Task Force also examining matters affecting Puerto Rico’s economic development
U.S. Department of Justice (December 15, 2009)
WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The President’s Task Force on Puerto Rico’s Status held its first meeting today, continuing the important work of examining and reporting on the island’s status question, but also expanding its focus to include matters affecting Puerto Rico’s economic development. President Obama signed an Executive Order on Oct. 30, 2009, to both preserve the Task Force’s original mission, and to provide advice and recommendations to the President and the Congress on policies that promote job creation, education, health care, clean energy, and economic development on the islands.
“President Obama recognizes the importance of both moving forward on the question of Puerto Rico’s status, but also on working toward creating greater economic opportunities for all our citizens,” said Task Force Co-Chair and White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Cecilia Munoz. “We look forward to continuing to work closely with officials and interested parties in Puerto Rico to build on the investments we’ve made through the Recovery Act, which are serving the people of Puerto Rico while creating and saving jobs in everything from community health centers to infrastructure projects.”
Consistent with President Obama’s commitment to responsive and accountable governing, the Task Force members voted to hold public hearings in Puerto Rico and on the mainland on the broad range of issues before them, and to seek the public’s input.
“As the Task Force works to put in place a process for moving forward on these important policy matters, we will work diligently to engage the people of Puerto Rico and involve them in the process,” added Task Force Co-Chair and Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli.
President Clinton originally established the Task Force when he signed Executive Order 13183 in December 2000. The Task Force is made up of designees of each member of the President’s Cabinet and the Co-Chairs of the President’s Interagency Group on Puerto Rico. The members are as follows:
Co-Chairs
White House, Cecilia Muñoz, Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
Department of Justice, Tom Perrelli, Associate Attorney General
Members
Health & Human Services, Paul Dioguardi, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs
Transportation, Joanna Turner, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Government Affairs
Environmental Protection Agency, Judith Enck, Region 2 Administrator
Housing & Urban Development, Mercedes Marquez, Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development
Education, Eric Waldo, Special Assistant to the Secretary
Agriculture, Tammye Trevino, Administrator of the Rural Housing Service
Interior, Anthony Babauta, Assistant Secretary for the Interior for Insular Areas
Labor, Gabriella Lemus, Senior Advisor and Director Office of Public Engagement
Energy, Joe Garcia, Director of the Office of Economic Impact
Defense, Patrick O’Brien, Director Office of Economic Adjustment
Council of Economic Advisors, Cecilia Rouse, Member
Commerce, Rick Wade, Deputy Chief of Staff
Veterans Affairs, Langley Koby, Special Assistant to the Secretary
Treasury, Matthew Kabaker, Domestic Finance
State, Julissa Reynoso, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs
Homeland Security, Juliette Kayyem, Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Programs
By MIKE MELIA
Associated Press (December 15, 2009)
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Sonia Sotomayor is visiting Puerto Rico this week for the first time since becoming the U.S. Supreme Court’s first Hispanic justice, an achievement that has made her a celebrity in her parents’ Caribbean homeland.
Sotomayor is arriving Wednesday at the invitation of judges in this U.S. territory.
“Being a judge these days is not easy. There is a lot of a lack of respect for institutions,” said Chief U.S. District Court Judge Jose Fuste. “When you see a person like that who has been able to reach so much and achieve the highest position in the judiciary, it’s an inspiration.”
Sotomayor, who speaks proudly of her Puerto Rican heritage, is due to attend meetings with local judges and visit relatives during the trip, and probably will be accompanied by her mother, Celina Sotomayor, who was praised by President Barack Obama for setting her daughter on a path to success from a Bronx housing project.
Sotomayor, 55, has often visited the island to see family and offer lectures. Her last visit came after her nomination by Obama in May but before she was sworn in as the court’s third female justice in August.
While Sotomayor was born in New York, many here see the rise of the self-described “Nuyorican” as symbolic of islanders’ achievements on the U.S. mainland, which is home to more than 4 million Puerto Ricans – more than live on the island.
Sotomayor’s mother, a nurse, is from Lajas, a rural area on the southwest coast. Her father, who died when she was 9, was from San Juan. Many of Sotomayor’s cousins live around the western city of Mayaguez.
Washington, D.C. – Top union officials affiliated with AFSCME, SEIU, UAW and UFCW are currently occupying the Office of Management and Budget offices in San Juan, Puerto Rico, protesting Gov. Luis Fortuño’s proposed layoff of more than 20,000 workers.
Riot police have surrounded the OMB offices.
AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee issued the following statement:
“AFSCME joins other unions in supporting our brothers and sisters in San Juan who are fighting during this serious economic crisis to protect Puerto Rico’s vital public services. We are very concerned that riot police have surrounded the building. We urge restraint on the part of law enforcement officials during this peaceful protest.”
AFSCME’s 1.6 million members provide the vital services that make America happen. With members in hundreds of different occupations – from nurses to corrections officers, child care providers to sanitation workers – AFSCME advocates for fairness in the workplace, excellence in public services and prosperity and opportunity for all working families.
For further information:
Cheryl Kelly
202-429-1145
American Federation of State, County and Municipa Employees
www.afscme.org
Note: The recent controversy over the naming by El Museo del Barrio of a spoken word series using the word “spic” hit a nerve among many in the Puerto Rican’Latino literary community and others. The Museo issued a statement on this issue on the website, which generated a response from some leading Puerto Rican cultural workers. We thought you would find this exchange interesting and thought-provoking, understanding, after all, that words can be like bricks.
To express your views on this issue to the Museo’s Director, Julian Zugazagoitia, you can write to him at director@elmuseo.org.
—Angelo Falcón
You Spoke Out/We Listened!
El Museo del Barrio (December 9, 2009)
El Museo del Barrio, out of respect for those members of our community who have expressed strong feelings against the use of the word ‘spic’ in the title of our spoken word program, has renamed this series. The new title is “Speak Up!/Speak Out!”
El Museo is proud that many of its programs and exhibitions are at the cutting edge of Latino artistic expression. We are emboldened by the strength we draw from our roots and culture, which allows us to respect the past while helping to chart the future place of the Latino voice in the general culture.
Our program is a platform for addressing contemporary social issues and political concerns-especially in terms of the Latino experience-through the creative use of language. The artists participating in the program over the past two years typically have long professional trajectories, and are deeply passionate about language and its social/political/historical weight and significance. Their aesthetic vision and dynamic engagement have generated lively discussion, debate, and creativity, and has made spoken word programming at El Museo an indispensable forum for ideas. As a result, the program has built a significant and loyal following.
We deeply regret that some of the artists that generated this platform by participating in the series have become targets of hate mail. We strongly believe that as artists they have the right to use words within the context of their art as a means of expression as they see fit. No artist should be censored or ostracized for being evocative or provocative.
We appreciate hearing the range of thoughts and feelings that have arisen in relation to the use of the word ‘spic’ in the title of our spoken word program. While the title was conceived as a re-appropriation of the term as a means of empowerment-an approach that already has a history in our own community, see context information below-the word still evokes strong and hurtful connotations. Therefore out of sensitivity to those who have expressed concerns with the use of the term and with profound respect for those for whom this term is offensive, we have renamed the series “Speak Up!/Speak Out!”
We take this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to spoken word as a programming area. We continue to be proud that El Museo is a public platform where discussions like this happen for the advancement and understanding of our communities. We strongly believe that the respectful, insightful and articulated expressions of support and concern help us move forward and grow as a vocal, dynamic, and engaged community.
We are grateful for all the passionate feedback we have received for this series and invite you all to continue participating and joining us for our next installments of “Speak Up!/Speak Out!”
Context of Reference for How the Term “Spic” Was Used in the Initial Naming of the Program
El Museo did not intend to be hurtful when using the word ‘spic’ in the initial naming of the spoken word series. We hoped that by re-appropriating a word with a painful history for Latinos one could transform the word into a tool of empowerment.
This kind of re-appropriation and transformation has been successful in other contexts. For example, gay activists now use the old insult ‘queer’ in a positive manner (as in the slogan “We’re here, we’re queer,” among other uses). A group of Jewish journalists now publish a positive, edgy magazine called Heeb (also once a slur). Chicanos on the West Coast who once resented being called ‘pochos’ by other Mexicans now use the phrase with pride and humor in the hilarious satiric magazine Pocho, and comedy troupe of the same name. Each of these groups has been victorious in reclaiming an old slur, thus rendering moot the once painful effect of the word.
Within our own Latino community, the effort to reclaim the term ‘spic’ also has a long history, both in comedic plays and serious literature. The famed late Boricua poet Pedro Pietri used ‘spic’ in his acclaimed “Puerto Rican Obituary”-a poem first read in 1969 at a Young Lords rally-to call attention to racism against Puerto Rican immigrants. John Leguizamo’s Spic-O-Rama is a comedic play about a Latino family, based on his own childhood. This show has been publicly acclaimed since it launched in 1993. It enjoyed a sold-out run in Chicago before relocating to New York’s Westside Theater, where it drew large Latino audiences and won Leguizamo a Drama Desk Award.
Poet Urayoán Noel used the word in his 2000 piece, “Spic Tracts,” to attack present-day racism. And in 2005, Nuyorican performance artist Chaluisan opened a one-person show, entitled Spic Chic, at the Ibiza nightclub in the Bronx, which later enjoyed a successful run at the Wings Theater in New York City’s West Village. Also, acclaimed Mexican-American intellectual Ilan Stavans’ recent book, Mr. Spic Goes To Washington, employs humor to make salient points about Latino political engagement and one fictional character’s rise from the barrio to the halls of power.
To better understand this re-conceptualization, we must think about the history of the word. ‘Spic’ is widely believed to have originated in the phrases “no spic English,” or “I spic Spanish,” as uttered by a recent immigrant. Back when the term was coined, Latinos were often made to feel ashamed of speaking Spanish, or of not speaking English well. Many older Latinos remember teachers punishing them for speaking Spanish in class, or their parents being ashamed to have their children “spic Spanish.” Today when we use that word, we invoke a new meaning; a new pride. We are saying we are no longer ashamed to “spic Spanish.” Latinos across the country now advocate for dual language schools so our children can continue to speak our ancestors’ language (and some schools even teach Nahuatl and TaÃno words). We are now proudly bilingual, in our music, movies, and art. Thus, creating this title in a sense celebrates the fact that we have now reached a point where we are proud to ‘spic up,’ in English or Spanish, with and without accents.
El Museo recognizes the charge that words can have and thus has renamed the series as “Speak Up!/Speak Out!” Our commitment to the spoken word is reflected by our listening to the words that were spoken and the feelings those words elicited. Speak Up!/Speak Out! reflects our commitment to having all words spoken with passion, creativity, and respect. Please join us for our upcoming programs and continue speaking up and speaking out for the betterment of our communities.
Open Letter on the Renaming of El Museo del Barrio’s Spoken Word Series “Speak Up/Speak Out”
By Richard Villar Sam Vargas Jr., Carmen Pietri-Diaz, Sam Diaz, Jesus “Papoleto” Melendez, and Fernando Salicrup (December 9, 2009)
El Museo Del Barrio has responded to the controversy surrounding their spoken word series, formerly titled “Spic Up/Speak Out.” The full text of this response, entitled “You Spoke Out/We Listened,” can be read at their website: http://www.elmuseo.org/en/explore-online.
A publicly-funded, community-founded arts institution should know better than to market to audiences, poets, or anyone else using the word “spic.”
In the last two weeks, this simple principle has led several diverse communities of artists, writers, teachers, and community members to gather, discuss, organize, and express their disappointment toward this unfortunate word choice. In recognition of this fact, and in response to the community’s postings, letters, and emails to museum staff (including its executive director), El Museo has chosen the correct path and changed the name of the show to “Speak Up/Speak Out.”
Unfortunately, El Museo has also chosen to continue concealing its poor artistic custodianship and community engagement behind the false fig leaves of free artistic expression and an ex post facto linguistic “context” of reappropriation (i.e. the act of reclaiming the word “spic”) for the original naming of the series.
Among the items unaddressed in El Museo’s three-page statement is that from the spring of 2008 until the summer of 2009, El Museo never claimed this context in its advertising, mailings, show flyers, or show descriptions. In fact, the first noted dispute over the title came from some of the very artists they sought to showcase, who in the summer of 2009 engaged in an email debate about the word choice in question. Then, and only then, did El Museo and its defenders attempt to supply a context of reappropriation to the series title. And only until an article appeared in the New York Times did the institution seem interested in entertaining a change in the name.
This alleged context for the naming of their series perpetuates the false parallel between individual acts of expression and the programming choices of a community-founded, publicly-funded institution.
To be perfectly clear, we believe that no artist should be censored or ostracized for their word choices, even those deemed offensive. We have never called for this series’ cancellation, nor have we pressured individual artists to back out of the series. We reject any such calls. Instead, we encourage all artists contracted to perform in this newly-renamed series to use their considerable artistic talents to voice their agreement or their displeasure with the Museo’s word choice as part of their performances.
We agree that the use of the word “spic” has a history in Latino literature. However, contrary to El Museo’s statement, the history is not an altogether positive one. Not every creative use of a slur implies a reclaiming or reappropriation of that slur.
We take particular issue with the interpretation of Pedro Pietri’s poem “Puerto Rican Obituary.” Neither of the two instances of the word’s use within the poem can be construed as reappropriation. Ironically, the one true instance of reappropriation in the poem is found in the Spanish word “negrito,” a word used by some Caribbean Latinos as an expression of love and a backhanded slap at the racist traditions our cultures have historically engendered. Notice, however, that Mr. Pietri’s line reads, “Aquà to be called negrito means to be called LOVE.” It does not read, “Aquà to be called spic means to be called LOVE.”
Regardless of the poetic interpretations offered or refuted, we reject out of hand the notion that individual uses of an epithet by themselves constitute an excuse for an institution to use an epithet as a program name. Our intent here is to remind El Museo Del Barrio of the difference between artistic expression and curatorial responsibility, a responsibility that has clearly been abdicated by means of El Museo’s latest statement. We read it as neither a true acknowledgment of the community’s outrage, nor as an apology. The fact is, nowhere in its missive does El Museo accept responsibility or explicitly apologize for offending people to whom they refer as “those for whom this term is offensive.” They have instead attempted to define a serious curatorial miscue, the use of an epithet by an arts institution, as an act of free speech and artistic license. To say El Museo misses the point is a gross understatement.
To date, we have yet to receive full disclosure as to how this series name was conceived in the first place. We still do not know which curator, intern, administrator, or committee was responsible to putting the title to paper. No staff member, senior manager, or board member of El Museo was willing to put his or her name on the statement. El Museo’s executive director, Julian Zugazagoitia, has not responded to a single email sent to him.
We continue to be hopeful for a fruitful community dialogue with El Museo and its management, given the activist history and community roots of the institution itself. To that end, we would suggest a community roundtable, one attended by the public and the Museo’s Board of Trustees and management, to give a public, face-to-face airing of all points of view on this particular matter.
We also renew our call for Mr. Zugazagoitia, in his capacity as executive director, to engage this community positively and take steps to ensure that this incident and incidents like it do not recur. And we call upon Mr. Zugazagoitia, the Board, and the public and private funders of El Museo to examine their own statement of purpose and ask themselves if the original choice of the word “spic” in its public programming truly
serves “to enhance the sense of identity, self-esteem and self-knowledge of the Caribbean and Latin American peoples by educating them in their artistic heritage and bringing art and artists into their communities.”
Signed,
Richard Villar
Sam Vargas Jr., The Acentos Foundation
Carmen Pietri-Diaz
Sam Diaz
Jesus “Papoleto” Melendez, El Puerto Rican Embassy
Fernando Salicrup, Taller Boricua
Previous articles for context:
“Poetry Series Spurs Debate on the Use of an Old Slur Against Latinos,” by David Gonzalez. New York Times, November 20, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/nyregion/21poets.html?_r=1&emc=eta1
“Leaping The Barricades,” by Rich Villar. “El Literati Boricua” (weblog), November 25, 2009. http://literatiboricua.blogspot.com/2009/11/leaping-barricades-reaction-and-call¬to.html
“El Museo Changes Word That Got in the Way of the Meaning,” by David Gonzalez. New York Times, December 4, 2009. http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/04/at-el-museo-a-word-got-in-the-way¬of-the-meaning/
“Museo Del Barrio Changes Spic Up/Speak Out Poetry Series,” Village Voice New York News Blog. December 5, 2009. http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2009/12/museo_del_barri.php
Friday, December 4th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
posted by mary armstrong
“Edgardo Gonzalez was still feeling raw and drained when we spoke several days after respected folk musician and community activist Joaquin Rivera died in triage while waiting for medical care and was then robbed by three homeless men. Last night Gonzales spoke as best he could about his long time friend and music partner, compadre and inspiration. I keep thinking, this is just like Joaquin,” said Edgardo Gonzalez,”if he had to die, he was going to do something with it.” While Joaquin was best known as a musician, Gonzalez was referring to his activism. Rivera, a counselor at Olney High School, was a longtime advocate of bilingual education and active in the return of the Puerto Rican island of Vieques from the U.S. Navy. “The political marches he took part in, people don’t know about that,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez swore he was cried out, but still choked with emotion. The very day that Rivera passed away he had been at the Gonzalez home. “I thought he seemed fine while he was here, having fun, but my wife said he was acting a little different,” says Gonzalez. Playing music together was a long time habit for these men; Gonzalez played bass in Rivera’s Los Pleneros del Batey, his band that played traditional Puerto Rican folk music.
But now, Gonzalez reflects on the way Rivera died. A man with insurance — neglected despite asking for medical attention — has brought international attention to the U.S. health care debate, according to the reactions Gonzalez has received. The world is watching. If he had to go, Joaquin Rivera would be pleased to have it be one last eloquent plea for justice.
At 6 p.m. tonight — far north of the barrio — there will be a viewing at the Givnish Home (10975 Academy Rd.), chosen for its large capacity. “People are flying in from Puerto Rico, Florida, Boston, all over,” says Gonzalez. As the viewing starts off Joaquin’s band will remember him in the heart of the barrio, starting this afternoon with a jam at Centro Musical (464 W Lehigh Ave.), where all the musicians hang. Gradually the music will move over to Taller Puertorriqueño (2721 North 5th St), where Gonzalez chairs the board and Executive Director Dr. Carmen Febo-San Miguel issued the statement, “We have lost a friend, a committed and tireless fighter for Puerto Rican rights and culture and a generous soul.” A long-planned art opening on Taller’s second floor gallery by well-known Puerto Rican painter Toño Martorell, will now be dedicated to the memory of Rivera.
Tomorrow morning there is another viewing at the church at St. Ambrose (600 West Venango), starting at 9 a.m. After that will be the funeral mass. “It will be a simple service with lots of singing, people standing up to speak about Joaquin,” according to Gonzalez. Following the service he says, “Every Latino group in the city will be taking part,” playing for Rivera as mourners walk down Venango to the Greemount Cemetery at Front and Luzerne streets. It will be a traffic stopping spectacle.
Gonzalez tells us there will be many more tributes and fond remembrances of Rivera who was so devoted to celebrating and sharing the heritage of his homeland. He also promises that all the holiday gigs that wouldn’t be the same without some traditional songs will feature Los Pleneros, playing to honor Rivera. Check back here for updates.
If you want to find Gonzalez during any of these funeral events, he’ll be easy to spot. “I kept thinking, ‘What’ll I wear? Guayabera?’” Gonzalez said, referring to the typical performing garb for pleneros. But Gonzalez settled on something that mixes the honor of formality with a nod to Rivera’s tastes and sense of humor. Look for the man in a traditional black suit with the Ron Caña rum t-shirt peeping through, a final toast with Rivera’s favorite tipple.
by Michael K. Lavers
National News Editor
Monday Nov 23, 2009
Thousands of people paid tribute to Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado at vigils held across the country yesterday. (Source:Michael K. Lavers). Related Topics: hate crimes | Jason Mattison, Jr. | Jorge Steven Lopez. Email Print Share Buzz up!
Thousands of people in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Oakland, Calif., and other cities around the country attended memorials, vigils and other events held over the weekend to pay tribute to slain gay teenagers Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado of Puerto Rico and Jason Mattison, Jr., of Baltimore.
New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, City Councilmember Melissa Mark-Viverito, openly gay City Councilmember-elect Danny Dromm, Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation president Jarrett Barrios and fashion designer Malan Breton were among the hundreds who attended a vigil on the Christopher Street Pier in Manhattan’s West Village last night. Mark-Viverito reiterated her call for Puerto Rican authorities to bring hate crimes charges against the man who has repeatedly confessed to Lopez’s death. And she joined Quinn and others who blasted Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuno for not denouncing the teen’s gruesome murder.
“Silence condones the hate that continues to breed in our community,” Mark-Viverito said.
Carlos Velez of the New York City Commission on Human Rights spoke on Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s behalf.
“All of us condemn the disgusting and shameful murder of Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado,” he said.
Barrios further paid tribute to Lopez in both English and Spanish.
“Today we remember a 19-year-old young man; a beautiful young man,” he said (as translated from Spanish.)
Juan A. Martinez Matos reportedly confessed to local investigators he killed Lopez before he decapitated him, dismembered and partially burned his body near Caguas earlier this month. Dante Parish has reportedly confessed he raped and repeatedly stabbed Jason Mattison, Jr., 15, to death before he stuffed him into a closet inside an East Baltimore home on Nov. 10.
Activists who organized many of the vigils across the country sought to memorialize both murdered teenagers, but those who attended the New York memorial seemed largely focused on Lopez’s death.
“That was like my son being killed,” PFLAG member Carmen Robello told EDGE as she pointed her out her openly gay son is roughly the same age Lopez was when he died and she lived on Puerto Rico for five years. “It bothered me. It could have been my son.”
Luna Legacy added the gruesome nature of Lopez’s death compelled him and his friends to attend the vigil.
“I was shocked when I heard about it,” he said. “This young beautiful boy killed in such a horrific way was shocking.”
Stephanie Jones ended the New York vigil by reading aloud a statement from Lopez’s mother, Miriam Mercado.
“When my son told me he was gay, I told him, “Now, I love you more,” Mercado stated. “I want to tell the world that hatred is not born with human beings, it is a seed that is planted by adults and is fostered creating a climate of intolerance and violence. We must change our ways and understand that anyone… could have been my son. And I want everybody to know that Jorge Steven was a very much loved son.”
She further spoke in a video posted to YouTube yesterday.
“Love will conquer hate; this is what I want to say to the world,” Mercado said (as translated from Spanish.) “Steven was a human being. He was my son. He was a brother.”
Michael K. Lavers has written for the Advocate, the Fire Island News, the Village Voice, WNYC and other media outlets. He has also provided commentary on LGBT and other issues to the BBC and the Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC. He blogs at Boy in Bushwick [www.boyinbushwick.blogspot.com]
The CUNY Dominican Studies Institute is in mourning due to the passing of City University’s Vice Chancellor for Budget and Finance, Ernesto Malave. We owe him a lot. Ernesto was there when I became the director of CUNY DSI; he was there when we needed him. I benefited the most from his sound advice; I respected him for reaching such a distinguished post in the largest public, urban university in the US and for keeping himself real; for not forgetting where he came from and for remembering that many of us counted on him.
I admired Ernesto for his knowledge and wisdom; and for his humility and sense of commitment. I was lucky enough to be among his friends. His passing hurts the soul and it will take time before we can heal and think of him without tears and sadness. I take consolation in knowing that Ernesto’s loss is felt by countless people; those he helped directly or indirectly, and who will pass on the memory of the good he did so he may continue to live.
Adios amigo, adios
Nueva York — Ernesto Malave, Vice Canciller de CUNY (Universidad de la Ciudad de Nueva York), falleció repentinamente en Puerto Rico donde asistía a la conferencia “Somos el futuro”.
La noticia dejó desolados a familiares, amigos y colegas por ser tan inesperada y repentina. Jay Hershenshon, Vice Canciller de CUNY, amigo y colega de Malave desde hace 30 años, dijo estar “destrozado por su muerte”.
“Le conocí cuando era el líder estudiantil en el Borough of Manhattan Community College donde cursaba sus estudios. Yo le contraté para trabajar en CUNY en la oficina de relaciones gubernamentales, trabajé con él y le vi crecer y desarrollarse en una super estrella”, dijo Hershenshon a EL DIARIO/LA PRENSA.
En el año 2002 Malave fue nombrado Vice Canciller interino de Presupuestos y Finanzas siendo confirmado plenamente en el 2003, cargo que ocupó hasta su muerte.
“Malave era un ejemplo para todos aquellos que creen en el poder de la educación para cambiar las vidas. El era un puertorriqueño de El Bronx que superó muchos retos y sus logros son ejemplo de las historias exitosas de CUNY”, añadió Hershenshon.
La Secretaria de Estado, Lorraine Cortes-Vázquez, que trabajó con Malave cuando ella era la presidente de la Hispanic Federation, dijo a EL DIARIO/LA PRENSA: “Es una gran pérdida para nosotros [los hispanos] como comunidad. Malave era el latino de más reconocimiento y poder en CUNY y siempre estuvo muy conectado con la comunidad. No fue un joven que se olvidó de sus raíces”.
Rossana Rosado, Gerente General de EL DIARIO/LA PRENSA, señaló igualmente la gran perdida comunitaria: “… como el funcionario latino de más rango en CUNY, Malave era fuente de orgullo y apoyo para muchos profesionales en esa institución…”
En el mismo sentido se manifestó la Comisionada estatal del Servicio de Niños y Familias, Gladys Carrión: “Esto es una pérdida tremenda. Ernesto era una persona afable y generosa que siempre trataba de asegurarse de que CUNY respondiera a las necesidades de los estudiantes y, en particular de los latinos”.
Carol Robles-Roman, asistente del alcalde para Asuntos Legales y Fiduciaria de CUNY, emitió un comunicado: “… A lo largo de su carrera el Vice Canciller Malave ha servido como mentor y consejero tanto de los estudiantes como de los profesores y administradores. Nuestros esfuerzos para establecer el Proyecto de Reclutamiento de Puertorriqueños para CUNY demostró la extensión de su compromiso en todos los temas relacionados con CUNY…”.
“Todo CUNY lamenta el fallecimiento de nuestro querido Vice Canciller de Presupuesto y Finanzas. Era un colega y amigo extraordinariamente brillante, dedicado a su familia y a la universidad de todas las formas imaginables. Durante un cuarto de siglo CUNY se benefició de su creatividad y dedicación transmitiendo su pasión por la educación a los estudiantes”, dijo ayer Matthew Goldstein, Canciller de CUNY, en su comunicado oficial.
Al cierre de esta edición no se conocían todavía los datos correspondientes a su funeral.
Puerto Ricans are some of the most prominent figures in New York politics and culture, so some people are surprised when they hear that, overall, Puerto Ricans are among the poorest and least educated New Yorkers. Almost a third in New York are living in poverty. Here are some of the figures.
In New York City, 31.2 percent of Puerto Ricans live in poverty, compared with 27.8 percent of Latinos more broadly and 18.9 percent of the New York City population overall. Nationally, 22 percent of Puerto Ricans are in poverty, versus 19 percent of Latinos overall (from the American Community Survey via the Pew Hispanic Center).
Of course, when you look closely at the numbers you can see that other Latino groups are struggling as well — more Dominican and Mexican families in New York, for example, are living below the poverty line than Puerto Rican families.
But note that the margin of error for these stats from the 2005-2007 American Community Survey is big enough to put these groups basically on a par with each other. So what’s most surprising is that these groups are so close, given the supposed advantages Puerto Ricans have: They’re all citizens (because Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth of the United States), they’ve been in New York longer (most Dominicans and Mexicans immigrated to New York more recently), and a higher percentage speak English.
As for education: only 31% of Puerto Ricans have completed beyond a high school education as compared to 77% of Whites, 71% of Blacks (including African immigrants) and 42% of all Latinos. (From the American Community Survey via the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College)
Among Puerto Ricans between the ages of 24 and 32, only 16 percent have completed college, even though almost a quarter have at least one college-educated parent. And almost one in five Puerto Ricans that age with at least one college-educated parent dropped out of high school. (From the book “Inheriting the City: The Children of Immigrants Come of Age”).
I decided to do this story after going to see Phillip Kasinitz of the CUNY Graduate Center to talk about his book “Inheriting the City: The Children of Immigrants Come of Age.” As part of his comprehensive study, Kasinitz compared the children of Latino immigrants to the children of native born Puerto Ricans and he says he too was surprised to find that Puerto Ricans were experiencing less success educationally and professionally than many Latino immigrant groups.
Of course, when I went to speak with some of the leading thinkers on Puerto Rican issues, they said, “Duh!” But many said people don’t want to talk about this issue. Angelo Falcon of the National Institute for Latino Policy said the issues of Puerto Ricans have become invisible, especially as immigration issues dominate the political and academic dialogue around Latinos.
That’s how this story was born. Please contribute to this conversation by posting your comments below — there’s much to debate.
Tags: American Community Survey, CUNY, Dominican, immigration, Latino, Mexican, Mexico, National Institute for Latino Policy, Pew Hispanic Center, Puerto Rican, Puerto Rico | 17 comments | Posted in Economy, Education, Metro
Comment from Cynthia Ceilan
Date: November 20, 2009, 10:14 am
What these sorts of studies often fail to mention is the enormous numbers of Puerto Ricans who not only went to college, but enjoyed a significant measure of success in their chosen professions — and then left the city.
Puerto Ricans, native-born as well as their mainland-born children, have been thriving for decades in great numbers, though not necessarily in NYC.
To say that Puerto Ricans in New York are “still struggling” paints a rather skewed picture of this population. It also fails to recognize that 68.8% of us are educated and living well in this great city.
Comment from Victoria
Date: November 20, 2009, 11:11 am
Thank you for doing this story! I’m disappointed that Puerto Rican leading thinkers do not want to talk about this disparity that still exists. Why ignore the conversation if it can possibly catalyze positive change? If some of us can pull ourselves up then I think it is important to help others and not ignore the problems. (I write this as the daughter of a line of Puerto Ricans who have always worked hard and strived for a better life here – whether running their own businesses or working for community nonprofits.) We all need to help each other…
Comment from Juan A. Baea
Date: November 20, 2009, 11:51 am
The reason for the lack of achievement is because Puerto Ricans were benefited by the social programs of the 60’s, such as welfare, housing benefits and housing projects. This resulted in a mentality of dependence, not self reliance. Another casualty of the great society programs, much like African Americans.
Comment from Monica Rodriguez
Date: November 20, 2009, 12:06 pm
You came close to perhaps finding an answer to your questions when you mentioned that sometimes our (Puerto Rican’s) problems can mirror African Americans’s problems better than other Latinos’ issues. Puerto Ricans have a different experience, historically and today, than that of other Latinos. This is not often recognized, even among Latinos.
I’m thrilled to hear this piece highlighting the issue of the status of Puerto Ricans. Thank you for spending your time on this. The questions you ask have stumped me as well. I hope that they are answered soon.
Comment from Pablo Alto
Date: November 20, 2009, 12:40 pm
That fact that Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth (read: COLONY)has had a devastating effect on the spirit and psyche of Puerto Ricans here and on the island. This “neither state nor country” status means that the people do not view themselves as being truly a part of the United States nor fully independent.
Comment from J Rivera
Date: November 20, 2009, 4:40 pm
I feel and have always felt that there is a lack of a real desire for success among the Puerto Rican community.
Just as was stated in this piece, none of my friends made it, and I too felt shame as I became successful. To this day in the projects where I was born and raised, no respect is shown for those who are educated.
Just as Juan commented, I beleive that we were destroyed by a history of dependence on social programs. Again, even to this day I can’t find anyone with whom I grew up with that doesn’t think that the government is somehow responsible for their future. There seems to be a real lack of initiative to lift themselves up out of poverty.
There are real problems, we must not allow ourselves to be forgotten.
Comment from Lorenzo Canizares
Date: November 20, 2009, 5:18 pm
What is the class basis of this assessment? I am a Cuban-American, and amongst Cuban-American there is a marked difference in education between well-off Cubans and lower class Cubans.
What are we going to do for the lower class members of our Latino community so there is some hope in their future? The discussion needs to address the real life of people, not the panacea we would all like to see.
Comment from L Martinez
Date: November 20, 2009, 5:55 pm
My personal experience, having had been of Puerto Rican parents and having had grown up in a Puerto Rican neighborhood, is that education, achievement, ambition, and hard work are generally not encouraged by the culture. As a child I could see first hand the socioeconomic degradedness as a lot of inner city Puerto Ricans easily just avoided school, hung out in the streets, had illigitimate children, and made for an urban climate of domestic violence, ignorance, drunkenness, drug addiction and dependency on welfare (etc). My father said that Puerto Ricans do not have to fear being deported like Cubans and other Latinos do, so they don’t worry about calling attention to themselves by behaving wildly. The Hell’s Kitchen of the 1960s and 1970s eventually became a more upwardly mobile neighborhood because Arabs, and Hindus took over a lot of the stores and other businesses.
Comment from AusTexMex
Date: November 20, 2009, 8:08 pm
I was born in Texas in 1946 and now live in Los Angeles. Look, let’s be honest Latinos share many of the same problems. We also need to understand that Cubans, Mexicans, Dominicanos & Puerto Ricans have some unique issues that they would like addressed. I think it is incumbent for the majority group in a particular region to embrace the the other Latinos. These four goups makeup 90% of the Latinos in America. Some recent positive major milestones we’ve accomplished together: Defend The Honor (WWII)documentary by Ken Burns, 10,000,000 plus voters in the general election. President Obama! Thanks in part to Rosario Dawson and Voto Latino and of course Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. That’s Power. Do we have serious problems? Of course we do, however, we will address them and continue to move forward.
Comment from Marianne McCune
Date: November 20, 2009, 8:12 pm
I am the reporter of this story and I wanted to say just two quick things. One, I am so glad people are posting their comments here. There are many ways to look at these issues and I couldn’t fit every interpretation of the statistics into the radio story or the blog post. So I’m thrilled to see you all making the conversation more comprehensive. Two, for anyone who didn’t hear the story — it does cover some issues the blog post does not. For example, the reality that many of the more successful Puerto Ricans in New York move out (as mentioned in the first comment above) is, indeed, included in the audio version. If you haven’t heard it and want to, it’s here ay http://www.wnyc.org/news/articles/144777
Meanwhile, thank you for your candid and engaged responses. Please continue!
Comment from Felix Velazquez
Date: November 20, 2009, 9:22 pm
These discussions always remind me of the elephant in the living room. We are born comparing ourselves and we are told over and over again we never quite measure up; It drives and pushes us to succeed and quite too often to failure. I am 62 Y/O Puerto Rican who was brought to New York City when I was 13 years old. It was not talked about it by my father and my grandfather when I was i growing up in Puerto Rico, it is not talked about it here in New York, and it is not talked about it as I travel back and forth to the Island nation. It is a sickness that debilitates our souls and warps our psychic. It is called COLONIZATION. You do not have to go to far to find an example of its warped mirroring, just read carefully between the lines to some of the comments above.
My life experiences and my daly observations, tell me that these stats are not inaccurate, and that as long as the problem is defined by comparing and not by nation building we are doomed to loose the comparison game.
Comment from Angel Falcon
Date: November 20, 2009, 9:39 pm
I think the scapegoating of social programs and the idea that Puerto Rican colonial status has some marring effect on Puerto Ricans in diaspora is problematic at its face. Most Puerto Ricans in diaspora don’t concern themselves with political status per se. Status is a great concern for those on the island. And it is a stretch to indicate that colonial status has any effect on those in diaspora who are for the most 3 or even 4 generations in diaspora. However, there is a colonial mentality of a different sort where, as one poster mentioned, we look to the government as somehow being responsible for our failings and, in turn, as a possible solution to our problems. That creates a different kind of colonial mentality that only breeds false hope. You can’t expect things to get better without agency on your own part. One of the best ways to get out from our situation is to empower our children with the proverbial “knowledge of self” and know who it is they are historically and NOT rely on the school system to do it. We need grassroots Puerto Rican historical and cultural education, be it in bomba/plena or in political history in libraries, casitas, dondequiera…when people stop looking to athletes, musicians and the government for hope and look INTERNALLY for inspiration, THEN there can be change.
Comment from Judith Escalona
Date: November 21, 2009, 12:36 am
This is a very personal response to McCune’s piece which I found disappointing in being consistent with how our community has been historically imagined. I am the founder of PRdream.com, a web site on the history, culture and politics of Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rican diaspora. I was born and raised in New York City.
The goal of http://www.prdream.com was precisely to create an online resource where Puerto Ricans could learn about themselves and carry on an exchange among themselves and others worldwide. It is predominantly English, because we are New York based and indeed Nuyorican. PRdream.com has been in existence for 11 years.
My observation and, actually, firsthand experience is that among Puerto Ricans stateside there is a desire to connect with the island and to maintain that relationship – however tenuous or problematic it may be or seem to be.
While Puerto Ricans in Puerto Rico wrestle with the status issue, Puerto Ricans in the U.S. struggle with the identity issue. They are counterparts to the same history, remarkably paralleling one another in relation to the U.S. Leviathan.
Developing prdream.com has been a journey of personal growth and enrichment as a second generation Puerto Rican. It made me realize that much of what I learned through mainstream media and acquired in school and through hearsay in the streets was mostly misinformation based on ignorance and bias.
What I learned through PRdream.com was that Puerto Ricans are quite the opposite of that naggingly negative image that seems unshakeable.
I learned that the tiny island–the smallest in the Greater Antilles–has been the source of an incredible amount of talent for both the English and Spanish speaking worlds.
While we have not posted much of the overwhelming content we have acquired over the years (through videotaping oral histories, interviews, conferences and other events), a fair amount of it can be seen online. It clearly belies the image of our people that is consistently drummed into our children and the general public.
McCune errs in her good intentions because she is subject to the same perceptual bias our community knows only too well. That bias which appears scrupulous and articulate, quoting studies and statistics, in order to reinforce that all too familiar image of who we are but aren’t really. If the “successful” Puerto Ricans have left the inner city then it might be a more balanced report to look at those statistics as well and ask the more important question – what made the difference?
Comment from Alberto O. Cappas
Date: November 21, 2009, 12:46 am
This is nothing new to me, a reason I’ve shy away from the Puerto Rican leadership in NYC, composed of an obsolete attachment to Puerto Rico emotionalism. Just go and check out your Puerto Rican Studies Programs at CUNY, Hunter, etc, and you will find an emotional push for independence; and that is what we are feeding our next generation, instead of passing a torch of enlightment in relation to strategies on becoming economic providers and educators with a sound vision for tomorrow. We need to kill the social-welfare mentality found in the majority of the Puerto Rican community based organizations and its leadership. As Puerto Ricans, We are too liberal oriented without a base of political balance and logic, including a complete absence of backbone to proplerly negotiate and compromise in the political arena/system.
Comment from Jeff White
Date: November 21, 2009, 6:11 am
Judith, I think you are boasting about your website which highlights “Make A Donation” on each topic’s landing page. If you listen to the audio of the story which is at the very top of this page, then you would have heard the difficulties in getting statistics from the Census Bureau because they only ask for the broader Hispanic category on the Census questionnaire. Blaiming the concept that Puerto Ricans some 3 or 4 generations are still living in as high poverty as later hispanic immigrants is a valid topic by itself. Why hasn’t the community gotten out of the projects? As Juan A. Baea pointed out, the social programs championed to help people out have now proven to be the crutch that no one wants to give up. As an aside, the Latino designation used by the politicians to gain political clout has now proven useful in forgetting the struggle of Puerto Ricans still trying to pull themselves out of poverty. I would put some blame on the opportunistic politicians who turn the blind eye to there brethren for political gains.
Comment from Jeff White
Date: November 21, 2009, 6:13 am
To add, Puerto Rican’s overwhelmingly voted to become either a state (46%) or no change (50%) in 1998 so the colonially argument is irrelevant when the majority doesn’t want a change in status. The other half can come here if they don’t like there status. I’m sure millions around the world would give up their homeland to stay 6 months in America. They have lotteries around the world to come here!
Comment from Judith Escalona
Date: November 21, 2009, 8:44 am
Hey, this is America, there is nothing wrong with having a “MAKE A DONATION” button on a web site or a t-shirt or a sneaker. I’m proud to be a Puerto Rican and an American. I took the risk that someone would cynically attach themselves to my mentioning PRdream.com and attempt to undermine my views by this very claim of self-promotion. However, the truth is that I stated my background and work with PRdream.com in order to emphasize: 1. My personal search for knowledge about my culture and community as someone born and raised in the U.S. And 2. The fact that PRdream.com has been around for a substantial period of time, documenting our community, that would give weight to what I had to say.
No one is “blaming” any concept. Why would I anthropomorphize a concept?
The point White misses is that the U.S. has a long history of pathologizing our community through studies. To drive home my point, he actually defends McCune’s report by claiming that specific statistics are not available and “blames” the Census Bureau. She’s off the hook, according to White, by simply stating that those statistics are obscured by the bureau’s nomenclature.
Most importantly, I suggest that a “balanced report” in the media would have to include not only where successful Puerto Ricans have moved to (apparently out of New York City) but also their profile. The title of the report makes a tellingly broad claim “Puerto Ricans in New York Struggling… Still” and safely redlines the extent of her coverage.
The Cadavre Exquis (Exquisite Corpse) was a favorite surrealist game from the 1920s onwards. The game involves multiple participants contributing to a single drawing. Traditionally, the participants create their section of the drawing and then cover it so the next person is drawing blind. Only after all participants have finished is the drawing unfolded and revealed.
The Paul Robeson Galleries has played the Exquisite Corpse game with 92 artists of the region to produce 30 drawings to mark our 30th Anniversary.This exhibition will literally manifest Paul Robeson Galleries mission
of inclusivity, participation, and community outreach.
This exhibition is on display at from November 19, 2009 – April 8, 2010
The Paul Robeson Galleries are located in the Robeson Campus Center,
Rutgers The State University of New Jersey,
350 Dr Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard
Newark, New Jersey 07102
Telephone +1 973 353 1610 Fax +1 973 353 5912
