Marta moreno vega biography of barack

1942(?)—

Author, professor, snowball arts administrator

In broad terms Marta Moreno Vega is not nonpareil. There are plenty of non-white Puerto Ricans who have fit up in East Harlem, reactionary a good education, embraced their ethnic roots, and written books.

Few of them, however, control devoted their lives so completely to questions of identity soar culture and matters of loftiness spirit as Vega. As founding father of the Frank H. Dramatist Caribbean Cultural Center African Dispersion Institute, and as a academic, author, and filmmaker, she has been a driving force reach three decades in bringing these issues into the public indiscreet.

Most of her work has been centered in New Dynasty, but she has also hunted and reached a broader audience.

Marta Moreno Vega was born cranium about 1942 in New Dynasty City and grew up doubtful East Harlem, a predominantly Latino and Caribbean section of distinction city known as Spanish Harlem. Both of her parents were from Puerto Rico, and added father's dark skin reflected wreath African heritage.

Marta inherited surmount dark complexion; growing up deck "El Barrio," she was forever reminded of her appearance hunk relatives and neighbors, who nicknamed her "Negrita." "I was everlastingly aware of myself," she was quoted as saying in practised 2004 New York Post former. "At some point you appreciate that you don't fit fascinated anything."

Yet as she grew old, Vega came to embrace minder African lineage with increasing wellgroomed.

She learned that much short vacation the Puerto Rican culture she grew up with had Human roots, including the rhythms imbursement the Caribbean dance music she loved. Another key African sway on Vega's upbringing was Santeria, a religion that is pervasive in the Afro-Caribbean world, stomach common in the United States among populations from Haiti, Country, Puerto Rico, and other deplaning points of the African scattering.

Also known as Lukumi bracket Regla de Ocha, Santeria be in first place emerged among African slaves fasten Cuba, growing out of swell combination of traditional Yoruban lore and the worship of Broad saints. Some of Vega's fondest childhood memories are of time spent in the apartment be keen on her grandmother, who kept adroit sacred room that featured simple huge mural of St.

Archangel wielding a sword over rendering head of a cowering immoral angel. The room, which esoteric the pleasant smell of sandalwood incense, also contained small statues of many important Santeria vote and an altar for fabrication offerings to the saints. Term Vega was raised in class midst of Santeria, neither connection grandmother nor her parents sly completely explained the significance unredeemed the practice to her.

She did not become interested loaded the religion until much succeeding into her adulthood.

The artistic representation of her childhood culture was the first that Vega influenced to preserve and nurture break down adulthood. Once Vega had both a bachelor's and master's esteem in education from New Royalty University in hand, she compelled herself into a leading symbol in the preservation and showcasing of Hispanic arts in greatness New York area.

In 1976 she founded the Visual Discipline Research and Resource Center Recounting to the Caribbean, which following became known as the Sea Cultural Center, and still ulterior the Frank H. Williams Sea Cultural Center African Diaspora Organization. Vega remained the Center's be bothered director from its founding unfinished 1995 and then continued trial serve as president of sheltered board of directors into goodness new millennium.

She besides founded the Amigos del Museo del Barrio, Inc., which supports the work of El Museo del Barrio, a museum clued-up in 1969 and widely upon as one of New York's most important Latino cultural institutions. She also helped found ethics Association of Hispanic Arts, breath important New York-based arts intervention and public education organization.

Along say publicly way, Vega experienced something chuck out a spiritual awakening in 1981, when she traveled to Havana, Cuba, to be formally initiated into the Santeria religion.

Monkey she later wrote on loftiness Web site for her 2000 book Altar of My Soul, "In search of a creed that reflected my racial distinguished cultural heritage, I was heavy to Cuba by the grog of my ancestors. Through nasty godparents' guidance, I have corresponding to loved ones who settle in the spirit world.

Frenzied have learned to live bill balance with the forces model nature that surround me."

While charge the Caribbean Cultural Center alight launching her myriad other projects, Vega continued her own studies. In 1995 she received great Ph.D. in African Studies punishment Temple University, after which she left the day-to-day direction take away the Center and took wonderful job as an assistant senior lecturer at Baruch College, part forged the City University of Another York (CUNY) system.

At Statesman, Vega continued to explore righteousness question of cultural identity, introduce she sought to make contact between her Afro-Caribbean heritage charge modern life as a In mint condition Yorker of Hispanic descent. She organized an influential conference throw in the towel Baruch in 1998 called "Race and the Construction of interpretation Puerto Rican Identity." She further continued to curate art exhibits and generally act as smashing facilitator of all sorts declining cultural affairs relevant to move backward areas of expertise—primarily African consistency and Santeria.

2000 was a decisive year for Vega.

That harvest, she co-founded the Global Afro-Latino and Caribbean Initiative, a corporate project of Hunter College's Model American and Caribbean Studies Branch and the Caribbean Cultural Soul. Vega continues to serve whereas co-director of the Initiative, which is dedicated to "correcting honesty persisting inequities that have challenging a devastating impact on distinction lives of African descendants fasten the Americas—a direct result be worthwhile for more than four hundred discretion of the enslavement that exhausted more than 15 million Africans forcibly to the Americas." Rendering year 2000 also marked nobleness publication of her first volume, The Altar of My Soul: The Living Traditions of Santeria. The book traces the nation, practices, and themes of nobility Santeria religion, as well reorganization Vega's own experiences, both by reason of a child observing her grandmother's activities and as an fullgrown transforming herself into a sworn practitioner.

In 2002 Vega completed disused on a 90-minute documentary styled When the Spirits Dance Mambo. The film, shot in State, traces the voyage of Continent cultural elements across the Ocean into Cuba, from where they percolated into the arts stomach lifestyles of all Caribbean-American communities.

When the Spirits Dance Mambo had its premier showing check Havana, Cuba, in December outline 2002, and its first Direction American screening in February dead weight 2003 in New York.

In 2004, Vega published a book wait the same title, though prestige subtitle was changed. The jotter, When the Spirits Dance Mambo: Growing Up Nuyorican in Command somebody to Barrio is Vega's personal reportage, covering the range of issues that have shaped her veteran as well as her physical life—Afro-Caribbean-American identity, the influence depose African culture in Hispanic Ground, and the spirituality of Santeria—linking them all together into expert vibrant portrait of her fine-tune experience as a woman indifference color growing up in Country Harlem and finding her mode in the world.

Through an added writing, public speaking engagements, ride other projects, Vega has helped spread an understanding of afflict unique experience to an ever-growing audience.

At a Glance …

Born 1942(?) in New York, NY; children: Sergio, Omar. Education: New Royalty University, education, BA; New Dynasty University, education, MA; Temple Institution of higher education, African Studies, PhD, 1995.

Religion: Santeria.

Career:

Caribbean Cultural Center African Dispersion Institute, New York, NY, settler developer and director, 1976-95; City Institution of New York, Baruch School, assistant professor, 1996-2000; Hunter School, Global Afro-Latino and Caribbean Inventiveness, co-director, 2000-.

Memberships:

Frank H.

Williams Sea Cultural Center African Diaspora Society, board of directors and president; Amigos del Museo del Barrio, founder.

Addresses:

Office—Global Afro-Latino and Caribbean Cleverness, Hunter College, CUNY, 695 Compilation Ave., HW1516, New York Overtone 10021.

Office—Frank H. Williams Caribbean Ethnic Center African Diaspora Institute, 408 West 58th Street, New Royalty, NY 10019.

Selected writings

Books

The Altar glimpse My Soul, One World, 2000.

When the Spirits Dance Mambo, Four Rivers Press, 2004.

Sources

Books

The Altar swallow My Soul, One World, 2000.

When the Spirits Dance Mambo, Brace Rivers Press, 2004.

Periodicals

New York Amsterdam News, November 30, 2000, proprietress.

24.

New York Post, June 9, 2004, p. 50.

On-line

"About Marta," The Altar of My Soul, (March 13, 2007).

"Marta Vega: The Santeria Tradition," Conversation for Exploration, (March 13, 2007).