Join Centro this month for more virtual events!

 

¡Saludos Amigxs de Centro!   Happy December! We hope that you have enjoyed our previous events, but we want to let you know that that's not all we have in store this holiday season!  As we wrap up the semester, we have some super exciting December events coming up and we can't wait to see you there!     ❄️THIS WEEK! Join us as we close the semester with our final events!    REMEMBER THAT ALL CENTRO EVENTS FEATURE SPANISH/ENGLISH TRANSLATION AS WELL AS INTERPRETATION IN PRSL!   Afternoon Tertulia - #CienciaBoricua: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Response    As we kick off our winter events, join us for an Afternoon Tertulía- #CienciaBoricua: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Response on Wednesday, December 8th at 4:30 PM EST. In this tertulía, we will be joined by members of Ciencia Puerto Rico: Giovanna Guerrero Medina, Mónica Feliú Mójer, and Greetchen Díaz Muñoz to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the archipelago, PR's response to the global pandemic, providing accurate health messaging within the islet, targeting misinformation, supporting education amongst the Puerto Rican children, and pushing for accountability within the government and policy makers.    RSVP for our Afternoon Tertulia -#CienciaBoricua: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Response here.   ☃️THE REST OF DECEMBER Afternoon Tertulia: Reimagining West Side Story: A Critical Discussion of the Remake   You can catch our very last Afternoon Tertulia - Reimagining West Side Story: A Critical Discussion of the Remake on Monday, December 13th at 3:00 PM EST! Join  Dr. Virginia Sanchez-Korrol, Dr. Frances Negrón-Muntaner, and Dr. Brian Herrera, with Dr. Jillian Baez as moderator, as they discuss the West Side Story remake. How do representations in the original film offer insights into how the remake both reproduces and remedies the limitations and silences of the original?  You can RSVP for this afternoon tertulia here.   Library Lunch Hour: Navidad Puertorriqueña   📚 As we continue throughout the month of December, we will have a Library Lunch Hour: Navidad Puertorriqueña on Tuesday, December 14th at 12 PM EST.Join Library Manager, Anibal Arocho, as he discusses materials from our collections related to the cultural traditions of a Boricua Christmas and Three Kings Day. In the spirit of the holiday season two attendees will be randomly selected to receive a Centro swag bag! You won't want to miss this!   RSVP for our Library Lunch Hour here.    Data Hub Coffee Hour: Meet the Researchers   If you can't meet us for lunch on Tuesday, join us on Wednesday, December 15th at 2 PM EST, we will be hosting a very special Data Hub Coffee Hour: Meet the Researchers, where our data hub team will recap their Fall 2021 research projects and our research associates will discuss their plans for their Centro residency.   Dr. Matthew Nicdao, Dr. José A. Laguarta Ramírez, Dr. Elizabeth Taveras, and Dr.Celiany Rivera Veláquez will each give a 10 minute presentation of their research plans.   RSVP for our Data Hub Coffee Hour here.   SPECIAL EVENTS   Yesterday, December 6th, 2021, Centro and 20th Century Studios hosted an early screening of Steven Spielberg's West Side Story! We wanted to thank all the friends of Centro, Hunter College, CUNY, and beyond for joining us in this special event. It was fantastic to be able to provide our supportive and wonderful community a safe and accessible space to watch the film, as well as a chance to reconnect with us around a project that was fueled by the Centro archives!     The support we offered to Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner is the same support we offer to any researcher, artist, student or community member that walks through our doors, and we hope you'll pay us a visit.  💃🏽       PARTNER EVENTS   The Department of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies at Brooklyn College is also happy to welcome Steven Spielberg for a special lecture this Wednesday, December 8th, 2021 at 11 AM EST. Spielberg is the director of West Side Story, the first musical he's directed in his career. In this lecture, Steven Spielberg will share his insights into this new directing experience and the recreation of the iconic movie through his vision. To register for this event, please visit this link, you won't want to miss this! To learn more about Steven Spielberg's lecture, please visit this link,       The Bronx Music Heritage Center presents their 7th Annual Melrose Parranda this Tuesday, December 21st at 6 PM EST. This in an in-person, Puerto Rican carolling event that will be led by members of the Bronx Music and Cultural community. This event will take place at BMH Plaza, 438 E. 163rd St. at the corner of Washington. All attendees must wear a face covering. If you have any questions, please call (917) 557- 2354 or reach out to emartinez@whedco.org.              We hope to see you around this month, either virtually at one of our events, or in person at the Library and Archives! Don't forget to follow us on social media and stay up to date with what's happening at Centro.   Pa'lante! - Your friends at Centro Center for Puerto Rican Studies | Hunter College | 695 Park Ave | New York, NY 10065

Dinner for Two? 🏀

 

REGISTER NOW TO WIN! We are proud to introduce two new players and coaches for the 3rd Annual Celebrity Basketball Event on January 8, 2022! This includes: Derek Frazier (Big Brother, CBS), Brandon Max (TikTok sensation) Brandon Gomes and Garrett Miller (Siesta Key, MTV)!   Purchase two tickets before December 25th for a chance to win a FREE DINNER FOR TWO ($30 value) at Secretos de Mis Abuelos, Puerto Rican Restaurant!   The Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (PMAHCC) and Penn State Greater Allegheny are partnering to host a basketball charity game to raise funds to be used for education. This event benefits the PMAHCC Foundation Educational Fund and PSUGA's scholarship program. The event will also be featuring Nate Walker (American Idol), Carla Cortijo (former WNBA and Puerto Rican National Team Player), Garrett Miller and Brandon Gomes (Siesta Key, MTV), Derek Frazier (Big Brother, CBS), Brandon Max (TikTok Star), Joey Cora (former MLB players and current 3rd-base coach of the Pittsburgh Pirates), Chris Edmonds (former Cincinnati Bengal, NFL), Sky Walker (Harlem Wizards), Dwight Penney (Holiday Baking Championship Contestant, Food Network), Steel City Yellow Jackets and many more! Special appearance from the Pittsburgh Parrot, Nittany Lion and others! VIP tickets will include interaction, pictures and autographs with some of the players and coaches!   SEE YOU AT THE GAME!     A Special Thanks to this Promotional offer by PMAHCC Small Business Member:    Secretos de Mis Abuelos 1334 Fifth Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15219   To ORDER NOW and learn more visit:  https://www.secretospgh.com/     Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce  1555 Broadway Avenue Second Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-553-9300 - Chamber@pmahcc.org

 

City of Asylum welcomes a new exiled writer-in-residence

 

Dear friends,  In a year filled with many noteworthy moments, one day stands out as the most memorable one since I started as Executive Director of City of Asylum.   On November 2, 2021, I drove to Pittsburgh International Airport and, for the first time, I welcomed an exiled writer to City of Asylum—Cuban Jorge Olivera Castillo and his wife Nancy Alfaya Hernandez, a persecuted human rights activist.   I had talked with Nancy and Jorge numerous times on Zoom and over the phone before their arrival in Pittsburgh. But nothing can prepare you for the moment when you meet the writer and their family in person. It was a profoundly moving experience. And it brought home to me just how important City of Asylum's mission is, what it means for a persecuted writer to have a safe place.   Jorge was arrested in 2003 and sentenced to 18 years in prison because of his writing and stance on freedom of expression. After spending 21 months in jail—many of them in solitary confinement—he was released from Guantanamo Prison on humanitarian and health grounds. But his sentence was never commuted.   Despite his release from prison, Jorge was not allowed to work or leave Cuba. This finally changed in 2016, when he was granted permission to participate in a one-year residency at Harvard. But when Jorge and Nancy returned to Cuba, they were targeted with increased harassment and persecution—and eventually imprisonment.   Recently, Cuba offered the couple exile in lieu of further imprisonment, which is how they were able to leave the country and come to Pittsburgh. Jorge's residency at City of Asylum will allow him to continue writing and provide a safe space for Nancy to advance her work as a human rights activist. We are honored to welcome Jorge and Nancy to Pittsburgh and look forward to introducing them to the City of Asylum community in the coming months. Sincerely, Andrés Franco Executive Director     Jorge Olivera Castillo is a Cuban poet, writer, television editor, journalist, and songwriter. He is a well-known dissident, and his work has been banned in Cuba. Olivera Castillo has published six books of poetry and two short story collections. His works have been translated into several languages, including Czech, English, Italian, and Polish. Jorge recently finished two books: a book of poetry and his third collection of short stories, based on his experiences as a soldier in the African jungle during the Angolan Civil War.   Jorge Olivera Castillo a writer-in-residence at City of Asylum and a Research Scholar at the Global Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh. He is married to Nancy Alfaya Hernandez, a Cuban human rights and women's rights activist.   City of Asylum's Exiled Writer Residency program is funded in part by a grant from an Anonymous Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation. Photos: Renee Rosensteel©, 2021   Support City of Asylum's Exiled Writer Program   Learn More about City of Asylum     Our mailing address is: City of Asylum 40 W. North Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15212