Latest posts by Yarisa Colón Torres
Experimental Artists Pay Homage to Mary Magdelene with Puerto Rican Flair
Artists Tanya Torres and Raquel Z Rivera host a dazzling artistic-musical "promise celebration" in honor of Saint Mary Magdalene in New York.
Puerto Rican Artist Shares Her Passion for Paper
Aydasara Ortega's Facebook wall has been transformed into an exhibit space, where she and others, "reclaim their physical and mental space" by making hand-crafted paper.
Independent Projects of Ecological Solidarity Flourish in Puerto Rico
Ecological solidarity is getting stronger every day, thanks to the people working hard to develop independent projects in Puerto Rico. Here are a few examples that confirm once again that the goal of preserving nature, cultivating non-toxic products and advocating for sustainability isn't an impossible dream.
Monsanto Nominated for Puerto Rico's Agricultural Hall of Fame
As soon as the non-profit organization Acción y Reforma Agrícola announced that it nominated the agricultural biotechnology corporation Monsanto to the Hall of Fame of Puerto Rican Agriculture, many grassroots groups demonstrated their fiercest opposition.
Papoleto Meléndez: ‘Poetry Enters You Because It Is Looking for a Voice’
Jesús “Papoleto” Meléndez, Puerto Rican poet and one of the fathers of the Nuyorican literary movement, just released the collection "Hey Yo!, Yo Soy! 40 Years of Nuyorican Street Poetry." Yarisa Colón interviews him.
“Ask Angy” Humanizes the Experience of Undocumented Immigrants
Angy Rivera shares her immigration story with the world in hopes of humanizing this complex experience, particularly in the United States. Two years ago she publicly announced that "she did not fear being undocumented," and since then she writes a column entitled Ask Angy, in which she responds to questions, doubts, and comments.
The Three Kings Visit New York
The Three Kings came and went, but not before passing through New York City to celebrate with hundreds of children that came out for the parade. This Christmas celebration has been a part of the Caribbean and Latin American cultural traditions for numerous centuries.
Fighting Deportation in the U.S.
The national "We Belong Together" campaign is compiling testimonies in response to the passing of new immigration laws in the U.S. and addressing the prejudices they perpetuate.
“Latinitas,” Empowering Young Latinas With Technology
Latinitas is a non-profit organization in the United States dedicated to the empowerment of young Latinas aged between nine to 18 years, through instruction and the use of media and technology.
The United States: Structural Violence on the Global Frontier
La Asociación de Estudiantes Latinos y Latinoamericanos (AELLA) del Graduate Center, City University of New York los invita a participar en la conferencia gratuita "Violencia estructural en la frontera global: Centroamerica, México y Estados Unidos", la cual se celebrará el próximo 4, 5 y 6 de octubre del 2012 en John Jay College of Criminal Justice, The Graduate Center, CUNY y St. Mary's Church, respectivamente. Las repercusiones de las políticas agresivas anti-migratorias, las deportaciones, los desaparecidos, las amenazas y la inseguridad que atenta contra las vidas de los miles de migrantes son algunos de los temas que se discutirán durante los tres días repletos de actividades. La conferencia será transmitida en vivo en el portal de Asuntos del Sur: www.asuntosdelsur.org. Para más información escriban a aella.gradcenter@gmail.com.
United States: A Visit to Remember “El Barrio”
Andrew Padilla, a young Puerto Rican born and raised in El Barrio, New York, has decided to delve into his community in a very creative way. By launching a blog and a documentary, “El Barrio Tours”, Padilla explores the impact of “gentrification” in one of Manhattan's most prominent cultural axis.
Puerto Rico: Racist Tweets Against Obama Cause Outrage
Heidi Wys Toro, one of the advisors of the current speaker of Puerto Rico's House of Representatives Jennifer González, posted some racist comments about the president of the United States, Barack Obama, and his wife Michelle on Twitter. This is not the first time that Wys, who favors that Puerto Rico becomes a state of the United States, used this network to insult president Obama.
United States: Weaving Poetry on the Streets of New York
The most recent edition of the multimedia poetry series "El Tejedor" [The Weaver] features the work of Latin American and Caribbean poets in New York City.
United States: “Shooting Blind” – Seeing With Different Eyes
Every Tuesday, a group of visually impaired photographers come together in Manhattan, New York City, grouped under the name Seeing with Photography Collective. We share some stunning images by the members of the collective.
The Internet, a Space for Information on Sexual and Reproductive Health
Female sexual and reproductive health is key for development. However, health services are not always accessible and, in the worse cases, disregarded. As a result, innumerable feminist organizations have taken to the Internet to encourage discussion, activism, to clear up doubts and share information.
United States: Indig-Nación, the Spanish Newspaper of Occupy Wall Street
Yarisa Colón interviews Sofía Gallisá, a member of the editorial team of “Indig-Nación,” the new newspaper in Spanish of the Occupy Wall Street movement.
United States: Solidarity Against Censorship of Latino Literature
The elimination of the curriculum of Mexian-American Studies, and the censorship of Latin American books from the district of Tuscon, Arizona, has led to actions of solidarity in New York as well as throughout the United States.
United States: Another Assault on Immigrant Culture
The decision to eliminate the Mexican-American studies program from the curriculum of schools has caused outrage. Yarisa Colón covers several initiatives that have been launched to stop this act of censorship against the culture of immigrants in the United States.
United States: Occupy Wall Street Also Speaks Spanish
Activist Mariné Pérez talks about coordinating the Spanish translation of the Occupy Wall Street Journal in New York, the relationship with traditional mass media, the impact of the removal of protesters from Zuccotti Park, and the plans to launch a new newspaper with original content in Spanish focused on the immigrant and Latino communities in the United States.
USA: The Challenge of Diversity in the “Occupy” Movement
One month since the initial occupation of the financial district of New York, Wall Street, collective actions in the city continue to diversify. Activists and organizations from minority communities have begun to join and also express their indignation.
Puerto Rico: Imaginaires and Creativity on the Move
It hasn't been long since the exhibition Carry On: Puerto Rico Inspected opened in Villa Victoria Center for the Arts in Boston, Massachusetts. Through the concept of portability both the curators and the artists have pushed the barriers that prevent the exposure of Puerto Rican art in the United States and other countries.
