Digital Design by Maria Dominguez 2016 © Digital Design by Maria Dominguez 2016 © 2016 2016 CALENDAR JOURNAL CALENDAR JOURNAL COMITÉ NOVIEMBRE NOVIEMBRE COMITÉ COMITÉ NOVIEMBRE NOVIEMBRE COMITÉ CALENDAR JOURNAL CALENDAR PUERTO RICAN HERITAGE MONTH RICAN HERITAGE PUERTO PUERTO RICAN HERITAGE MONTH RICAN HERITAGE PUERTO “irty years of impact on the Puerto Rican Community... “irty of impact on the Puerto years “irty years of impact on the Puerto Rican Community... “irty of impact on the Puerto years mes de la herencia puertorriqueña mes de la herencia Treinta años de impacto a la comunidad puertorriqueña...” Treinta comite noviembre comite mes de la herencia puertorriqueña mes de la herencia Treinta años de impacto a la comunidad puertorriqueña...” Treinta comite noviembre comite 30th Anniversary 30th Anniversary Congratulations to Comite Noviembre on the 30th Anniversary of Puerto Rican Heritage Month! Thank you for your work supporting our children and families. To schedule a free dental van visit in your community, or to learn more about the Colgate® Bright Smiles, Bright Futures™ program, visit our website at www.colgatebsbf.com. COMITÉ NOVIEMBRE Would Like To Extend Its Sincerest Gratitude To The Sponsors And Supporters Of Puerto Rican Heritage Month 2016 City University of New York Hispanic Federation Colgate-Palmolive Company Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center Bronx Community College, CUNY The Nieves Gunn Charitable Fund Brooklyn College, CUNY 32BJ SEIU Compañia de Turismo de Puerto Rico United Federation of Teachers Rums of Puerto Rico Hostos Community College, CUNY Shape Magazine Catholic Charities of New York Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños, Hunter College, CUNY Mr. John Calderon El Museo del Barrio Mr. & Mrs. Bill Aguado Institute for the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly, Inc. Ms. Dolores Batista Embassy Suites Hotel & Casino, Isla Verde, PR Mr. & Mrs. Jack Medina TAS Communications, LLC MEMBER AGENCIES ASPIRA of New York • Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños • El Museo del Barrio • El Puente, Eugenio María de Hostos Community College/CUNY • Institute for the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly, Inc. • La Casa de la Herencia Cultural Puertorriqueña, Inc. • La Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular • National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights – Justice Committee • Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (Advisory) Comité Noviembre Managing Office TAS Communications, LLC, 45 East Hartsdale Avenue, Suite 3L, Hartsdale, NY 10530 (914) 263-6599 Special thanks to: Dolores Batista, Elba Cabrera, Carmen Marilia Castro, Sandy Figueroa, David Galarza, Luis Cordero Santoni, Suleika Cabrera Drinane, Zenaida Muslin, Lisa M. Rodriguez, Teresa A. Santiago, Angel Santini, and Lili Santiago Silva Contributing writers: Teresa A. Santiago, Angel Carrión, Angelo Falcón © 2016 COMITÉ NOVIEMBRE Artwork: Maria Dominguez Cover design: Dielka Cueto Graphic design: Dielka Cueto Photography: Robert Figueroa, Ana Alicea, Carlos R. Fernandez, Olga Ayala, George Malave Editors: Sarah R. Bisconte, María Roman Dumén, Sandy Figueroa, Teresa A. Santiago Calendar: Lili Santiago-Silva 3 MESSAGE ON BEHALF OF COMITÉ NOVIEMBRE Thirty years ago, Comité Noviembre, (CN), started as a simple discussion with a group of Puerto Rican community leaders. Today, Puerto Rican Heritage Month is celebrated in key cities around this country. As we prepared this 30th anniversary journal one thing was undeniably clear, CN has made an impact on the history of the Puerto Rican community both on the mainland and on the island. The very survival and existence of CN over the years has been made possible by an amazing collective of dedicated and committed individuals and organizations, that have devoted their time and energy to the success and preservation of this organization. CN is a volunteer non-profit organization dedicated to commemorating and acknowledging the contributions Puerto Ricans have made to this city, state and nation. CN is composed of ten of the oldest and most prestigious Puerto Rican organizations, bringing together the collective talents of ASPIRA of New York, Centro de EstudiosPuertorriqueños, El Museo del Barrio, El Puente, Eu- genio María de Hostos Community College/CUNY, Institute for the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly, La Casa de la Herencia Cultural Puertorriqueña, Inc., La Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular, National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights --- Justice Com- mittee, and Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration which serves in an advisory position. This coordinating body plans and pro- motes CN’s annual programs and events. Over the years, CN has counted on and continues to receive support from LatinoJustice: PRLDEF, Música de Cámara, the National Conference of Puerto Rican Women, National Institute for Latino Policy and the Puerto Rican Family Institute, as well as the Association of Hispanic Arts and the National Puerto Rican Forum, now defunct. The charge of CN is to create awareness of our rich culture, language, and heritage as well as to acknowledge and take ownership of it every day, specifically during the month of November. The annual theme is developed with the understanding that beyond cel- ebrating our heritage, it must help to motivate, mobilize and empower our community around critical concerns. This year’s theme: COMITÉ NOVIEMBRE 30 years of impact on the Puerto Rican Community...Treinta Años de Impacto a la Comunidad Puertorriqueña,” speaks to the many contributions CN has made to the fabric of this nation. From choosing a theme each year to highlight and address an issue in our community; to creating opportunities to honor and commemorate Puerto Rican culture and history; to acknowledging our unsung heroes and engaging our youth in community service like feeding the hungry, to awarding hundreds of scholarships and creating educational and leadership development opportunities for our youth, the impact of Comité Noviembre has been tremendous with long lasting life changing affects. To commemorate its 30th anniversary, CN has partnered with Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños in conjunction with Borimix, the National Puerto Rican Day Parade and numerous other community cultural organizations, to launch the national campaign November: Puerto Rican Heritage Month. This campaign will serve to educate younger generations about their history and culture, and to engage a broad coalition of cultural organizations and leaders across the country in celebration of our heritage and the many contributions our community has made to the American story, by accessing social media. The campaign will include a national November calendar of events through Centro’s website and will be made available to all cultural organizations across the country. Centro will broadcast in Puerto Rico, in partnership with WIPR, and make available several documentaries online celebrating the legacy of Puerto Rican pioneers. Online courses on the history of Puerto Ricans in the Unites States will be of- fered, including a historical chronology pamphlet with illustrations and video; and Centro will provide technical assistance for the development of the network hub Puerto Rican Nation: a social media platform for community engagement and action. This project aims to engage a younger generation of Puerto Ricans through the instant communication of social media platforms. CN is excited at the prospect of reaching and involving Puerto Ricans globally, at the touch of a button. CN is thrilled that award winning visual artist Maria Dominguez has once again designed the poster. Maria is part of the fabric of CN’s history. She has graced us with three artistic renditions of our themes in 1994, 1997 and now in 2016. Through her knowledge and relationship with CN, Maria was able to capture the impact CN has had on the Puerto Rican community. Throughout the years, CN has formed strong strategic partnerships geared to supporting, creating consciousness, having open dialogues, and building consensus on the issues that affect the 8.5 million Puerto Ricans living on both the mainland and island with the ultimate goal of developing a plan of action that will lead to effective change. More than ever this year, CN has hosted and participated in forums, rallies, discussions and demonstrations to bring to light the critical humanitarian crisis Puerto Rico is experiencing because of its crippling debt and the so called “solutions” to solve this crisis. CN has dedicated its 30th anniversary celebration to the activists, organizations, movements, social justice warriors and just plain ordinary people who are standing up for Puerto Rico and saying ¡Presente! 4 2015 CN Board members and gala honorees. This journal contains thought provoking articles on the situation in Puerto Rico from the newly passed PROMESA bill, La Junta Fiscal, Payday loans, to the movements like Se acabarón las Promesas, The National Puerto Rican Agenda and How much influence Puerto Rican Voters Hold in 2016. CN thanks its contributing writers Angelo Falcón, president of the National Institute for Puerto Rican Policy, Dr. Edwin Melendez, Ph.D., Director of Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños at CUNY’s Hunter College, Ángel L. Carrión Maymi, freelance writer for Global Voices and doctoral candidate at Centro de Estudios Avanzados in PR. Reprints of key articles and interviews by Democracy Now!, the Refund America Project, and PBS News Hour’s The Run Down are also included. After you review information provided, you will experience a myriad of emotions. From sadness