First Puerto Rico Social Forum a Success!

Río Piedras - Over 1300 people registered to participate in the first Puerto Rico Social Forum, which took place on November 17, 18, and 19, 2006. More than 200 workshops, panels, performances, exhibits, and conferences were put together by 110 organizations and individuals. These self-managed activities took place throughout the Río Piedras campus of the UPR, the Manuel A. Pérez public housing complex, the UPR High School, the cultural coop Taller de Cantautores, and other public spaces in or around the historic urban center of Río Piedras. Notable international guests included the keynote speaker, Haitian economist and WSF veteran Camille Chalmers, Ecuadorian activist Magdalena León, and Rubén Solís, organizer of the Border Social Forum. Delegations of the Puerto Rican diaspora in Boston and New York City were also present. The event was kicked off by a march from the UPR to Manuel A. Pérez on the previous Saturday, November 11, and included many and diverse artistic performances, including hip-hopper Luis Díaz, the punk band Los Espectros, and the bomba y plena ensemble Paracumbé. On Saturday, November 18, a "Hip-Hop City" took shape in Manuel A. Pérez, showcasing graffiti artists and b-boy dancers, with the participation of the community. The numerous ideas produced during the event, which covered themes ranging from diversity and human rights to democracy and the anti-neoliberal struggle, were posted on a "Mural of Proposals" and compiled, to be published in a forthcoming Memoir of the Foro. One notable example among these is a march in defense of the community of Las Gladiolas, which is facing expropriation by the state in collusion with private developers, announced for Monday, December 4, at 4 pm. Stay tuned for photos, and don't forget the NYC Delegation's Foro Report-back on Thursday, December 7, at the Brecht Forum (time TBA soon). Below are links to coverage of the Foro in the Puerto Rican mainstream and independent media: http://www.endi.com/noticia/comunidad/noticias/semillero_de_lucha_social/113376 http://www.primerahora.com/noticia.asp?guid=7178B85924694A1793085C79CEE6032B http://www.indymediapr.org/