MI PATRIA NATAL: Conversations of Mixed Cultural Heritage and Diasporic Nationalism

A project by Jacoub Reyes in collaboration with
The Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College
and Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico

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RESISTANCE

Iris Morales is a lifelong activist and organizer for social justice, racial equality, women’s rights, and the decolonization of Puerto Rico. She collaborates closely with activists, artists, and writers to build on this experience and bring new projects to fruition. Her documentary "¡Palante, Siempre Palante!" surveys Puerto Rican history, the Young Lords' activities and philosophy, the end of the organization and its legacy.The Young Lords was a civil and human rights organization which aimed to fight for neighborhood empowerment and self-determination for Puerto Rico, Latinos, and colonized people. disbanded due to a variety of issues, the main one being destabilized by the government.Reyes drew inspiration from Morales' papers which included grassroots movements, educating through art outreach, and becoming a pillar in her community while raising awareness of the Young Lords and their efforts to an international audience. He was especially moved by the poems and letters written to Morales from various people in and out of correctional facilities and her advocacy for women's rights.

ADVOCACY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

Sonia Ivany is the President for Latin American Advancement in the New York City Labor Council. She represents the interests of Latino/a trade unionists in the United States and Puerto Rico.Ivany works with the labor movement, elected leaders, and community organizations on issues pertaining to advocacy, labor rights, and key issues for working families and the Latino/a community. These issues also include immigration reform, voting rights and registration, social and economic justice, labor education, and youth outreach.She creates activities that aim to educate, organize and mobilize Latinos in the labor movement to positively impact workers' rights and their influence in the political process.

DOCUMENTING DIASPORA

Roger Cabán was born in Puerto Rico but moved to New York City as a child. He spent his career photographing both Isabela, Puerto Rico and Manhattan, New York.As a self-taught photographer and full-time social worker, Cabán was active in community-based organizations and activism. He created community cultural organizations like the writers collective La Nueva Sangre and is the co-founder of En Foco, an initiative created to provide more support to photographers of African, Asian, Latino, Native American and Pacific Islander heritage.

CURATING & CRITIQUING
LATIN AMERICAN ART

Susana Torruella Leval is the Director Emerita of El Museo del Barrio and major contributor to the introduction and development of Latin American art in the United States."I met a lot of contemporary Latin-American artists and started working with them. As I wrote their first essays about their work, or introduced their artwork to small galleries, my interest in contemporary Latin-American artists, and working with contemporary artists, grew exponentially. I also began to feel a great deal of satisfaction by returning to work related to my Latin American cultural roots."“My generation was by no means the first to work in Latin American art. Yet, during the “alternative” arts movement of the ‘80s, we made real progress in founding institutions, assembling exhibition programs, publishing catalogues, and providing primary scholarship in a way that the New York art world began to take notice,” she said. Susana thus became a leading participant of the spirited movement, with origins in the ‘60s, of fighting for the inclusion of artists previously marginalized from the mainstream arts canon."-Susana Torruella Leval

DISTINGUISHED PUERTO RICAN POSTER COLLECTION

A vibrant, diverse, and extensive collection of posters, prints, and educational materials from artists and teachers. A variety of printmaking methods are used in the posters including lithography, silk screen, woodblock prints, and collagraphy. These were used to disseminate information, develop communities, and challenged the visual language in America.Reyes drew inspiration from the messages, colors, and other cultural contexts to include in the posters he created. Some reoccurring themes were prominent political figures like Ramón Emeterio Betances, Pedro Albizu Campos, Lolita Lebrón, and others. Many images included musical instruments, indigenous symbols, Grito de Lares flag, and the Jibaro trope.

SOCIAL DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY

Máximo Rafael Colón's Photographs speak to his concerns of social justice, activism, cultural expression, and community empowerment. They encapsulate a wide range of interest in music, the human condition, and making visible the people of our society who are often marginalized through discrimination and inequality. His primary medium is analogue photography and he often creates assemblages in the found object tradition. His photographs are monuments to human solidarity, struggle, and endurance at their most frontal and intimate.They remind us that every social good is the outcome of repetitive, gradual, and loving labor.Reyes found these photographs informational and moving. They offered him a place to contemplate the current political and social situations and how action can be employed in a digital world.

CHAMPIONING THE ARTS AND PUERTO RICAN ARTISTS

Mario César Romero was an Art Historian, curator, consultant and lecturer, and collector. He was a founder of and participant in various organizations both cultural and political.He was deeply involved in the East Harlem community and a champion of the arts and Puerto Rican artists. He dedicated his life to promoting the history and culture of Puerto Rico in lectures and classes he gave at various universities in New York. His papers reflect his involvement in these areas and contain rare pamphlets, posters, flyers, correspondence with artists, and an impressive collection of photographs.Through these papers, Reyes discovered new artists to research which added to this project.

AMERICANIZATION & OTHER FIRST-HAND ACCOUNTS

Harriet E. Wagner's diaries are a first hand account of the North American coexistence with native Puerto Ricans. Puerto Rico was a source of inspiration for Wagner. Wagner presents native Puerto Ricans as silhouettes whose customs and behavior are succinctly described. Only some of them acquire their own faces, like Paula, her maid and cook, and Lolín Tormos, the student who made Wagner a "celebrity". In 1929. Wagner shows a certain indifference and arrogance in the face of Puerto Ricans; she complains about the intelligence of her students and she uses the strongest racial epithets against Puerto Ricans. The same indifference prevails with respect to the history and historical events of Puerto Rico. These diaries capture experiences of a white American women during the early period of "Americanization" between 1898 and 1945.Reyes connected early colonial life with the current situation in Puerto Rico. The gentrification happening in East Harlem and Wynwood areas also came to mind. Harriet's racist views and exploitative motives are not unlike the social climate today.

NATIONAL PUERTO RICAN DAY PARADE

June 11, 2023
It is a time to celebrate our diverse culture. To be Puerto Rican is to be revolutionary! It is our chance to put issues faced by Puerto Ricans (on the mainland and on the island) on a national platform and scale.

COUNTER ARCHIVING NANA'S APARTMENT

During my time at CENTRO, I had the opportunity to visit my grandmother in New Jersey. I took this time to document family photos and other important things she keeps around her living space.Counter-archiving is more than a process of diversifying conventional archives. This means it is not simply about adding previously erased or hidden histories to an archive, but a method of interrogating the logic of archives.I aim to add for family's experiences and narrative to the growing history of the Puerto Rican diaspora. Here, I offer a place of reflection, connection, and encourage others of shared backgrounds to do the same.

ANGEL ANTONIO RUIZ LABOY

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF ARTS AND CULTURE, CENTRO
(flexible pronouns) is an award winning writer, professor, editor and cultural administrator with more than 10 yrs of experience. Ángel Antonio has a degree in Comparative Literature from the University of Puerto Rico and an MFA from NYU. As Associate Director of Arts and Culture at CENTRO, he oversees the integration of arts to CENTRO’s programming as well as the creation and acquisition of new cultural contents and programs.

CHELSEY PELLOT

GOVERNMENT & COMMUNITY AFFAIRS MANAGER, EL MUSEO DEL BARRIOHighlighted that institutions are anchors for the communityEl Museo is intentional with thier offerings, allowing them to serve their communities effectivelyshe constantly engages in current affairs and often collaborates with individuals, organizations, and institutions.

MANUEL ANTONIO MORÁN

FOUNDER & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, SEA (SOCIETY OF THE EDUCATIONAL ARTS, INC.)

MARIMER GÓMEZ

OUTREACH AND PARTNERSHIPS MANAGER, CENTRO
(she/her) is CENTRO’s outreach and partnership manager. She is charged with developing outreach initiatives aimed at engaging students, scholars, community and other organizations. Rosa also is responsible for nurturing our partnerships. Rosa is a certified nonprofit professional with vast experience managing college access programs at CUNY, and is a graduate of the Baruch College School of Public and International Affairs.

ROSA CRUZ CORDERO

OUTREACH AND PARTNERSHIPS MANAGER, CENTRO
ACTIVISMWORK WITH ATREVETE

ALEJANDRO EPIFANIO TORRES

EXECUTIVE & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, THE LOISAIDA CENTERShowcased grassroots initiatives like la sala de pepe, Charas/El bohio, and other local causesStressed the nuances and differences between mainland and insular puerto rican politicsEncouraged puerto rican diaspora to focus on immediate issues that can be addressedrather than ones that may be out of reach

PLANTS AND INNER WORK

For this project, I was inspired by the posters, prints, letters, and other materials found in the archives. I wanted to incorporate the grassroots ideals and calls-to-action exemplified throughout every person and image at CENTRO.I decided to create a self-portrait made out of various plants which represent different parts of my cultural heritage. Below is a description of each plant and their meanings.False daisy/ yerba de tajo (eclipta prostrata) can be used to make blue tattoos and can be used as an antidote to the venom of rattlesnakes. In Santeria, Espanta Muerto / Ghost Chaser has been known in the spiritual world in removing and dispelling jinx, dark forces, unwanted energies, and unwanted spirits. This plant belongs to Babalu Aye (San Lazaro).Abre Camino (EKoanophyllon villosum) Root tea can be used for ague, diarrhea, kidney stones, and fever. Its root poultice is used to treat snakebites. Smoke from burning green leaves is used to revive unconscious people. This plant is used in spiritual baths to remove any hindrances in one's path and enhances inner forces. It belongs to Elegua, Oshun and Babalu Aye.Absinth wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) is native to Pakistan and is used to make Absinthe, a popular drink for artists (banned in many countries). It's used for calling spirits, psychic powers, and protection. It can also be used in rituals performed with or for those that are dying to ease their transition and enable them to let go.

• See the work here

RESOURCES

Below you will find a list of books, community partners, and other resources used in the making of this project. There is also a digital zine that provides instructions on how to create a woodblock print which can be found HERE.

ADDITIONAL READINGS
-Talking Taino: Caribbean Natural History from a Native Perspective
-Origins and genetic legacies of the Caribbean Taino
-Caciques and Cemi Idols: The Web Spun by Taino Rulers Between Hispaniola and Puerto Rico
-A contested Caribbean indigeneity: language, social practice, and identity within Puerto Rican Taíno activism
-Pedro Albizu Campos, lujo de la historia : actas de la primera jornada Pedro Albizu Campos
-Imagen de Pedro Albizu Campos
-La espiritualidad de Pedro Albizu Campos
-La Nación puertorriqueña : ensayos en torno a Pedro Albizu Campos
-Huracán del Caribe : vida y obra del insigne puertorriqueño, don Pedro Albizu Campos
-Palante : Young Lords Party
-Ideology of the Young Lords Party
-Palante, siempre palante! : the Young Lords
-Through the eyes of rebel women : the Young Lords : 1969-1976
-The Young Lords : a radical history
-The New York Young Lords and the struggle for liberation
-A La Izquierda: The Puerto Rican Movements Collection
-The Intellectual roots of independence : an anthology of Puerto Rican political essays
-Puerto Rico, negotiating development and change
-Folk stories from the hills of Puerto Rico = Cuentos folklóricos de las montañas de Puerto Rico
-Restoring growth in Puerto Rico : overview and policy options

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Click on the links below to learn more about each organization
Taller Boricua
Teatro SEA
The Clemente Center
The Loisaida Center
El Museo del Barrio
Speedball Art Supplies
Flexcut Carving Tools

ADD TO THE CONVERSATION

If you would like to learn more about the documents in this project, access additional materials, or start an intervention of your own, please visit https://centropr.hunter.cuny.edu/library/

THANK YOU

The warmest and heartfelt thank you's to Angel Antonio Ruiz Laboy, Marina Reyes Franco, Marianna Ramirez Aponte, Rosa Cruz Cordero, Herbert Duran, Sabrina Ortiz Vázquez, Kimberly Roa, Hunter College, and the rest of the CENTRO and MUSEO DE ARTE CONTEMPORÁNEO DE PUERTO RICO Staff.