On Tuesday, February 11, Navigators from the Puerto Rican Cultural Center visited the Grace and Peace Community Center located on the Hermosa community. Maria Wright and Miguel Silva provided education on the Affordable Care Act, as well as enrollment services. Community members discussed their options for affordable health insurance. The Navigators were well received by community member.

Also on Tuesday, and in collaboration with Vida/SIDA staff, the Navigators visited a Rehabilitation Center and El Grito shelter both located on the South Side of Chicago to provide enrollment services and HIV/STI testing.

This week, the Navigators will be providing services in the following locations: Healthy Hermosa Coalition, Irving Park community pantry, Roosevelt High School, Logan Square library, and La Casa, among many others. You can visit our office located in the Humboldt Park community (773-227-7794) - 1112 N. California Ave. - and the Hermosa office (773-661-9077) - 4046 N. Armitage Ave. 

by Hope Poirier, CIC TA

Today's special event was hat day!. A lot of the kids and staff brought their hats- some had their nice warm winter hats, cool snapbacks, and some of them even had funny hats. They all were very excited about today and couldn't wait to show all their friends.

On Saturday, February 8th, Felisha Rodriguez performed at Schurz High School as a member of the 2013-2014 All-City North Region Band.  She auditioned and was selected this fall to participate with other CPS band students from the north west side of the city as a part of this selective group, which included weekly practices each Saturday.  Felisha was also selected to advance this spring and be a member of the All-City Honor Band, which is comprised of the most dedicated and talented musicians from each of the All-City Regional Bands.  She will perform June 1st, at Symphony Center, home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra downtown.  Felisha is a junior this year, and the flute section leader in the Clemente Advanced Band

On February 8th at the New York's famous Riverside Church,  a tribute to Mandela was in order. The program program entitled "Mandela Presente! The Truth About Nelson Mandela: A Revolutionary fighter and Revolutionary Cuba's Key Role in the Defeat of Apartheid" commenced with a historically significant documentary on Mandela's  speech in Cuba for the July 26th Moncada anniversary.  Fidel Castro decorated  Mandela with the "Jose Marti" medal for all his accomplishments to defeat Apartheid. The documentary was well received by hundreds of applauses of the audience of 300.

After being released from prison in 1990, one of the first things Nelson Mandela did was visit Cuba to express his admiration and respect for Cuban leader Fidel Castro. "Who trained our people, who gave us resources, who helped so many of our soldiers, our doctors? Cuba". Mandela said over and over again that it was  "Cuba that helped defeat apartheid including lending military support and training to the ANC's military arm, Umkhonto we Sizwe". 

 Keynote speakers South African Ambassador to the United Nations, Jeremiah Naymane Kingsley Mamabolo, joined by Cuba's U.N. Ambassador, Rodolfo Reyes - himself a veteran of Cuba's Angola mission. Others that spoke were  Gail Walker - Co-Director of IFCO/Pastors For Peace, and prominent Human Rights attorney, Michael Warren.

Attorney and longtime Cuba solidarity activist - also noteworthy in the U.S. anti-apartheid movement, Joan Gibbs, pointed out that Cuba's role in African liberation struggles historically goes back to the early 60's... "We have a saying in the Black Liberation Movement Community here in the U.S. 'When Africa called - Cuba Answered' - and that's true" she said, adding that one shouldn't forget that, in addition to military help Cuba also sent doctors and teachers, and, said Gibbs, it should be noted that  "Cuba, unlike other countries that come to Africa, when they completed their mission they left without trying to colonize."

A surprise message came from Mariela Castro, President Raul Castro's daughter who also spoke of Mandela with the high regards.  She said, "we learned to focus our vision towards Africa to construct the Cuban nation".  She said that Cuba's first emancipation was the freedom of black people against slavery instituted by the Europeans in the Americas.  She revealed the great lessons Cuba learned  from the Haitian Revolution- Toussaint L'Ouverture. And the second act of freedom was in 1959, Cuban Socialist Revolution.

All speaker mentioned the need to free the Cuban 5 revolutionary in US prisons,  today and all political prisoners, with specific mention about Puerto Rican Oscar Lopez Rivera, Native American Leonard Peltier and  Afro-American Mumia Abul Jamal.

Recently the National Boricua Human Rights Network was invited to present on the campaign to release Oscar López-Rivera in Tennessee. This is NBHRN's second time in Tennessee, hosted by Dignidad Obrera/Worker's Dignity members and Network supporters Bobbilyn Negrón and husband Jack Wiley. Former Puerto Rican political prisoner, Ricardo Jimenez and Detroit Network coordinator Raquelle Seda presented at a workers dignity meeting in Nashville. The following day Ricardo and Raquelle presented at the American Baptist College, at en event sponsored by the Southern Christian Leadership Council; an institution and organization with strong historical ties to Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement. Afterwards Ricardo presented to a packed classroom at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. A talk once again supported by MT Solidarity. Because of weather conditions, the planned event at Austin Peay University in Clarksville was relocated to a local cafe. Even so, there was a great turn out of supporters with interest for future NBHRN events. 

El día de ayuno terminará con un acto de oración de

7:00 pm a 12:00 de la medianoche en la Catedral Dulce Nombre de Jesús de Caguas. Contaremos con la participación del Obispo Rubén Antonio González Medina y otros y otras distinguidos/as participantes.

"Estuve preso/a y me visitaste". Mateo 25:36