Claudia León - Museo de Historia, Antropología y Arte Week 2

Familia:
I’m back. 
This week was definitely slower than the last, as I began settling in and finding my place in the cozy museum. 

I shifted from the education department to the archives this week. While I continued helping my supervisor with whatever she needed (in the education department), I was allowed to do a lot of independent research in the archives. When I first arrived, I expressed to them my interest in certain aspects of Puerto Rican history with which my family was involved, and the museum has been amazing with giving me time to research independently. 
As some of you may remember from Washington Week, I am related to some Puerto Rican revolutionaries from throughout history. One of these, the one I spent the most time researching this week, is Ramón Emeterio Betances. He is my great great great uncle, and the instigator of the Lares Revolt (el Grito de Lares), a revolt against Spanish occupation of Puerto Rico that took place in 1868. I learned this week that he wasn’t even on the island during El Grito, rather in Saint Thomas acquiring arms for the revolt which was actually planned for a later date. Basically, he was such a baller that he wasn’t even there and was still given most of the credit. Legend. He is considered “El Padre de la Patria” for his role in this revolt as well as other revolutionary movements, and is also widely revered for his abolitionist views and practices. 
Painting of Ramón Emeterio Betances by Rafael Tufiño (who is, coincidentally enough, my friend's grandfather and considered the "painter of the people")
As I was looking through the files provided to me by the museum, I was struck by how we (Puerto Ricans) idolize revolutionary figures. Ramón Emeterio Betances, Pedro Albizu Campos, Eugenio Maria de Hostos, Lolita Lebrón. These are people that to the Spanish or Americans might even be considered terrorists or traitors but to the Puerto Rican people they are icons. This, in my opinion, shows how distinct and individual the Puerto Rican identity is, and how little we see ourselves as American or even Spanish. Food for thought. 
Quote by Jose Marti I found in a newspaper which says "El que tenga patria, que la honre. El que no la tenga, que busque una." 

Quote from Ramón Emeterio Betances: "No quiero colonia ni con España ni con Estados Unidos. ¿Que hacen los Puertorriqueños que no se rebelan?"
One interesting thing about this week has been the ongoing protests going on throughout the island. TLDR: government is (and has been) very corrupt, chats leaked exposing said corruption and general nastiness, and the people have taken to the streets. The events have been the talk of the week, with everyone being particularly interested in how I feel about it, as a member of the Puerto Rican diaspora. 
Being on the island during this time is incredibly special to me, and I feel like I am part of history. Knowing that 30 years from now I will be able to tell my children that not only do I remember the historical protests but that I was on the island, occasionally marching alongside the protesters. 
Additionally, I am working at the University of Puerto Rico, a state institution. La IUPI has a long history of strikes and other radical movements in response to government actions. Being here during this time has not only given me a special lens through which I see these issues but I have been able to better understand la IUPI’s past (and present) as a somewhat political institution.  
Basically, all I have to say from this week is: Ricky renuncia, ya. 

Makeshift memorial for the 4,645 who died during hurricane Maria and the aftermath. A response to government inaction and unwillingness to recognize. Not pictured are the signs calling this government's actions genocide. 

One of MANY in Old San Juan. The city is full of graffiti calling for Rosselló to resign, and this was one of the most PG. 
Abrazos,

Clau

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 4: History Colorado Center

The last week of my internship was also one of the bests (and I apologize for the lack of pictures again, I'm honestly really bad at remembering to take them). As the last four weeks came to a close, I spent my time putting the finishing touches to any work I was doing. Whether that was meeting about the after school program or getting a few more sketch ideas in for the illustration book, I didn't want to leave anything undone or untouched by the time I was finished.  But, I didn't just work. That isn't to say that I sat around and didn't do anything, either. The last four week, however, was spent hanging out with my supervisor and a few others. On Wednesday, they took me out to lunch at an amazing phở spot on Capitol Hill. The lunch was spent having great conversations and some realizations too. Although I learned a lot  about people in Colorado and the roads that they mapped out, I also learned how it felt to be valued and appreciated for my ideas and c...
Read more

SAMA - the last week

July 29 - August 5th On Tuesday, I was also able to take a mental break from computers and art and had a refreshing storytime at the San Antonio Public Library - Las Palmas branch. Even though our participation level was low (two kids and a grandmother), I still had an incredibly fun time with them. After Criztian and I read the story and did the drumming activity, the kids wanted to show us the songs and dances they learned from the librarian, including If you’re happy and you know it, Frogs on a Log, and Shake the Sillies Out. Seeing how well the children interacted with music and dancing was such a great experience, which fit perfectly with the theme of Tito Puente and his music during storytime. Seeing how well they interacted with the music and the stimulation to their young brains was so inspiring.  On Monday the 5th, the other intern and I paired up for the gardens presentation. In case you aren’t up to date here’s a recap of last week: I had an idea to expand the...
Read more

Giovanna Ferreira - WEEK 3 at S.C.C.

Image
Third week of interning at Smithsonian Institution Building has been an adventure. Since we had meetings every single day at every single hour plus doing translations and working on the website for about two weeks, my supervisor decided to give me a little break and sent me to different Smithsonian museums (and the zoo). National Museum of African American History and Culture Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center Smithsonian National Museum of American History One of my favorites was the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, which is the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s annex at Washington Dulles International Airport, VA. The location is, in my opinion, the coolest, because while you are going around exhibitions you can also observe real planes flying over the museum.  Lockheed SR-71A “Blackbird” was by far my favorite of the whole center. It was a spy plane operated by the United States Air Force and it set a speed record by flying from L...
Read more