA FAMILY REUNION - Harlem Stage

Calendar - DIGITAL DIASPORA FAMILY REUNION - Harlem Stage

Boricuas, check your photo archives to be part of this digital diaspora photo and history project in Harlem.

Harlem Stage will host Harris' latest creation, Digital Diaspora Family Reunion - a new participatory multimedia initiative where audiences bring history to life through their photographic images and stories. Bring your photo albums, pictures and mementos to Harlem Stage on February 23nd through 25th and share your family stories as part of the DDFR ROADSHOW.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

My Journey to Love~

Puerto Rico Sun welcomes guest bloggers. Here's a journal entry by Alicia Anabel Santos about her journey, writer life and love.

My Journey to Love~
Alicia Anabel Santos

Good morning its 8am in Argentina, 6am in New York…. and my body has not adjusted to the time yet. The journey has been incredible so far.
Today, I am thinking about what Paulo Coelho calls, “ones personal legend.” When one goes in search of his personal legend the universe conspires in helping him attain it… The idea that we all must go in search of our personal legends…
For me... My personal legend is my writer’s life… from the moment I claimed the title “I AM A WRITER,” to where I am today…. Quitting my very secure job at McGraw-Hill and traveling all across Latin America studying and filming the African Diaspora in Spanish speaking nations.
I have put my personal writer’s journey to the side to work on this project… dedicating my life to this amazing project… AFROLATINOS: The Untaught Story www.afrolatinos.tv. What I have learned is that much of my journey and discovering my personal legend has been about SERVICE….
Serving the community
Serving women
Serving young girls
I am here to serve! Whether that is thru the truth, whether that is thru acts of love, whether that is thru sharing very difficult examples of moments in my life… I am here to SERVE as an example to my daughter and all those I meet on this beautiful journey.
Part of my journey has been to understand that unexpected things will and do enter our lives that we believe are here to take us off our journey – but what I understand is that all obstacles are part of the journey and are here to serve a lesson.
Afrolatinos came after I published my first feature article in Urban Latino magazine – what a blessing.
When it arrived… I stopped writing my historical fiction novel… it was put on hold… the amazing thing was that every country I intended to write about in my novel... I ACTUALLY have had the opportunity to visit during filming the documentary.
AMAZING!!!!
Coincidence?
I don’t believe in coincidences.
I know that everything happens for a reason.
In between filming I decided I wanted to write a play. Which I completed in some insane amount of time… I finished a first draft in February 2010 which I put to the side after working on it a few weeks… I picked it up again in April of the same year…I had the final draft completed in June 2010… my first play titled, I WAS BORN~
It was ON…………
Then something new appeared to me on this journey… it came from my character LIA from the play… Lia – who is really me…. Her story was one I was trying to ignore… I thought I could get away with writing a beautiful story of women I have met in the journey without really showing myself. I ignored Lia’s story… she wanted her story out! My story!!!
Which brings me to today - - I am being called to write my memoir… my story… that I have been writing since 2006 without my even knowing it.
And so, now I am going to sit and finish it… with your help~
Please check out my kickstarter page… if you aren’t able to help with a donation… its all good… your LOVE, support and prayers are ALL I need~ but do share it with the universe… all things are possible…
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/iwasborntheplay/finding-your-force-a-journey-to-love?ref=live
“What you still need to know is this: before a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil, but so that we can, in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we’ve learned as we’ve moved toward that dream. That’s the point at which, as we say in the language of the desert, one ‘dies of thirst just when the palm trees have appeared on the horizon.’ Every search begins with beginner’s luck. And every search ends with the victor’s being severely tested.” From the Alchemist~
Thank you for helping me realize my personal legend~

Peace, light and LOVE~
Alicia

--
Alicia Anabel Santos is writer/co-producer of Creador Pictures, LLC.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

To my PRSUN readers

PRSUN blog readers, I haven't forgotten you.

This year PRSUN has decided to become more involved in offline community events. Since October, I have been leading and organizing networking events as part of a group I started called The Bronx Entrepreneurs and Business Network. BEBN is an independent grassroots networking group for, by and about Bronx entrepreneurs. To find out more about our networking group, look for BEBN on Facebook or LinkedIn or follow @bxbiz on Twitter. Here is PRSUN's upcoming event.


This is a free event. If you are in the NYC area on Feb. 23rd, you are welcome to join us at this networking event for Bronx business professionals. To RSVP, go to http://bxbiznet.eventbrite.com.

As for PRSUN, join our business page on Facebook, our group on LinkedIn or follow @prsun at Twitter. For now, I am posting PRSUN updates there.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Sunday, February 06, 2011

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Puerto Ricans in the US and the 2010 Census: 100 years and still counting ... a reflection

Commentary
By Victor Vázquez-Hernández

In the closing days of 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau began to release the data collected earlier this year. For Puerto Ricans in the Diaspora (US-based), the 2010 census has a particular historical meaning --- it marks the 100th anniversary since the first US Census, back in 1910, started counting Puerto Ricans as a separate group. It would be a good time for our community to take stock of where we are and how far we have come in one century. For the National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights (NCPRR), which will be hosting its 9th National Puerto Rican Convention in Miami on October 7-9, 2011, these new data present us with the opportunity to put together a status report on Puerto Ricans in the U.S..

What will the data from the 2010 Census tell us? What long-term comparisons can we make about our presence in the US? Puerto Ricans were present in the US since before 1910, and have been here, in some cities in particular, for some five generations. What will the Census tell us about how we fare compared to other migrant/immigrant groups in the U.S.? These will be important questions to ponder as we struggle to make sense of the Census data and what it tells us about our communities stateside and, if recent data is any indication, the results of the 2010 Census are going to be a mix bag for us.

On the one hand, the data already released confirms what Angelo Falcón, President of the National Institute for Latino Policy told us back in 2004: there are now more Puerto Ricans living in the U.S. than on the Island. The Census also confirms that Puerto Rico lost 2% percent of its population since 2000, a significant loss. We know, at this point, that most of those who left the island have come to live in the U.S., mostly to other Puerto Rican communities. But, we can also see that the Census will confirm that the Puerto Rican Diaspora is, well, more diasporic, i.e., more dispersed. It now appears that Puerto Ricans have followed the general pattern in the U.S. of internal migration from the Northeast and Midwest to points South and Southwest. Florida is now clearly the state with the second largest Puerto Rican population in the country. In addition, states like Texas, Arizona, and California are now among the ten states with the largest Puerto Rican populations in the U.S.


In terms of socio-economic factors, the 2010 Census is likely to reflect some significant gains for Puerto Ricans but also some troubling areas as well. Among Puerto Ricans in the U.S., there are probably more college graduates than ever, more homeowners and more who have moved into middle-class status. But these trends are probably going to vary from region to region. For instance, in terms of education, recent studies conducted in Philadelphia and New York City have found that Puerto Rican youth are graduating high schools at a 50% rate. In those cities, Puerto Rican youth are being outperformed even by newer immigrant groups, namely Dominicans and Mexicans. And while Puerto Ricans made national news with the appointment of Sonia Sotomayor, a second-generation Puerto Rican from the Bronx to the US Supreme Court, and José Acaba, the first boricua astronaut in outer space, there are disproportionately more young Puerto Ricans incarcerated than in college.


So, while we have much to celebrate and contemplate after 100 years of Census data, it's time to take serious stock and determine where we go from here. For its part, the NCPRR will convene a working group to produce this status report and calls upon anyone interested in participating to contact us. We also invite everyone to attend the convention in Miami where the report will be made public and call upon our communities to engage in a conversation about ... "¿dónde estamos y hacia dónde vamos?" (Where are we and where are we heading?).


Let the conversation begin.


Victor Vázquez-Hernández, PhD is President of the National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights (NCPRR) and an Associate Professor of History at Miami Dade College. He is co-editor of The Puerto Rican Diaspora: Historical Perspectives (2005). Dr. Vázquez-Hernández can be reached at vvazquez(at)mdc.edu

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Have a Merry Christmas

Thank you Puerto Rico Sun readers, visitors, advertisers, supporters...Have a Merry Christmas. PRSUN is going on Christmas break.

(photo by Clarisel Gonzalez)

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Come join us at the Mott Haven slideATHON in the Bronx

Tomorrow I am participating in the Mott Haven slideATHON, a showcase of Bronx artists. I will share some of my Bronx images. I selected the photos to display with the feedback of my followers of my photo page at Facebook.

The slideATHON will be at the Bruckner Bar & Grill in the Bronx. Admission is free.

For more information about the show, go to http://motthavenartschool.com.

Hope to see you there.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Thank you PRSUN

I want to thank all PRSUN readers, visitors, social media followers, supporters and advertisers.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Que dios los bendiga.

Clarisel Gonzalez
editor and publisher
Puerto Rico Sun Communications

Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Happy Puerto Rican Heritage Month

Boricuas in New York City are celebrating with an array of cultural, art, educational, and community events throughout this month.

Here are some useful links to stay connected:

Comite Noviembre
Borimix

There is a lot going on.

Happy Puerto Rican Heritage Month.