Hyde Square Task Force (HSTF) recently completed its third cultural immersion trip to Puerto Rico, where 10 youth and several staff members embarked on a multi-day trip to connect with their Afro-Latin roots.
From June 26 to 30, the group of youth and HSTF staff traveled through Old San Juan, Santurce, Loíza, La Perla, and Río Piedras, immersing themselves in the history, food, and traditions of Afro-Puerto Rican culture, a centerpiece of HSTF’s mission to nurture youth voice and cultural identity.
One of the trip’s signature moments was a workshop on Bomba Cangrejera led by Jose M. Cepeda Martinez, where youth learned the history, technique, and fundamentals of the dance form and met Jesús M. Cepeda Brenes and other members of the Cepeda family — whose work has been central to preserving Bomba in Puerto Rico. Youth put those lessons into practice at Batey Comunitarios across the island, community gatherings built around Bomba music and dance, and at a Plenazo with members of La Casa de la Plena Tito Matos. They also learned Kokobalé, an Afro-Puerto Rican martial art that blends stick fighting with Bomba’s ancestral rhythms.
In La Perla, a historic Old San Juan neighborhood, the group visited Finca Escuela, a local initiative focused on sustainable food production and urban gardening, and joined a Community Batey celebrating Afro-Puerto Rican culture in a local plaza. In Loíza, on the island’s northeastern coast, youth visited Colectivo El Ancón de Loíza, run by María Luisa Cortijo and her son, artist Juan Pablo Vizcaíno, where they learned about the area’s significance to the Afro-Puerto Rican community and how to make mofongo. The itinerary also included visits to Paseo La Princesa, murals in Santurce, theater collective Agua Sol y Sereno, and the University of Puerto Rico.
“I am incredibly grateful that HSTF is able to bring our youth on an annual cultural immersion trip to Puerto Rico,” said Celina Miranda, Executive Director of HSTF. “Through this rich learning experience, our youth gain a deeper understanding of Afro-Puerto Rican culture and explore the ways art has played, and continues to play, an important role in cultural preservation and community building. Youth leave this trip with a sense of belonging and cultural empowerment, and knowledge that will carry them forward well into the future.”
“Cultural immersion trips are really important for youth because they allow them to learn about their culture and learn about who they are,” said Damaris Sosa, a 12th grader at Brookline High School. “I’m from Puerto Rico, but I’ve never experienced it in the way that we did on the trip, such as doing Bomba or participating in a Plenazo.”
Hyde Square Task Force (HSTF), located in Boston’s Latin Quarter (Jamaica Plain), is a nonprofit dedicated to empowering Afro-Latin youth. HSTF was formed in the 1980s by a coalition of neighbors and leaders coming together to combat longstanding inequities and help support youth in the community. Since its founding, HSTF has embraced the mission of nurturing and amplifying the voices, creativity, and power of youth so they can advance justice in their communities. The organization’s Afro-Latin culture, arts, and education focused programming connects youth to their heritage to help them succeed academically and professionally, while strengthening the neighborhood’s vibrant cultural identity. Learn more at https://www.hydesquare.org/ or follow us on Instagram @hydesquaretf.