Saturday, November 13, 2004
Featured Site (www.elboricua.com)
Next week all my English students from grades 4 to 9 will get school assignments related to Puerto Rico, where they will use their bilingual abilities. I am using a wonderful tool: www.elboricua.com, a bilingual cultural site for Puerto Ricans.
The site offers wonderful resources, ranging from Puerto Rico-related lesson plans for teachers to food recipes and interesting articles.
Visit the elboricua site. I recommend you stop in.
November 19 marks "El Dia de Descubrimiento" de Puerto Rico (Discovery Day), a local holiday here on the island. Puerto Rico was "discovered" November 19, 1493, by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas.
Next week all my English students from grades 4 to 9 will get school assignments related to Puerto Rico, where they will use their bilingual abilities. I am using a wonderful tool: www.elboricua.com, a bilingual cultural site for Puerto Ricans.
The site offers wonderful resources, ranging from Puerto Rico-related lesson plans for teachers to food recipes and interesting articles.
Visit the elboricua site. I recommend you stop in.
November 19 marks "El Dia de Descubrimiento" de Puerto Rico (Discovery Day), a local holiday here on the island. Puerto Rico was "discovered" November 19, 1493, by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas.
Community News
Did you know that stateside Puerto Ricans (3.9 million) outnumber those in Puerto Rico (3.6 million) for the first time in history? That's according to a new study. Read about it.
ATLAS OF STATESIDE PUERTO RICANS
by Angelo Falcón
(Washington, DC: Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration), 130 pp.
To download an abridged version of the report without the state and local maps, visit this link:
https://secure.logmein.com/f?TG..q0OSiXC1GztrucCV4hC8yVp6SwYGFdvwXJQ3YRE
To get a free hard copy of the full 130-page report mailed to you, order from PRFAA:
Celeste Diaz Ferraro at 202-271-7263 (cdiaz@prfaa.com) or Maite Rivera at 202-271-7272
Highlights of the Findings:
Stateside Puerto Ricans (3.9 million) outnumber those in Puerto Rico (3.6 million) for the first time in history
Stateside Puerto Ricans send an estimated $1 billion a year in remittances to their families and relatives in Puerto Rico
The aggregate income of Stateside Puerto Ricans ($55 billion) exceeds that of Puerto Rico ($43 billion)
The concentration of Puerto Rican communities stateside are presented in 12 states and the District of Columbia at the state and metropolitan levels in more than 90 maps.
In 2002, the average individual income for Stateside Puerto Ricans was $33,927, compared to $48,687 for non-Latino Whites
63 percent of Stateside Puerto Ricans ages 25 and over graduated from high school, compared to 84 percent of non-Latino Whites.
Stateside Puerto Ricans have a family poverty rate of 23 percent, compared to 6 percent for non-Latino Whites and 45 percent for Puerto Rico.
The poverty rates for single female-headed families were 39 percent for Stateside Puerto Ricans, 20 percent for non-Latino Whites, and 61 percent in for Puerto Rico.
21 percent of Stateside Puerto Ricans are in professional-managerial occupations, compared to 36 percent of non-Latino Whites.
Stateside Puerto Rican women have the closest of any racial-ethnic minority of income parity to the men of their own group: their income was 84 percent that of Stateside Puerto Rican men.
The implications of this study for Puerto Rico and Stateside Puerto Ricans are outlined as well in this report.
About the Author:
Angelo Falcón, a political scientist, is the Senior Policy Executive of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, where he directs the PRLDEF Institute for Puerto Rican Policy. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Columbia University School of Public and International Affairs. He is also co-editor of the recently-released book, Boricuas in Gotham: Puerto Ricans in the Making of Modern New York City (Princeton: Marcus Weiner Publihers, 2004). The Atlas of Stateside Puerto Ricans was commissioned by the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration and is released jointly with PRLDEF.
To arrange an interview with the author, contact Myra Estepa at the PRLDEF Institute for Puerto Rican Policy at 212-739-7499 or mestepa@aol.com.
Myra Y. Estepa
Policy Networking Program Coordinator
PRLDEF, Inc.
99 Hudson Street, 14th Floor
New York, NY 10013
(212) 739-7499 (Direct)
(212) 431-4276 (Fax)
"Querer ser libre es empezar a serlo"
Did you know that stateside Puerto Ricans (3.9 million) outnumber those in Puerto Rico (3.6 million) for the first time in history? That's according to a new study. Read about it.
ATLAS OF STATESIDE PUERTO RICANS
by Angelo Falcón
(Washington, DC: Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration), 130 pp.
To download an abridged version of the report without the state and local maps, visit this link:
https://secure.logmein.com/f?TG..q0OSiXC1GztrucCV4hC8yVp6SwYGFdvwXJQ3YRE
To get a free hard copy of the full 130-page report mailed to you, order from PRFAA:
Celeste Diaz Ferraro at 202-271-7263 (cdiaz@prfaa.com) or Maite Rivera at 202-271-7272
Highlights of the Findings:
Stateside Puerto Ricans (3.9 million) outnumber those in Puerto Rico (3.6 million) for the first time in history
Stateside Puerto Ricans send an estimated $1 billion a year in remittances to their families and relatives in Puerto Rico
The aggregate income of Stateside Puerto Ricans ($55 billion) exceeds that of Puerto Rico ($43 billion)
The concentration of Puerto Rican communities stateside are presented in 12 states and the District of Columbia at the state and metropolitan levels in more than 90 maps.
In 2002, the average individual income for Stateside Puerto Ricans was $33,927, compared to $48,687 for non-Latino Whites
63 percent of Stateside Puerto Ricans ages 25 and over graduated from high school, compared to 84 percent of non-Latino Whites.
Stateside Puerto Ricans have a family poverty rate of 23 percent, compared to 6 percent for non-Latino Whites and 45 percent for Puerto Rico.
The poverty rates for single female-headed families were 39 percent for Stateside Puerto Ricans, 20 percent for non-Latino Whites, and 61 percent in for Puerto Rico.
21 percent of Stateside Puerto Ricans are in professional-managerial occupations, compared to 36 percent of non-Latino Whites.
Stateside Puerto Rican women have the closest of any racial-ethnic minority of income parity to the men of their own group: their income was 84 percent that of Stateside Puerto Rican men.
The implications of this study for Puerto Rico and Stateside Puerto Ricans are outlined as well in this report.
About the Author:
Angelo Falcón, a political scientist, is the Senior Policy Executive of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, where he directs the PRLDEF Institute for Puerto Rican Policy. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Columbia University School of Public and International Affairs. He is also co-editor of the recently-released book, Boricuas in Gotham: Puerto Ricans in the Making of Modern New York City (Princeton: Marcus Weiner Publihers, 2004). The Atlas of Stateside Puerto Ricans was commissioned by the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration and is released jointly with PRLDEF.
To arrange an interview with the author, contact Myra Estepa at the PRLDEF Institute for Puerto Rican Policy at 212-739-7499 or mestepa@aol.com.
Myra Y. Estepa
Policy Networking Program Coordinator
PRLDEF, Inc.
99 Hudson Street, 14th Floor
New York, NY 10013
(212) 739-7499 (Direct)
(212) 431-4276 (Fax)
"Querer ser libre es empezar a serlo"
Thursday, November 11, 2004
Sunset at Zandvoort Beach
Among the beautiful sun shots in the Sunrise, Sunset -- Anything Sun photo group at flickr.
Photo by "uruandimi"
Photo by "uruandimi"
Monday, November 08, 2004
"Old San Juan in Silhouettes"
An excerpt from an article posted at the photosofpuertoricosun site. On images from Old San Juan and more, photosofpuertorico wrote: "Clarisel carefully 'painted' them just with pure shadows and silhouettes, producing very compelling images from ordinary objects."
Stop in and enjoy the photo gallery at www.photosofpuertorico.com.
Site has a wonderful array of photos of La Isla del Encanto from a talented pool of photographers. Definitely worth a visit.
Clarisel
An excerpt from an article posted at the photosofpuertoricosun site. On images from Old San Juan and more, photosofpuertorico wrote: "Clarisel carefully 'painted' them just with pure shadows and silhouettes, producing very compelling images from ordinary objects."
Stop in and enjoy the photo gallery at www.photosofpuertorico.com.
Site has a wonderful array of photos of La Isla del Encanto from a talented pool of photographers. Definitely worth a visit.
Clarisel
Saturday, November 06, 2004
Caminito in La Boca
Check out the latinoamericanos! photo group at flickr. Beautiful images from different Spanish-speaking countries.
This photo is by lujan. It is a "caminito" in Argentina.
This photo is by lujan. It is a "caminito" in Argentina.
Culture & Identity
Commentary
By Clarisel Gonzalez
Puerto Rico Sun
SAN JUAN - I was told yesterday that I am not Puerto Rican.
Neither is Jennifer Lopez or Marc Anthony I was told.
Why?
Well, I was told by a "real Puerto Rican" that none of us are Puerto Rican because we were not born on the island.
I was offended.
This "Puerto Rican sister" told me that Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony and no other person born in New York or anywhere in the states is a "real Puerto Rican." "You just see yourselves that way," she said. It was not the first time I heard comments like that about Nuyoricans, but it was the first time that someone told me that to my face.
I heard this coming from the mouth of what I perceived to be a boricua sister who doesn't see me as boricua. I don't see her as a sister anymore even if she was born on La Isla del Encanto and sees herself as a "real Puerto Rican."
Whatever.
I have been living on the island on and off since 2000, but I have identified as Puerto Rican all my life. My mother and father moved to New York City in search of better opportunities just like many Puerto Ricans did. They had me in New York, and I grew in the South Bronx. But they instilled in me a deep love for the island.
And, I grew up bilingual, bicultural.
As a journalist, a large part of my mission has been striving for better and fairer coverage of Latino issues and more opportunities for journalists. That is why I am now running this Puerto Rico Sun cultural blog.
As a teacher, I have served Hispanic students in Trenton, N.J., and on the island.
I currently work as an English teacher in Santurce's Barrio Obrero, and my students are Puerto Rican and Dominican. I see it as a way of giving back to mi gente.
Now, I am told I am not even a "real Puerto Rican."
I disagree.
I am a proud Puerto Rican. I am American. I am a New Yorker.
I know who I am, and I am giving back to mi gente.
Or, should I just go home to New York (where I belong) to do that?
Commentary
By Clarisel Gonzalez
Puerto Rico Sun
SAN JUAN - I was told yesterday that I am not Puerto Rican.
Neither is Jennifer Lopez or Marc Anthony I was told.
Why?
Well, I was told by a "real Puerto Rican" that none of us are Puerto Rican because we were not born on the island.
I was offended.
This "Puerto Rican sister" told me that Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony and no other person born in New York or anywhere in the states is a "real Puerto Rican." "You just see yourselves that way," she said. It was not the first time I heard comments like that about Nuyoricans, but it was the first time that someone told me that to my face.
I heard this coming from the mouth of what I perceived to be a boricua sister who doesn't see me as boricua. I don't see her as a sister anymore even if she was born on La Isla del Encanto and sees herself as a "real Puerto Rican."
Whatever.
I have been living on the island on and off since 2000, but I have identified as Puerto Rican all my life. My mother and father moved to New York City in search of better opportunities just like many Puerto Ricans did. They had me in New York, and I grew in the South Bronx. But they instilled in me a deep love for the island.
And, I grew up bilingual, bicultural.
As a journalist, a large part of my mission has been striving for better and fairer coverage of Latino issues and more opportunities for journalists. That is why I am now running this Puerto Rico Sun cultural blog.
As a teacher, I have served Hispanic students in Trenton, N.J., and on the island.
I currently work as an English teacher in Santurce's Barrio Obrero, and my students are Puerto Rican and Dominican. I see it as a way of giving back to mi gente.
Now, I am told I am not even a "real Puerto Rican."
I disagree.
I am a proud Puerto Rican. I am American. I am a New Yorker.
I know who I am, and I am giving back to mi gente.
Or, should I just go home to New York (where I belong) to do that?
Friday, November 05, 2004
Education Corner
The Road To Freedom
By Manuel Hernandez
The November 2nd elections defined Latinos as the vote that marched through the road to freedom. With the highest turnout ever, Latinos have finally opened the gates to their pathway. The road to freedom provoked a lot of before, during and after electoral debate, but Latinos met the challenge and cruised to victory. With an increase of 5 percent of the Republican vote from the 2000 elections, it is clear and present that Latinos will have an opportunity to voice issues and concerns and make their presence felt in all avenues of the American highway.
The Latino preschool, elementary, secondary and high school population is growing and has now become part of an important story of the largest minority ethnic group in the United States. Much of the recent rise in minority enrollment in elementary and secondary schools may be attributed to the growth in the number of Latino students. The issue of education is key to Latinos, who are less likely to receive a quality education than most other Americans. In one of his recent political rallies, President Bush stated "the role of government is to help people realize a dream, not stand in the way of dreams." The road to freedom is rough and bumpy, but Latinos dream and have realized that their dreams are founded in the educational empowerment of the people.
After they numerically proved in the past elections that they should not be taken for granted, the education of Latinos must be a top priority for the President's administration. Census projections go as far as placing them over the 100 million mark by mid-century, but the numbers are meaningless unless Latinos decelerate high school drop out rates, national testing scores and other educational pit stops. However, despite the fact that Latinos have recently made some major gains, disparities still exist in academic performance between Latinos and non- Latino White students.
In the Narrative of The Life of Frederick Douglass by Terry M. West, young Frederick's owner prohibits his wife to read to him because it was dangerous and against the law. The words of the slave owner sank deep into Douglass' heart and motivated him to read, learn and educate himself. The rest of Douglass' legacy is recorded in American history. Latinos must decisively take advantage of this moment in history and drive through the road to freedom. The road to freedom is a pledge to educate and empower children and send them on an envisioned road to promote the educational excellence that all of them deserve. A generation after the historical “I Have A Dream” speech has paved the way to provide all America’s children with quality education and excellent academic standards.
Manny Hernandez contributes commentary about education issues to Puerto Rico Sun. Hernandez may be reached at 787-355-0099 or by mail: HC-01, Box 7717, Luquillo, Puerto Rico 00773.
The Road To Freedom
By Manuel Hernandez
The November 2nd elections defined Latinos as the vote that marched through the road to freedom. With the highest turnout ever, Latinos have finally opened the gates to their pathway. The road to freedom provoked a lot of before, during and after electoral debate, but Latinos met the challenge and cruised to victory. With an increase of 5 percent of the Republican vote from the 2000 elections, it is clear and present that Latinos will have an opportunity to voice issues and concerns and make their presence felt in all avenues of the American highway.
The Latino preschool, elementary, secondary and high school population is growing and has now become part of an important story of the largest minority ethnic group in the United States. Much of the recent rise in minority enrollment in elementary and secondary schools may be attributed to the growth in the number of Latino students. The issue of education is key to Latinos, who are less likely to receive a quality education than most other Americans. In one of his recent political rallies, President Bush stated "the role of government is to help people realize a dream, not stand in the way of dreams." The road to freedom is rough and bumpy, but Latinos dream and have realized that their dreams are founded in the educational empowerment of the people.
After they numerically proved in the past elections that they should not be taken for granted, the education of Latinos must be a top priority for the President's administration. Census projections go as far as placing them over the 100 million mark by mid-century, but the numbers are meaningless unless Latinos decelerate high school drop out rates, national testing scores and other educational pit stops. However, despite the fact that Latinos have recently made some major gains, disparities still exist in academic performance between Latinos and non- Latino White students.
In the Narrative of The Life of Frederick Douglass by Terry M. West, young Frederick's owner prohibits his wife to read to him because it was dangerous and against the law. The words of the slave owner sank deep into Douglass' heart and motivated him to read, learn and educate himself. The rest of Douglass' legacy is recorded in American history. Latinos must decisively take advantage of this moment in history and drive through the road to freedom. The road to freedom is a pledge to educate and empower children and send them on an envisioned road to promote the educational excellence that all of them deserve. A generation after the historical “I Have A Dream” speech has paved the way to provide all America’s children with quality education and excellent academic standards.
Manny Hernandez contributes commentary about education issues to Puerto Rico Sun. Hernandez may be reached at 787-355-0099 or by mail: HC-01, Box 7717, Luquillo, Puerto Rico 00773.
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