Briarcliffe College President Santiago Receives Honors

Dr. George Santiago Jr., president of Briarcliffe College (Long Island City, Bethpage & Patchogue N.Y.) and a prominent advocate of advanced education opportunities within the Hispanic community, received the 2009 Nassau County Hispanic Heritage Award and was named Educator of the Year by the Long Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Alarmed by the underrepresentation of Hispanics in America's colleges, Santiago has committed to reaching out, including financial support through the Briarcliffe College Hispanic Scholarship Program.

Source: The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine

Marga Gomez: Long Island Iced Latina

In this clip of her recent SF show, Marga Gomez talks about the emotional high of Barack Obama's election followed by the low of the California Gay marriage ban. She knows how to turn pain into laughter. It's what good comics do.

The daughter of Cuban comedian Wilfredo Gomez (aka, Willy Chevalier) and Puerto Rican dancer Margarita Estremera, Marga was raised in the extremes that are Manhattan and Massapequa. She loved Manhattan. Massapequa was torturous. Aside from the Gomez stage gene, it was her experience as a lonely and only Latina at the Massapequa High School that really drew her to comedy.

It's those formative years trying to survive in the hometown of Jessica Hahn and Joey Buttafuoco that provides material for Marga's upcoming comedic venture -- Long Island Iced Latina. Here's the blurb:

Gomez continues to workshop this intoxicating comedic memoir of her awkward adolescence in Massapequa, Long Island, mixing equal parts cultural confusion, chronic virginity, mother-daughter instability and a splash of polyester fashion to paint a sardonic picture of her uprooted life as the new brown girl in a white high school.

January 8 – January 17, 2009
Marga Gomez’s
LONG ISLAND ICED LATINA
The Marsh Theatre
1062 Valencia
San Francisco, California
Two weeks of Workshop Performances
Thursday, Friday & Saturday at 8 pm
Tickets $15-$50

Links:
Marga Gomez - MySpace
Marga Gomez Videos
The Marsh's new Winter-Spring season
Marga Gomez -Wikipedia
Marga Gomez -Answers
From Miss Gomez to “jaded lesbian,” Marga Gomez grows up?

For the record: I have friends and family members that live in Massapequa--and its a fine place.

Dara Torres: Quogue's Olympic Champion

Dara Grace Torres is the amazing 41 year old U.S. swimmer who has won twelve Olympic medals (four gold, four silver, four bronze) across five Olympics: 1984, 1988, 1992, 2000, and 2008.

She competed in the Beijing Olympic Games in the 50 meter freestyle, 4×100 medley relay, and 4×100 freestyle relay and won the silver medal in all three of these events.

Torres, who was born in Beverly Hills, California, was the fifth of six children and older of two girls. Her Cuban American father, Eddie Torres, was a Havana Casino manager turned American real estate developer and casino magnate. Her mother, Marylu, is a former fashion model.

According to East End's The Independent, Torres and her siblings spent their childhood summers in Quogue, swimming at the Surf Club.

Links:
Torres Soars to Olympic Glory
Dara Torres is propelled by her father's memory
Swimmer Dara Torres' Olympic appearance is one for the ages
Chip Venues & Their History: Cuba
Dara Torres website

Phil Ramos: Suffolk County's 1st Latino State Rep Fights for Re-election

Philip Ramos (D, WFP, I -Central Islip), Suffolk County's only Latino state representative, has been endorsed for re-election to the State Assembly by Islip Town Councilman Gene Parrington (D-Oakdale).

“I’m endorsing Phil wholeheartedly because I know how hard he works on behalf of Islip,” said Parrington.

The endorsement is important because Phil is being challenged in September 9th's Democratic Party primary by Waldo Cabrera--a video entrepreneur and a 2004 contestant in the 6th Assembly District. Cabrera's challenge is viewed by political observers as spurred by conservatives unhappy with Phil's leadership in fighting bigotry on Long Island.

While Cabrera is expected to lose the Democratic primary, he'll continue his run in the fall general election as a candidate on the Conservative Party line.

A former Detective with the Suffolk Police Department, Phil receives strong support from local Democratic party and it’s leaders, including endorsements from Islip Town Supervisor Phil Nolan, Suffolk Democratic Chairman Rich Schaffer and Suffolk County Legislators Ricardo Montano and Jon Cooper.

His legislative agenda includes property tax relief, enhanced public safety and affordable health care. The 6th Assembly District includes Brentwood, Baywood, Central Islip, Bay Shore, North Bay Shore, Islip and Islandia.

Photo: Ricardo Montano, Phil Ramos and Jon Cooper

Related: Phil Ramos: Fighting the Good Fight on L.I.

Antonio Martinez: 1st Latino on Babylon Town Board

Antonio Martinez was picked by Supervisor Steve Ballone to fill a vacancy on the Babylon Town Board. An immigrant from El Salvador and Long Island organizer for the carpenters union, Martinez is the town board's first Latino member.

Link: Babylon names Hispanic town board member

Official Bio

Ricardo Montano (D-Central Islip) & David Weprin (D-Queens)

Suffolk County Legislator Ricardo Montano (D-Central Islip), Chair, Suffolk County Legislature’s Budget & Finance Committee was a guest of New York City Councilman David I. Weprin (D-Queens), Chair, New York City Committee on Finance, yesterday and attended the Council’s Finance Committee Meeting. Councilman Weprin will be a guest at the Suffolk County Legislature’s Budget & Finance Committee in the future.

Legislator Montano and Councilman Weprin met at a conference in Puerto Rico when they hatched the idea to invite each other to their respective Budget meetings and exchange institutional knowledge.

Interestingly, David I. Weprin’s father Saul Weprin (D-Queens), served in the New York State Assembly with Legislator Montano’s father Armando Montano (D-Bronx).

Adelante's Miriam Garcia

Newsday did a very nice piece on Adelante's CEO Miriam Garcia. Here's an excerpt:

Suffolk County's political elite has noticed Garcia's rise.

"Miriam has been phenomenal in networking,'' says lobbyist Steve Moll of Island Public Affairs in Kings Park, who has been working with Garcia to raise money. "She runs an organization with a few staff and volunteers that provide services to some of the neediest people in Suffolk County.''

Full article: Making a difference for Hispanics: Miriam Garcia finds her place.