
Amy Ramirez Rodriguez
I was born and bred in Washington Heights, a stone’s throw from the George Washington Bridge. My family migrated to NYC on Christmas Eve in 1965. Since then, my family has gone to great lengths to re-enforce the bonds between …
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Francisco Roldan
I am originally from Medellin, Colombia. I came here with my family when I was 9 years-old, one of 5 children. I grew up in Queens, NY, and went to public school. When I came here, and in the neighborhood …
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Polly Ferman
I was born in Montevideo, Uruguay. In 1982 I moved to NYC, searching to grow my piano career. Until then I was a classical pianist, but once I settled in New York, I decided to focus my career on the Latin …
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Edwin Lugo
Songwriter and vocalist on the Grammy Award-winning “Just Chillin” by Norman Brown, Edwin Lugo a.k.a Lugo has enjoyed a stellar career since winning Amateur Night Live at the Apollo Theater years ago. Lugo starred on Broadway with Marc Anthony and …
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Jose Vilson
The Afrolatin@ Project sits with Mr. Jose Vilson, a New York City Public School math teacher and education advocate of Dominican and Haitian heritage, to discuss his work and his thoughts on the scholar Arturo Schomburg (1874-1938). Shomburg’s collections make …
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Mauricio Beltre
This is the story about my mother Mercedes A. Reyes. It is not a dramatic or sensational story, It is a simple account of who I believe is one of those heroes and heroines who go unrecognized in the world …
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Pedrito Martínez
I grew up playing my main instrument, the Bata drum. I used to play a lot of religious ceremonies in Cuba that are still practiced in Cuba and here too (called “Santería” in Cuba and “Yoruba” in Africa). Here in …
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Leslie Jimenez
I still remember the first time I rode the train. It was the 4, which is still not one of my favorites. I was new to the city, didn’t speak much English and wasn’t used to the awkwardness of the subway …
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zarela martinez
I was born in Sonora, Mexico, and grew up on a cattle ranch. I was raised to triumph. When I was 8 years old my mother told me that she had named me Zarela because it would look good in …
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Robert J. Rodriguez
Robert J. Rodriguez is the New York State Assemblyman for the 68th District, based in East Harlem, where he was born and raised. He spoke with Proyecto Afrolatin@ / The Afrolatin@ Project about what it means to be Afrolatino/a.
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