In RI’s Hispanic community, when someone says the name “Alfonso Acevedo,” you would immediately think of the journalist who founded the American News more than 34 years ago. Since its founding in 1992, the newspaper’s mission has been to inform its community. As of today, it is still the only Hispanic newspaper printed in Spanish […]
Jennifer Ugarte is a woman who lived most of her life in Guatemala, where she studied marketing and photography. She loves being part of the greater RI community and giving back. She has used her education, skills, and artistic talents to help others. When Jennifer came to RI a few years ago, she volunteered before […]
“My heritage colors who I am, and my art is pieces of who I am.” Niko was born here in PVD. As a young child of about 5 years old, he remembers visiting his relatives in the Dominican Republic. He recounted hearing the rain bounce off their corrugated roof. Niko grew up here in RI […]
Rene Gomez was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to Providence as a young child. He is immensely proud of his heritage. It was no accident that he walked into our meeting wearing a shirt that read, “Dios, Patria, Libertad,” which translates to, “God, Homeland, Liberty.” This is the official national motto of the […]
When I first came to RI from New York, I asked my friend, “Where is all the Latin music? Where is all the jazz?” One of the first people he introduced me to was Jesus Andujar. I remember he was playing in Burnside Park. I really enjoyed it. It took me back to New York […]
What can I say about Lydia Pérez? She is a local gem and a talented artist, fluent in Puerto Rico’s history. She is always ready to share its history and folklore with anyone who will listen. She can sing you a song, lead a drum circle, and even carve a saintly statue in the tradition […]
It was an act of kindness that brought Elvys Ruiz to the US and to Rhode Island. When Elvys found out that a man, James Edward Parsons, was looking for Latin American playwrights’ works to translate and publish, he sent out a colleague’s play. That same publisher eventually helped Elvys with his journey as he […]
Cover artist Nilton Cárdenas of Cranston refuses to stand still. “I am constantly moving, and creating art,” he says in an interview at Sharks Peruvian Cuisine on Broad Street in Central Falls. And when he’s not putting a brush to canvas, or a pencil to a sketchbook page, he’s curating art exhibitions. For instance, Cárdenas […]
Magda León is more than a multidisciplinary artist; she is an immigrant woman who uses art to explore her identity, her roots, and her connection to community. When I asked her how she describes herself, her answer was short: “I’m just an immigrant woman.” And she channels that into her work, whether through art installations, […]
Born in Peru, Jorge F. Cárdenas built a life defined by service, education, and opportunity. After a successful career in industrial and labor relations in Peru, he immigrated to the United States in 1993 and made Rhode Island his home, where he devoted decades to strengthening the relationship between schools, families, and the community. As […]