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Cultural Newsletter
Part of PALCUS' mission is to promote the Portuguese culture and those who are helping to keep it alive. We welcome input from anyone on people or groups to feature, as well as additional categories to include.
Do you know anyone that should be featured? Send an email to palcus@palcus.org.
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Do you know about all the programs PALCUS offers our community? Please visit our website and become a member today!
We can't do what we do without your support!
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PORTUGUESE-AMERICANS IN HISTORY | |
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Featured Historical Figure
The Mendes Seixas Family
A quintessential early American family, the emergence of the Mendes Seixas family coincided with the birth of the United States as an independent state. The patriarch of the Mendes Seixas family, Isaac Mendes Seixas, first arrived in New York in 1734, fleeing anti-Jewish persecution in Portugal. The young Isaac Mendes Seixas established one of the most well-known Jewish families of early American history. His eldest son Moses Mendes Seixas led the Touro Synagogue of Newport, Rhode Island and was one of the co-founders of the Bank of Rhode Island. Another son, Benjamin Seixas, was a businessman in Newport, in Philadelphia, and later in New York, where, in 1792, he became one of the founders and original brokers on the New York Stock Exchange. Isaac’s most notable son, Gershom Mendes Seixas, became a leader of the Jewish community in New York City, assuming the role of hazzan—or cantor—of the city’s Portuguese and Spanish Synagogue at the age of just 21; he became the first American-born Jewish clergyman. A pillar of the New York community at large, Gershom was elected to the first Board of Trustees of Columbia College, in 1787.
The Mendes Seixas family was ardently supportive of the Revolutionary cause, and their lives were shaped by the conflict in the colonies. Moses Mendes Seixas led his Newport, RI community in expressing its support for General George Washington, who wrote to the Touro Synagogue after independence, declaring that the, “Government of the United States ... gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance. ... May the children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants.” Benjamin and another one of Isaac’s sons, Abraham, served in the Continental Army, defending the cause of American independence on the battlefield. Gershom Mendes Seixas was such a supporter of the patriot cause that he was almost certainly invited to attend the 1789 presidential inauguration ceremony of George Washington, at Federal Hall, in New York.
For more information, read these brief biographies compiled on the basis of a collection of papers left by members of the Seixas Mendes family.
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Featured Rancho - Grupo Folclórico do Clube Madeirense S.S. Sacramento de New Bedford | |
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After a hiatus that began four years ago with COVID-19 lockdowns, the Grupo Folclórico do Clube Madeirense S.S. Sacramento de New Bedford returned with an impressive performance at the 108th annual Feast of the Blessed Sacrament, in New Bedford, Massachusetts, last August. Founded in 1979, this folklore group is one of the only ranchos folclóricos in the United States that displays the traditions of Madeira island, in its music, dance, and costumes. We wish the Grupo luck as they embark on a new chapter.
For more information, visit the Group’s website.
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Featured Tradition - Festa of Our Lady of Fátima (Thornton, CA) | |
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From Saturday, October 12th to Monday, October 21st, the small town of Thornton, California will celebrate the Festa of Our Lady of Fatima, as it has since 1970. The festivities include several Masses, the presentation of the Queens, fado performances, the “bodo de leite,” Portuguese bullfighting, and lots of music, food, and dance. On the night of Saturday, October 19th, the community will gather for the traditional Procissão das Velas (“Procession of the Candles”) through the streets of Thornton.
For more information, visit the Festa’s website.
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Featured Fadista - Kaylah Raposo
Kaylah Raposo is one of the youngest up-and-coming fadistas in California. With roots in the Azores, Raposo is based in the Bay Area of California, and has performed with several local fadistas, including Marisa Silva-Rocha and Sandra Pinheiro Pacheco.
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Featured Artist - Nuno Pedreiro
Nuno Pedreiro is a Portuguese artist with strong ties to the Portuguese communities in New York and New Jersey. Pedreiro was born in a small village in Mira, in central Portugal, but grew up at the heart of the Portuguese community in Venezuela. He returned to Portugal in his teenage years, studied art and music, and gained notoriety for his striking portraits of celebrities. Pedreiro quickly became a regular feature on television shows like Preço Certo and Praça da Alegria, where he would showcase his work. In 2016 he launched his artistic career in the United States, showcasing his paintings to the Portuguese-American communities. He has completed dozens of public and private murals in Portugal and in the U.S., including a massive mural commissioned by the Portuguese Instructive Social Club (PISC), of Elizabeth, New Jersey, to celebrate its 100 years of existence.
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Featured Author - Nelson Tereso
Although born in the United States, Nelson Tereso moved to Portugal at a young age, eventually studying at the Faculty of Law of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa and at the International University of Lisbon Law School, before joining the Portuguese Bar Association in 1997. Over the past 27 years, Tereso has become one of the most successful Portuguese-American lawyers, with offices in Portugal and in the U.S.
Using his vast legal experience, Tereso has also published several books, including Indignidade Sucessória, Deserdação e Repúdio da Herança (AAFDL Editora, 2023) and O Lado Prático do Direito Sucessório (AAFDL Editora, 2019); the latter is already on its third edition, and has become one of the most important texts for understanding inheritance law in the Portuguese system. To mark the 25th anniversary of his career, Tereso also published 25 Anos no Lado Prático da Advocacia, which includes a preface penned by his former professor, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
His fourth and most recent book, Direito Penal Comparado – Estados Unidos versus Portugal (Comparative Criminal Law — the United States versus Portugal), was co-authored with Tony Castro, who served as assistant district attorney in the Bronx, New York. In this pioneering work, each one of these Portuguese-American lawyers offers his perspective to define the main differences between American Criminal Law and Portuguese Criminal Law, analyzing the contrasting roots and evolutions of each respective legal system.
Nelson Tereso and Tony Castro will be presenting their recently released book on October 8th—at the Sport Clube Português, in Newark, New Jersey—and on October 10th—at Churrasqueira Bairrada Restaurant, in Mineola, New York.
For more information, visit Tereso’s website.
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Featured Production Company Cinemanas
Cinemanas is a film and television production company founded by sister writing/directing duo Marlee and Karlee Rodrigues. After early careers as child actors, the Rodrigues Sisters found themselves wanting to create more three-dimensional characters that accurately represent the complexity of women’s experiences, inspiring them to launch Cinemanas. Their critically-acclaimed debut feature film, Little Miss Perfect, had its Los Angeles premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood and New York City advanced screening at the Director's Guild of America, earning awards at festivals around the country.
Their most recent project is a short documentary, OS SONHOS CONTINUAM (“The Dreams Continue”), named after the Kearny, NJ-based rancho folclórico in which the Rodrigues sisters danced in their youth. The film explores the role rancho plays in keeping Portuguese-American families connected to their roots. Last month, the documentary was selected for its world premiere at Tribeca x Lisbon—the first European edition of the Tribeca Film Festival.
The Rodrigues sisters have roots in northern Portugal and grew up in New Jersey.
For more information, visit Cinemanas’ website.
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Featured Musician - Dweezil Zappa
“Dweezil Zappa is an American rock guitarist and occasional actor. He is the son of musical composer and performer Frank Zappa. Exposed to the music industry from an early age, Zappa developed a strong affinity for playing the guitar and producing music. Able to learn directly from guitarists such as Steve Vai and Eddie Van Halen, Zappa released his first single (produced by Eddie Van Halen) at the age of 12. In addition to writing and recording his own music, Zappa has carried on the legacy of his father's music by touring with the group Zappa Plays Zappa. The band features renditions of Zappa's original material and the lineup has often included Zappa alumni such as Napoleon Murphy Brock, Steve Vai, Terry Bozzio and others.”
Zappa’s maternal grandmother, Laura Freitas, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii to parents of Portuguese ancestry.
For more information, read Zappa’s Wikipedia bio.
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Featured Cardiologist - Michael Rocha
“Dr. Rocha earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and his medical degree from University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester. He completed his residency, a Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation fellowship, and a Cardiology fellowship at Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston. Dr. Rocha is board certified in Cardiovascular Disease, Nuclear Cardiology, Echocardiography and Internal Medicine, and is a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society. Dr. Rocha serves as Director of Heart Failure Services at St. Luke’s Hospital and Director of Echocardiography Laboratory at Hawthorn Medical. He has interest in preventive cardiology and is the director of the New Bedford Wellness Initiative,” which he founded in 2014.
Dr. Rocha is the great-grandson of immigrants from the island of São Miguel, in the Azores. In 2023, the Prince Henry Society (New Bedford Chapter) named him Person of the Year for his “dedication to the health and well-being of New Bedford.”
For more information, read this bio.
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PORTUGUESE-AMERICAN CULTURAL ASSOCIATIONS | |
Featured Portuguese-American Association - United Portuguese S.E.S. (San Diego, CA) | |
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Located at the heart of San Diego’s Portuguese community, on Avenida de Portugal, the United Portuguese Sociedade do Espírito Santo (U.P.S.E.S.) is San Diego’s largest Portuguese-American community center. Founded in 1921, the U.P.S.E.S. hosts a dance group (the Portuguese-American Dancers of San Diego), a philharmonic band (Filarmónica União Portuguesa de San Diego), a local Portuguese market, and a Portuguese Historical Center, in addition to organizing a number of annual events, including the annual Festa. Its mission is to “encourage religious and civic activities,” and “promote, further, and support the welfare of the community.”
For more information, visit the U.P.S.E.S. website.
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If you would like to feature your artwork or written works in this newsletter, please send your bio, images and other information to palcus@palcus.org
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JOIN PALCUS
Are you a PALCUS member yet?
We are stronger together!
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Join here!!
If you agree with the work undertaken by PALCUS to build the social, cultural and political capital of our community, then please join us and become a member today!
Strong membership participation means a stronger voice in the national Portuguese-American agenda. In order to advance Portuguese language education, increase presence in the congressional caucuses, and provide economic opportunities, the collective voice of thousands is needed!
In addition, PALCUS is a member-driven non-profit organization that depends on membership dues and fundraising events to fund its operations. Members of the all-volunteer board of directors donate their time and personal funds for travel, lodging and tickets to attend networking events and planning sessions so our administrative costs are relatively low but nonetheless critical to doing business on a daily basis.
There are membership categories to suit every budget and level of interest.
Questions? Contact Graci for more information!
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Jobs for Portuguese Speakers
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PALCUS Mission
In order to create a singular voice to advocate for the Portuguese-American and Luso-American communities at large, the Portuguese-American Leadership Council of the United States Inc. (PALCUS) was founded in 1991 as a non-partisan, non-profit, organization headquartered in Washington, D.C.
The PALCUS mission is to address domestic and international concerns of the Portuguese-American Community.
The Council conducts an expanding program of educational and public affairs activities on issues of interest to the Portuguese-American community and of salience to the Luso-American Relationship.
PALCUS is committed to serving the community through increasingly active government relations efforts, the promotion of a greater awareness of ethnic accomplishments and encouraging stronger ties between Portugal and the United States. In this role PALCUS advances the community professionally, politically and culturally while working to ensure that issues directly affecting our community are addressed through our network of government and community leaders.
PALCUS is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization under the IRS tax code and incorporated under the laws of the District of Columbia. Donations are tax deductible to extent allowed by law and will be acknowledged.
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