Winter 2007

December 26 2006 through January 6, 2007 a group of 7 undergraduate/graduate CSULB students accompanied by Dr. Rodriguez visited Puerto Rico (7 days), and the Dominican Republic (5 days). Dialogues, presentations, visits to museums, communties were part of the experience. Below are some snapshots of the visits.

Elizam Escobar Museum

Elizam Escobar, artist and art professor at Puerto Rico’s School of the Arts, led the group as a docent in viewing an exhibit of Puerto Rican contemporary art.

Palave Children

Group of CSULB students and Dominican Haitian children who participate in a program to feed children from the local Dominico-Haitian community. Here they show their artwork after CSULB students described CSULB pyramid and the “Go Beach” slogan.

Palmira Rios en Pinones

In a visit to the headquarters of a local Afro-Puerto Rican community organization fighting the expropriation of the ancestral Maroon community of Pinones, the group met with Dr. Palmira Rios, Director of the Graduate Public Administration School of the University of Puerto Rico, who spoke about the impact of race in the marginalization of Black Puerto Ricans.

Cofradia del Santo Espiritu

Visit to a local community where African Dominican rituals are preserved by the Cofradia del Santo Espiritu. For hundreds of years this community has preserved its African culture. Here is the beginning of a dance ritual called Conga.

Vente Tu 1 enero

One of Latin America’s best known singers, Danny Rivera, while performing at a “Vente Tu” a community celebration which is open to anyone and that is supported by Puerto Rico’s best known musicians. The event is organized every 1st of January by Puerto Rican painter and graphic artist Marcano Garcia. The entire street is closed and music and food is offered free to any participant.

Parranda

“Parranda” at the home of Nestor Nazario, a local political activist. The parranda is similar to the Mexican “Posadas.”

Tres Reyes

Altar dedicated to the Three Kings at the Nazario’s, a celebration which rivals the Santa Claus traditions. Judith Nazario is the artist who creates these representations of the “Tres Reyes Magos.”

Latino Transnational Experience in the Caribbean: Puerto Rico Winter 2006

Some photos of our most recent short study trip to Puerto Rico and Vieques. Students were lodged at the Universidad del Sagrado Corazon, in the heart of Santurce, a San Juan neighborhood. Three University of Puerto Rico professors, Drs. Aaron Ramos, former director of the Institute for Caribbean Studies, Dr. Juan Mnauel Carrion and Dr. Zaida Rivera Casella led conferences on various topics including the Caribbean as a socio-cultural reality, nationalism and identity, women, history and culture in the Caribbean.

Below is Dr. Aaron Ramos, former director of the University of Puerto Rico Institute for Caribbean Studies and expert in the political economy of the region.

Dr. Aaron Ramos Caribbean Studies Scholar