Hormigueros is a small town located in the western region of the great island of the archipelago, Puerto Rico. It has a population of 16,856 inhabitants of which 5,900 constitute the labor force. Its inhabitants are known by the demonym “hormiguereños”. Its patron saint, according to the Catholic tradition, is the Virgin of the Monserrate and her day is celebrated on the 8 of September.

This colorful town is known by the moniker “the town of the miracle,” due to the alleged appearance of the Virgin; “The cradle of the emancipatory one”, because it was there were Segundo Ruiz Belvis, defender of the independence of Puerto Rico in the days of Spain and fundamental figure in the abolition of slavery was born; and “the heart of the west”, by its location. It was founded on April 1, 1874 and is constituted by six districts: Benavante, Lavadero, Guanajibo, Jagüitas, Hormigueros [Town] and Hormigueros [District].

For the origin of the name two main versions are presented. The first one talks about the great amount of people who would meet to celebrate the festival in honor of the Virgin of the Monserrate on September 8th, “an ‘anthill’ or hormiguero of people.” The second, to the topographic formation of the land that conforms it, made up of many hills that seem like the small knolls that ants form to live. Another version talks about the origin of the name of the town of “oromico” the indigenous word, which means “Gold River.” At present, the town of Hormigueros is directed and administered by the Honorable Mayor Pedro J. Figueroa, great Puerto Rican and defender of culture and native values.

From here, from the mother country of all, the heart of the west, Hormigueros and their honorable mayor invite all the Boricuas and Latin American residents in Chicago and bordering areas as well as to all the members of the Puerto Rican and Latin American diasporas in the United States, so that they meet in the 18th Celebration of the Puerto Rican festival “Bandera a Bandera” in the city of Chicago, on September 5, 2011. That day, the town of Hormigueros will bring to you the “best of our town”.

Carlos Quíles,
La Voz del Paseo Boricua

It always baffled me when friends and colleagues of mine would see me outside of the fluid boundaries of Humboldt Park and comment, “Oh wow, you’re outside the two flags!” While such remarks are made in fairly good-humor, they are more telling about the deep-seated feelings about people who do community work. In other words, “those activists” are too narrow-minded or insular; they do not experience or understand the world outside a few blocks, which of course, is bad. All in all, a sentiment of “I could never do that kind of work, because I’ll end up like that” is felt. That kind of idea only damages the possibilities of maintaining and expanding work that seeks to improve the lives of community residents. And more importantly, those who get hurt the most in the process are the very residents themselves.

Just recently, I traveled outside the neighborhood to attend the Puerto Rican Studies Association Conference in Hartford, Connecticut. Although I listened to the work of the Puerto Rican intelligentsia, which for me proved that our communities can also produce great scholars and intellectuals, I also wanted to understand what connections could be drawn between academia and the people they study. This faraway New England city always peeked my interest due to its very large Puerto Rican community, which, in terms of proportion, is the second largest in the U.S. Plus, the mayor and much of the political establishment is led by Boricuas. Therefore a few friends and I ventured outside the walls of the swanky hotel where the conference was held to see what links could be made between Paseo Boricua and Park Street, the economic and cultural center for the Hartfordian Boricua.

As we walked down Park Street, there were visible signs of urban decay and poverty: the multiple young men, walking around with seemingly nothing to do and some “run-down” homes and buildings. Of course, this is what outsiders too often focus on, especially when visiting communities of color. What is most important and amazing, and perhaps sometimes even overlooked by community workers and academics, were the distinct signs of economic and cultural development. Block after block there were small business ventures that included everything from restaurants and cafes, to bookstores, record shops, and jewelers. As I entered these places of business, it was obvious that they were all owned by Puerto Rican and Latina/o longtime residents who also employed longtime local residents of color.

Social networks and civic engagement seemed to be rich, with residents conversing with each other as they walked down the street and in cafes, and some passing out information on electoral candidates. Furthermore, there were multiple buildings that have been reconstructed to look like structures in Viejo San Juan, with pastel-colored façades and iron-gate balconies. The neighborhood also included murals and community centers that depicted cultural and political themes of the island. Yes, social ills existed, but there was a community that was economically vibrant and culturally puertorriqueño – an important place in which to continue addressing the problems we face as a nation.

In Humboldt Park, we are also developing our community on our own terms, similar to that of Hartford, by holistically intersecting economics, politics, health, housing, and education within the framework of Puerto Rican identity. All this is done with the idea that in a racist and classist society, how can we own the places we live in, create a legitimate internal economy, and address the issues that affect us. Thus, to those that say that community workers are too “stuck” in Humboldt Park, I say that it takes a strong connection and sense of rootedness in your own community to truly appreciate and understand what others have built and to create a common agenda that will lift us all up as a people.

by Xavier “Xavi” Luis Burgos

Puerto Rico, how ironic is our love for you? We never cease to profess our sincere pride. We display it everywhere and in any way possible; from tattoos, t-shirts, to temperaments, we declare our profound orgullo.

Yet our love and pride – as deep as it goes – has limits, lines we won’t cross, fears we won’t face. Far too often, there is much we refuse to say, acts we won’t do, and beliefs we refuse to hold. Everyday, we simultaneously affirm our identity as Puerto Ricans, yet we often collectively dare not fight for Puerto Rico.

This contradiction is not only present on the island, but also in our barrios and communities throughout the United States. Here too, we have immense pride and love for our patria, but it’s no less ironic, no less tragic.

The question remains, how we together – as a community and people – move from one-dimensional pride to a stronger commitment to each other and our shared liberation.

Our annual festivals and celebrations offer a site to reflect on the nature of Puerto Rican pride, its importance and shortcomings. Every year, we gather (wherever there is more than one Puerto Rican) to celebrate, commemorate, and congratulate each other on our rich culture and customs. From the smallest towns in New England to the sprawling suburbs around Orlando to parts of Texas to the metropolises of New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia, we host annual parades and festivals.

Though some are bigger, better funded, or more established than others, each serves in its own way as expressions of our collective identity. Historically, we were forced to create these festivals and parades in order to combat the negative and racist characterizations of our community. As a result, we cannot underestimate them, although we can question how they sometimes limit Puerto Rican-ness to a few, sanitized expressions.

In some cases, these important events mark the only time we gather as a community. Drawn by music, food, and the rare chance to express ourselves freely and openly as Boricuas, we dust off our flags and thrust them out of our house and car windows, passionately, albeit predictably, forcing our local cities to recognize our existence.

Politicians come out, commercial businesses and media take notice and contrive ways to take advantage of our momentary unity. We gain some recognition, smiling with teeth shining, flag in hand, yet too often, during and beyond these moments of cultural bliss, we are silent on the matters of urgent concern to the Puerto Rican people.

This raises the question: Why does our profound pride not usually lead to action in the defense of those among us most suffering? What kind of pride does translate into love for our sisters and brothers?

Various facets of our history and current reality usually fall outside of these popular cultural events. In most cases, Puerto Rican identity is expressed in narrow terms, as if arroz con gandules, bistec encebollado y tostones, Salsa y reggeaton captured it all. Even further than our culture, what is the reality of Puerto Ricans and why is reflecting and acting on that complicated reality so often threatening to some in our community? One important exception to the tendency to exclude political and social issues from cultural events is the Puerto Rican People’s Parade held on Paseo Boricua, Chicago. This parade not only proclaims our identity but also raises important causes like gentrification and liberation via ¡Humboldt Park NO SE VENDE! and the campaign to free our Puerto Rican political prisoners.

Our realities as Puerto Ricans, of course, are incredibly diverse, and though there is an emerging professional and ‘middle-class’ sector, the majority of our people continue to face adversities to their very existence.

Our dropout rates (or push-out rates, to be more accurate) are among the highest, and have been for decades. Our unemployment rates, particularly in the inner city, are staggering, and that was before the economic downturn.  Our historic communities, like my city’s Humboldt Park and others, are being or have been dismantled and destroyed by a housing crisis long before the foreclosure epidemic.

Some of these realities – which are only a few and do not count necessarily as the most important – may in fact not resonate with your particular lived experience. But rest assured that the Boricua that passes you at the festival, that joins you in shouting out “¡Que Viva Puerto Rico!” may very well be confronting these challenges and others like violence (gang violence, domestic violence, and the violence of abusive law enforcement and imprisonment), as well as disastrous poverty. Perhaps they suffer from racial, gender, and sexual discrimination both within and outside our community.

Deep inequalities and divisions mark our people, both on the island and our glorious Diaspora. Especially in the current climate against Latin American peoples in the U.S., most recently reflected in Arizona Senate Bill 1070, we are facing difficult times.

We are a people – at least from my reading of history – that continue to experience the fracturing and oppressive reality of colonialism and its many manifestations. The current situation the majority of our people live reveals a profound denial of our human rights and a hesitation to aggressively demand them. Our responsibility continues to be to resist – in every conceivable way, from the smallest act of defiance to the acts remembered by our future historians. We cannot afford to shy away from politics, debate and collective action.

Pride is not enough. While we need to affirm our existence through cultural celebrations, and do so in recognition of our internal diversity, we must go beyond this form of pride. Our pride in our history, culture and identity should be sources of energy to work together in building new hopes, dreams and possibilities, but it should also move us beyond a one-dimensional pride to a deeper, richer love of our people, which is based on and grows through the struggle for our freedom and the freedom of all peoples.

by Michael Rodríguez-Muñiz

After nine years of struggle to save one of Chicago’s largest and oldest murals, the Puerto Rican community of Humboldt Park is closer to wining the right to the contentious adjacent lot. On Wednesday, September 27th, Raul Echevarria, Deputy Director of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, received word that the Chicago City Council Committee on Real Estate approved a two-year lease of the lot. The lease will now go before the full City Council for a vote in October. “Once the lease is approved we can begin development of the lot into a garden with GreenCor, a group assigned by the City to develop the landscape elements to the lot”, said Echevarria.  If all goes as planed the garden could be completed by mid November, weather permitting. According to Echevarria, the Puerto Rican Cultural Center will hold title of the lease. “During the two year period of the lease, the City will begin a process of officially transferring title of the lot to the Puerto Rican Cultural Center”, Echevarria stated.

Back in 2001, after completing plans to restore the mural and develop the adjacent lot, a committee made up of various community organizations (including the Near Northwest Neighborhood Network, Architreasures, the Puerto Rican Cultural Center) and residents attempted to negotiate with the developer who owned the lot, to sell it to the committee. The developer had laid a foundation to build a condominium that would block sight of the mural.  By 2003, negotiations had failed and the deve
loper started construction of the condo. This sparked highly publicized protests by the community members that included the involvement of the then Alderman of the 26th Ward Billy Ocasio. Subsequently, the protesters stopped construction on three occasions. Finally, the City was able to gain control of the site in 2007. Yet restoration could not begin until the City was able to settle the question of stewardship of the property that would insure that the project would be completed and maintained.

“I remember being ten years old, driving with my father and we would always pass that mural. It was kind of creepy”, recalls John Vergar, “especially that guy (Muños Marin), who is stabbing Jesus (Albizu Campos), with what looked to me like a pool stick”.

Artist John Vergara (37), who is best known in the community for creating the Paseo Boricua/Humboldt Park (Coat Of Arms) mural on the corner of Campbell and Division, as well as, his now famous flag (with the Coat of Arms), was assigned to be the lead artist of the restoration. “I would have never thought that I would be involved in the restoration of this mural”, says Vergara.

John Pitman Weber, a veteran Chicago muralist and professor of art at Elmhurst College, was hired as a consultant for the project. He provided technical assistance to Vergara who had never restored a mural before. Along with various volunteers, the goal was to complete the restoration in one week. Restoration began on August 28th and by September 4th the mural was 85 % complete. “I didn’t think it was going to be possible to complete this in such a short time,” says Mario Galan. Artist Mario Galan had designed the mural in 1971 as a founding member of the Puerto Rican Arts Association. “I was surprised to see that he (Vergara) was dedicated. When someone is dedicated, you tend to put a little more into it and it turned out right,” says Mario.

Mario Galan was one of many volunteers who helped in the restoration of the mural. Although Mario is surprised that the mural has lasted this long, his memories are still vivid of when he first painted the mural. “I thought about the people that worked under me when I first did the mural, like Hector Rosario who was instrumental in getting me the information I needed.” Says Mario.

John Vergara was pleased to have the opportunity to work with one of the original ar
tists. “I had one of the original muralist, Mario Galan, assisting me which was the best part of the experience”, says Vergara. “Someone like me, from the “streets” to be given an opportunity to restore a historic mural. I feel truly honored.”

An entire generation of Humboldt Park residents has grown up seeing the mural as part of this neighborhood. Now with the restoration of the mural a new generation of residents can now enjoy it’s aesthetic with a new park and garden. Just in time for the 40th Anniversary of the mural next year.  “I see it as a victory for all of us”,
says Vergara.

by Eduardo Arocho

En el año 2003 visité por primera vez la comunidad puertorriqueña en el Paseo Boricua de la calle Division en Chicago. El motivo particular no lo recuerdo, creo que fue para la presentación de un trabajo poético musical con unos compañeros artistas de Puerto Rico.  La fecha exacta tampoco la recuerdo. Sin embargo, lo que recuerdo perfectamente es la impresión que me causó la organización y el trabajo social y cultural  que estaba llevando a cabo el Centro Cultural Juan Antonio Corretjer en la llamada ciudad de los vientos. De entrada me impactó el sentido patriótico con el que se trabajaba cada proyecto, incluyendo los trabajos de índole social y de salud. Quedé maravillado con el grupo de jóvenes que laboraban con tanto afán, hombro con hombro y con un gran orgullo para que los trabajos se llevaran a cabo. Todo eso y mucho más desde una sola plataforma, la de la identidad puertorriqueña. De regreso a la isla me traje en el espíritu ese sentido de trabajo comunitario y de lucha patriótica  de ese grupo de puertorriqueños y puertorriqueñas en Chicago, que para ser honesto, no he tenido la experiencia de verlo, en esa magnitud, en ninguna comunidad de la isla.

Ese impacto me trajo de vuelta, no se si ese mismo año o el próximo, el 2004, esta vez para participar de la Fiesta Boricua de Bandera a Bandera. Posteriormente he visitado en varias ocasiones esta comunidad con motivo de esa Fiesta Boricua. Inclusive, este pasado año escolar 2009 – 2010, vine para trabajar como maestro de Historia de Puerto Rico en la escuela superior Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos. Aún con los contratiempos y las dificultades con el idioma y el choque frontal con un invierno que me congelaba la sangre, la experiencia fue muy buena. Estar todo un año trabajando dentro de esta organización que es el Centro Cultural Puertorriqueño Juan Antonio Corretjer amplió mi primera impresión y me llevó a una profunda reflexión sobre la educación, el trabajo comunitario, el desarrollo social y económico y la lucha por la independencia de nuestra patria. Se abrieron, con esa experiencia, nuevas perspectivas de lucha, nuevas visiones y estrategias y me reafirmé en mi visión de la educación pública de nuestros jóvenes como parte fundamental de los procesos de lucha y liberación de nuestro pueblo.
Dicho ésto, paso al objetivo principal de este artículo  que es hacer un comentario sobre la 17ma Fiesta Boricua, celebrada el pasado 5 de septiembre en la que mi pueblo de Comerío tuvo una participación muy especial que aumentó en grado superlativo mi orgullo de ser comerieño.

En algún momento durante el año escolar, el Sr. José López, artífice e ideólogo de esta comunidad y quien no necesita presentación, me mencionó que este año quería inaugurar una sección dentro de la Fiesta Boricua que se llamaría “Lo mejor de nuestros pueblos” y que invitaría a partir de ese momento y cada año a un pueblo de la isla para  participar de la Fiesta Boricua y traer, precisamente, lo mejor de ese pueblo.

No ha sido pura casualidad que Comerío haya sido elegido para inaugurar esa nueva sección dentro de la fiesta. No obstante, aunque la historia es interesantísima, la falta de tiempo y espacio me impide, amigo lector, contarla en este artículo. Lo que me parece más importante es el hecho que, por las reacciones que he recibido de personas que llevan viniendo a esta actividad año tras año, esta edición número 17 de la Fiesta Boricua ha sido muy especial. Más de una persona me ha expresado que ha sido la mejor de todas.

Dentro del marco de la fiesta se celebraron varios eventos. Entre ellos, la presentación del libro Desde Lares del Lcdo. Carlos Gallizá, figura prominente dentro de la discusión política de la isla de Puerto Rico y el reconocimiento a él como luchador por la independencia. También, se reconoció la presencia del Sr. Florencio Merced, quien ha sido parte importante dentro de esa lucha desde sus años de estudiante en la Universidad de Puerto Rico, como líder estudiantil y presidente de la Federación de Universitarios Pro Independencia (FUPI). También se dio clausura a la exposición del artista puertorriqueño Elizam Escobar, obra que estuvo expuesta en IPRAC por varios meses y de la exposición de fotografías que han aparecido en el semanario Claridad a través de su historia como periódico de la lucha por la independencia de Puerto Rico.

El sábado 4, víspera de la Fiesta Boricua, se celebró la Misa Jíbara, que incorpora a su ceremonia religiosa elementos de la cultura puertorriqueña a través de la música típica y la trova del país, dirigida por el Reverendo Padre Raúl Berríos quien llegó con la delegación comerieña. Fue un acto muy hermoso, espiritual y profundo que creó en el espacio del patio interior de IPRAC una comunión de hermanos y un lazo de unión y solidaridad entre los líderes y feligreses de varias parroquias católicas de la ciudad de Chicago junto con las demás personas que allí nos encontrábamos.

Inmediatamente después de la misa se celebró la Noche Puertorriqueña, una gala espectacular que reunió a más de cuatrocientas personas en una noche de cultura y orgullo patrio en el patio exterior del Instituto Puertorriqueño de Arte y Cultura (IPRAC, por su sigla en inglés). En ese espacio fueron reconocidos y homenajeados Carmen H. Lonstein, abogada y miembro de uno de los bufetes más prestigiosos de Chicago y comerieña, y el  alcalde de nuestro pueblo de Comerío, soberanista y puertorriqueñista sin que le tiemble la mano, el Honorable José A. Santiago. El alcalde, por su parte, leyó una hermosa proclama declarando al Sr. José López hijo adoptivo de Comerío. También leyó una proclama similar reconociendo a Josefina Rodríguez (Fifo), además de reconocer a otras personas de la comunidad. El grupo de artistas que vino de Comerío deleitó al público con excelentes interpretaciones.

Ya dejé expuesto anteriormente las impresiones sobre la fiesta del domingo, la Fiesta de Bandera a Bandera. Permítame, amigo lector, hacer un poco de alarde. Mi pueblo de Comerío, mi delegación comerieña, hizo una presentación artística de primera. El Ballet Folklórico de Comerío, El Grupo Ecos de Borinquen con Miguel Santiago Díaz, el Grupo Yes, Papo Cocote y la increíble Tuna Trovera, dieron cátedra sobre lo que es cultura, puertorriqueñidad, solidaridad y patriotismo.

Me consta el sacrificio extraordinario que con lleva la celebración de estas fiestas boricuas en el Paseo Boricua de Chicago. El costo económico es impresionante; conseguir todo ese dinero requiere un esfuerzo monumental. El esfuerzo físico para la organización y la consecución de la fiesta es incalculable. Para la delegación comerieña el esfuerzo y el sacrificio  ronda por el mismo camino, trascendió, como para el Centro Cultural Juan Antonio Corretjer, todos los esfuerzos posibles. Estoy absolutamente convencido que para ambos el esfuerzo, el sacrificio y el sudor ha valido la pena.

Espero que la comunidad puertorriqueña en Chicago sepa valorar ese esfuerzo, que sepan aquilatar en su justa medida el trabajo y el sacrificio de los organizadores de la Fiesta Boricua. Me consta que mi gente de Comerío regresaron extremadamente complacidos y contentos, agradecidos y orgullosos por haber participado en esta Fiesta Boricua de Bandera a Bandera, que es una sola bandera, la puertorriqueña. Se sienten inmensamente orgullosos de haber participado y de ser el primer pueblo de nuestra nación puertorriqueña que trajo a nuestros hermanos y hermanas, compatriotas en Chicago, lo mejor de su pueblo.

En lo que a mi se refiere, me inspira este Centro Cultural Juan Antonio Corretjer de Chicago, me inspira mi gente de Comerío, me motiva su orgullo y dedicación y su expresión patriótica de corazón amigo y solidario y ambos, el Centro y mi pueblo, me hacen sentir un orgullo sin límites para decir a pecho abierto: Yo soy boricua.

(a Raymond (RJ), Matt, Juan,Juanita, Carlos, Zoraida, Marisol, Elías, Rubén, Brenda,Gustavo,Jonathan, Judy y Vidia, particularmente, por el afecto, pero más por la solidaridad y el apoyo y a todos los maestros y compañeros de PACHS)

Por Carlos quiles

Para ver mas retratos Click: 17ma Fiesta Boricua 2010

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Luis \”Perico\” Ortíz – El Día Que Me Quieras (Live)

Over 150 people joined the Institute of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture (IPRAC) as it hosted the official unveiling of a new US stamp honoring renowned Puerto Rican poet, Julia de Burgos on Friday, September 24.

An award-winning writer, poet and journalist, Julia de Burgos takes her place among honorees in the Postal Service’s Literary Arts series along with several other distinguished Latina/o writers.

The Postal Service honors Julia de Burgos as a revolutionary writer, thinker, and activist who wrote more than 200 poems probing issues of love, feminism, as well as political and personal freedom. Julia de Burgos’ groundbreaking works urged women, minorities and the poor to defy social conventions and find their own true selves.

The event featured a film on the life of Julia de Burgos followed by wel
coming remarks by IPRAC’s Board of Director President Ray Vázquez. Dean of Students at Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School Judy Díaz and Program Director of Batey Urbano Jessie Fuentes recited two of Julia de Burgos’ most famous poems, “Ay, Ay de la Grifa Negra” and “A Julia de Burgos.” Chicago District Manager / Post Master USPS Gloria E. Tyson  spoke about the importance of Julia De Burgos, the Latino employees at the USPS, as well as the overall important of Latina/os in the United States.

The guest speaker of the event was Congressman Luis V. Gutiérrez who highlighted the pain, suffering and promise of Julia de Burgos, as well as the lessons that Latinos could draw from her life. The Congressman was given a rousing ovation upon finishing his powerful and inspiring remarks.

The unveiled stamp will now become a part of IPRAC’s permanent
collection.

Jonathan Rivera

To see more photos click:IPRAC co-sponsors Humboldt Park Premeire of Julia de Burgos Stamp with USPS

Luis Padial

Father Raúl Morales Berrios stood before a crowd of over 250 parishioners who gathered in the courtyard of the Institute of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture. His sermon was sung using improvised verses as the unmistakable sounds of the Puerto Rican cuatro guitar pierced the evening air.  This was no ordinary religious ceremony, it was a Misa Jíbara – deep from the mountains of Puerto Rico and it served to kickoff one of the most unforgettable weekends for Chicago’s Puerto Rican community.

For the past 17 years Fiesta Boricua has been a staple of Chicago’s summer festivals. Every September thousands gather under the magnificent steel flags on Division Street to experience the best of Puerto Rico’s music, food and traditions.  This year, its organizers incorporated a new dimension to this diverse cultural experience.  Under the theme “Lo mejor de nuestros pueblos” – “The best of our towns,” the festival incorporated a series of events to showcase the finest cultural elements of one of the 78 municipalities of Puerto Rico. The first pueblo featured was Comerío, a beautiful city located in the heart of Puerto Rico’s central mountains.  Over 200 Comerío residents flew into Chicago to take part in the weekend celebration.
The weekend began with Misa Jíbara, one of Comerío’s oldest and most cherished traditions. A Catholic Mass infused with musical and cultural elements of Puerto Rico, Misa Jíbara is a celebration of faith, inspiration and culture, combining the Spanish language, folk music and deeply rooted Puerto Rican traditions to produce a beautiful Catholic liturgy. Parishioners from both Comerío and Chicago witnessed a stunning service during which prayers were harmonized to the tune of Jíbaro music and the priest improvised the sermon in song.

Following the mass, attendees joined hundreds of other Chicago residents for Noche Jíbara, a gala celebration at the Institute of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture. The celebration was also dedicated to the city of Comerío and included the finest music, customs and artistry of the mountain town. Guests enjoyed traditional musical performances by some of Comerío’s most skilled musicians and dancers including numerous troubadours, who interpreted decimas, an improvised musical composition born of a tradition that dates back to Medieval Spain. The Mayor of Comerío, the Honorable Josian Santiago, was on hand and praised the event as the beginning of a new era in collaboration between the cities of Chicago and Comerío.
Even after an event-filled night the fun was not over.

The next day thousands of residents from across Chicago converged on Paseo Boricua to enjoy a day of music, food and art at Fiesta Boricua. The delegation from Comerío took the stage and delighted the audience with a series of rousing performances that lasted throughout the night.

The “Lo mejor de nuestros pueblos” initiative was truly a tremendous success bringing an authentic Puerto Rican cultural experience to the heart of Chicago. We look forward to this fun-filled event next year!

Some say that the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) was founded in 1903 in order to produce a local intelligentsia subservient to the demands of the United States, which only five years earlier ripped the island from Spain. In the 107 years since, the exact opposite has taken place.

In 1948, pro-independence students invited the president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos, as a guest speaker, who recently had been released after serving ten years in a U.S. prison. The then-chancellor of the UPR’s Río Piedras campus, Jaime Benítez, refused to allow Albizu Campos to enter, prompting student protests. In response, a group of student leaders who held Puerto Rican flags, which was illegal during the time, were expelled.

In 1970, a massive student struggle emerged in the midst of the Vietnam War, calling for the removal of the ROTC from the Río Piedras campus. During the conflict, a policeman killed a young student, Antonia Martínez Lagares, who subsequently became a symbol of the Puerto Rican student movement.

On April 21, 2010 a new student movement commenced in response to the austerity measures proposed by the UPR President, José Ramón de la Torre, and the Governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Fortuño, spawning an indefinite strike that is paralyzing the UPR system and brought international attention to the island.

Entering his second year in office, the right-wing and pro-statehood governor has proven to have little respect for Puerto Rico’s institutions. From firing nearly 20,000 government employees that provoked a massive one-day general strike to cutting the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture’s budget in half to getting rid of the membership requirement for lawyers to one of the island’s oldest institutions, the Puerto Rican Bar Association, Fortuño is reshaping the island, as many believe, in order to prepare it for statehood.

The UPR is no exception to Fortuño’s reign of terror. A new proposal, Certification 98, passed by the university’s Board of Trustees, eliminates fee exceptions for student athletes and university employees and their families. Furthermore, there is a proposed budget cut of up to $100 million. In response, a student-driven Negotiating Committee of 16 members were created and a list of demands were composed, which includes alternative measures to the massive budget cuts. These measures include the budget reduction of the burdensome Office of the President and a call for payment of multiple private and public entities that owe the university millions of dollars. The UPR president and the Río Piedras chancellor, Ana Guadalupe, refused to meet with the committee and washed their hands of the issue by transmitting their demands to the Board of Trustees, which are dragging their feet to review them.

Thus, on April 13 over 3,000 students from the Río Piedras campus assembled in an auditorium and the majority of those present voted in favor of a 48-hour strike. The UPR administration still refuses to meet with the students.

Now the UPR is experiencing an indefinite strike, which has expanded to include eight of the 11 campuses throughout the island.

Hundreds of students and staff even occupied, for a time, the Río Piedras campus until Riot Police, at the insistence of the Chancellor, forcefully removed them. Then she officially closed down the university’s operations, locked the main entrance, and ordered police to guard the campus. This prompted a student lawsuit and the Puerto Rican Supreme Court ordered the university to re-open its gates by May 3. Meanwhile, hundreds of students have congregated at the gates, holding theatrical performances, discussions, and even clean-ups and beautification projects of the surrounding area.

The response of support for the UPR strike has been major. The official Student Council of Río Piedras initially opposed the action but soon joined the Negotiating Committee. The Puerto Rican Association of University Professors and the Committee of Students of Private Universities have also joined the strike. Moreover, on April 27, a huge concert with thousands of students, called “¡Qué Vivan Los Estudiantes!” – “Long Live The Students!”, was held in front of the locked gates of the Río Piedras campus. Musical artists from the island and around the world, such as Calle 13, Ricky Martin, Rubén Blades, and Juanes, offered their support.

Nonetheless, the opposition has remained firm. Fortuño himself, a day before the concert, spoke directly to the strike in his yearly “State of the Commonwealth” address. In his incendiary speech, which received massive applause by the pro-statehood controlled Congress, he chastised the students for abusing their “privilege,” especially in the face of such a gracious government system. Reminiscent of a national speech by Mexican President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz when confronting massive student protests on the eve of the 1968 Olympics, Fortuño said that the people of Puerto Rico are of law and order and believe in democracy. At the conclusion of his address, he said “…we are here, ready and willing to offer the help… to protect the rights of all the students – both to the miniscule group that protest to the immense majority of those who want classes to continue.”

As mentioned earlier, there is a long trajectory of student struggle at the UPR, proving that one of the most important institutions in Puerto Rico is producing minds eager to reshape the challenge with a fair dialogue and open arms or continue a tradition that left the Plaza of Tlatelolco in México City stained with blood in the summer of ‘68.

by Xavier “Xavi” Luis Burgos

Photos by Alvin Cuoto

Enrique Dussel, described by my friend Cornel West as “one of the giants of emancipatory thought and liberation philosophy,” visited Paseo Boricua and met for a breakfast hosted by Executive Director of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center José E. López, with several clergy and community leaders from the Humboldt Park area present. It was a fascinating time of conversation regarding topics such as immigration reform, a theology for the immigrant, the relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States, Latin America, and everything else in between.

The energy of the conversation was a resilient interaction of sharing our own context of struggle and thoughts with the Argentinean Philosopher of Liberation.  I was greatly impressed at how this giant of a thinker listened intensely and responded to the questions and various analyses going back and forth in rapid fire.

In the course of the lively conversation, we paused to introduce Dussel to Ricardo Jiménez, a former Puerto Rican political prisoner. Among other notable acts, Jiménez volunteered at El Rancor, a drug rehabilitation center. He was a key player in the exposé of the plan known as Chicago 21, which aimed to turn a Puerto Rican community into a bastion of the high-income white-collar class. He assisted in the development of Loyola University’s first Puerto Rican history class, and was a member of the organization that ultimately founded Roberto Clemente High School.

As Enrique Dussel shook Jiménez’s hand he said, “I am shaking the hand of a saint.” As a bystander with some knowledge of the lives of both of these men, I found the moment to be especially tender and humbling.  Dussel knows firsthand what repression and struggle is all about. He should; It nearly killed him.

In 1971, Dussel’s home was bombed by a paramilitary group, forcing him to seek exile in México where he teaches in the department of philosophy at the Metropolitan Autonomous University (UAM). It was his powerful dedication to liberation philosophy that called down the wrath of the group that destroyed his home and attempted to take his life. The plight of the marginalized and the disadvantaged is Dussel’s focus. He believes that the liberation of the oppressed will not happen through a violent uprising such as those that occur under paramilitary groups. This, he says, will only replace one tyrannical ruling body with another, thus perpetuating the injustice. It is Dussel’s wish to not only liberate the downtrodden from the powers that hold them in place, but also to free the oppressors from their need to oppress.

Dussel himself, amazed with the thought provoking dialogue, shared how he impressed he was with the many symbols of cultural expression along Paseo Boricua.  Cheerfully he expressed his appreciation for our time together saying, “I’ve said things that I never have said before today.” In closing, Dussel expressed the importance of those struggling on the margins to know and celebrate their history.  He singled out how Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. provided a vision of the future in his, “I Have a Dream,” speech.  We in the Latino community must provide our people with a vision.

This comment was especially riveting to me.  As a pastor and theologian, I began to ponder and think about what citizenship in God’s kingdom looks like. Heaven has no borders. People there come to-and-fro in peace, regardless of the color of their skin or the language that they spoke in life or their religious views. How would it look on earth if the same principles ruled? If instead of drawing lines around our little bits of land and calling them sacred, we instead opened wide the borders and pulled down the walls and let the world mingle freely?

The official language of heaven is love, as every child who has ever entered a Sunday School classroom knows. The official language of Heaven on Earth should be love as well. No favoritism among the residents of the planet, no elevation of one group or race over another, no hatred on the basis of exterior differences, but rather a shared responsibility in enriching the lives of one another to our mutual benefit. Heaven on Earth is possible. And men like Enrique Dussel seek to make this vision not simply a pretty dream wrapped in a philosophical thought experiment, but rather a concrete reality presided over by a God who is joyfully and unashamedly blind to human differences.

by Rev. Dr. Pedro J. Windsor-García