Community Archives - Page 6 of 35 - Buffalo Latíno Village

IT STARTS WITH A BOOK

Leave a Comment / Community / Buffalo Latino Village

IT STARTS WITH A BOOK On Friday, April 29th, I will have attended the 13th Annual Dia del Ninos y los Libros (Day of the Child and Books) event taking place at my elementary, middle, and junior high school alma mater, Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy, School # 76 in Buffalo. I last walked the halls of School 76 as a student when I graduated 8th grade some thirty-one years ago. The last time I was in this building was perhaps my younger brother’s graduation in the early 2000s. Being invited and having the chance to go back to my childhood school and participate in this event is an immensely proud moment, especially when I look back to where I came from and more importantly where I am going. I find it important that this event emphasizes “los Libros” because a few months ago, in this very column, I wrote about how the current Governor of Florida was using his power to embark on a crusade to ban books in the sunshine state. Education and literacy are the key to our children’s development and promoting the importance of reading is the right move and I am proud to have been invited. Currently, where our children and young people are constantly bombarded with information tied to a phone or computer screen, I think the importance of picking up a paper or cardboard-backed book and promoting literacy and reading is more important than ever. Reading opens the mind to new ideas and experiences, and yes, one can have similar experiences watching a YouTube or Tik Tok video, however, reading words on paper in your voice, in my mind, adds to the learning experience. We need more writers, poets, and scholars of Latino descent. The best way to do this is by promoting reading and pushing our young people to expand their minds outside of the video games and repetitive social media videos many of us who have children are struggling to shield them from. To end this column, I wanted to include a poem my nine-year daughter, Angelina wrote, which completely blew me away. I like to think the amount of reading her mother and I pushed her, and her siblings helped mold her into the little poet she is becoming. Yes, I am a little biased but suffice to say, I am enormously proud of her work: “BOOK BUTTERFLIES” by Angelina Anastasio Book butterflies, soaring through the sky, Like kites new and different, just like you and me. Book butterflies, they swarm around you like bees in a beehive. They give inspiration like artists. These butterflies can be in your tummy But sometimes they can be pretty darn funny. Book butterflies, they tickle, they wiggle. They make you laugh until you cry. Book butterflies, just like you and me. When my daughter read this poem to me, a sense of pride washed over me, knowing how difficult of a path she took to get to where she is today academically. Angelina was born profoundly Deaf in both ears. Although she uses cochlear implants to “hear” and has been in mainstream school since kindergarten, my little girl was dealt with a very tough hand early in life. Using ASL and spoken language at home, we were able to close the gaps she had developmentally and before we knew it, by the time she was in first grade, she was already exceeding her hearing peers in her language and reading levels. If you were to speak with Angelina, you might forget that she is Deaf, as she loves to talk nonstop and is always curious. Although I truly give all the credit in the world for her development to my wife who was very hands-on with Angelina during those tough early years, I cannot help but think the introduction of books we surrounded her and her siblings with helped make her into the artistic, well-spoken, and curious little girl she is turned out to be. Reading works, and I implore you all to get your kids to turn those screens off, take them to the library, and pick out a few books. Months ago, my wife and I had the pleasure of taking Angelina to meet local Buffalonian Boricua author Maria Del Pilar Perez and have her sign a copy of her children’s book “The Magical Closet Mystery.” I was so proud to see one of our own telling our stories and encouraging our little ones to read. If you have not picked up a copy, please do so on Amazon. As mentioned above, we need more Latino/Latina writers bringing forth new ideas and experiences, and journeys. Every journey starts with one step. For some, the inspiration in taking that first step can be found on the first page of a book. Read More From This Writer All Post Business Culture Entertainment Food Government Health Interviews Lower West Side Business & Economic Development Medical Our Community Peace People Sports IT STARTS WITH A BOOK May 12, 2023/No Comments POST TITLE (CAPITAL) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus Read More SLEEPY FLORIDA MAN SEEKS TO TURN US INTO A NATIONWIDE FLORIDA April 23, 2023/No Comments SLEEPY FLORIDA MAN SEEKS TO TURN US INTO A NATIONWIDE FLORIDA When my wife and I announced to our family Read More Where Are We Going? March 23, 2023/No Comments Where Are We Going? A few weeks ago, as I was on my way to jump on the 190 from Read More Load More End of Content.

IT STARTS WITH A BOOK Read More »

EMBRACING BUFFALO / HEALING MOMENTS

Leave a Comment / Community, Peace / Buffalo Latino Village

EMBRACING BUFFALO / HEALING MOMENTS “No podemos dejar que la gente abra brechas entre nosotros… porque solo hay una raza humana.” / “We can’t let people drive wedges between us … because there’s only one human race.” — Dolores Huerta It has been almost a year since the horrific racist massacre on May 14, 2022, and the community is still reeling from the vicious, hate-infused murders by a white supremacist. At the Pursuit of Truth Conference and Launch organized by Ruth Whitfield’s family (oldest victim of the attack, at 86), leaders in the struggle made the same point that Dolores Huerta makes in the above quote. National/international luminaries included Jelani Cobb, Dean of Columbia University School of Journalism; civil rights attorney Ben Crump; and Alice Wairimu Nderitu, Special Advisor to the UN Undersecretary for the Prevention of Genocide. Local leaders included Dr. Henry-Louis Taylor, UB Center for Urban Studies; John Washington, People’s Action Lead Housing organizer; Franchelle Parker, Executive Director Open Buffalo. And many more. Racism and bigotry are used to separate us. Trauma, with its fear and anger, creates and/or amplifies those separations. The brutal trauma at the (especially Southern) borders, the economic hardships, and the deep injustices to BIPOC (Black Brown Indigenous People of Color) have taken a terrible toll on all, and healing together is deeply needed. We know we are stronger and better together, as our progressive leaders, activists, and organizers stress, and as our hearts tell us. That is why we’re Embracing Buffalo. Embracing Buffalo is a collaboration between the WNY Peace Center, faculty at the Center for Mind-Body Medicine, and the UB School of Social Work. We know how deep the trauma goes and can offer some tools both for coping and for change. Onward! Join us in Embracing Buffalo – Healing Moments, with Music and the Arts, on Saturday, May 13, 7 pm-9 pm, at 1272 Delaware Ave. Carriage House, Buffalo 14209, the WNY Peace Center’s own mini-community center. We will have Dr. Sabrina N’Diaye, social worker, storyteller, peacebuilder, and activist, who splits her time between Baltimore, Maryland, and Senegal, West Africa. She has responded to multiple communities that have suffered brutal massacres, violence, and injustice including Houston, South Bronx, Parkland, Washington DC, and the prison system. (She will come in spite of the fact that her new book, Big Mama Speaks, about her grandmother, is coming out that very weekend). Dr. Carol Penn, MD, GP, dancer/choreographer (formerly with Alvin Ailey Dance Theater), of Movement is My Medicine, may also come. Dena Adler, Art Therapist, will bring art materials for expressive works to – again – work toward individual and collective healing. All are faculty at the Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM), a worldwide center for helping communities (and individuals) develop the tools they need to heal from population-wide trauma and build resilience. Deidra EmEl, WNYPC Executive Director, and I (VBR, WNYPC Board Chair), will have completed CMBM’s Advanced Training by that time. Come enjoy healing moments to talk, laugh, groove, move, dance, make art, make music, and make our community and our world a better place. #SiSePuede #Juntos! Read More From This Writer All Post Food Health Interviews Lower West Side Business & Economic Development Peace People RACISM IN THE BUFFALO POLICE DEPARTMENT (BPD)? March 16, 2023/No Comments “The beauty of anti-racism is that you don’t have to pretend to be free of racism to be anti-racist. Anti-racism Read More BLIZZARD RESPONSE? February 16, 2023/No Comments We must rapidly begin the shift from a ‘thing-oriented’ society to a ‘person-oriented’ society. When machines and computers, profit motives, and Read More The WNY Peace Center had a great 55th Annual Dinner — A follow-up: January 16, 2023/No Comments The WNY Peace Center had a great 55th Annual Dinner — A follow-up: Algunas personas preguntan, “Como estaba, la Cena Read More Load More End of Content.

EMBRACING BUFFALO / HEALING MOMENTS Read More »

SLEEPY FLORIDA MAN SEEKS TO TURN US INTO A NATIONWIDE FLORIDA

Leave a Comment / Community, Politics / Buffalo Latino Village

SLEEPY FLORIDA MAN SEEKS TO TURN US INTO A NATIONWIDE FLORIDA When my wife and I announced to our family and friends that we were leaving Florida after twelve years and moving back home to Buffalo, the common question we were asked was “why do you want to go back to the cold?” I cannot say anything negative about my time there, as the State of Florida was exceptionally good to me, both personally and professionally. My family and I made many memories that we will forever hold onto and although I love the hot weather, ironically, the climate helped make our decision to come back home. The political climate that is. In the months since we left the Sunshine State, I have been keeping an eye on the happenings on the local and state level, seeing the politicization of classrooms and colleges/universities has made my wife and I feel better about our decision to leave. Florida (Man) Governor, Ron DeSantis, has decided to fight the culture war as he begins his quest, a shadowy one at that, of running for the White House in the 2024 general election. DeSantis is using a similar playbook that 45 used, one that plays up fears and xenophobia as well as focusing on issues that only evangelical White voters will latch onto. I learned as a Florida homeowner, back in 2021, that many insurance companies were raising rates and outright dropping coverage due to high costs of insurance rates throughout the state of Florida. My home at the time was one of the thousands throughout the state, whose insurance was dropped, due to the age of our roof, and thus, we were forced to have a completely new roof installed to have homeowners insurance. Thankfully, that new roof was a selling point many months later as we decided to sell and move back north, however, many Floridians did not have that option. In the months and years since the homeowner’s insurance issues arose, State Representatives in Tallahassee refused to work on legislation that would have helped Floridians. Instead, they decided to focus their attention on “Critical Race Theory,” limiting classroom teachers from saying “Gay,” banning books from school libraries that were too “woke” and now in the past few months, attacking drag queens and Disney because of the Mouse’s inclusivity. When I saw reports that books on Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente were on the banned book list, alongside any books that mentioned America’s racist past, it just made me shudder at the thought of my Brown children sitting in a Florida classroom learning an edited version of America’s history, one that did not cover the Civil Rights movement nor the struggles people of color in this country have had to endure throughout its history. All because Florida Man is playing up to his base, trying to seek support from the ignorant and “sleepy” people, who are against anything that would be considered “woke.” We are seeing fascism take hold of the Sunshine State and Florida Man may well be the Republican nominee for President in 2024. Do not think that these policies or measures will only be exclusive to Florida however, as many other Republican governors nationwide are adopting similar measures. Look, I am not anti-Republican nor anti-Conservative. Although I have always been leaning to the left, however, as I get older, I find myself more conservative on some issues and liberal on others. I have voted for Republicans in the past and may very well do so in the future, one day when they rid themselves of the fascist wing of their party, however as it stands currently, the fascist leanings hidden behind “patriotism” needs to be met head-on and called out. We cannot let America become Florida because it will be a cold place. Read More From This Writer All Post Business Culture Entertainment Food Government Health Interviews Lower West Side Business & Economic Development Medical Our Community Peace People Sports SLEEPY FLORIDA MAN SEEKS TO TURN US INTO A NATIONWIDE FLORIDA April 23, 2023/No Comments POST TITLE (CAPITAL) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus Read More Where Are We Going? March 23, 2023/No Comments Where Are We Going? A few weeks ago, as I was on my way to jump on the 190 from Read More “BORICUA SOY YO” A JOURNEY THAT STARTED ON A ROOFTOP IN YABUCOA February 23, 2023/No Comments Special to the Latino Village: “BORICUA SOY YO” A JOURNEY THAT STARTED ON A ROOFTOP IN YABUCOA Almost four years Read More Load More End of Content.

SLEEPY FLORIDA MAN SEEKS TO TURN US INTO A NATIONWIDE FLORIDA Read More »