On Friday, October 27, 2006, Iris Consuelo Burgos unveiled an historic mosaic by artist Manny Vega honoring her sister, Julia de Burgos, the revered Boricua poet. The ceremony took place in the heart of East Harlem’s “Cultural Corridor” on the northeast corner of Lexington Avenue and East 106th Street.
The mosaic initiative was organized by Marina Ortiz and Debbie Quinones of East Harlem Preservation and funded by JPMorgan Chase, Congressman Charles B. Rangel, Hope Community, Inc., the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, State Senator José M. Serrano, Mt. Sinai Medical Center, and many local supporters.
The momentous occasion also marked the announcement by El Museo del Barrio and Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito of the re-naming of East 106th Street from Fifth Avenue to First Avenue in honor of Julia de Burgos, one of the few instances of a street being named after a Puerto Rican woman of high accomplishments.
The homage to Julia de Burgos compliments Councilwomen Mark-Viverito and El Museo de Barrio’s exceptional initiative to rename East 106th Street in honor of the famous poet. East Harlem residents and visitors will feel an increased sense of pride as they see the mosaic while strolling down the Julia de Burgos Boulevard.
The mosaic unveiling and press conference was followed by a noon reception hosted by El Taller Boricua in the Julia de Burgos Latino Cultural Center at 1680 Lexington Avenue. The lunch-time gathering offered typical Latino appetizers and refreshments.
About Julia de Burgos
Born on February 17, 1914, Julia de Burgos was one of the most important and beloved Puerto Rican poets working in New York in the first half of the twentieth century. Modern critics believe that de Burgos’s poetry anticipated the work of feminist writers and poets as well as that of other Hispanic authors.
De Burgos published several books including; Poemas Exactos de mí Misma, Poemas en Veinte Zurcos and Canción de la Verdad Sencilla. She received several honors and homages before and after her death. De Burgos died in East Harlem, on July 6, 1953 at the early age of 39.