Community calendar
This Women's History Month, The ProLibertad Freedom Campaign honors the contributions of Boricua/Latina women to the Puerto Rican Independence Movement.
Recipients of the Doña Adelfa Vera Award for 2009:
Yasmin Hernandez, Artist/Activist/Educator
Teresita "Lah Tere" Ayala, Poet/Activist/Rebel Diaz
Claudia de la Cruz, Pastor of La Iglesia San Romero de Las Americas/UCC
Mistress of Ceremony:
Haydee Morales, Casa Atabex Ache Co-Founder
Keynote Speaker:
Prisionera, Poet/Activist/Partido Nacionalista de Puerto Rico
Sample Work Presentation:
"Our Women, Our Struggle" (working title) is a 70-minute long documentary that chronicles the life of Puerto Rican revolutionary Isabel Rosado who dedicated her life to the Puerto Rican Independence movement and has become a symbol of the island's patriotism. Other women such as Lolita Lebron and Dylcia Pagan will also be highlighted. All three women were subjected to FBI surveillance and each spent many years in prison as a consequence of their radical political actions or as some might refer "terrorist activities."
Melissa Montero is a Latina filmmaker living in Queens, New York of Puerto Rican and Ecuadorian heritage. She has co-produced and directed a non-broadcast ten-minute promotional video/documentary on Casa Atabex Ache, a non-profit organization that does healing and transformation work for women of color.
Poetry by:
Mariposa and Prisionera
Hand crafts and Natural Products:
OLGA AYALA HANDICRAFTS (HECHO A MANO)
Botanicafe (Lourdes Garcia)
7 p.m., Friday, March 27
St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 521 W. 126th St., Manhattan
Suggested donation: $5 (no one will be turned away)
Light refreshments will be served.
For more information contact ProLibertad: 718-601-4751 or visit www.ProLibertadWeb.com.
source: ProLibertad
Monday, March 16, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Following the News: A boricua is in space now for real
The Discovery has launched.
It is so cool to know that a boricua astronaut is in space right now. Joseph Acaba is part of the crew of seven. He is making history as the first astronaut of Puerto Rican heritage in space.
Here's a report on tonight's launch:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h1W8dcUP9H70AmlSfDSenPteDT9gD96UPFL00
To read Acaba's bio, go to http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/acaba-jm.html
or click on this entry's headline.
Here are some photos I took between yesterday and tonight on news coverage of our boricua going to space.
For more photos, visit my photo page at http://flickr.com/photos/clarisel.
(photos by Clarisel Gonzalez of some of the TV coverage)
It is so cool to know that a boricua astronaut is in space right now. Joseph Acaba is part of the crew of seven. He is making history as the first astronaut of Puerto Rican heritage in space.
Here's a report on tonight's launch:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h1W8dcUP9H70AmlSfDSenPteDT9gD96UPFL00
To read Acaba's bio, go to http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/acaba-jm.html
or click on this entry's headline.
Here are some photos I took between yesterday and tonight on news coverage of our boricua going to space.
For more photos, visit my photo page at http://flickr.com/photos/clarisel.
(photos by Clarisel Gonzalez of some of the TV coverage)
Pianist Jose Ramos Santana performs at Pregones
Community calendar
March is for music at Pregones theater in the Bronx. This month has been full of concerts.
Today's afternoon show features classical music with Puerto Rican concert pianist Jose Ramos Santana.
For ticket info. on today's show, go to www.pregones.org.
(photo courtesy of Pregones)
March is for music at Pregones theater in the Bronx. This month has been full of concerts.
Today's afternoon show features classical music with Puerto Rican concert pianist Jose Ramos Santana.
For ticket info. on today's show, go to www.pregones.org.
(photo courtesy of Pregones)
Featured PRSUN Video: San Sebastian, PR
Video by Brave Little Soul, a member of the PRSUN Video group.
To check out more videos from the PRSUN Video group at flickr, go to
http://www.flickr.com/groups/prsunvideo
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Reminder: Cyber Boricua Chicas chat is today in El Barrio
Come join us at 5 p.m. today at Cemi Underground, East Harlem, for a chat titled "Cyber Boricua Chicas."
Listen to my voice blog at
http://www.snapvine.com/blog/show/20e0ee360d1a11de9ade0030485b0f88
Also tune in to a show I did with Lenina Nadal of performingprofound.com and Iris Morales of us-puertoricans.org for PRSUN Radio at www.blogtalkradio.com/prsunradio.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Standup Comic Cindy SugaRush to chat with PRSUN Radio
Cindy Casado of the SugaRush Comedy Show will be my guest on PRSUN Radio next week. Cindy, a standup comic, hails from the Bronx. Cindy doesn't just say jokes. It is the people, her life experiences and even her dogs that inspire her sense of humor, which she brings to her comedy act.
As an example of her humor, check out her jibara picture on her Facebook page.
Cindy jokes about her Dominican and Puerto Rican heritage, calling herself a "Domrican."
So, tune in from 9-9:15 p.m. www.blogtalkradio.com/prsunradio on March 18, Wednesday night. Cindy will share information on her upcoming shows and projects.
To read her bio, go to my blog at www.blogtalkradio.com/prsunradio.
(photo courtesy of Cindy SugaRush/photo by Elena "Mamarazzi" Marrero)
UPDATE
As an example of her humor, check out her jibara picture on her Facebook page.
Cindy jokes about her Dominican and Puerto Rican heritage, calling herself a "Domrican."
So, tune in from 9-9:15 p.m. www.blogtalkradio.com/prsunradio on March 18, Wednesday night. Cindy will share information on her upcoming shows and projects.
To read her bio, go to my blog at www.blogtalkradio.com/prsunradio.
(photo courtesy of Cindy SugaRush/photo by Elena "Mamarazzi" Marrero)
UPDATE
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Hey what about us!
It's about time to create an Uptown Theatre District in Spanish Harlem
Commentary
By Eugene Rodriguez
Hey Mr. Mayor, what about us? While everybody is talking about saving the economy of the nation let us not forget (NYC's) El Barrio! As the president has said, “We should work to turn this national disaster into an opportunity to fix our economy.” And the economy of East Harlem, Spanish Harlem, El Barrio surely needs fixing.
Hard times are upon us again, but truth be told, hard times never left El Barrio. Good jobs have always been few and far between in East Harlem. Businesses have always lived on the edge of disaster, and families have always struggled to survive here. The fact of the matter is that the last recession never left Spanish Harlem, and now we are faced with “Great Depression.” And, as a long term resident of EL Barrio, I can tell you that nobody is coming to El Barrio to build wind mills, or solar panels, or fuel efficient cars. So, what’s left for us to do that will give our local economy an economic jolt? I respectfully submit that now is the time to create an Uptown Theatre District in Spanish Harlem.
In December of 2004, Richard Schwartz, in an article entitled “City’s economy is getting Artsy!” said, that the “Key to the city’s future is ICE; which stands for all things Intellectual, Cultural, and Educational.” In the city’s economy of 2004, ICE had grown by 30% to 485,000 jobs; while FIRE, which stands for Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate, had shrunk by 506,000 jobs, and that was before the current fiscal crisis! In addition, New York City is the biggest theatre town in the world. So, what better business is there in New York than “show business,” which is inherently intellectual, cultural, and educational.
What needs to be done to get our theatres up and running and acting in concert, is to create an entity whose sole mission is to rent, refurbish, program, and develop an audience for all the theatres in East Harlem. Lost somewhere in the labyrinth of bureaucratic red tape in City hall, is a project called The El Barrio Theatre Development Fund, ELBA for short, is a Not-For-Profit Public Service Corporation tasked to create a cultural tourism destination of national importance in East Harlem. It’s the most “shovel ready” project available to jolt the economy of Spanish Harlem! She can be up and running in three months and operate on her own within five years.
And, El Barrio is an ideal place to create an Uptown Theatre District. There are currently 4 underutilized Off-Off Broadway Theatres in El Barrio that are basically White Elephants. Two of them are owned by the City. They look good, but aren’t used for anything productive. These valuable community assets are closed most of the time, offer no regular programming, and generate no income for their owners, the cities economy, or the local theatre artists who would be glad to inhabit them.
Simply put, if our Theatres weren’t being rented during good times, it is pure wishful thinking to believe that they will be rented during the coming bad times. The theatres of El Barrio are in fact stuck on the horns of a dilemma. The people who have the money to rent our theatres, don’t want to work in them, and the people who would love to work in them can’t afford to rent our theatres! Something clearly has to change.
The 4 theatres have a seating capacity of about 1,150. Operating at just 50% of capacity over 5 days a week, they can attract around 134,000 visitors to the community yearly, generate over $3 million in ticket sales, and employ almost 200 part time artists and technicians. The economic ripple effect from the District, generally estimated at $4 for every $1 spent in the theatre, means that an operating uptown theatre district will generate over $13 million in additional spending yearly!
We estimate that for a total investment of $2.5 million in UMEZ funds over a 5 year period, ELBA will leverage more than $35 million in loans, grants, and private investment from City, State, and private sources to create, manage and solidify a Latino Theatre District in El Barrio. Over the initial 5 year incubation period, ELBA will generate $15 million in ticket sales, and pump $65 million into the local economy. A return on investment of more than $8.50 for every dollar invested, and that’s just for the first 5 years of operation of a project that will continue to operate an grow on it’s own in the foreseeable future. How long has Broadway been in operation? How about Off Broadway?
ELBA is a project whose time has come. It is designed to create a uniquely Latino Theatre District in Spanish Harlem that can change the basic economics of the community. It will create a theatre district that will be the most significant Latino cultural project since the creation of the Puerto Rican Day Parade. A theatre district that can bridge the East River and bring life to the underutilized theatres in the Bronx. A theatre district that insures that the road to Broadway for Latinos passes through East Harlem. If somebody can come up with a better economic development plan for East Harlem, I would love to hear it.
Clearly, to mitigate the economic disaster we as a community now face, we must change the basic fundamentals of our economy. We must try something we have never tried before. Something new, something unique to our community, something we can do right now that doesn’t cost a lot to start up, but generates a significant amount of long term revenue for local businesses. Why not create an Uptown Theatre District in the heart of the Theatre Capitol of the world?
Eugene Rodriguez is a contributing writer.
Commentary
By Eugene Rodriguez
Hey Mr. Mayor, what about us? While everybody is talking about saving the economy of the nation let us not forget (NYC's) El Barrio! As the president has said, “We should work to turn this national disaster into an opportunity to fix our economy.” And the economy of East Harlem, Spanish Harlem, El Barrio surely needs fixing.
Hard times are upon us again, but truth be told, hard times never left El Barrio. Good jobs have always been few and far between in East Harlem. Businesses have always lived on the edge of disaster, and families have always struggled to survive here. The fact of the matter is that the last recession never left Spanish Harlem, and now we are faced with “Great Depression.” And, as a long term resident of EL Barrio, I can tell you that nobody is coming to El Barrio to build wind mills, or solar panels, or fuel efficient cars. So, what’s left for us to do that will give our local economy an economic jolt? I respectfully submit that now is the time to create an Uptown Theatre District in Spanish Harlem.
In December of 2004, Richard Schwartz, in an article entitled “City’s economy is getting Artsy!” said, that the “Key to the city’s future is ICE; which stands for all things Intellectual, Cultural, and Educational.” In the city’s economy of 2004, ICE had grown by 30% to 485,000 jobs; while FIRE, which stands for Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate, had shrunk by 506,000 jobs, and that was before the current fiscal crisis! In addition, New York City is the biggest theatre town in the world. So, what better business is there in New York than “show business,” which is inherently intellectual, cultural, and educational.
What needs to be done to get our theatres up and running and acting in concert, is to create an entity whose sole mission is to rent, refurbish, program, and develop an audience for all the theatres in East Harlem. Lost somewhere in the labyrinth of bureaucratic red tape in City hall, is a project called The El Barrio Theatre Development Fund, ELBA for short, is a Not-For-Profit Public Service Corporation tasked to create a cultural tourism destination of national importance in East Harlem. It’s the most “shovel ready” project available to jolt the economy of Spanish Harlem! She can be up and running in three months and operate on her own within five years.
And, El Barrio is an ideal place to create an Uptown Theatre District. There are currently 4 underutilized Off-Off Broadway Theatres in El Barrio that are basically White Elephants. Two of them are owned by the City. They look good, but aren’t used for anything productive. These valuable community assets are closed most of the time, offer no regular programming, and generate no income for their owners, the cities economy, or the local theatre artists who would be glad to inhabit them.
Simply put, if our Theatres weren’t being rented during good times, it is pure wishful thinking to believe that they will be rented during the coming bad times. The theatres of El Barrio are in fact stuck on the horns of a dilemma. The people who have the money to rent our theatres, don’t want to work in them, and the people who would love to work in them can’t afford to rent our theatres! Something clearly has to change.
The 4 theatres have a seating capacity of about 1,150. Operating at just 50% of capacity over 5 days a week, they can attract around 134,000 visitors to the community yearly, generate over $3 million in ticket sales, and employ almost 200 part time artists and technicians. The economic ripple effect from the District, generally estimated at $4 for every $1 spent in the theatre, means that an operating uptown theatre district will generate over $13 million in additional spending yearly!
We estimate that for a total investment of $2.5 million in UMEZ funds over a 5 year period, ELBA will leverage more than $35 million in loans, grants, and private investment from City, State, and private sources to create, manage and solidify a Latino Theatre District in El Barrio. Over the initial 5 year incubation period, ELBA will generate $15 million in ticket sales, and pump $65 million into the local economy. A return on investment of more than $8.50 for every dollar invested, and that’s just for the first 5 years of operation of a project that will continue to operate an grow on it’s own in the foreseeable future. How long has Broadway been in operation? How about Off Broadway?
ELBA is a project whose time has come. It is designed to create a uniquely Latino Theatre District in Spanish Harlem that can change the basic economics of the community. It will create a theatre district that will be the most significant Latino cultural project since the creation of the Puerto Rican Day Parade. A theatre district that can bridge the East River and bring life to the underutilized theatres in the Bronx. A theatre district that insures that the road to Broadway for Latinos passes through East Harlem. If somebody can come up with a better economic development plan for East Harlem, I would love to hear it.
Clearly, to mitigate the economic disaster we as a community now face, we must change the basic fundamentals of our economy. We must try something we have never tried before. Something new, something unique to our community, something we can do right now that doesn’t cost a lot to start up, but generates a significant amount of long term revenue for local businesses. Why not create an Uptown Theatre District in the heart of the Theatre Capitol of the world?
Eugene Rodriguez is a contributing writer.
Reminder: Latinas En Foco photography exhibit opens tomorrow
Curator Mia Roman Hernandez says: “Latinas En Foco Celebrating Women in Photography will include more than fifty works by emerging and established artists from Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo, Mexico, and of Taino Decent. Each artist brings a unique style and vision. These artists have discovered their beauty, their tales and their history in which has been incorporated into their craft of photography. Some of the pieces will depict Latino Cultures, Community, Urban settings, Family, Spirituality and will embrace the feminine empowerment of today’s woman. The viewers will be able to connect to some of the challenges and the ordinary lives of some of the photographs. The photos will evoke emotion, feeling and discussion. They will convey something deeper about how the subjects confront the place where they live and the situation in which they find themselves. Each portrait also provides a broader opportunity to reflect on our shared humanity.
Art is an expression of the unconscious and is dedicated to the free expression of feeling."
Support. I am among the exhibiting photographers.
See related March 3 entry posted in this blog. -- Clarisel Gonzalez
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
RIP Ralph Mercado
Ralph Mercado, who for more than 30 years produced legendary concerts in the Latin music world, died today.
Mercado was a key player in the career of many stars such as Marc Anthony and the late Celia Cruz.
Here's a related link:
http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/state/new_jersey/20090310_ap_salsapromoterralphmercadodeadat57.html
Mercado was a key player in the career of many stars such as Marc Anthony and the late Celia Cruz.
Here's a related link:
http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/state/new_jersey/20090310_ap_salsapromoterralphmercadodeadat57.html
NEW: PRSUN Voice Blog
Hi gente, I now have a PRSUN Voice blog. Feel free to leave me your voice blogs at
www.snapvine.com/prsun
www.snapvine.com/prsun
Cyber Boricua Chat at PRSUN Radio
Iris Morales of us-puertoricans.org and Lenina Nadal of performingprofound.com will be my guests at PRSUN Radio and we will be talking a little about Web 2.0 and Puerto Rican experience. This chat is in advance of our upcoming presentation entitled "Cyber Boricua Chicas" for Women's History Month on March 14 at Cemi Underground in NYC's El Barrio.
I will also share information on PRSUN Radio on valuable Puerto Rican-related blogs and sites. Gente, feel free to send me links of resources you think I should consider mentioning. Leave your comments here or send me an e-mail.
To read more about Iris Morales and Nadal, go to my blog at
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/PRSUNRADIO/blog/2009/03/10/Cyber-Boricua-Chat
The show airs tomorrow at 9 p.m. at www.blogtalkradio/prsunradio. It will also later be available in our archives.
Also don't miss our presentation Saturday at Cemi:
(Click on image for larger text.)
I will also share information on PRSUN Radio on valuable Puerto Rican-related blogs and sites. Gente, feel free to send me links of resources you think I should consider mentioning. Leave your comments here or send me an e-mail.
To read more about Iris Morales and Nadal, go to my blog at
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/PRSUNRADIO/blog/2009/03/10/Cyber-Boricua-Chat
The show airs tomorrow at 9 p.m. at www.blogtalkradio/prsunradio. It will also later be available in our archives.
Also don't miss our presentation Saturday at Cemi:
(Click on image for larger text.)
Time to Revive Puerto Rican Voting Rights
Community calendar
Research Seminar: Time to Revive Puerto Rican Voting Rights
6 p.m. Thursday, March 12
Presenter: Katherine Culliton-González, Esq.
J.D. 1993, American University, Washington College of Law (Valedictorian); 1993-1994 Fulbright (Law Lecturer in Chile); Author of a series of publications in English & Spanish used to develop anti-discrimination law in the Americas; Attorney, Civil Rights Division, Department of Justice.
Centro Conference Room 1437 East Bldg.
Hunter College
68th & Lexington Avenue, Manhattan
For more information:
http://www.centropr.org/events.html?event=36
Research Seminar: Time to Revive Puerto Rican Voting Rights
6 p.m. Thursday, March 12
Presenter: Katherine Culliton-González, Esq.
J.D. 1993, American University, Washington College of Law (Valedictorian); 1993-1994 Fulbright (Law Lecturer in Chile); Author of a series of publications in English & Spanish used to develop anti-discrimination law in the Americas; Attorney, Civil Rights Division, Department of Justice.
Centro Conference Room 1437 East Bldg.
Hunter College
68th & Lexington Avenue, Manhattan
For more information:
http://www.centropr.org/events.html?event=36
Monday, March 09, 2009
A Night of Comedy with Bill Santiago
La Casa Azul Bookstore and East Harlem Cafe present a night of comedy with Bill Santiago, author of "Pardon My Spanglish"
Stand-up comedian Bill Santiago will bring his humor to El Barrio on Thursday, March 12, starting at 7 p.m. The best part is that this night of comedy at the East Harlem Cafe, 1651 Lexington Ave. @ 104th St. is free and open to the public.
Santiago chronicles the quintessentially American alegrías of his mother tongue: the quirky, hilariously improvisational fusion of inglés and español spoken by millions (even if they don't know or admit que están doing it). With crash-course efficiency, cada página de este libro empowers your every step toward Spanglish mastery. How can you not love Spanglish? Twice the vocabulary, half the grammar!
And if you don't speak any Spanish, no problemo! Pardon My Spanglish is essential reading for Latinos-and the Latino-curious.
RSVP suggested: lacasaazulbookstore@gmail.com
Book signing to follow the show. -- Aurora Anaya-Cerda
Aurora Anaya-Cerda is the owner of the independent La Casa Azul Bookstore. For more information, www.lacasaazulbookstore.com or e-mail lacasaazulbookstore@gmail.com. Article reprinted with permission from La Casa Azul.
To get a taste of comedian Bill Santiago in action, go to
http://www.billsantiago.com/html/clips/spglish.html
For more information about Santiago, you could also go to www.pardonmyspanglish.com.
Photo courtesy of www.pardonmyspanglish.com.
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