Portuguese American Journal

Portuguese American Journal

Featured Stories
100 years ago | Devastating earthquake shook Faial Island Sports | Fernando Pimenta world canoeing champion Community | 20th Anniversary of Portas da Cidade Celebration Community | The Holy Ghost Festival of New England returns Community | Judge Luis Matos nominated to Rhode Island Supreme Court
 

100 years ago | Devastating earthquake shook Faial Island – Azores

One hundred years ago today, on the morning of August 31, 1926, the island of Faial was violently shaken by one of the most destructive earthquakes in the modern history of the Azores.  A century later, the Museu da Horta is commemorating the disaster with historical photographs, educational activities and an earthquake-preparedness exercise involving about […]

Sports | Fernando Pimenta world canoeing champion – Poznan, Poland

Portuguese canoeing star Fernando Pimenta was crowned world champion in the K1 1000 meters, winning a dramatic final at the Canoe Sprint World Championships in Poznan, Poland, on August 29, 2026.  The achievement adds another historic chapter to the career of the athlete from Ponte de Lima, widely regarded as Portugal’s greatest canoeist. Pimenta currently […]

Community | 20th Anniversary of Portas da Cidade Celebration – Fall River, MA

Mayor Paul Coogan, in conjunction with the Portas da Cidade Advisory Committee and the Prince Henry Society, will host a special ceremony commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Portas da Cidade (City Gates), one of Fall River’s most recognizable symbols of its Azorean heritage.  The celebration will take place Monday, August 31, at 10:30 am […]

Community | The Holy Ghost Festival of New England returns – Fall River, MA

The Holy Ghost Festival of New England will be held in Kennedy Park in Fall River, Massachusetts, from August 26–30. Former Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is expected to visit Fall River as a guest of honor for the 40th-anniversary festival celebration, according to reports. The President of the Regional Government of the Azores, […]

Community | Judge Luis Matos nominated to Rhode Island Supreme Court – Providence, RI

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee has nominated Superior Court Associate Justice Luis M. Matos, a Portuguese-born jurist with extensive state and federal experience, to serve on the Rhode Island Supreme Court.  Governor McKee said his responsibility was to select someone with “unquestionable qualifications, an impeccable reputation and a strong record in strong and fair judging.” […]

Book: ‘The Luso – Anarchist Reader’ by Plínio Tadeu de Góes Jr. – Editor’s Note

01 January 2017

No book has ever presented a selection of writings of anarchists from the Portuguese-speaking world to an English-speaking audience. In The Luso-Anarchist Reader, writings by feminist radicals such as Maria Lacerda de Moura and anarchist communists such as Neno Vasco are made available in English for the first time. Researchers and activists interested in achieving […]

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Posted in Arts&Culture, Books, Brazil, Community, Featured, Heritage, Organizations, People, Portugal

Book: ‘An Economic History of Portugal 1143-2010’ – Editor’s Note

31 December 2016

This book offers a fascinating exploration of the evolution of the Portuguese economy over the course of eight centuries, from the foundation of the kingdom in 1143, when political boundaries began to take shape in the midst of the Christian Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula, and the formation of an empire, to the integration of […]

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Posted in Arts&Culture, Books, Brazil, Damão, Diu, Featured, Goa, Macau, Politics, Portugal

Book: ‘Portuguese Commandos’ by John P. Cann – Editor’s Note

31 December 2016

During the 13-year insurgency (1961–74) in Portuguese Africa, more than 800,000 men and women served in the Portuguese armed forces. Of this number, about 9,000 served as commandos (or about 1 percent). Yet their combat losses ― 357 dead, 28 missing in action and 771 wounded ― represented 11.5 percent of the total casualties (a […]

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Posted in Angola, Arts&Culture, Books, Featured, Politics, Portugal

António Guterres – The right man at the right time – by Len Port

29 December 2016

By Len Port, Contributor (*) As we raise glasses to the notion of peace and goodwill on Earth, more realistic hopes are centred on Portugal’s António Guterres who takes office as United Nations Secretary-General on New Year’s Day. One of the few things top leaders across this bitterly divided world seem to agree on is […]

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Posted in Featured, Heritage, Organizations, People, Politics, Portugal, World

Mandatory: Priority services granted for seniors and the physically challenged – Portugal

27 December 2016

According to a new law approved by the Portuguese parliament, effective December 27, 2016, all public and private entities in Portugal are obliged to provide priority services to the physically challenged, including pregnant women, people holding or escorting children under two years old, disabled elderly people over 65 years old, and people with physical and/or mental […]

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Posted in Azores, Featured, Heritage, Madeira, Organizations, People, Portugal, World

Appointed: David Simas Chief Executive Officer of the Obama Foundation – Washington, DC

20 December 2016

Portuguese American Attorney David Simas, director of the White House Office of Political Strategy and Outreach (2014-2016), was appointed by President Barack Obama, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Obama Foundation. The Obama Foundation will house a presidential library, museum and headquarters offices, to be built in Jackson Park, on the South Side of Chicago, […]

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Posted in Azores, Community, Featured, Heritage, Organizations, People, Portugal, São Miguel