Dear Ms. Erlick,
I received the current issue of ReVista (Violence – A Daily Threat) containing varied and powerful information (text and images) from Latin America and the daily struggle of large segments of its population living in poverty, surrounded by violence.  Congratulations!
 
Thank you very much for your attention.
 
Best regards,

Percy A. Galimbertti, M.D., Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Texas A&M Health Science Center
Rural and Community Health Institute
galimbertti@tamhsc.edu
 

Dear June:

Congratulations for your recent ReVista dedicated to Puerto Rico, The Island and Beyond.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, from its excellent cover by artist Antonio Martorell to the last page.

The essays and articles included in this issue provide provocative ideas and in depth views about medular themes concerning our past and future. It’s not an easy assignment, but you were able to pull it thru. As a Puertorrican brought up in this never ending and heated discussions about  our identity and political options, it was refreshing to “hear” new voices of fellow countrymen, from across the sea, expressing themselves with the same interest and passion.  And, of course, the photos by Jack Delano were just so right.

Sincerely,

Helga Serrano
Executive Director
Center for Freedom of the Press in Puerto Rico

Upon our first trip to Puerto Rico in March my wife and I talked of how the island isn't a relic or hodgepodge, but rather a sneak preview of the United States later this century. Puerto Rico is a much a laboratory for this country as any state. Those looking to our country's future should ignore it at their own peril. ReVista's latest issue is yet another example of why those who seek to learn of Latin America need a copy on their coffee tables or night stands.  This journal's comprehensive perspective provides as much as one can learn about the region's culture, politics and people without actually taking a plane. Academics, business executives and interested afficionados alike can all garner a deeper understanding of life from San Juan to Santiago from ReVista's fresh writing, relevant topics and unique angles. 

Jeff Nevers, M.A.
Career Services
University of New England
jnevers@une.edu

Hi June,

I am a senior at Williams College (and a resident of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico). I just published an honors thesis discussing this particular issue, as part of the first honors class for the Latino/a Studies department at Williams (I believe it's the only free-standing program of its kind in the country). My thesis is comparative, a study of the historiographical discourses on political status in Puerto Rico and Hawai'i (titled, Puerto Rican and Native Hawaiian Resistance to U.S. Imperialism).

I agree that Puerto Rico's relationship with the United States has to be renegotiated in the context of overarching Latino/Hispanic and Anglo-American relationships. This is really a recurring theme in Congressional debates on Puerto Rico, which for the past 100 years have noted that Puerto Rico could serve as a linking thread, and Puerto Ricans as cultural ambassadors, between North and Latin America (understanding Latin America in a broad context). However, I would like to see the discourse change from Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans being seen as tools in a quasi-imperialist venture, to Puerto Ricans being partners in local, national and international processes of reconciliation.

Paulette Marie Rodriguez Lopez '08
08pmr@williams.edu

I wanted to let you know that I have received the edition of ReVista.  Thank you so very much for providing this much needed and well-balanced journal!  As a Nuyorican of mixed heritage and one who's graduate work (Columbia U. History Master's Thesis filed 2000 - Puerto Rican Foreigners in East Harlem: The Struggle for Civil Rights in 1926.) focused on the unique situation of Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans I am heartened to see the dialogue continued in such a meaningful way.

All the best,

Wendy Willow Wark
San Jose, CA
wwwark@comcast.net

Born in Puerto Rico, educated and living here, I consider myself as you have written, "hyphenated . . . bicultural."  I am proud to be both borinqueña and American.

Thank you,

Carmen Carrasquillo
San Marcos, CA  92069

FE ERRATA

Error: Arnaldo Cruz-Malave’s name was misspelled in the Puerto Rico (Spring) issue of ReVista. It is Arnaldo with an “a,” not an “o.”

In Camen Oquendo-Villar’s article on women writers in Puerto Rico, the word “erizo” was translated as “porcupine.” In this context, it’s another prickly creature, the sea urchin.