Original drawing for the Puerto Rican Family Monument, Hartford, CT. Jose Buscaglia Guillermety, pen and ink, 30 X 30, 1999. La Diáspora Puertorriqueña: Un Legado de Compromiso The Puerto Rican Diaspora: A Legacy of Commitment P uerto R ican H eritage M o n t h N ovember 2014 CALENDAR JOURNAL ASPIRA of NY ■ Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños ■ El Museo del Barrio ■ El Puente Eugenio María de Hostos Community College, CUNY ■ Institute for the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly La Casa de la Herencia Cultural Puertorriqueña ■ La Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular, PR LatinoJustice – PRLDEF ■ Música de Camara ■ National Institute for Latino Policy National Conference of Puerto Rican Women – NACOPRW National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights – Justice Committee Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration www.comitenoviembre.org *with Colgate® Optic White® Toothpaste, Mouthwash, and Toothbrush + Whitening Pen, use as directed. Use Mouthwash prior to Optic White® Whitening Pen. For best results, continue routine as directed. COMITÉ NOVIEMBRE Would Like To Extend Is Sincerest Gratitude To The Sponsors And Supporters Of Puerto Rican Heritage Month 2014 City University of New York Institute for the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly Colgate-Palmolive Company Puerto Rico Convention Bureau The Nieves Gunn Charitable Fund Embassy Suites Hotel & Casino, Isla Verde, PR Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center American Airlines John Calderon Rums of Puerto Rico United Federation of Teachers Hotel la Concha Compañia de Turismo de Puerto Rico Hotel Copamarina Acacia Network Omni Hotels & Resorts Carlos D. Nazario, Jr. Banco Popular de Puerto Rico Dolores Batista Shape Magazine Hostos Community College, CUNY 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 La Casa de la Herencia Cultural Puertorriqueña, Inc. La Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular LatinoJustice: PRLDEF Música de Cámara National Conference of Puerto Rican Women National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights – Justice Committee National Institute for Latino Policy 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: José Acevedo, Elba Cabrera, Carmen Marilla Castro, Luis Cordero Santoni, Sulieka Cabrera Drinane, Wallace Edgecombe, Alicia Rodríguez, Lisa M. Rodriguez, Teresa A. Santiago, Angel Santini, and Lili Santiago Silva Contributing writers: Eva de la O, Clara Maria Galvano Rivera, Noemí Figueroa Soulet, and Teresa A. Santiago © 2014 COMITÉ NOVIEMBRE Artwork: Maestro José Buscaglia Guillermety Cover design: José Garcia Graphic design: Luis Cordero Santoni Photography: Robert Figueroa, Ana Alicea, Carlos Fernandez Editors: Teresa A. Santiago Calendar: Lili Santiago-Silva *with Colgate® Optic White® Toothpaste, Mouthwash, and Toothbrush + Whitening Pen, use as directed. 3 Use Mouthwash prior to Optic White® Whitening Pen. For best results, continue routine as directed. comité noviembre th 28mes de la Anniversaryherencia puertorriqueña MESSAGE ON BEHALF OF COMITÉ NOVIEMBRE In 2014, CN accomplished many goals, here are some highlights: established the First Annual Women’s History Month Celebra- tion & Puerto Rican Women Legacy Award; marched in the National Puerto Rican Day Parade for the first time, co-sponsored El Festival de la Palabra, conducted several fundraising theater events throughout the year to raise additional funds for the scholarship and educational programs and partner with Puerto Rican/Latino actors and theaters. Partnered with American Airlines and Embassy Suites Hotel and Casino to raffle off a roundtrip tickets plus hotel stay, the winner will be announced at the 9th Annual Artisan Fair on November 22nd. A raffle was also conducted with tickets donated by the Spanish Broadcasting Systems to El Megaton de Polito Vega in September the raffle garnered an additional $2000 for scholarships. CN began its second year of collaboration with Agenda Ciudadana, a non-profit, non-partisan organization in Puerto Rico to continue an open dialogue on issues, solutions and strategies for the Puerto Rican community both on the island and mainland. CN hosted the Banda Nacional de Puerto Rico led by Maestro Angel “Cucco” Peña at the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico a partnership with the Instituto de Cultura de Puerto Rico. Visited a non-profit organization called El Meson del Amor that feeds college students from the University of PR that don’t have enough money for meals committed to raise funds during the Day of Community Service and Social Responsibility for El Meson del Amor in addition to the food drive and turkey distribution that feeds 300 families during the Thanksgiving holiday. CN is also partnering with Catholic Charities’ Feeding Our Neighbors Campaign. Our theme this year clearly reflects on our accomplishments and commitment to our mission, whether it’s raising money for educa- tional opportunities and scholarships, collecting food for the hungry or co-sponsoring important cultural events, CN is motivating, mobilizing and empowering our community to take action and affect change. The 2014 theme is: ‘‘La Diaspora Puertorriqueña … un legado de compromise/The Puerto Rican Diaspora… A Legacy of Commitment’’ celebrates the commitment of the Puerto Ricans that came before us and struggled against many obstacles to build organizations, empower our community and achieve the necessary changes of their time so that today Puerto Ricans and other Latinos benefit from their commitment, dedication and perseverance. CN humbly tries to honor these pioneers of the Diaspora everyday through the work that we do by preserving and protecting their legacy of commitment. I am honored that world renowned sculptor Maestro José Buscaglia Guillermety has allowed us to use his pen and ink study for his monumental sculpture titled Monument to the Puerto Rican Family, which was inaugurated on September 23, 2009 to coincide with the anniversary of the Grito de Lares, the sculpture stands in the Learning Corridor in Hartford, CT. He is a Fellow of the National Sculptor Society and a founding member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences of Puerto Rico. His works can be seen throughout Puerto Rico, Spain and the United States. This journal also carries interesting, cultural and educational information that we hope will be of interest to you. We pride ourselves in being able to discuss all aspects and issues of our community – with respect and objectivity. I am proud that we have a piece on the 100th Anniversary of Julia de Burgos, by freelance writer and journalist Clara Maria Galvano Rivera, A year of Honors for the Puerto Rican Soldier by Noemí Figueroa Soulet, Founder and President of El Pozo Productions and Producer of the award-winning documentary film, “The Borinqueneers”, and an article on the groundbreaking scientific medical work being done at the University of Puerto Rico to vcreate an HIV vaccine. Most importantly, we want to share with you the inspiring stories of our Lo Mejor de Nuestra Comunidad award recipients. CN chose ten incredible people from nominations that were submitted by the community. For the past twenty-eight years, CN has created and developed programs all geared to the support of educational opportunities and leadership development for Puerto Rican and Hispanic youth with a cultural twist. These programs are firmly rooted in the belief that, in order to succeed in life, you must pursue a higher education, give back to your community through volunteer efforts and know your cultural roots. Our success story covers 230 scholars awarded since the CN Scholarship program was instituted in 1996, and an additional 17 scholars awarded the Richie Pérez Scholarship for Peace and Justice, since its inception in 2006. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of Richie Pérez’ passing, we are proud that we have been able to keep his legacy of activism and social justice alive through the exceptional young men and women who receive the Richie Pérez Scholarship for Peace and Justice. This year’s benefit event will take place on Friday, November 14 2014 at the NY Hilton in Manhattan and will honor: Jacqueline J. Gonzalez, Executive Director, National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, New York, EMMYS, Sebastian Villarini- Velez, member of New York City Ballet’s corps de ballet; Ana Celia Zentella, Professor Emerita, University of California San 4 Photo: Ana Alicea Comité Noviembre Board Members and 2013 Gala Honorees Diego, (UCSD) Department of Ethnic Studies; John Calderon, President, Theracare; Johnny Lozada singer, host of Univision’s Despierta América! and CN’s 2014 CN Spokesperson and Maestro José Buscaglia Guillermety. The proceeds of this annual event supports all of our programs, and allows CN to provide free programming and information to the community year round as well as scholarship dollars. Many events have been planned throughout New York State as well as the tri-state area and Puerto Rico to celebrate our rich culture, traditions and history. CN urges everyone to participate in these events, including our 9th Annual Artisans Fair and the Third Annual Puerto Rican Authors Book Expo that will take place on Saturday, November 22, 2014, from 11AM – 7PM at Hostos Community College in the Bronx. The day will include the annual performance of Danza Fiesta. The 20th annual Day of Community Service