Sí Trends

As I sit in my hot ass New York City apartment, my mind can't help but drift to next week when I'll board a plane and fly to Puerto Rico. Mi Puerto Rico, the place where I feel connected and complete, where I escape to refuel with energy and strength to continue the work that I do. Just like the "MY Puerto Rican Day Parade" post, I thought I'd share a "Mi Puerto Rico" post with memories of people and places of mi Puerto Rico, far from the American strip malls, casinos and tourist-filled beaches………

Well since there was so much whack talk about tits and ass during the parade, I thought I'd share Puerto Rico's most breath taking bosom. Boricuas lovingly call these hills in La Cordillera, "las Tetas".

This is me with a sculpture of Puerto Rican patriot, revolutionary and abolitionist, Dr. Ramon Emeterio Betances, author of the Grito de Lares Revolution of September 23,1868. This is in front of a building named after him on the Rio Piedra campus of the University of PR.

Me and my girl Kirene in front of my paintings during my exhibition at the Betances Building at UPR during el primer Foro Social de Puerto Rico, November 2006.

Here's miss Yasmin (yours truly) becoming one with nature, in awe by this majestic Ceiba tree. This is at the Caguana Ceremonial Park, filled with bateys of the Taino people. Anyone familiar with the work of fierce Cuban artist Ana Mendieta, might see the inspiration behind this photo. For more info on her work check out: http://www.angelfire.com/ia/tridar/ana.html and http://www.guggenheim.org/artscurriculum/lessons/movpics_mendieta.php

This incredible stories-tall mural tribute to Filiberto Ojeda Rios (assassinated by the FBI on Sept. 23, 2005) was done in the caserío, Manuel A. Perez, the project housing complex known for its phenomenal people's efforts around hip hop programming.

Yaz, (me) with off-the-hook Puerto Rico Graf artists Exor and Omar from El Grupo SWAT who have worked on murals throughout the island and beyond like the one above at Manuel A.

In Puerto Rico, tags and wall scrawls express much more than names. This is near Levittown, PR where my tia lives.

This is me and my pops in front of my art installation "Cuando Suena El Caracol". This was during the opening reception of El Museo's Bienal: The (S) Files when it traveled to el Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico in Santurce. I later learned of the whack gentrification going down in Santurce cuz of institutions like this one, displacing poor Puerto Ricans like here in El Barrio.

Pops (my father) and father of Puerto Rican Nationalism, Pedro Albizu Campos. Both were born in Ponce. This leyendary print of Don Pedro was created by Puerto Rican master print maker Denis Mario Rivera.

Yaz standing over the grave of Pedro Albizu Campos, seen below with the Puerto Rican and Lares flags.

I had included this one in my parade post, but here it is again, the 2006 Nationalist Party Commemoration of la Masacre the Ponce.

Me and my pops along with former Political prisoner/ prisoner of war, Elizam Escobar who served 19 years in u.s. federal prisons for his involvement in the Puerto Rican liberation struggle. He had just met my father and I in person earlier that afternoon and invited us to hang out that night. At the end of the night, he hugged us goodbye. He hugged my dad too and said "I love you" to my dad which blew him away. Elizam and his comrades already embody the idea that in a liberated state of mind of a liberated nation things like machismo and fear of expressing true love for ourselves and our people will cease to exist.

On location in Loiza, Puerto Rico, some cast and crew members for my brother Vagabond's film Machetero. L-R, Jeff, Not4prophet, Kelvin, Resister, yet another Puerto Rican freedom fighter who also served 19 years as a prisoner of war-Ms. Dylcia Pagan, me and Zoe. For more info on the film check out http://www.machetero-movie.com.

Here's phenomenal Loiza-based artist Mr. Samuel Lind in his studio, autographing a print that now hangs in my apartment. His works preserve the gorgeous African traditions of Loiza, Puerto Rico.

Last photo, Yaz chillin' in el Yunque as I'll be chillin next week with my peeps in my patria…yup yup!

En Lucha,

Yaz