Henry Ignacio Padrón-Morales has been an energetic force in Rochester’s community organizing scene for over 40 years. As a founding member of Spanish Action Coalition, Salmorejo Poetry and Percussion Ensemble, Puerto Rican Youth Development and Resource Center, National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights and the Rochester Latino Theatre Company – and current owner of Hipocampo Books – Henry has been motivating and celebrating the local Hispanic community for decades.

As a VSW Community Curator, Henry has selected a program of films and videos that feature the arts and culture of Rochester’s Puerto Rican and Lantinx community for the past 5 decades. In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage month, this program will examine the Puerto Rican Festival’s role in showcasing the aspirations and challenges of the Puerto Rican community, and how the community has continued to thrive through the arts over several decades. Join us for a screening of rare footage from the VSW archives, and a conversation with Henry about how he sees the Hispanic community in Rochester moving forward. Download program

The following titles from the VSW archives will be included. Click on the titles to watch the full videos Henry has excerpted from:

P’al Festival (16mm) (1976)

Puerto Rican Festival (1971)

Learning the Spanish Speaking Community in Rochester (1972) Part 1 and Part 2

Nydia Padilla at the Monroe County Jail (1986)

Interviews at the Rochester Public Market (1990)

No Pasaran – Value Channel (1985)

TV Dinner – Pittston Interview and Puerto Rican Festival (1990)

Spanish Channel in Rochester and Mt. Carmel Culture Class

Suggested: $10

The VSW Salon is programmed by Tara Merenda Nelson, taranelson@vsw.org

The VSW Salon is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts and by the ArtWorks program of the National Endowment for the Arts.