Puentes del Pasado

The Puentes del Pasado program aims to partner with Latinx community organizations in the Brooklyn Centre and Clark-Fulton neighborhoods of Cleveland, Ohio, to educate youth on the history of Bomba and Kokobale. This program will serve as a leadership initiative where students will embody cultural knowledge while learning leadership through traditional Puerto Rican dance. It will conclude with a celebration and cultural exhibition open to the community, where students will dance alongside live musicians in a Hispanic Heritage Month performance, showcasing their experiences in the program. Throughout the grant period, our collective will create a documentary-style photo and video archive of individuals in Puerto Rico and Cleveland, focusing on the exchange between the diaspora and the island. These individuals include historians, musicians, dance educators, and the youth participating in the program. In addition, students will document their experiences photographically, creating a student archive. We hope to display our collective archive and showcase our film to further honor our foundation and continue our heritage’s legacy.

Funded by Cleveland, OH (September 2024)