After the presentation, Matt Rodriguez and co-mc Cassandra Figueroa from the Batey introduced Cynthia Ibarra, who spoke about the Grito de Dolores, the uprising for Mexican independence. Cynthia spoke about the diverse coalition of political and social forces that made up different currents of the Grito de Dolores. The questions that followed were lively and than the first of several poets took the stage. Erika Abad, David Thibeault-Rodríguez, Judy Diaz, among others, read powerful poems. The Network also passed out the latest issue of it's newsletter "La Red" (the Network) as well as bookmarks of Carlos Alberto and Oscar with a short biography and the prisoners' address printed on the back. Download the newsletter in pdf format and view the bookmark here.
NOCHE DE GRITOS-
a learning event for young and old
View the gallery of Noche de Gritos pictures here.
In a wonderful collaboration-the first of many- the Café Batey Teatro Urbano and the National Boricua Human Rights Network-co-sponsored the celebration of "El Grito de Lares" on Wednesday, September 23. "El Grito de Lares" was the insurrection that announced the birth of the Puerto Rican nation in 1868. Over 60 mostly young people jammed their way into the Batey Urbano for an evening of prose, education and poetry. 
The Network speakers, Marisol Morales and Miguel Morales, presented a short Powerpoint history of the Grito de Lares to the present that included examples of repression against Puerto Rican independentistas, including the Puerto Rican Nationalists - Irving Flores, Andrés Figueroa Cordero, Rafael Cancel Miranda, Oscar Collazo and Lolita Lebrón - and answered questions about the remaining Puerto Rican Political Prisoners - Carlos Alberto Torres and Oscar López Rivera. Write to the prisoners - their address is available at the Network site.
