Preserving El Barrio: Marina Ortiz

Anyone who is in NYC's El Barrio, probably knows Marina Ortiz, an independent journalist, local community activist and resident.
She is usually armed with a camera, shooting and documenting many of the people, stories and events in East Harlem.
This boricua is founder of East Harlem Preservation, a community advocacy group that monitors large-scale development, supports preservation, and fights privatization of public parkland. Ortiz is a watchdog of the rapid changes going on in El Barrio because of gentrification. The National Trust for Historic Preservation recently interviewed Ortiz on her push to save El Barrio, the so-called crown jewel of Puerto Rican and Latino culture in New York City.
"I was inspired to begin efforts to preserve the rich history, culture and architecture of Spanish Harlem and the greater East Harlem when the inevitable footprint of gentrification began to take its hold on our community," Ortiz was quoted as saying.
To read the article published in the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Spring 2008 Diversity Scholarship Program Alumni Newsletter,
http://www.eastharlempreservation.org/docs/DSPAlumni_mjo08.pdf
To learn more about her work with the East Harlem Preservation, check out her site at www.eastharlempreservation.org.
Meanwhile, Ortiz also runs another important community project: Virtual Boricua. This is a website that focuses on Puerto Rican news, issues, culture, events and activism. To visit, go to www.virtualboricua.org. It is a must see site for anyone interested in Puerto Rican culture, especially boricua New York. -- Clarisel Gonzalez

Colonialismo / Colonialism

Colonialismo / Colonialism
Originally uploaded by Moliniano.

New Social Networking Space for Boricuas

In the Mailbox

Saludos!

Boricuation Cultural Foundation (BCF) spearheads a Boricua social network named Boricuation Cultural Space (BCS). Created to introduce and unite Puerto Ricans from all over the world. To bring them closer via the internet, for them to express themselves on a forum created for them by Puerto Ricans. The focus is not to exclude ourselves from other Latin nations, but to unite ourselves and express our struggles in identifying our own issues through communications and expressions on BCS, therefore educating ourselves and other nations on Puerto Rican history and culture.

We encourage everyone to join this special website, but remember to focus on educating and empowering each other so we can better understand ourselves. Bring your own taste of Boricua culture. Share and relate stories, photos, videos, comments, ideals and everything Boricua. We are all making history here and our history is vast and diverse, so let's get together and vibe on the real issues affecting our present day accomplishments and struggles. Let's address and document this special time in our history. At the same time we learn to progress, to move forward with the enlightenment of our history and culture together, united.

Thank you all in advance in joining us!

Visit http://boricuationcs.neeetz.com/ to check it out.

Thanks to neeetz.com for providing this forum.

Abrazos!

--
Jose Medina
Boricuation Cultural Foundation
Boricuation.com
e-Mail: Boricuation@gmail.com

Defending Cultura

Featured story

Simpsonville resident speaks out on burned Puerto Rican flag

Lisa Rodriguez says she doesn’t know of anyone having a problem with her heritage, so she was surprised to learn that someone had set fire to the Puerto Rican flag hanging on the side of her parents’ Simpsonville (South Carolina) home.
"We’re just representing who we are," she said Wednesday. "We’re not trying to harm anyone."
For more, go to http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080625/NEWS01/80625011/1004

EDITOR'S NOTE: I had not heard about this until I read this report today. I am saddened and annoyed that someone would burn the Puerto Rican flag. Boricua and proud in Simpsonville y donde sea.

Calle Fortaleza-Viejo San Juan P.R.

Calle Fortaleza-Viejo San Juan P.R.
Originally uploaded by haymaco.

On the Retire 21 Movement

Featured story

Yankees Insider: A man worth honoring

Inside their lockers in the Yankee Stadium clubhouse, Jorge Posada and LaTroy Hawkins have "Retire 21" stickers. They are part of a small but growing group that would like to see Roberto Clemente's No. 21 retired throughout Major League Baseball, as Jackie Robinson's No. 42 is. As much as Robinson did to change the game of baseball, many believe that Clemente had the same effect for Latinos.

"I don't think any of us would be here if he didn't go through what he went through, being a Puerto Rican and being a black Puerto Rican," Posada said.

To read more, go to
http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/ny-spyinside275743362jun27,0,817627.story

Puerto Rican Sun is a Bronx Gem

IMG_8737
Originally uploaded by clarisel.

Commentary

Puerto Rican Sun is on 156th Street and Fox Avenue in the Bronx. It is too bad that there is no sign with the name of this piece of public art or the artist who did it. That's a real shame because this is a piece of history in the Bronx. This steel sculpture of palm trees and the sun is by boricua artist Rafael Ferrer. Something should be done to better preserve this artwork that dates to 1979 and to better inform residents and visitors about its significance in the Bronx. Visitors just see this giant artwork, and there's no information posted. The Fox playground could be better kept too actually.

For more info. on the Puerto Rican sculpture, check out this link with some of the history
www.lehman.edu/vpadvance/artgallery/publicart/ferrer.htm

I, of course, love its name Puerto Rican Sun. After all, my blog is named Puerto Rico Sun as well as one of my favorite photo groups on flickr: Puerto Rico Sun at http://www.flickr.com/groups/prsun/. -- Clarisel Gonzalez

'Maldeamores' in the Bronx

Community Calendar



The Association of Hispanic Arts (AHA) in conjunction with SBX Industries LLC
is proud to present

Cinema el barrio film series
screening of
Maldeamores

Starring Luis Guzman and executive produced by Benicio Del Toro

Maldeamores, a 2007 Puerto Rican film, tells three separate stories dealing with the ironies of love, involving a middle class family, a hostage situation, and an elderly couple.


FREE

7 p.m., Wednesday, July 2nd
HOSTOS Community College auditorium
500 Grand Concourse

HOSTED by Cindy SugaRusH

For more information regarding this event and/or other Programs, please contact us at
212-876-1242

Community Calendar


Click on image to see larger text.

Puerto Rico Govt. Pledges Commitment to Safeguard Air Access to Caribbean

Under 'One Caribbean' Banner, Governor of Puerto Rico Introduces Measures to Sustain Air Access to the Caribbean and a Multi-Million Dollar Investment Incentive Plan to Support Maritime Access to the Region

Anibal Acevedo Vila, Governor of Puerto Rico, addressed media and delegates at the first Annual Caribbean Tourism Summit (ACTS) in Washington, DC, today to present a plan that will preserve air access to Puerto Rico and other islands in the Caribbean. The governor also introduced a Cruise Incentives Law that will continue to provide incentives to the maritime service providers who safeguard existing routes and/or expand their operations to the region.
The governor provided an update on a call to action issued by Puerto Rico to Caribbean nations to form a united front that will work with the airline industry to increase access to the Caribbean through the island, a bold move given the specter of the industry. As a result of these efforts, airlines such as Jet Blue, Air Tran, Continental and Delta have added service to Puerto Rico from cities like New York, Boston, Newark, Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale, among others.
Rising fuel costs had forced some airlines to cancel flights to the region, a decision that stands to cripple the hotel and cruise industries operating in the Caribbean.
"The gravity of the economic crisis facing the airline industry, and business in general, is especially felt in the Caribbean, a region that has benefited immensely from tourism," said Terestella Gonzalez Denton, Executive Director, PRTC. "In conjunction with Governor Acevedo Vila and our partners in the Caribbean Trade Organization, we are working hard to preserve air access to the region which is the backbone to our region's hotel and cruise industries."
The governor also announced the passing of a Law to expand his administration's Cruise Incentive Program, which allocates a yearly $10 million fund for the development of Puerto Rico's maritime industry. Coupled with a $300 million effort to modernize the island's port infrastructure, the initiative resulted in an 8.4 percent increase in travel to Puerto Rico over the last two years.
"I am very happy to announce that we've just signed a Law that extends our Cruise Incentive Program throughout 2010-2011," said the governor. "Even more important, this decree determines that on the eventuality that we manage a 20% increase by June 30, 2011, these incentives will automatically be extended to June 30, 2014."
The governor's address ended with an exhortation to the delegates at ACTS to work together on issues of air and sea access in the region.
"I've instructed the Puerto Rico Tourism Company to work together with the Caribbean Tourism Organization in the next few weeks, to face the connectivity issues resulting from the opening of new flights to the Island and what this means to passengers looking to have a multi-destination experience. Furthermore, we invite CTO to have a proactive discussion on how we can raise interest in our region to develop new maritime access alternatives and create new maritime routes to the Caribbean, using our Incentive Program as the basis for deploying innovative tactics."

source: PR Newswire press release

For more info. on tourism to Puerto Rico, visit www.gotopuertorico.com

Picture Spot, Puerto Rico

Picture Spot, Puerto Rico
Originally uploaded by outtacontext.

Feliz Noche de San Juan Bautista

Camino a San Juan

Camino a San Juan
Originally uploaded by verodomica.