Community Calendar
Pregones Theater Presents Danny Rivera
Intimate, blues-tinged concert by legendary singer/songwriter featuring the Bronx Nation Orchestra.
Time: 7:30 p.m., Friday, March 7
Location: Pregones Theater, the Bronx
Admission: $35
For more info, www.pregones.org or (718)585-1202.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Spotlight: Cemí Underground is an orgullo latino
Cemí Underground brings cultura to life in El Barrio
Photo and Text by Ricardo Muñiz
In June 2007, Galería Cemí launched Cemí Underground, a Puerto Rican/Latino cultural outlet in the heart of New York City's El Barrio that sells books, T-shirts, crafts and music; produces a host of cultural events; and showcases a revolving art gallery.
Graphic artist Luís Cordero and Séry Colón, an actor who once owned Agüeybaná Bookstore on the Lower East Side, founded Cemí Underground, which has become a cultural haven in the Latino arts community at a time when El Barrio is becoming increasingly gentrified. The popular storefront shop is located at 1799 Lexington Avenue at East 112th Street.
Cordero describes a cemí as “a sacred object, which is the artistic representation of a guardian spirit or deity that was skillfully carved in stone, bone, cotton, wood and rock by the Taíno indigenous people of the Caribbean.”
Cordero says he and Colón launched Cemí Underground “with the goal of establishing an entity that would add another voice to the desperately few voices promoting and proclaiming our art and artists to the world.”
Cemí Underground is currently hosting a lineup of cultural and art events for Women's History Month, highlighting Latinas.
At Cemí Underground, you will find published works about poet Julia de Burgos, Puerto Rican nationalist leader Don Pedro Albizú Campos, salsero Héctor Lavoe, and writings describing the Taíno and African heritage of Caribbean people. New and recent titles by writers Steven Torres, Nicholasa Mohr and Pedro Pietri line the shelves. A collectible books section with hard-to-find books about Puerto Rican/Latino history and culture sets this bookstore apart from the rest.
New York’s hottest Latino poets such as Willie Perdomo and María Aponte have appeared at Cemí Underground. Cemí Underground has also featured musical tributes by Carmen DeLucca, cultural educational talks by lecturers such as Bobby González and comedy shows by emerging Latinos.
A modest art gallery space has exhibited up-and-coming artists like painter Yasmín Hernández, photographer Elena “Mamarazzi” Marrero, ceramic artist and community activist Esperanza Martell, as well as the paintings of well-known poet Sandra María Estéves. Cemí Underground also carries handmade crafts by New York's best Puerto Rican artisans.
Cemí Underground also has a growing music section that features CDs by New York's own boricua roots music sensation Tato Torres y Yerbabuena; Puerto Rican protest music icon Roy Brown; and hip hop artists The Welfare Poets.
In addition, Cemí Underground is one of the only cultural stores in the city where you will find graphic T-shirts with indigenous Taíno symbols and silk-screened designs featuring Don Pedro Albizú Campos and Ché Guevara.
For more information, visit www.cemiunderground.com and www.myspace.com/cemiunderground.
Ricardo Muñiz is a Puerto Rican social worker, teacher, community activist, puppeteer and photographer who contributes his writings and photography to Puerto Rico Sun.
Check out more of Ricardo's photos featuring models posing in Cordero's designs at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/prsun/sets/72157604023769567/
Photo and Text by Ricardo Muñiz
In June 2007, Galería Cemí launched Cemí Underground, a Puerto Rican/Latino cultural outlet in the heart of New York City's El Barrio that sells books, T-shirts, crafts and music; produces a host of cultural events; and showcases a revolving art gallery.
Graphic artist Luís Cordero and Séry Colón, an actor who once owned Agüeybaná Bookstore on the Lower East Side, founded Cemí Underground, which has become a cultural haven in the Latino arts community at a time when El Barrio is becoming increasingly gentrified. The popular storefront shop is located at 1799 Lexington Avenue at East 112th Street.
Cordero describes a cemí as “a sacred object, which is the artistic representation of a guardian spirit or deity that was skillfully carved in stone, bone, cotton, wood and rock by the Taíno indigenous people of the Caribbean.”
Cordero says he and Colón launched Cemí Underground “with the goal of establishing an entity that would add another voice to the desperately few voices promoting and proclaiming our art and artists to the world.”
Cemí Underground is currently hosting a lineup of cultural and art events for Women's History Month, highlighting Latinas.
At Cemí Underground, you will find published works about poet Julia de Burgos, Puerto Rican nationalist leader Don Pedro Albizú Campos, salsero Héctor Lavoe, and writings describing the Taíno and African heritage of Caribbean people. New and recent titles by writers Steven Torres, Nicholasa Mohr and Pedro Pietri line the shelves. A collectible books section with hard-to-find books about Puerto Rican/Latino history and culture sets this bookstore apart from the rest.
New York’s hottest Latino poets such as Willie Perdomo and María Aponte have appeared at Cemí Underground. Cemí Underground has also featured musical tributes by Carmen DeLucca, cultural educational talks by lecturers such as Bobby González and comedy shows by emerging Latinos.
A modest art gallery space has exhibited up-and-coming artists like painter Yasmín Hernández, photographer Elena “Mamarazzi” Marrero, ceramic artist and community activist Esperanza Martell, as well as the paintings of well-known poet Sandra María Estéves. Cemí Underground also carries handmade crafts by New York's best Puerto Rican artisans.
Cemí Underground also has a growing music section that features CDs by New York's own boricua roots music sensation Tato Torres y Yerbabuena; Puerto Rican protest music icon Roy Brown; and hip hop artists The Welfare Poets.
In addition, Cemí Underground is one of the only cultural stores in the city where you will find graphic T-shirts with indigenous Taíno symbols and silk-screened designs featuring Don Pedro Albizú Campos and Ché Guevara.
For more information, visit www.cemiunderground.com and www.myspace.com/cemiunderground.
Ricardo Muñiz is a Puerto Rican social worker, teacher, community activist, puppeteer and photographer who contributes his writings and photography to Puerto Rico Sun.
Check out more of Ricardo's photos featuring models posing in Cordero's designs at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/prsun/sets/72157604023769567/
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Community Calendar
Media
THE FIFTH ANNUAL GRASSROOTS MEDIA CONFERENCE
Speaking Truth to Power: MEDIA JUSTICE IN OUR COMMUNITIES
Sunday, March 2, 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
Co-sponsored by the Department of Film and Media Studies, Hunter College CUNY
Conference location:
Hunter College West Building, 68th Street and Lexington Ave., Manhattan
(Southwest Corner, enter from street or directly from 6 train)
The NYC Grassroots Media Coalition (NYCGMC) will host the Fifth Annual NYC Grassroots Media Conference at Hunter College CUNY. The conference theme – Speaking Truth to Power: MEDIA JUSTICE IN OUR COMMUNITIES – invites media makers and community organizers to define what the term “Media Justice” means, as a community and explore how we can begin to make this ideal a reality for New York City.
Since 2004, the NYCGMC - a collective of media activists and organizations - has convened these conferences to bring New York City’s diverse communities together. The conference seeks to provide a space to learn about media policy, share skills, network and bridge the gap between local grassroots media making and social justice organizing. The Fifth Annual NYC Grassroots Media Conference will take these efforts one-step further by using the event to strategize on how as a community we can begin to create media systems that come from, and are responsive to the people. The conference will urge participants to put steps in place towards realizing a media system that addresses systemic marginalization and discrimination and that speaks truth to power. The conference offers an ideal opportunity for organizations and individuals to connect and form the basis for future partnerships.
Over 250 local organizations and 4,000 people have already participated in NYC Grassroots Media Coalition events. The Fifth Annual NYC Grassroots Media Conference will house 8 hours of film screenings focused on media justice movements, political awareness and accountability. The conference will also host a youth track of panels for its 300 participants under 18, including free lunch. Workshops will address a variety of issues including do-it-yourself media making, policy and social justice issues.
The event at Hunter College will offer childcare services, special group rates and informational materials upon request. Ticketing information, advertising and exhibition opportunities and details on how to submit a workshop are all accessible at www.nycgrassrootsmedia.org.
###
Media
THE FIFTH ANNUAL GRASSROOTS MEDIA CONFERENCE
Speaking Truth to Power: MEDIA JUSTICE IN OUR COMMUNITIES
Sunday, March 2, 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
Co-sponsored by the Department of Film and Media Studies, Hunter College CUNY
Conference location:
Hunter College West Building, 68th Street and Lexington Ave., Manhattan
(Southwest Corner, enter from street or directly from 6 train)
The NYC Grassroots Media Coalition (NYCGMC) will host the Fifth Annual NYC Grassroots Media Conference at Hunter College CUNY. The conference theme – Speaking Truth to Power: MEDIA JUSTICE IN OUR COMMUNITIES – invites media makers and community organizers to define what the term “Media Justice” means, as a community and explore how we can begin to make this ideal a reality for New York City.
Since 2004, the NYCGMC - a collective of media activists and organizations - has convened these conferences to bring New York City’s diverse communities together. The conference seeks to provide a space to learn about media policy, share skills, network and bridge the gap between local grassroots media making and social justice organizing. The Fifth Annual NYC Grassroots Media Conference will take these efforts one-step further by using the event to strategize on how as a community we can begin to create media systems that come from, and are responsive to the people. The conference will urge participants to put steps in place towards realizing a media system that addresses systemic marginalization and discrimination and that speaks truth to power. The conference offers an ideal opportunity for organizations and individuals to connect and form the basis for future partnerships.
Over 250 local organizations and 4,000 people have already participated in NYC Grassroots Media Coalition events. The Fifth Annual NYC Grassroots Media Conference will house 8 hours of film screenings focused on media justice movements, political awareness and accountability. The conference will also host a youth track of panels for its 300 participants under 18, including free lunch. Workshops will address a variety of issues including do-it-yourself media making, policy and social justice issues.
The event at Hunter College will offer childcare services, special group rates and informational materials upon request. Ticketing information, advertising and exhibition opportunities and details on how to submit a workshop are all accessible at www.nycgrassrootsmedia.org.
###
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Activism
NYC Rally in Support of Puerto Rico's Teachers
By Ismael Nunez
In solidarity with The Puerto Rican Teachers Federation, about 80 demonstrators, including teachers, college students, professors as well as community, labor and political activists, braved New York City's cold weather Feb. 22, carrying signs that read: “Education is a right, FMPR we are here for you!"
The demonstration was held outside the Puerto Rican government offices at 32nd Street and Park Avenue South in Manhattan. Protesters voiced their support of Puerto Rico teachers who have been on a weeklong strike on the island. The strike has sparked clashes with police and led to some arrests.
The New York City demonstration came after the union that represents Puerto Rico's 42,000 public school teachers declared a strike on Feb. 20. The strike was declared after 30 months of negotiations to increase salaries and address shortages of books, computers and other materials reached a deadlock. The Puerto Rican government is refusing to return to the table until the walkout ends. The U.S. Education Department, which funds Puerto Rico's education system, is demanding better results from public schools.
Angel Gonzalez, a teacher from the Bronx, who attended the Manhattan demonstration, said teachers here can relate to those on the island because they are fighting for many of the same causes.
“What we see here are the same demands that educators and students have been fighting for years," he said. "They are demanding for smaller classes, calling for an immediate end to government efforts to privatize public educaton, and improving health and safety conditions. They want more adequate teaching materials and resources for both teachers and students."
Pedro Colon Almenas, another teacher, said they support Puerto Rico teachers who are standing up for their rights.
“The union has been subjected to an increasing public campaign of attacks as they work to obtain a fair and just collective bargaining agreement for its members,” he said.
Ismael Nunez is a freelance writer based in East Harlem who contributes his articles to Puerto Rico Sun.
NYC Rally in Support of Puerto Rico's Teachers
By Ismael Nunez
In solidarity with The Puerto Rican Teachers Federation, about 80 demonstrators, including teachers, college students, professors as well as community, labor and political activists, braved New York City's cold weather Feb. 22, carrying signs that read: “Education is a right, FMPR we are here for you!"
The demonstration was held outside the Puerto Rican government offices at 32nd Street and Park Avenue South in Manhattan. Protesters voiced their support of Puerto Rico teachers who have been on a weeklong strike on the island. The strike has sparked clashes with police and led to some arrests.
The New York City demonstration came after the union that represents Puerto Rico's 42,000 public school teachers declared a strike on Feb. 20. The strike was declared after 30 months of negotiations to increase salaries and address shortages of books, computers and other materials reached a deadlock. The Puerto Rican government is refusing to return to the table until the walkout ends. The U.S. Education Department, which funds Puerto Rico's education system, is demanding better results from public schools.
Angel Gonzalez, a teacher from the Bronx, who attended the Manhattan demonstration, said teachers here can relate to those on the island because they are fighting for many of the same causes.
“What we see here are the same demands that educators and students have been fighting for years," he said. "They are demanding for smaller classes, calling for an immediate end to government efforts to privatize public educaton, and improving health and safety conditions. They want more adequate teaching materials and resources for both teachers and students."
Pedro Colon Almenas, another teacher, said they support Puerto Rico teachers who are standing up for their rights.
“The union has been subjected to an increasing public campaign of attacks as they work to obtain a fair and just collective bargaining agreement for its members,” he said.
Ismael Nunez is a freelance writer based in East Harlem who contributes his articles to Puerto Rico Sun.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
The Presidential Race and Puerto Rico
Featured stories:
Obama pledges self-determination to Puerto Rico 'with independence as an option'
San Francisco Bay View:
http://www.sfbayview.com/20080224924/News/Web_Exclusives/Obama_pledges_self-determination_to_Puerto_Rico_with_independence_as_an_option.html
Puerto Rico is a vitally important part of our country and Puerto Ricans have made immeasurable contributions to the United States. As president of the United States, I will pay close attention to issues that have an impact on the well-being of the people of Puerto Rico.
Related story from the San Francisco Examiner:
http://www.examiner.com/a-1239236~McCain_Wins_20_GOP_Delegates.html
In a letter to Luis Fortuno, Puerto Rico's nonvoting congressional delegate and a superdelegate, McCain pledged to support a process that would enable Puerto Ricans to decide if they want to remain a commonwealth, become a state or an independent nation.
Featured stories:
Obama pledges self-determination to Puerto Rico 'with independence as an option'
San Francisco Bay View:
http://www.sfbayview.com/20080224924/News/Web_Exclusives/Obama_pledges_self-determination_to_Puerto_Rico_with_independence_as_an_option.html
Puerto Rico is a vitally important part of our country and Puerto Ricans have made immeasurable contributions to the United States. As president of the United States, I will pay close attention to issues that have an impact on the well-being of the people of Puerto Rico.
Related story from the San Francisco Examiner:
http://www.examiner.com/a-1239236~McCain_Wins_20_GOP_Delegates.html
In a letter to Luis Fortuno, Puerto Rico's nonvoting congressional delegate and a superdelegate, McCain pledged to support a process that would enable Puerto Ricans to decide if they want to remain a commonwealth, become a state or an independent nation.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
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