El Sol Latino | March 2024 | 20.4

Anuncian Planes para Nuevo Complejo Deportivo en Holyoke

Remembering our March 2013 Edition

Un podcast sobre la historia del archipiélago de Puerto Rico y el Caribe Conversaciones con expertos sobre el tema y personalidades de interés. Con el historiador público Ramón A. González-Arango López. ¡Nuevo episodio todos los jueves! ¡Comparte y disfrútalo!

contents

2 Foto del Mes /Photo of the Month

Remembering our December 2018 Edition

3 Portada / Front Page

Anuncian Planes para Nuevo Complejo Deportivo en Holyoke

4 Declining Puerto Rican Population in New York City: Study

5 PUERTO RICO DISASTERS- Progress Made, but the Recovery Continues to Face Challenges

6 Humanics Philosophy, Universalism and Inclusion

7 Getting From Here to There in Western Massachusetts

8 Educación / Education

UPR Río Piedras Campus Renews its UNESCO Chair in Knowledge Creation, Innovation, and Collaboration in Higher Education

9 STCC Leaders Join 2024 National Legislative Summit

10 Princeton University Hosts Puerto Rican Artists and Scholars under Mellon-funded Program, Bridging the Divides

11 Política / Politics

To Reach Statehood, Puerto Rico Should Improve Its Financial Practices

12 Literatura / Literature Peor que el silencio

15 Libros / Books

Sofia and her Bomba Drum

Colombian Peasants in the Neoliberal Age: Between War Rentierism and Subsistence

Founded in 2004 n Volume 20, No. 4 n March 2024

Editor Manuel Frau Ramos manuelfrau@gmail.com 413-320-3826

Assistant Editor Ingrid Estrany-Frau

Art Director Tennessee Media Design

Business Address El Sol Latino P.O Box 572 Amherst, MA 01004-0572

Editorial Policy

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El Sol Latino is published monthly by Coquí Media Group. El Sol Latino es publicado mensualmente por Coquí Media Group, P.O Box 572, Amherst, MA 01004-0572.

Anuncian Planes para Nuevo

Complejo Deportivo en Holyoke por MANUEL

El pasado 6 de febrero de 2024 se anunciaron los planes para la construcción de un ambicioso proyecto deportivo a realizarse en la ciudad de Holyoke.

Durante la conferencia de prensa encabezada por el alcalde de Holyoke Joshua A. García y el empresario César Ruiz, y líder de USA

International Sport Complex Group, en la sede del Salón de la Fama del Voleibol Internacional se presentaron detalles de la iniciativa los cuales incluyeron la magnitud, ubicación y tamaño del proyecto.

Izquierda a Derecha: AARON VEGA, Director de la Oficina de Planificación y Desarrollo de Holyoke, ANDREW MELÉNDEZ, Fundador y Director de Latino Economic Development Corporation, CÉSAR RUIZ, de USA International Sport Complex Group, y el alcalde de Holyoke, JOSHUA A. GARCÍA

La iniciativa consiste en la construcción de un moderno complejo deportivo que albergará la nueva sede del Salón de la Fama del Voleibol Internacional, que actualmente comparte el espacio con el Holyoke Children’s Museum ubicado en 444 Dwight Street en Holyoke. El Proyecto busca afianzar el status de Holyoke como la cuna del voleibol y como centro (hub) para el desarrollo global de deportes. La historia de la asociación de Holyoke con el deporte de voleibol, originalmente llamado “Mintonette”, nombre derivado del juego de badminton, se remonta al 1895, cuandoWilliam George Morgan (January 23, 1870 – December 27, 1942), Director de Educacion Fisica de la Holyoke YMCA, concibió el concepto y las reglas del mismo. Sus contribuciones visionarias le valieron la distinción de ser el miembro inaugural del Salón de la Fama del Voleibol en el 1985. El alcalde García espera que el proyecto tenga un impacto económico que genere alrededor de 40 millones de dólares. Añade que esto será posible ya que el complejo deportivo promete revitalizar la economía local, brindando oportunidades recreativas únicas en la región que benificiarán a los residentes de la ciudad y servirán como incentivo que para atraer visitantes.

FRAU RAMOS

Cesar Ruiz añadió que se visualiza la realización de más de 30 eventos deportivos y torneos anualmente.

La fase inicial de proyecto consistirá en la construcción de unas facilidades con un espacio interior de 140 mil pies cuadrados que contará con 16 canchas de baloncesto y/o vóleibol. Se organizarán eventos y actividades orientadas a la familia, como juegos de arcade, bolos y escalada de rocas.

Se anticipa que el complejo generará oportunidades de empleo, ya que se espera que se abran un total de 12 posiciones a tiempo completo y 30 a tiempo parcial. Cesar Ruiz explicó que las facilidades adicionales albergarán otras alternativas de entretenimiento y comida, con un total de alrededor de $100 millones de dólares de inversión pública y privada.

El Salón de la Fama del Voleibol Internacional actualmente lo componen más de 160 miembros exaltados al Salón de la Fama representativos de más de 25 países. Desde su inauguración en 1987, el Salón de la Fama ha celebrado un evento anual donde se reconoce a volibolista destacados. La actividad reune anaulmente fanáticos de este deporte de todas partes del mundo.

En los próximos meses se tomarán las decisiones finales sobre donde estarán localizadas las nuevas facilidades y se determinará el origen del financiamiento para completar el proyecto.

De acuerdo a César Ruiz, “Nuestro equipo está orgulloso de ser parte de este esfuerzo histórico, que mostrará a Holyoke como un modelo de innovación y atletismo. La integración del Salón de la Fama del Voleibol Internacional en este complejo de última generación subraya nuestro compromiso de preservar el legado del voleibol y al mismo tiempo abrazar su futuro. Creemos que este proyecto no sólo enriquecerá las vidas de nuestros residentes

GEORGE MULRY, Director Ejecutivo de IVHF

Declining Puerto Rican Population in New York City: Study

NEW YORK, NY | CENTER FOR LATIN AMERICAN, CARIBBEAN, AND LATINO STUDIES, CUNY | February 1, 2024 - A new study conducted by Center for Latin American, Caribbean and Latino Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center has unveiled notable changes in the demographics of New York City’s Puerto Rican and Dominican populations that reflect a significant decrease in the Puerto Rican population in New York City, particularly after 2017. This decline is attributed to factors such as migration to surrounding areas and other states, possibly influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic and economic challenges.

“The Puerto Rican population of New York City peaked in 1970 at nearly 900,000 and gradually declined thereafter. A gradual process

of suburbanization ensued as Puerto Ricans moved to the northern suburban counties, New Jersey, and Long Island,” said Professor Laird Bergad, the report’s author Bergad indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated both the population decline in the city and the move to the surrounding suburbs. Between 2017 and 2022, the number of Puerto Ricans living in the five boroughs dropped by almost 20% from about 715,000 to 574,000.

The report, based on data from the American Community Survey 1-year sample, shows that the Dominican population of the city had become the largest Latino nationality in about 2015 and continued to expand thereafter. Although there was a slight decline of -0.3% between 2017 and 2022, there were over 745,000 Dominicans living in New York City in 2022. If we examine the entire New York metropolitan region, there were over 1.1 million Puerto Ricans living in the area compared with over 1.2 million Dominicans in 2022.

Key Findings:

• The Puerto Rican population in New York City has seen a significant decrease, particularly after 2017. This decline is continued on page 7

PUERTO RICO DISASTERS - Progress Made, but the Recovery Continues to Face Challenges WASHINGTON, DC | U.S.

What GAO Found

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had awarded about $23.4 billion in Public Assistance to Puerto Rico’s permanent recovery work related to hurricanes Irma and Maria and the 2019 and 2020 earthquakes, as of June 2023. Of that, Puerto Rico has expended about $1.8 billion and a substantial amount of permanent work remains. Further, about $11.3 billion of the awarded funds needs FEMA’s authorization before Puerto Rico can expend it. Puerto Rico subrecipients plan to submit project applications and obtain FEMA’s authorization to access and expend these remaining funds through 2030 and possibly beyond.

FEMA has monitored Puerto Rico’s use of Public Assistance grant funds through two oversight activities: improper payment reviews and grants management compliance reviews. Both efforts found improvement in Puerto Rico’s ability to manage FEMA grant funds since the 2017 hurricanes. For example, by fiscal year 2020, FEMA found that Puerto Rico’s potential improper payments fell below the amount considered significant by statute

Why GAO Did This Study

To help jump-start permanent work construction, FEMA and Puerto Rico have taken actions, such as providing advance disbursements of funds; however, projects face additional challenges. Specifically, grant subrecipients that received awards from FEMA through an expedited process in Puerto Rico have identified increased project costs that pose risks to the completion of work on their facilities. For example, officials from Puerto Rico’s Aqueduct and Sewer Authority said that the costs for one water treatment plant project exceeded its original estimate by 42 percent. Under the expedited process, these cost increases are of concern because a subrecipient’s award acts as a fixed budget to complete projects across its various facilities. Therefore, increased costs for one project could excessively reduce the established budget to complete later projects.

In May 2021, GAO identified a number of risks to Puerto Rico’s recovery, including subrecipient difficulties in starting project construction, and recommended that FEMA take several actions to manage them. FEMA has partially addressed these recommendations; however, further steps are needed, including finalizing its risk management plan and taking actions to continuously monitor recovery risks. As challenges continue to complicate Puerto Rico’s recovery, fully implementing GAO’s prior recommendations remains important.

In September 2017, hurricanes Irma and Maria caused billions of dollars in damage to Puerto Rico’s infrastructure, housing, and economy. Earthquakes in 2019 and 2020 caused additional damages. More than 6 years after hurricanes Irma and Maria, Puerto Rico’s recovery is ongoing.

FEMA is the lead federal agency assisting Puerto Rico’s recovery operations. It administers the Public Assistance program to provide grant funds to repair and rebuild damaged infrastructure, such as schools and the power grid, among other things.

GAO was asked to review federal recovery efforts in Puerto Rico. This report addresses: (1) the status of permanent recovery work in Puerto Rico using Public Assistance; (2) the extent to which FEMA and Puerto Rico’s government have addressed challenges to starting and completing permanent recovery work; and (3) the results of FEMA efforts to monitor Puerto Rico’s use of grant funds. For this report, GAO analyzed relevant FEMA and Puerto Rico government documents and data; conducted site visits; and interviewed FEMA, Puerto Rico, and grant subrecipient officials.

What GAO Recommends

In prior work, GAO made two recommendations to FEMA related to the management of risks to the remainder of Puerto Rico’s recovery that still warrant action. FEMA concurred with these recommendations and has drafted a risk management plan in response, but has yet to finalize this plan and demonstrate efforts to continuously monitor risks to the recovery.

View GAO-24-105557. For more information, contact Chris Currie at (404) 512-1875 or curriec@gao.gov.

Humanics Philosophy, Universalism and Inclusion

This article is one in a series of guest opinions offered by two brothers who are bringing attention to the issues of racial bias and inequity in the welfare of children and families. Beginning August 2023, the guest opinions have identified goals and problems faced by those two susceptible groups to poverty, brought on by social indifference, economic instability and cold political calculations. A variety of responses have been offered to remedy social tragedies reflecting injustice and moral apathy. The guest opinions have provided an on-ramp to a collaboratively designed conference taking place at Springfield College on March 13th of this year, Fostering Inclusion and Equity for Latina/o Children and their Families’ Wellbeing. This community gathering aims to unite public health agencies, private sector companies, professional organizations, consumer/patient advocates, and academic experts to promote strategies that keep children safe from harm during the economically precarious times of our communities.

This guest opinion is written two weeks before the conference. It has three key components:

1. Humanics Philosophy of Springfield College

2. Moral universalism regardless of membership

3. Fostering Inclusion and Equity for Latina/o Children and their Families campaign seeks a tidal wave of solutions by promoting civil discourse about respect and fairness.

Humanics Philosophy of Springfield College

The College cannot/does not sit on the Hill, unresponsive to the needs of society around it. From its founding, Springfield College, then called School for Christian Workers, has had its roots in what was then called “Winchester Square”, now Mason Square. The College has immersed itself in the local community. In 1905, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts granted a charter for the College to award bachelor’s and master’s degrees. The school’s interest was and is centered on the improvement of life. The knowledge acquired at this institution of higher learning is to serve humankind. All education received continues to place an unfaltering emphasis on service. The mission of Springfield College is to educate the whole person in spirit, mind, and body for leadership in service to others. There is an emphasis on the whole person in service.

The College has always had a genuine faith in the strengths and uplifting forces of the community. To be sure, “community” transcends the region where Springfield College is located. The College aspires towards a universal community, part of a larger world and, as such, has an international outreach. It currently has alumni in over 60 countries. The students who graduate have cultivated a culture of intellectual humility and seek out differing opinions. As seekers of truth, they are not confined to narrow-minded values, beliefs and traditions; they embrace universal knowledge.

Moral Universalism

Everyone has dignity and worth. Moral universalism means the same respect and fairness is owed to everyone regardless of membership attached to a lineage. Most everyone forms solid social connections and identifies with specific groups. This tendency to bond with similar others enriches our experiences and helps us achieve our goals. The bonds we have with our family, friends, and community provide support and nurture personal growth. At their best, our social bonds create a community. However, they can impede problem

by JOSÉ P. ARCE and MIGUEL L. ARCE

solving and our ability to know and interpret reality individually. People sometimes bond and form groups with beliefs which can give rise to harmful biases and behaviors with far-reaching negative consequences. In an article in Psychology Today, Professor of Social Work Elizabeth Segal refers to “bad tribalism.” She describes how people sometimes bond through shared anger, jealousy, or spite… (that) harms long-term well-being (June 23, 2023).

In contrast, moral universalism is the antithesis to tribalism that stresses the benefits to the group over the good of the whole. Moral universalism promotes a vision of the world that extends beyond the walls of the family home, the local zip code, the specific ethnic identity, the party affiliation and any selfish preferences and comforts. Our brothers and sisters extend beyond those who have blood ties; rather members of our family are all those who share with us this world with its dangerous tidal waves. All men and women have personal struggles but those who are suffering and who are left bleeding by the wayside deserve our special attention, our counsel, and our collective arms lifting them up.

Conference for Inclusion

Fostering Inclusion and Equity for Latina/o Children and their Families’ Wellbeing is the third part of a year-long campaign of Springfield College 2023-2024. The Humanics endeavor embraces the positive. It seeks to create awareness and organize solutions regarding segregation of Hispanics Whites in the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area for Hispanics-Whites. The Conference is driven by the need to shape, alter our community and not accept the debilitating consequences of segregation. It seeks the benefits of bringing like-minded individuals, not as self-styled experts but as concerned citizens, to imagine and create a vision that achieves positive change.

In an effort to avoid an echo chamber, 35+ workshops with diverse and dissenting voices will engage in cross-sector collaboration to share solutions. Diverse perspectives will be embraced: fostering creativity, stimulating original thinking and driving improved solutions to the complexities of segregation. Encompassing moral principles and values of leadership in service to others will allow the interest of the whole to drive the Conference.

The Conference will transcend boundaries and be vigilant to seek community involvement to improve or create practice and policy options. It will consider alternative perspectives, adapt strategies, and make informed decisions. It will not lose sight of the intentions that align with universal rights.

Implications

The College cannot/does not sit on the Hill, unresponsive to the needs of society around it. This academic institution has immersed itself in the local community. It has always had a genuine faith in the benefits and strengths of the living, breathing community. Springfield College aspires towards a universal community, to be part of a larger world. This universalism celebrates the precious uniqueness of each member of our global community. The Conference seeks to bridge a dramatically, ever-widening gap in equity. Springfield College emphasizes the whole person in spirit, mind, and body for leadership in service to others. The Conference objective is to maximize its positive influence and to offer solutions to real-life problems that cause hunger to brothers and sisters in our community.

Portada / Front Page

Getting From Here to There in Western Massachusetts

CHICOPEE, MA | FOOD BANK OF WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS |

February 6, 2024 - Affordable and reliable transportation for individuals facing food insecurity is a key concern at the Food Bank as we confront the underlying causes of hunger. A 2019 USDA study found that 46% of individuals living in the United States with low incomes and without cars live more than a half mile from a grocery store. Reliable and frequent public transportation is crucial, as the alternative is time-consuming treks combining public buses with long walks, bike rides on busy streets, and/or costly rideshares. These transportation challenges extend beyond food access, creating obstacles to employment, medical care, education and more.

To help identify communities with little to no connectivity to public transit, the Food Bank is releasing RIDE WMA, a new mapping tool commissioned by the Food Bank, funded by T4MA, a statewide coalition focused on improving Massachusetts’ transportation systems, and Feeding America, the national network of Food Banks, and developed by the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. The tool maps the region’s public transportation options in relation to grocery stores, places of employment, higher education, and medical care.

Included in the map are all three major RTA’s (Regional Transit Authorities) that operate in Western Massachusetts: the PVTA serving Hampden and Hampshire Counties, the FRTA serving Franklin County, and the BRTA, serving Berkshire County. The tool also includes information about the area’s often overlooked micro-transit options that are especially effective in rural towns.

The map can help the public better understand how well their communities are being served by public transit. People can use the tool to ask questions such as,

• How well is my neighborhood connected, via public transport, to jobs with second and third shifts throughout the region?

• Are people in my community able to access places for food and health care services if they don’t own a car?

• If I take a bus to my doctor’s office near the end of the day, will there be a bus running late enough to take me home?

“Anyone who lives in Western Massachusetts understands how challenging it can be to get from one area to the next if you don’t own a car, but RIDE WMA really makes clear that difficulty,” said Laura Sylvester, the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts’ Public Policy Manager. “We hope that the tool will illustrate the need for increased funding for the RTAs and for innovative solutions like micro transit in rural areas. Better transportation options will lead to better health, education, and employment outcomes for our residents. We’re grateful to PVPC for their great work and to T4MA and Feeding America for the funding.”

Revealing gaps in public transportation is crucial for demonstrating the need for funding. Too often, transportation funding gets stuck in a feedback loop that prevents necessary improvements. People who rely on public transportation are then forced to cobble together increasingly fewer options to get from one place to another. This tool will help us track inefficiencies.

“The RIDE WMA online tool provides a great first step for advocates evaluating potential transit gaps in western Massachusetts” said Jacob Dolinger, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission Senior Planner/GIS Analyst. “It also helps inform the public of transit options in the area and provides an opportunity for contributions to advocacy through the submission of email comments”.

The Ride WMA tool aims to break the negative cycle of inadequate services and help make the case for additional funding for public transport in neighborhoods and communities in need across the region.

To access the RIDE WMA transportation tool, visit: https://www. pvpc.org/RideWMA

Declining Puerto Rican Population in New York City: Study

attributed to factors such as migration to surrounding areas and other states, possibly influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic and economic challenges.

• In contrast, the Dominican population in the city has experienced growth during the same period, although a slight decline is observed post-2017. This growth reflects broader trends in migration and settlement patterns within the city.

• The report provides a detailed analysis of the distribution of these populations across various boroughs and counties.

• The findings of this report are crucial for policymakers, community leaders, and social service organizations. Understanding these demographic shifts can aid in better resource allocation, policy formulation, and community support initiatives.

• The study also contributes to a broader understanding of urban demographics and migration patterns, highlighting the dynamic

continued from page 4

nature of New York City’s cultural and ethnic composition.

The Center for Latin American, Caribbean and Latin Studies is known for its Latino Data Project established in 2003.

The report examines the entire New York metropolitan region. There were over 1.1 million Puerto Ricans living in the area compared with over 1.2 million Dominicans in 2022.

The full report is available for download on the CLACLS website (clacls.gc.cuny.edu).

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies works to promote the study and understanding of Latin American and Caribbean cultures and the communities established in the United States by peoples from this vast and extraordinarily diverse region with a special focus on the New York City metropolitan area, and more broadly on the United States.

Educación / Education

UPR Río Piedras Campus Renews its UNESCO Chair in Knowledge Creation, Innovation, and Collaboration in Higher Education

By BRIAN MIRANDA MATTA | Oficina de Comunicaciones UPR-RP

This article originally appeared in Spanish in UPRRP.edu/blog on February 7, 2024, and was translated by El Sol Latino.

RÍO PIEDRAS, PR | UNIVERSIDAD DE PUERTO RICO - RÍO

PIEDRAS | February 2, 2024- In its centenary history, the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) has been characterized by developing projects that keep the institution at the forefront of higher education. At this juncture, the Río Piedras Campus celebrated – last Thursday – the renewal of the UNESCO Chair of Knowledge Creation, Innovation, and Collaboration in Higher Education. The activity – held in Amphitheater 1 of the Faculty of Education – allowed the university community to learn more about this initiative focused on transforming and strengthening the institution’s services.

The UNESCO Chair of Knowledge Creation, Innovation, and Collaboration in Higher Education is a project originated in 1999 by the Río Piedras Campus of the UPR. Its purpose is to generate research, knowledge, and public policy recommendations regarding higher education on the island. Between 2000 and 2007, this Chair was characterized by offering various forums, seminars, and conferences with important local and international academics. However, the Chair was inactive from 2007 until last semester when the UPR renewed its agreement with UNESCO. The resumption of this initiative represents a collaboration between the faculties of General Studies and Education that will facilitate the development of various institutional projects between this year and 2027.

The work team in charge of the Chair – identified as the executive committee – took advantage of the activity to explain to the university community what the goals of the project will be over the next four years. Some of its proposals consist of promoting alliances with other chairs in Latin America, developing discussions on higher education, and promoting a curricular review at the institution. Likewise, they aspire to develop the first research observatory in Higher Education in Puerto Rico.

In the words of the rector Angélica Varela Llavona, the renewal of the Chair is a privilege for the Rio de Janeiro campus in favor of its service to the country’s education. “This UNESCO Chair represents a badge of academic excellence and commitment to research and

development in specific areas of knowledge that are crucial for global advancement. These seals of distinction are awarded by UNESCO to academic institutions that have demonstrated leadership and notable contributions in fields such as education, science, culture, and sustainability,” said Varela Llavona.

On the other hand, the activity was a space to pay tribute to Dr. Eduardo Aponte Hernández, professor at the Faculty of Education and manager of this Chair in 1999. The educator had the opportunity to address the audience and recall how the project was formalized in the UPR. According to him, collaboration has been the fundamental piece to obtain success in the projects developed through the UNESCO Chairs. Likewise, throughout his message, Aponte Hernández reiterated that he was surprised and deeply moved by this recognition accompanied by colleagues, friends and family.

As part of the tribute, the event featured several musical presentations that included the participation of Dr. Carlos Sánchez Zambrana, mezzo-soprano Celia Sotomayor, Dr. María Gisela Rosado and the UHS Advanced Rondalla, directed by Professor David Ocasio. UNESCO Chairs in Puerto Rico

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) created – in 1992 – a program known as UNITWIN (University Twinning and Networking). Its purpose was to promote a dynamic of collaboration and international solidarity between higher education institutions. Based on this program, initiatives identified as “UNESCO Chairs” and “Chair Networks” began to be generated that – from universities located around the world – study, research, and propose alternatives on priority issues for humanity.

In Puerto Rico, three UNESCO Chairs have been developed: Education for Peace (1996), Knowledge Creation, Innovation and Collaboration in Higher Education (1999), and Habitability in the City (1996). The first two were projects endorsed by the Río Piedras Campus of the UPR. Currently, there are 950 UNESCO Chairs and 45 UNITWIN networks distributed in 120 countries.

L-R Professor Rubén Rosado, Professor Eduardo Aponte (Cátedra UNESCO), Angélica Varela (Chancellor of the Río Piedras Campus) Grace Carro (Dean School of Education), Professor Ethel Rios, Anita Yidkin (Cátedra UNESCO), Professor Carlos Gómez, and Carlos Sánchez (Dean of General Studies). (Missing - Professor Waldemiro Vélez).

Educación / Education STCC Leaders Join 2024 National Legislative Summit

SPRINGFIELD, MA | SPRINGFIELD TECHNICAL COMMUNITY

COLLEGE | February 12, 2024 –Springfield Technical Community College President John B. Cook and three STCC Trustees attended the National Legislative Summit.

The Summit, organized by the American Association of Community Colleges and the Association of Community College Trustees, is the premier annual community college advocacy event in Washington, D.C., held Feb. 5-7, 2024.

The Summit puts a spotlight on the importance of community colleges for Congress and the Biden Administration. Cook and STCC Trustees, along with the presidents and trustees of the Massachusetts Community Colleges, seized the opportunity to discuss with policymakers and leaders in Washington issues facing STCC. All fifteen Massachusetts community colleges, as well as community colleges across the country, were represented. More than 1,000 community college leaders attended.

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) lists a number of community college federal priorities for 2024. In addition to increasing Pell Grants, other priorities included bolstering the role of community colleges in workforce development, funding key education and workforce programs and ending the taxation of Pell Grants.

Establishing Pell Grants for short-term programs would greatly benefit community college students, including those at STCC, according to the AACC.

Pell Grants enable millions of low-income community college students to pay tuition and fees and meet other college expenses. Increasing the maximum award promotes affordability and student success for lowincome students, lifting them out of poverty by earning credentials while reducing their need to borrow and going further into debt.

Other priorities include increasing access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to combat food insecurity on campus and enacting the Dream Act, which provides a path to citizenship for undocumented young people.

Speaking via Zoom from the conference in Washington, Cook briefed the STCC Board of Trustees on the event during its Feb. 5 meeting.

“The conference is a valuable opportunity for community college leaders to meet directly with decision makers in Washington,” Cook said. “We learn more about federal policy issues, and we discuss our institutions’ priorities.” Chair Pro Tempore Jynai McDonald, Trustee Tonia Butler-Perez and Trustee Samalid Hogan also attended the conference.

McDonald said at the Board of Trustees meeting that she attended an information session on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). “I also participated in the under-45 caucus so I had an opportunity to collaborate and network with some other trustees who are newer to the Trustee scene,” she said.

McDonald said she was looking forward to meeting with Congressman Richard E. Neal to thank him for his support of STCC and to discuss the college’s needs. Neal in January 2023 announced a $3 million earmark which is being used to establish the Cybersecurity Center of Excellence at Springfield Union Station. The center, slated to open later in 2024, will be operated in collaboration with CyberTrust Massachusetts, as a regional CCE for Western Massachusetts and beyond.

Neal also helped secure federal grants to support STCC’s science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs which has increased the recruitment of low-income and students of color in STEM programs at the college.

Butler Perez said attending the conference also was a chance to connect with leaders from other community colleges.

“It’s a great time to learn about the community colleges and what other people are doing,” Butler Perez said. “I’ve enjoyed … meeting with other people to find out what they’re doing.”

Massachusetts featured a delegation of about 45 people, including other community college presidents and trustees as well as staff from the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges.

“That was an opportunity to compare notes with our Massachusetts counterparts which is always helpful to do in both a formal and informal setting,” McDonald said.

Cook said Massachusetts stands out nationally thanks to MassReconnect, a program for residents in the state who are 25 years of age and older to earn an associate degree or certificate for free at any Massachusetts community college.

Because of MassReconnect, community colleges in Massachusetts are seeing better enrollment numbers than institutions in many other states, Cook said.

“We are on people’s radar because of our enrollment numbers,” Cook said. Here are the 2024 community college federal legislative priorities outlined by the AACC:

• Bolster the role of community colleges in workforce development by supporting workforce Pell Grants for students in short-term programs and by strengthening the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act;

• Fund key education and workforce programs;

• Focus student tax policy on those who can benefit most;

• Farm bill (support rural community colleges and increase access to SNAP);

• Enact the Dream Act to provide a path to citizenship for undocumented young people; and

• Strengthen accountability and transparency.

Left to right: John B. Cook, STCC president; Nate MacKinnon, executive director of Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges; Vanessa Smith, chair of the Holyoke Community College Board of Trustees; Samalid Hogan, STCC Trustee; Jynai McDonald, chair pro tempore for the STCC Board of Trustees; Congressman Richard E. Neal; Tonia Butler Perez, STCC Trustee

Princeton University Hosts Puerto Rican Artists and Scholars under Mellon-funded Program, Bridging the Divides

PRINCETON, NJ | EFFRON CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF AMERICA,

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY | February 8, 2024 - The Effron Center for the Study of America at Princeton University is thrilled and honored to be hosting over the 2023-24 academic year 11 brilliant Puerto Rican artists, journalists, and scholars from across Puerto Rico and its diasporas under a multi-year, Mellon-funded program called Bridging the Divides.

October 2023. Among other topics, participants engaged in collaborative discussions on how they think about and imagine post-disaster Puerto Rico. They also worked to create a shared, cross-disciplinary vocabulary that explored important concepts such as “disaster” and “resiliencia” (“resilience”)–including how such terms both make and resist meaning within the emerging field of disaster studies, and specifically in the Puerto Rican context.

“Engaging in critical discussions on post-disaster futures with talented colleagues from across the island and its diaspora has been an invaluable privilege,” Lamba-Nieves said of the October gathering. “Their thoughtprovoking proposals and approaches transcend established analytical frameworks within traditional post-disaster policy models. They’re informing how I think about what’s to come for Puerto Rico and also helping redefine my research agenda and how I frame policy priorities.”

Yarimar Bonilla, Professor in the Effron Center for the Study of America, was awarded a $1.2 million grant by the Mellon Foundation to create Bridging the Divides, now in its second year. Her coconvener for this year’s cycle of the program is Deepak LambaNieves, Director of Infrastructure & Transportation Justice at PolicyLink, as well as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Puerto Rico’s Graduate School of Planning.

Bridging the Divides seeks to overcome longstanding divisions that have served as roadblocks to the development of Puerto Rican studies and explores new solutions to Puerto Rico’s pressing problems. These divides include language, geography, ideology, and disciplinary methodology, and the lack of a shared vocabulary and policy agenda to guide the future.

“Bridging the Divides is more than an academic program, it is an act of intellectual decolonization,” Bonilla said. “We are not just enriching the university’s intellectual landscape; we are asserting the importance of Puerto Rican perspectives in shaping global thinking on decolonization, climate change, post-disaster futures, and the need for historical justice. It is also a bold statement about the need for collaborative and creative thinking in order to reimagine the pressing issues of our times.”

This year’s interdisciplinary group, which focuses on Puerto Rico’s post-disaster futures, first gathered for a retreat at Princeton in early

The group’s conversations coalesced around the very challenges and limits of thinking about the future and how Puerto Rican studies can move beyond simply documenting disasters such as hurricane María and its aftermath toward imagining new possibilities for Puerto Rico. This imaginative work, however, is freighted with conditions of survival, trauma, and colonial violence and neglect.

Over four days, the group discussed and debated readings, attended the Gillett G. Griffin Lecture delivered by Puerto Rican painter, graphic artist and writer Antonio Martorell, made time for collaboration and community building, and created a roadmap to guide this year’s work.

After October’s retreat at Princeton, the group held virtual sessions over the fall semester. This spring, it will host public virtual conversations with guest speakers.

Bridging the Divides was originally created by Bonilla while she was the Director of CENTRO, The Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College-CUNY. When Bonilla joined the faculty at Princeton in 2023, it provided the Effron Center with this exciting opportunity to support the program and host the 2023-24 cohort. The first year’s group (2022-23), which focused on the theme of decolonization, was hosted by CENTRO and led by Bonilla and Efrén Rivera, Professor of Law at University of Puerto Rico.

Any questions can be directed to the program’s coordinator, Dr. Isabel Guzzardo, at ig1756@princeton.edu

The 2023-24 Bridging the Divides Cohort: Raúl Santiago-Bartolomei, Luis Guarionex Morales Matos, Deepak Lamba-Nieves, Sarah Molinari, Fernando Tormos-Aponte, Aixa Alemán-Díaz, Natalia Lassalle-Morillo, Erika P. Rodríguez, Yarimar Bonilla, Érika Fontánez Torres, Edgardo Miranda-Rodríguez, Elizabeth Aranda, Marcelo López-Dinardi, and Isabel Guzzardo Tamargo

To Reach Statehood, Puerto Rico Should Improve Its Financial Practices

WASHINGTON, DC | CATO INSTITUTE- cato.org/blog | January 2, 2024 — With bankruptcy largely (but not totally) in the rearview mirror, Puerto Rico’s leaders are turning their focus once again to the island’s status. Many favor statehood, but that will require building support in Washington, DC. To increase the chance of Congress, the president, and states agreeing to admit Puerto Rico, the governor and legislature should consider a variety of pro‐market fiscal reforms. Mainland-based fiscal conservatives may be concerned about admitting a new state that does not have good credit. The last time one of the fifty states defaulted on a bond was ninety years ago. Indeed, there is no state bankruptcy process, and a lot of domestic opposition to creating one, so a future State of Puerto Rico should be fully out of bankruptcy court and able to avoid future bankruptcies on its own. Puerto Rico required a bankruptcy process because it accumulated too much debt. By contrast, the fifty states have relatively little debt relative to their GDP. States generally do not borrow to cover operational costs, because 49 out of 50 of them have constitutional balanced budget requirements.

The 1952 Puerto Rico territorial constitution was also supposed to have a balanced budget requirement, but it was effectively voided due to a translation error. While the English version of the constitution limited Commonwealth expenditures to “total revenue,” this was translated as “recorsos totales” rather than “ingresos totales”. That led to a 1974 Attorney General opinion authorizing Puerto Rico to “balance” its operational budget with bond proceeds.

In the aftermath of the bankruptcy, Puerto Rico should amend its constitution to make clear that expenditures cannot exceed tax revenues, service charges, and grant funds. No other category of receipt should be considered when determining whether the Commonwealth’s budget is balanced.

The legislature could also consider other constitutional reforms to improve Puerto Rico’s fiscal sustainability. For example, South Carolina’s constitution requires a seven percent general fund reserve, while Colorado limits spending growth to the rate of population increase and price inflation combined.

Constitutional reform will increase the possibility of Puerto Rico being able to return to the municipal bond market, as potential investors

by MARC JOFFE

see fiscal responsibility measures baked into the Commonwealth’s foundational document. Puerto Rico needs to become creditworthy because that is a requirement for winding down the Oversight Board and returning to normal governance.

Another financial practice watched by the bond market is the timeliness with which issuers produce their audited financial statements. On this score, Puerto Rico needs to improve. While most states produced their 2021 audits within 250 days of fiscal year-end, Puerto Rico took 712 days.

The 2022 audit may appear in January, about 570 days after the fiscal year ended. This is an improvement but still worse than the vast majority of states, and longer than normally required by the federal government (nine months) and municipal bond market practice (six months). The Treasury Department should continue efforts to accelerate Commonwealth financial reporting while ensuring that auditors have the necessary information to render a clean opinion.

Further, Puerto Rico needs to fully conclude the current bankruptcy process by reaching an agreement with a larger group of PREPA (Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority) creditors. A recent plan of adjustment offered an average recovery of 25 cents on the dollar, with some creditors potentially receiving as little as 12.5 cents. While PROMESA (Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act) supporters, like this author, recognized that lenders would have to take a haircut, the current plan amounts to a scalping. Since institutional investors in the municipal bond market will be among those determining whether Puerto Rico is once again creditworthy and thus able to emerge from oversight, it is not in the Commonwealth’s long-term interest to alienate them. Instead, the legislature should find more money to settle with PREPA (Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority) creditors by cutting other spending or using reserves. Finally, the Commonwealth should actively monitor the credit of municipios and state-owned enterprises. Defaults and bankruptcies among these entities will cast a pall on public credit across the island and should be avoided through early identification and intervention. North Carolina, Ohio, New York, and Michigan offer various models of local government oversight. The monitoring effort could be reduced by streamlining the Commonwealth’s public sector through consolidation of smaller municipios and privatizing more state-owned enterprises.

Since passing PROMESA, the US federal government has provided extensive hurricane relief and pandemic-related funding. It is now up to Puerto Rico to improve its financial practices to show that it can be a solvent member of the union, able to shoulder the responsibilities normally expected of US states.

This article originally appeared in Spanish in the Puerto Rico newspaper El Nuevo Día on December 29, 2023.

Peor que el silencio por JOSÉ EDGARDO CRUZ FIGUEROA

Tú a veces escribes muy rápido, no le das tiempo a tus historias a que se curtan, a que añejen. Los cuentos son como los rones de frutas, hay que dejarlos que se fermenten por meses, hasta por años, para que sepan como se debe. A las palabras hay que darles tiempo para que queden en su lugar, para que digan lo que uno quiere que digan.

Esa crítica le recordó un cuento que había leído recientemente que en la primera oración decía: “La historia que comenzó a escribir en el barco y terminó en Italia no fue bien acogida”. En su caso, el problema no era que sus cuentos no fuesen bien acogidos. El problema era que, contrario al cuento equívoco, que no empece hizo que su autor se sintiera liberado de su infancia, de su pasado, de un agobio muy personal, del temor a la crítica misma, esa que se rehusaba a darle una buena bienvenida a sus palabras, los suyos no lograban liberarlo de nada, los escribía y los publicaba y lo único que le constaba era que unos aparte de él los habían leído, una persona encerrada en un despacho, o quizás un comité pues en una ocasión la evaluación de un relato decía: “excelente, nos ha encantado”, plural, aunque tampoco estaba seguro que más de una persona lo hubiese evaluado pues podía haber sido uno de esos que dicen “nosotros” cuando es solo él o ella quien habla. Una persona o un grupo era lo mismo pues ninguno de sus evaluadores pensaba que escribía a la carrera. Hasta la fecha, todos pensaban que sus relatos merececían la pena, aunque después, a flor de piel en la página impresa, nadie más dijera nada.

El silencio lo agobiaba. No sabía cómo interpretarlo. By default, pensaba que era indicio de rechazo. Sabía que la mejor manera de decir que no, de indicar que a uno no le interesaba lo que alguien le proponía, digamos en un mensaje por email, de indicar que uno pensaba que el enlace que le exhortaban seguir, su contenido

descrito con elogios y rimbombancias, no merecía el esfuerzo de oprimir una tecla para saber con exactitud de qué se trataba, era no decir nada, era ignorar el mensaje. El silencio era una forma de responder, de telegrafiar que esto que me has hecho leer no me dice ni ji. Lo sabía y él mismo lo había hecho––quedarse callado cuando recibía un wasap con un enlace a un artículo o un video, ignorando el “espero que lo disfrutes, un abrazo”––. El refrán popular era “interpreta mi silencio”, usado para decir que no o expresar desagrado, lo que era cómico pues la persona hablaba para decir que no quería hablar. Irónico, pero preferible a matarse hablando (o morir escuchando) para no decir (o escuchar) nada, bazofia, pura baba. Eran muchos a los que pasaba por alto, a los que dejaba esperando por una respuesta que nunca llegaba, pero cuando le daban a tomar su propia píldora se molestaba y se sentía frustrado. Así, pensaba: odiame por piedad yo te lo pido. Eso era mil veces mejor que la indiferencia. Pero peor que el silencio, que a fin de cuentas podía indicar algo completamente distinto, como vagancia o envidia o renuencia a parecer un lambeojo, era recibir un solitario “like” en Facebook, a pesar de tener sobre quinientos “amigos”, o que le hicieran preguntas idiotas como “¿está escrito en español?” o “¿dónde puedo comprar la revista?”, lo cual reflejaba que la persona no había marcado el enlace que le habría llevado a la página que indicaba sin lugar a dudas que la revista era virtual, publicada en español solo online. Peor que el silencio era no lograr a través de la expresión creativa lo que realmente deseaba. No había silencio que le pesara más que tener un deseo muy fuerte, latiendo entre sus sienes como el corazón de un joven después de un evento de pista y campo, y lograrlo solo a través de fantasías e inventos que en realidad le llevaban a nada. ¿Era saber lo que es peor mejor que la ignorancia? Ese conocimiento no resolvía nada, solo le permitía escribir este cuento.

La táctica de comenzar un cuento haciendo alusión a su pobre recepción era obvia. Era una manera de adelantarse a la crítica para desarmarla. A la vez, era una maniobra técnica que le permitía al autor conducir su historia por dos rutas paralelas. En una, escribía su cuento y en la otra escribía sobre la manera de escribir el cuento. En esas dos rutas, se situaba como el poeta francés que se miraba a sí mismo para verse mirando, según alegaba un filósofo, escritor y crítico literario notorio por haber rechazado el premio Nobel. Una escritora norteamericana había hecho algo parecido en una de sus historias, quizás la más notable. En ella, su personaje, Miss Willerton, escribe un cuento mientras describe cómo lo hace. El recurso es obvio y se sabe desde el principio que Miss Willerton habla por la autora. No hay misterio en la técnica, como cuando en una película la audiencia conoce la identidad del asesino y solo se pregunta de qué manera van a atraparlo. En la historia, Miss Willerton va al colmado en busca de huevos y tomates y cuando regresa a su casa concluye que su relato ha comenzado mal. Decide cambiar de tema y así llega al final escribiendo como si no hubiese escrito nada. ¿Conocía el autor cuya historia no fue bien acogida ese cuento? ¿O se le había ocurrido de manera original asumir la postura de autor-queescribe-un-cuento mientras nos dice que lo escribió tomando en cuenta la crítica a la que fue sujeto? Quizás era un ejemplo de lo que un escritor argentino de renombre, aunque solo en círculos literarios

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de alto nivel, alegaba era razón para no molestarse si todos sus manuscritos se perdían entre mudanza y mudanza: ya toda su obra había sido escrita en el pasado o sería escrita por otros en el futuro, entonces para qué preocuparse. Para él, peor que el silencio que conllevaba la pérdida de su obra, era la arrogancia de creer que era el único a quien se le podía ocurrir lo que plasmaba en sus relatos. Quizás el autor presente, el que terminó su cuento en Italia, se daba cuenta de que otros habían escrito su obra antes que él, posiblemente la escritora norteamericana. A diferencia de ella, el autor reconoció, aunque solo implícitamente, que sin la observación que inicialmente cuestionó la calidad de su historia no habría tenido oportunidad de escribirla para recordar su infancia, su pasado y un agobio muy personal, para así liberarse del yugo de esos recuerdos. Lo interesante en este caso es que, como fue en el caso de la gringa, y sabe Dios cuántos otros más, para todos los que anticiparon al porteño o al autor presente o escribieron sus obras en su ausencia, escribir fue un ensayo del proceso de escribir un cuento. A él le fascinaban ese tipo de artimañas y reconocía que era solo a través de la argucia que uno podía escribir un buen relato. Usaba personas para construir personajes. Seleccionaba nombres ficticios para encubrir la identidad de las personas usadas. Alteraba los datos conocidos de sus referentes para dar la impresión de que no se referían a nadie en particular. Para curarse en salud decía que sus historias estaban refractadas por la imaginación aunque la verdad fuera todo lo contrario. Como Miss Willerton interrumpía su proceso para ir al colmado pero no resintía la pausa. En el colmado era donde se citaba con la mujer que adoraba. Veia esos encuentros como una expresión creativa. Había poesía en el guille. Conversaban mientras auscultaban frutas y seleccionaban varios tipos de cerveza, siempre atentos al flujo de clientes para asegurarse que ningún conocido los observaba. Eran encuentros clandestinos a la vista de todos, excepto sus vecinos, amigos y cónyuges. Si se percataban de la presencia de un amigo o amiga, pretendían no estar juntos, cada cual empujando su carrito de compras en direcciones opuestas. Luego se juntaban en otra parte de la tienda portando sonrisas fragantes de complicidad. Pagaban en cajeros diferentes y en el estacionamiento miraban a su alrededor antes de besarse. Lo que otros hacían después de encontrarse en Vienna escuchando conciertos de Schumann o esquiando en las cumbres borrascosas de Aspen, él y ella lo disfrutaban en la penumbra de una oficina o un cuarto de hotel barato, tirados en la alfombra comiendo mousse de maracuya de boca a boca, como hacen los pájaros recién nacidos cuando se alimentan del pico de su madre. Les gustaba pasar el tiempo mirando películas eróticas que nunca terminaban pues el juego carnal que comenzaba en la pantalla lo proseguían en la cama mientras el televisor emitía sus destellos solo en la sala. Cuando ella se quedaba dormida en el sofá, vestida y espatarrada, él le tomaba fotos que después ella miraba con beneplácito. Cuando él cocinaba ella lo contemplaba con una mirada lánguida y cuando se sentaba ella se le trepaba encima y lo besaba. En esa posición el cuello le dolía pero no se quejaba y respondía con ardor disfrutando el rico sabor y olor a ajo que emitían su lengua y sus labios. Así estuvieron por seis años antes de que el desgaste de la clandestinidad y la opresión del limbo en que estaban hicieran que se separaran. En un momento dado él llegó a pensar que ella era la

reencarnación del amor que había sentido como el más grande, solo para darse cuenta que su imaginación le había hecho una mala jugada. El autor que se quejaba de la pobre recepción de su cuento había dicho que “la realidad, por lo visto, se dice, es rica en golpes bajos”, pero en su caso era todo lo contrario; la relación con su amante había fracasado por pensar que el amor era tal y como lo pintan las canciones de la salsa romántica. Le había pasado lo proclamado por otro filósofo de renombre, de nacionalidad rusobritánica: a fin de cuentas, la realidad mal entendida, o peor, ignorada o despreciada, terminará derrotándote. Decir derrota era una subestimación pues él se sentía aplastado. No encontraba consuelo, pensaba en ella a diario y escribía como Miss Willerton, a tientas, cuestionando cada oración, cada palabra, hasta que terminaba con resmas de pensamientos que le impedían progresar. En ocasiones sus personajes eran unidimensionales. Si lo único que vas a hacer es escribir de mujeres por aquí y mujeres por allá, le dijo uno de sus lectores, por lo menos elabora sus perfiles para que nos hagamos de una idea más concreta de sus personalidades. En otro cuento, una rubia oxigenada le había dicho que dejara de pensar en ambas, la mujer original y la que él creyó era una versión de ella curtida por los años, pero aún tierna como un ángel. Él no le hizo caso y resultó que después de no ver a su amante por otros seis años, recibió un mensaje de la que había sido su primer amor diciéndole que a raíz de una pérdida reciente no quería enterarse que él había muerto sin haberle visto para darle aunque fuera un solo abrazo. Se reunieron en Puerto Rico y al cabo de tres meses se fueron a vivir juntos a España. Allá se ubicaron en Cangas, al otro lado de Vigo, en Galicia, para no tener que sufrir el calor salvaje del verano madrileño, que ellos conocían por sus visitas en otros años. Estaban dispuestos a soportar el frío y las lluvias en “Galaska” con tal de pasar los veranos como si estuvieran en la isla, cruzando la bahía a diario para comer en Vigo todas las ostras que se les antojaran. Una amiga y colega le dijo que era una historia muy bonita y le deseó suerte si trataba de publicarla. Eso no era necesariamente una mala acogida pero se acercaba.

Aunque aquí dijo que la observación sobre su estilo apresurado le había hecho recordar el cuento acogido con reservas, en realidad lo primero había seguido a lo segundo. Fue la lectura del cuento criticado lo que le hizo recordar el comentario sobre su estilo. Usarlo como pie forzado fue una argucia, una artimaña. Eso era inspiración, vista a su manera. El encuentro con su primer amor había sido accidental en un supermercado de San Juan. Se citaron en la Placita Barceló en Barrio Obrero para recordar sus aventuras y andanzas y después de despedirse con un abrazo prolongado no se vieron nunca más. Hastiado de su entorno fue él quien se mudó a España donde conoció a su verdadera Fermina Daza, todavía joven y deslumbrante. Por supuesto ése no era su nombre y lo mismo pudo llamarse Margarita, Beatriz, Sonia o Lara. Lo cierto es que a ella la idea de vivir fuera de un ambiente urbano no le agradaba y el calor a él en realidad no le importaba. No fue su primer amor sino su amante quien perdió a alguien importante pero eso no la instó a buscarlo. Después decidió suicidarse. Nunca supo los detalles y pudo haber sido envenenándose con arsénico o tirándose frente a un tren en marcha.

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En vez de precisar el modo en que su amante se había matado, decidió darle un giro nuevo a la narrativa que había comenzado. Soñó que al llegar al hospital donde su hijo iba a recibir un tratamiento, ella estaba en la sala de espera. Su intento de suicidio había fracasado. El método no podía haber sido un brinco a la vía del tren pues eso no lo sobrevivía nadie. En su pecho reposaba una niña dormida y ella tenía la vista fija hacia el frente. Su mirada era cristalina, vacía, como la de una muñeca. Al verla quiso matarla pero se contuvo. De frente, mirándola con insistencia, ella reaccionó. Empujó a la niña a un lado gentilmente y se puso de pie. Él retrocedió. Ella se colocó de espaldas en el marco de la puerta del ascensor. La empujó contra la pared como cuando hacían el amor en la cocina de su casa y se fundieron en un abrazo. Le haló el pelo suavemente mientras la besaba. Enjorquetó su muslo derecho en su pubis apretado. Al cabo de unos minutos, con una sonrisa tenue, ella cerró los ojos y le dijo en voz baja ti amo. No puedo vivir sin tí, you are the one, te quiero como a nadie. Muérdeme el cuello y déjame una marca para saber que estoy viva. No te vayas. El esfuerzo que hizo para no vomitar fue grande. Ella había dicho esas cosas para después poner los panties de repuesto que guardaba en su casa en una bolsa de plástico, salir y no regresar. Él trató de hacerla volver pero sin resultado. Estoy enferma, no puedo hablar, no puedo volver, ni puedes tú y lo sabes, te quiero y mucho pero no estoy lista, tuve miedo, no supe qué hacer, me arrepiento, per sempre será lo que tuvimos, decirte I’ll get there fue más un deseo que una resolución y fue desafortunado.

Ese inventario de expresiones recibiría la misma recepción que los escritos de él. De hecho, sería menor que la que él recibía pues sus escritos al menos eran leídos por un puñado de personas, un grupo seguramente más reducido que los veintisiete lectores que habían comprado el primer libro de otro argentino, el que debió haber recibido el Nobel rechazado por el francés. Al enterarse de las ventas, la madre del argentino exclamó que ya era famoso. Ni siquiera con un criterio tan mínimo él iba a lograr la fama. Y las expresiones de ella de seguro rodarían mucho más abajo. Si alguien decía algo sobre ellas sería un milagro. Las usó sin la esperanza de una difusión amplia, no para que el mundo supiera como suena la traición y el engaño, sino más bien para dejar constancia de lo que había pasado. Tremenda historia. Había cambiado el orden de lo sucedido, había alterado los acontecimientos, dándole un giro a la narrativa que le disgustaba tanto como lo deseaba, nada más que para demostrar que al escribir era libre de hacer con la realidad lo que le viniera en gana. Había metido referencias literarias en el escrito que solo los lectores más informados podrían detectar. No le interesaba soltar nombres para pasar por erudito. Al filósofo de renombre lo citó verbatim pero no puso su frase entre comillas por puro desafío a los normas contra el plagio. Había dicho que el dictum era de otro y con eso bastaba. Lo que ella había prometido quedó comprimido en una oración. Todo eso sustituía la liberación de sus agobios, de sus limitaciones, de su pasado, la consecusión de una esperanza que por más que escribiera, rápida o deliberadamente, no podía lograr. La compensación era mínima, temporera y abstracta. En los hechos, al final se sentía igual que como cuando había comenzado. Seguía solo, sin audiencia, sin un “like” siquiera.

Daba lo mismo si su cuento era imberbe o añejo. Había dicho lo que se había propuesto. Si alguien leyó su historia no lo supo pues nadie dijo nada. Pero peor que el silencio era imaginar su felicidad sin poder lograr las cosas más íntimas, aquellas que más ansiaba. Necesitaba la realidad como el que necesita un suero después de una semana sin beber agua. Hizo una pausa para escuchar dos discos de un pianista afroamericano intentando sin éxito percibir la modalidad latina de dos de sus canciones, el “Mambo Gotham” y el “Mambo Carmel”. Terminada la pausa volvió a los cuentos de referencia en su escrito. El autor del cuento problemático concluyó sintiéndose liberado. La escritora norteamericana cerró el suyo disponiéndose a escribirlo. De esa manera, el fin de su historia fue su comienzo. Ese final le pareció el más sensato. Para obtener la perspectiva que respondiera al reproche de que no le daba tiempo a las palabras para que fermentaran, guardó su cuento en una gaveta para leerlo de nuevo más adelante, para quizás reescribirlo o ampliarlo, en el momento que fuera más apropiado. Obviamente, lo de la gaveta era una mera expresión. Lo que hizo fue cerrar la tapa de su ordenador y regresar a su cuarto. No fue cierto que nadie dijera nada. Otra expresión descuidada que encerraba solo un poco de verdad. Al despertar, encontró a su amiga Ileana a su lado. Estás fuera de lugar, le dijo. Ella tenía su ordenador en la falda. Con el rabo del ojo leyó la primera oración del documento abierto en la pantalla. “Tú a veces escribes muy rápido…” Podrías haberlo titulado “El pan nuestro de cada día”, ella sugirió, añadiendo: “es la historia de todos nosotros”. Ella era escultora y se quejaba de que en Puerto Rico la ignoraban. Viró la cara para ver la hora en su teléfono y notó que tenía un mensaje de voz en wasap. He escuchado tu cuento, decía el mensaje, le hace falta un asidero del que el lector pueda agarrarse. Está hecho con la cabeza, es discursivo, como si estuvieras dando una clase. Creyó reconocer la voz de su amante. No lo podía creer. La acogida no había sido la que esperaba y la coincidencia con el cuento que había leído le pareció extraordinaria.

JOSÉ EDGARDO CRUZ FIGUEROA (cruzjose5319@gmail.com) es natural de San Juan y criado en El Fanguito y Barrio Obrero en Santurce, Puerto Rico. Es profesor emérito de ciencias políticas en la Universidad del Estado de Nueva York en Albany.

Libros / Books

Sofia and her Bomba Drum

by ISHA MARY RENTA LÓPEZ (Author), ANTONELLA CAMMARANO (Illustrator)

Overview:

The books tell the story of adventurous Sofia, a very curious girl who becomes fascinated with bomba and sets out to play the bomba drum despite some opposition. In this educational adventure about the culture of Puerto Rico, Sofia learns so much more than the art of bomba. Both the English and Spanish versions are available on Amazon and all proceeds will be donated to Semilla Cultural to raise funds for a much needed van to move their equipment.

A book release event featuring a live enactment of the book and book signings will take place March 30th 4pm at the Central Rappahannock Library 1201 Caroline St, Fredericksburg VA. Isha, who is also a scientist, understands the need to inspire underserved communities. “I wanted to share a message of encouragement and share the bomba tradition with children to keep this ancestral practice alive” said Isha. Along the way, Isha was fortunate to come across Antonella Cammarano, a talented illustrator, who in Isha’s words, “made Sofia come alive”. Isha authored both

• January 27, 2024 | 24 pages

English and Spanish versions of her book titled; Sofia and Her Bomba Drum and Sofía y Su Tambor De Bomba

ISHA MARY RENTA LÓPEZ, a resident of Fredericksburg, Virginia, who is the founder & director of the nonprofit Semilla Cultural, has recently published her first children’s book Sofia and her Bomba Drum

Isha, who was born and raised in Ponce, Puerto Rico and moved to Washington, DC in 2004 to complete a degree in meteorology, found the connection to home through bomba. Isha has studied bomba since 2007 and is the founder and director of Semilla Cultural, which has been operating since 2014 in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC as well. Isha is proud to have studied, and continues to study, with the best teachers of bomba and uses her knowledge to teach and present all aspects of bomba. Isha hopes that this will be the first book of her educational series on bomba, and also wants to create science related children’s books in both Spanish and English. Semilla Cultural is a non-profit organization developing and cultivating a community that embraces Puerto Rican culture and arts in the Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia region. We focus on raising cultural awareness by teaching and performing the Puerto Rican musical genres of Bomba and Plena, as well as educating the community as to the historical events that shaped this music.

Semilla Cultural was founded in January 2014 with the goal of giving back to the community what always belonged to them: Afro-Puerto Rican music and dance. We are a team of volunteers united by our love and respect for Puerto Rican culture who are committed to preserve and disseminate this legacy left by our ancestors.

Colombian Peasants in the Neoliberal Age: Between War Rentierism

by NAZIH F. RICHANI • ALBANY, NY | SUNY

PRESS | August 2023 | 456 pages

Description: Presenting the historical, socioeconomic, political, and security conditions experienced by three peasant communities, Colombian Peasants in the Neoliberal Age provides readers with the most up-to-date and comprehensive assessment of Colombia’s peasants currently available. Nazih F. Richani examines their adaptive strategies and resistance to subsumption processes and the prospects for the sustainability of their modes of production, culture, and livelihood. In addition, he explores each communities’ level of agency that has allowed them to respond to the encroachments of rentier economy by devising adaptive strategies and building collaborative networks, forging new partners at the national, regional, and global levels. These findings are timely given the historic change in Colombia’s leadership as represented by President Gustavo Petro, a former rebel and a leftist leader, and his vice president Francia Elena Marquez, an Afro-Colombian woman

and Subsistence

activist. The Petro administration offers an exceptional opportunity for radical policy change toward national development, particularly towards peasants and agrarian issues. The research undertaken in this book holds the potential to enrich political discussions and inform new policies.

Reviews

“Highly original in its analytical clarity, this book throws real light on the connections between how powerful economic interests treat land and violence during, after, and outside of war. Richani provides an important lens through which to debate the ongoing threats to the peasant/indigenous/Afro-Colombian economy while remaining sensitive to gender and to women’s active role in the resistances to rentier subsummation.” — Jenny Pearce, author of Politics without Violence? Towards a Post-Weberian Enlightenment

About the author

NAZIH F. RICHANI is Professor of Political Science at Kean University. He is the author of Systems of Violence, Second Edition: The Political Economy of War and Peace in Colombia, also published by SUNY Press.