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The Puerto Rican 

Cultural Center

 

Cordially invites you

 

To a luncheon meeting 

and reception

 

with

 

Oliver Stone & 

Peter Kuznick

 

As part of its 

40th Anniversary Jornada

 

IPRAC, 3015 W. Division St.

 

$25.00 RSVP by Jan 31st

 

Limited seating, contact

alejandrom@prcc-chgo.org 

A Three Kings Day celebration was held at Denison Avenue United Church of Christ in Cleveland, Ohio in honor of this important holiday, particularly for Latin Americans. The event was attended by 100 people, including dozens of children, all of whom took home gifts from the Wise Men. We also took note of Oscar López Rivera's long imprisonment and gathered cards in honor of his 70th birthday.

 

 

 

 

 

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Throughout the program, Irma's friends and family members were treated to a slide show, filled with images of her in various marches, demonstrations, and community activities.

 

The program began with reflections by Irma's grandchildren, who said how much they loved her and would miss her.

 

The children's comments were followed by a poem written and read by Rosario , a long-term community member and poet whom Irma had greatly inspired and encouraged over the years.

 

Dr. José López, Executive Director of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, spoke of his four decades of friendship with Irma and her steadfastness in the most difficult times and circumstances. He recounted the time in 1980 when (at eight months pregnant) she and Rev. Torres managed to break through the wall of the Chicago FBI offices. He also reflected on her presence with him throughout the Three Kings Day activities less than two weeks ago and concluded with a poem "Con Un Hombro Menos" by Doña Consuelo Lee Corretjer, read by Lourdes Lugo.

 

Rev. Walter Coleman, Pastor of Adalberto United Methodist Church, reminded us that throughout our sorrow and joy, we had to begin the difficult emotional work of letting go of Irma and accepting the reality of her passing. He and Emma Lozano led prayers and songs of comfort and acceptance. Following the service, he also called for volunteers to ride a wheelchair in the upcoming immigration rights rally in honor of Irma's memory.

 

Rev. Nozomi Ikuta, Co-Chair of the Interfaith Prisoners of Conscience Project, reflected on Irma's integration of her anti-colonial and anti-capitalist perspectives with her faith and healing. She quoted Irma's emphasis on "love, energy, and effort" in our achievements of the past and in the ongoing work for immigrants' rights and to obtain Oscar's freedom.

 

The program was concluded with some words by Alejandro Molina, in which he observed that Irma, like the majority of people in the room, reminded him of the dictum, "Everyone dies, but not everyone really knows how to live". 

  

A video of Irma defending Elvira Arellano in sanctuary at Adalberto United Methodist Church can be viewed

here.

Irma Cabrera Romero, Descansa en paz!

 View the slideshow created in Irma's memory here.

Over 100 attended the panel discussion and book-signing on Between Torture and Resistance, a compilation of letters by Oscar López Rivera, with an introduction by Nobel Peace Prize winner Bishop Desmond Tutu.

 

The panel took place last Thursday, January 10, 2013 at the Martin Luther King Labor Center (1199 SEIU).

 

 

The panel began with Maria Kercado, vice-president of 1199 introduced Daniel Febo, who spoke on the Puerto Rican Diaspora, followed by Luis Rosa, former Puerto Rican political prisoner, who spoke on the urgency of freeing Oscar Lopez Rivera, relating it to his own experiences in serving 20 years after being convicted of seditious conspiracy. 

 

Professor Ana López spoke next on her experiences in working with youth as part of the campaign to free Puerto Rican political prisoners for the last 25 years and then Matt Meyer, co-convenor of the Human Rights Summit last December in Puerto Rico, spoke about the conference and introduced three videos by Nobel Laureates Desmond Tutu, from South Africa, Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Northern Ireland Peace People and Jose Ramos-Horta, former President of East Timor, and Nobel Peace Prize recipient. All videos spoke about the their struggles and how they related to freeing Oscar Lopez Rivera. The keynote speaker, José López, Executive Director of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center and Oscar's brother then spoke extemporaneously about Oscar's vision of community building and how the over 30 year struggle in Chicago that has resulted in the community known as Paseo Boricua has been the fruit of that collective vision.

 Read on...