Portuguese American Journal

Portuguese American Journal

Featured Stories
1976-2026 | Azores celebrate 50 Years of Constitutional Autonomy Book | Bag of Kisses | By Melanie Pereira April 25th |  “Dia da Liberdade” celebrated nationwide and across the diaspora Community | Justice Department moves to revoke citizenship for naturalized immigrants Honor | Writer João Pedro Vala recipient of the PEN/O. Henry Award
 

1976-2026 | Azores celebrate 50 Years of Constitutional Autonomy – Azores 

The Autonomous Region of the Azores is preparing for a historic year of celebrations in 2026 to mark the 50th anniversary of its Constitutional Autonomy. This milestone underscores five decades of self-governance, regional identity, and transatlantic connection.  The commemorations will culminate on September 8, 2026, marking the formal implementation of autonomy under the Constitution of […]

Book | Bag of Kisses | By Melanie Pereira – Editor’s Note

For a little girl whose daddy is a fisherman in the #1 fishing port in the world, goodbyes are never easy. But before he leaves for sea, her parents share a special secret―a magical bag of kisses that keeps their love close, no matter how far the waves carry him. As the days pass and […]

April 25th |  “Dia da Liberdade” celebrated nationwide and across the diaspora – Portugal

The Portuguese nation commemorates today the 52nd anniversary of the Carnation Revolution transition to democracy, with a nationwide program of official ceremonies, public demonstrations, and cultural events. The celebrations expanded abroad, connecting the country to its global diaspora, particularly in the United States. At the center of the national commemorations will be the traditional formal […]

Community | Justice Department moves to revoke citizenship for naturalized immigrants – Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Department of Justice is moving to accelerate efforts to revoke the citizenship of certain naturalized Americans, targeting cases where individuals are suspected of having obtained citizenship through fraud or misrepresentation. Citizenship is considered one of the most secure legal statuses in the United States. Therefore, the overall impact of such measures is likely […]

Honor | Writer João Pedro Vala recipient of the PEN/O. Henry Award – New York, NY

Portuguese writer João Pedro Vala has been awarded a prestigious PEN/O. Henry Award for his short story “Inês,” a recognition widely regarded as one of the highest honors in English-language short fiction. The first Portuguese author to receive that distinction, his short story ‘Inês’ was selected for inclusion in the PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories anthology. […]

PALCUS: NextGen Leadership Academy fellowship – Community

17 February 2021

The Portuguese American Leadership Council of the United States (PALCUS) is proud to announce the official launch of its NextGen Leadership Academy fellowship following a kick-off event last month that welcomed and celebrated the inaugural cohort of fellows, referred to as NextGen Co-founding Ambassadors. All Co-founding Ambassadors – twenty-eight in total – were recruited by […]

Read the full story

Posted in Community, Education, Featured, Scholarships

Memoir (I) : How I got my name and learned about Portugal –  By Diogo Teixeira

14 February 2021

This is a story about how I got my Portuguese name and learned about Portugal as a child. It begins with my parents, who met in New York City, in 1943, during World War II. He basically picked her up one hot August day on a returning beach train. Each thought the other was attractive. […]

Read the full story

Posted in Angola, Featured, Goa, Heritage, Mozambique, People, Politics, Portugal, World

Portugal: What are the prospects for tourism in 2021? – By Len Port

14 February 2021

There is so much uncertainty about Covid-19 that it’s impossible to predict how tourism will pan out in Portugal or anywhere else this year, but there are pieces of positive information that give rise for some optimism. All sections of the Portuguese tourist industry, which is of huge economic importance to the country, have been […]

Read the full story

Posted in Azores, Community, Featured, Madeira, People, Portugal, Travel, World

Honor: Senator Marc R. Pacheco assigned leadership roles – Massachusetts

13 February 2021

Senator Marc R. Pacheco (D-Taunton), Massachusetts,  announced that he will serve as chair of the newly created State Legislative Climate Alliance established by the Eastern Region of The Council of State Governments (CSG East). The goal of the State Legislative Climate Alliance is to provide nonpartisan education, best practices, and innovative state policy solutions to […]

Read the full story

Posted in Community, Featured, Heritage, Organizations, People, Politics

COVID’19: Vaccinations coming but have been slow to start – Portugal

07 February 2021

By Len Port In contrast to the recent record high Covid infection and death rates in Portugal, vaccinations have been slow to start, but are now expected to accelerate. Amid a scandal over “queue jumping” by people who were not officially prioritised, a new head of the vaccination task force has started work to ramp […]

Read the full story

Posted in Azores, Featured, Heritage, Madeira, Portugal

Book: ‘Women Writing Portuguese Colonialism in Africa’ by Ana P. Ferreira – Editor’s Note

05 February 2021

This book represents the first attempt to query the contribution of women as cultural agents to the colonization, the anti-colonial opposition and the decolonization of territories ruled by Portugal in the African continent between the turn of the twentieth century and the early twenty-first. In contrast to the longstanding scholarship on the subject as regards […]

Read the full story

Posted in Arts&Culture, Books, Featured, Heritage, Portugal, World