A letter from me to the families of the Newtown Tragedy

P.O. Box 3700
Newtown, CT 06470

To the families of the tragedy,

        The most important things in are the hardest to say, no parent should have to bury the children they gave life to. I am a firm believer of that no matter what the situation or circumstance is. My name is Andre Christopher Rivera, I am twenty years old and I live and have been raised in the South Bronx for most of my life and basically what I do for a living when im not in school full time is organized against the injustices in my community. Sadly it has appeared that over the last few months violence around the world has been on the rise. One of the  biggest issues I fight in my community is violence, when I heard about what had occurred I was and still am at loss for words. Nothing shocks me anymore but the incident that occurred shocked me, to that point it has been hard to watch on TV and online. I can not imagine the pain and sorrow you all must be experiencing. As an uncle who has a niece that is not so far from the ages of these young beautiful souls, I  had to think how could as a human, person, organizer and movement builder support you all, the families of this tragedy. The best way I could think of was to write this letter.

      I would like to first express my deepest sorrows to the families. I would also  like to express my support of the movement to completely ban guns and any form of assault weapons in our communities I  would also like to express that you are all in my thoughts and prayers each and every single day. Listening to some of the stories of these young angels i had to only think that they all would have all in their own right changed our world and to that point I hope this situation and tragedy can inspire the youth and all people for that matter to understand that violence is not the solution but we must also address the fact that the person responsible had an out of control mental state and as a society we have to find ways to tackling this issue and making sure that they get treated.

       Finally  I would like to conclude by saying that you all have my full support in any movements that come out of this tragedy. I hope that god can continue to support and help you all in this time of need. stay strong !

Respectfully,

Andre Christopher Rivera 

Comite Noviembre at Hostos Community College

Heritage, Culture, Folklore are three things in common. What happens when you have a freshman student show up to a field visit not knowing anything about his background and learns something new ? I will tell you , it is easy to learn but hard to follow. The site visits I have been to so far have to do with my culture and people which shows me that someone is committed to teaching my about something I should have learned before. I guess the main point I am trying to make is that as humans we should know about who we are and where we come from. We should also know about our heritage so that we could pass it down to the future students and children of the world. Some of the best world leaders are in tune with their culture because they say the past repeats itself or or does it ? I also think building a foundation is the start to something good and effective.

Comite Noviembre is an organization that is geared to making sure that puerto Rican students are aware and educated about their culture so they could push other students to understand who they are. Comite Noviembre preserves rich culture through politicians, educators and the alike.  Comite Noviembre educated its youth through development of programs, grants for school leadership development in order for them to continue on to some form of higher education so that they can give back to the community. The Comite Noviembre has given over $201,000 in scholarships since it was created fourteen years ago, through the scholarships at least 90% of recipients go on to graduate from college. the recipients all are clear about their characters as educated intellectual students. The Comite Noviembre scholarship awards its students during the puerto rican heritage celebrations.

The Comite Noviembre event I went to was about culture and community. It was about educating people of the public about the history of Bomba and Plena. It was about showcasing famous art piece and art symbols. It was about showcasing poets of the culture or those who write about the culture.

Bomba is a traditional form of music which is usually performed in many puerto rican families by groups of people. It is  a mix of three main cultures, which are Spanish, African, and Taino. Bomba music is made mostly of drum’s called Barriles which drives from big barrels that are played with lamb skin to make a loud but rhythm filled flow. Other instruments include the Cua which is an open barrel which is hit with drum sticks and a maraca which can be different depending on size and sound. Although those are the main instruments there are various others that can be used. Bomba is more compared to salsa music, which in itself. Salsa is more Cuban and urban. Plena is made up of these little hand drums caled Pleneras. Plena also includes cuatro , maracas and accordions but what truly separates the two are the dances. Plena is like salsa music you play to a rhythm while people dance. Bomba is different because in Bomba the dancer controls the drummer and the rhythm reflects various movies and dancer technique. But if you don't listen to Bomba or Plena on your free time you would not know what they are because for a long time Bomba and Plena have been suppressed and oppressed from mainstream production.

Plena and Bomba when they first were created were used to show a resistance to the government. The people puerto Rico at the time called it the community newspaper because it when played had hidden messages. When protests and demonstrations broke out Plena would be played and the crowd would get behind the group as a form of support and to show a resistance to injustice. Bomba itself is a creation of sugar cane slaves. The sugar cane slaves created Bomba so that they could communicate with each other. A Lot of them came from place like Africa where they were enslaved for money and such purposes. Just like hip hop in our modern society Bomba was an escape , a cure and a voice of the oppressed not a way to dwell on sad times.

In closing I think that committee Noviembre mission fits the work they are doing and the events they are doing. committee Noviembre is accomplishing what they set out to do. I thought the event was great until I realized that  I had my bike stolen from outside the school. No one at Hostos or the police dept would help me until I started to pursue it and pressure them.

Bronx Heritage Musical Center

There are many communities affected by injustice and lack of resources, this is to be blamed on knowledge and opportunity. A Lot of times this has to do with politics, community commitment and community engagement. When organizing for a community you have to know what the community and what the community needs. Organizations have established programs that help tutor students in their needs. Everything from homework's, physical education to activities such as history of their own cultures. Places like Casita Maria have helped educate students on culture and folklore, groups like Bombayo have taught youth through performances. Community organizing lead the majority of these programs and at times help others in opening and creating programs that help to foster success through education and cultural awareness.

One of these locations is called the Bronx Musical Heritage Center which is located in the Freeman section of the Bronx. The center was created to reconnect today youth with their heritage and culture. The center focuses and emphasizes on its hip hop roots because of the location but regardless of the fact it is geared toward teaching about the roots of hip hop it also focuses on others such as modern and pre-modern Latin culture. One of its events is the Bronx Rising Music, Film and Spoken word of the boro. The event this year ran from November 8TH to November 10TH. The location of the event was  1303 Louis Nine BLVD, which in itself has its own historical roots. The event celebrates El Condado De La Salsa, meaning its creation and birth from its roots of mambo and the boogie down Bronx which gets its nickname from its roots in mambo and salsa. Hip Hop and salsa became an played a pivotal role in the Bronx back in the 1960’s and 1970’s when drugs and gangs ran rampant. One major factor was the great depression and another bring the building of Robert Moses famous Cross Bronx Expressway. When salsa and hip hop hit their peaks in the community it focused on being  the “voice of the oppressed”. Landlords were burning communities, police were brutalizing communities so why not find a constructive way to deal with the struggle? Unfortunately today in the 21st century we have lost that so events like Bronx Rising remind us of our history. Everyone from Johnny Pacheco to Afrika Bambaataa influenced the resilience of the boro. With that idea in mind Bronx Music Heritage Center was created and is committed to preserving and promoting music and families through education and practice. Some future developments that will come out of this plan and idea will be the creation of an expanded institution and the Bronx Commons Apartments, which will house community residents and artists. The development will include affordable apartments, an artist-school partnership with Bard College which when completed will include a green roof and recreational space.

With the mission and idea of education for the community in mind the Bronx Music Heritage Center created Bronx Rising to celebrate Puerto Rican Heritage month. Some of the notable performers were Sandra Maria Esteves, Vanessa Martir and Nancy Mercado. The three women all are poets and written expression performers in their own right. All three performers have all had their influence on the public and larger society as a whole. Sandra Maria Esteves is known to be La Madrina or in English the godmother of Nuyorican Poetry. Nuyorican as a word in its own right has its famous roots as it originated and was fostered by the creation of a similarly named establishment known as the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. The Nuyorican Poets Cafe is a location where many written expression performers go to express what they believe in without being chastised or oppressed. The next performer was Vanessa Martir , could be known as a leader and movement maker. Martir quit her full time job to pursue her hobby and dream as a poet and a written expression performer. She has written a few books but a lot of what she has written has been about her and her upbringing as a Latina who had strict parents who also had very closed minded views. She co-wrote a book that guides youth to social and emotional independence. She has taught at a few educational institutions and speaks regularly at schools and events that usually include panels on reforming the persona of youth. One example of her motivation towards youth is when she writes about not being accepted as a lesbian by her parents. Although the parents had perfect symbols according to her poems she writes about her not being the average girly, girl we are used to. At the end of the day she found love and care through those she helps and or helped.

Nancy Mercado however uses her experience in the community to guide her to what she writes about. In her poems she writes about her many experiences through activism and education. In one of her poems she asks the question is the party over meaning and or possibly implying that our dirty practices could be killing us and or our country. In another poem she speaks about her community experiences and the influence her family has had on her. Mercado has many awards and accomplishments and one which she has shared with us is her many publications. Everything from books to magazines, she has also been profiled as a Latino teacher of her work in the community and at home.

In closing the Bronx Musical Heritage Center has been a staple in the community because of its dedication to preserving historical icons from hip hop to poetry. I was there for the poetry event and learning that a lot of what I do others are doing helps me to connect to the community of others. The event as powerful in the fact that the students including myself were inspired and moved by the many stories told.

Origins of Humans Science VS. Religion and Faith

The debate of life is one that continues to interest us, science, and religious. The debate has alot of people wondering which is more accurate science or faith. The debate also has to do with how do we establish a better government because we live in a live in a capitalist  government so which model of human rule worked is the question people are trying to figure and answer. One man found the answer but that one man has always been questioned, his name was Charles Darwin. The other person who is involved in this debate of human species an the theory of evolution is Thomas Malthus. through his time Darwinism began to develop , basically it was following the writings, teachings and theories that some tried to interpret. Darwin had many theories from many of his studies on humans but just like today Thomas Malthus and religion counter his theories and thoughts on Darwinism. Some would say Darwinian is crazy. Charles Darwin was an English naturalist. He came up with his theory of evolution after he studied and looked at artifacts that had stated that humans had descendants from a common ancestor known as monkeys. He also came up with his idea of natural selection which also involved selective breeding. After the long research he published it in a book called On The Origins Of Species. In and around the 1870s the world and society as a whole had adopted and agreed with his idea and began to back it up with research. After a long and intensive search he finally found his theory to be backed up by fossils and artifacts. At the time many people were thinking and questioning Darwin theory but one person named Alfred Wallace sent him a written piece with a proof that backed up what he Darwin had thought, so they both jointly published it. Darwin because of his work he was established as one of the most influential figures in human history. He was born into a mixed societal family.
Human evolution means the process leading up to the appearance of modern humans. The thought behind evolution is that we evolved from primates, specifically the homo-sapiens. They considered us the great apes, the study comes from studies on how we discipline people from work to writing to type of gestures. During Darwin research he found that the homo-sapiens were the first to grasp the side of weapons and tools. The brains supposedly were the size of primates. With all the work he did on humans it lead him to natural selection. Natural selection is basically how humans reproduce using their genes. The theory involves the idea that the environment you live in changes who you are and how you live. The theory also said that people with one or more of the gene He discovered can produce more than those of their counter parts. The theory of sexual selection was what really  send the theory of Darwinism off and running. He basically states that “depends not on a struggle for existence , but on a struggle between males for possessing the females, the result is not death to the the unsuccessful competitor but few or no offspring,” meaning survival of the fittest.
In closing Darwin theory has had people fighting for what they say is how humans exists.

Central America and Pre-colonial Times (Mexico and Native Americans)

President Roosevelt was once known to be a president that cared about preserving  the history and story of people. One thing that has always been present in our society and history fearlessness of the person in off has been the connections other societies and cultures have had on ours. It is evident when you walk around our city, you can go from USA to Europe to Asia in minutes. Some say it is because of how close things are but one can extrapolate that is due to the affect our societies have had on each other. If you speak to people on the street you will hear lots of tales and stories about what they remember from other societies. President Roosevelt once said “in any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing and the worst thing you can do is nothing,” teaching that culture is an important thing that you should know about.

I went to the natural history museum in Manhattan, New York to learn more about Mexico and Central America. Mexico and Central America make up the vast majority of the Latin countries with customs but what we don't know are the artifacts. Mexico is a country that covers about two millennia. It started out at 13,000 people but has grown dramatically. Mexico is known for its large population of Spanish and Native American speakers. The country refuses to give credit to Europe because of the conquest. Alot of what is spoke about is the westernized culture of Mexico. During the Spanish rule of Mexico most or more than half of the indigenous population were wiped out or killed. Mexico declared its independence from Spain in 1810. Mexico for centuries has fought  against wars, drugs, government and all the politics, it was freedom to the most possible peace filled country but one thing that continues to plague them is the drug cartels.

Precolonial period had alot to do with the Native American population. Alot of what I saw at the museum had to do with art and how the natives communicated. There was alot of Aztec artifacts, one being the emblem they are known for. In the exhibit you also saw the way they cooked and dressed and honestly it was not so far from what we use today. You saw half clothed women with scrubs as the clothing, you also saw the weapons they used such as spears. In their ways of life the people of the Andean region mirror the diversity of landscapes from desert coasts to snow capped mountains. The ancient Andean civilization began and created a system of combining and coordinating their varied resources and cultures to create a civilization of great wealth. The Native Americans created systems of curing illnesses and sicknesses from herbal sources to what some would today consider voodoo. The Natives used raddled so they could perform rituals on the sick. The Natives would take the raddled and place it below the forearms so that if it raddled it would show and indicate the connections to spirits. Alot of what displayed has to do with pottery, figurines, jewelry and monuments.

In closing I learned alot about pre-modernization and colonial peoples. It is extremely interesting how out of everything there are those small successes and failures. In the museum I thought it was interesting to see how things worked out with interaction and learning how these people were able to work with each other and they had no form of technology to help them out so it begs to ask why cant we as a society do the same with everything we have but then again the question has to do with common sense which is not so common anymore.

3rd Annual South Bronx Folk Festival

South Bronx Folk Festival   

Folklore is an concept that has been around for sometime, actually ages. Every culture has some folklore and tradition to it. On Friday December Seventh Two Thousand and Twelve I attended a beautiful event, it included folklore from four ethnic groups. The puerto Rican's, Dominicans, Hondurans, and Japanese. All of these cultures are very similar in the sense of celebration. Though culture is an important thing folklore is the most important of it all because it teaches us what the origins are. Folklore has tradition, customs,clothing and even music.

The event I attended occurred at the Casita Maria Center for Art and Education and it was called the Danza Fiesta ! Baile Y Teatro Puertorriqueno Third Annual South Bronx Folk Dance Festival. The event was presented by Diversity in the Arts and Nations for Cultural Education and was directed by Hilda Rivera Pantojas, who is a facilitator at Boricua College. The South Bronx Folk Festival is a week long festival meant to highlight the cultural diversity. The event had many featured performers and performances by Danza Fiesta, Irka Mateo and the women of fire, kaoru Watanabe and Hamalali Wayunagu.

Danza Fiesta is a group that was created in 1998 by Hilda Rivera Pantojas. It was created to show and exemplify Puerto Rican culture and folkloric traditions with everyone. Danza Fiesta is made up of a band and a group of performers. They play lots of musical instruments from timbales to cow bells. Danza Fiesta  performs international folklore while explaining taino culture. The performances both included entertainment and performance. The show had casoglos, the women had dresses that were very cultural and elegant, they told a story of a couple that had gotten married and had a jealous family member who was portrayed as a skank and whore. The performance included dancing, singing , spoken word and crowd involvement. There were a part where the married guy started dancing in public with other people and the wife created a spectacle when she saw she was not getting attention. This performance gave us historical context just like many other types of folklore performances.

Although very different from the first performance the Honduran folklore performance brought similar music but with a different vibe and historical background. It was back in 1797 that the country of St.Vincent and the grenadines began what would to be be known as the British Exile of St.Vincent. It was only fitting that during a very energetic performance would these great performers come together with the thought of having a conflict, fighting performance. The performance reflected the fight for St. Vincent in which the Caribbeans were exiled to Honduras where today in the Sandy Bay some of their descendants can be found. The performance was put on by a group called the Hamalali Wayunagu which has the mission to “expose, share and teach audiences about Garifuna culture, heritage and history,” this company was established in the Bronx in 1992 about twenty years ago.

Japanese folklore is similar to most traditional cultures. The Japanese believe in a lot of mother earths energy. Most of the folklore is celebrated using drums and these drums can be anything from traditional drums to Bangos. Th celebrations occur for festivals, religious, and cultural events. They all come from a sense of connections from the gods drawing from earth energy. the performers used high pitch performances to relate how energy is drawn from earth.

One of the last performance s of the day was Irka Mateo and the Women of Fire. The women of Fire and Irka Mateo set out to perform and teach people about Dominican folklore using music and drums called palos. Palos are used to perform Inonu dance or Baile De Atabales. The performances are barrier breakers because there are not many female percussionists out there today.

In closing I had a good time experiencing the folklore and seeing the different cultures. I think being true to who you are and understanding your culture is a pivotal thing that makes you human.

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