Portuguese American Journal

Portuguese American Journal

Featured Stories
Election’26 | Socialist António José Seguro wins presidency Update | Extreme weather events continue battering the country nationwide Community | Camões Institute promotes Portuguese language teaching Honor | President José Bolieiro awarded the Peter Benchley Ocean Award Book | Representing the Middle Ages in Modern Portugal (1890–1947) | By Pedro Martins
 

Election’26 | Socialist António José Seguro wins presidency – Portugal

Socialist António José Seguro was elected President of Portugal today, in a second-round runoff election, winning about 66–67% of the vote against far-right populist Chega candidate André Ventura with about 33–34% – according to near-final ballots counted. The national tally is not yet fully closed, as some precincts and consular votes remain to be counted. […]

Update | Extreme weather events continue battering the country nationwide – Portugal 

Since late January, Portugal has confronted the cumulative impact of three successive Atlantic winter storms, which have caused fatalities, infrastructure destruction, flooding, and emergency response operations across the mainland, including Madeira and the Azores regions.  Over the weekend, a third storm front, named Marta, developed across the municipalities of Leiria, Coimbra, Santarém, and Lisbon districts, […]

Community | Camões Institute promotes Portuguese language teaching – California

On February 3, 2026, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Camões — Institute for Cooperation and Language, I.P. and the California Department of Education (CDE) during a ceremony held at the Office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, located on the 5th floor of 1430 N Street in Sacramento, California. The Consul […]

Honor | President José Bolieiro awarded the Peter Benchley Ocean Award – Monterey, CA

José Manuel Bolieiro, President of the Regional Government of the Azores, has been honored with the prestigious Peter Benchley Ocean Award, recognizing his leadership and commitment to ocean conservation, sustainable marine governance, and the protection of Atlantic ecosystems. Bolieiro is scheduled to formally accept the distinction, often referred to as the “Oscars of the Ocean,” […]

Book | Representing the Middle Ages in Modern Portugal (1890–1947) | By Pedro Martins – Editor’s Note

What role did the Middle Ages play in the construction of Portuguese national identity in the modern age? Which medieval ideas, themes, objects, buildings, events, and figures contributed to this process? How did Portuguese intellectuals, artists, and politicians from the late-nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century narrate, rework, and commemorate them? These are some of […]

Book | Slavery and Religious Conversion in Portugal’s Indian Empire, 1500-1700 | By Stephanie Hassel – Editor’s Note

29 April 2025

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, enslaved Africans and Asians were part of the larger Portuguese project of building and maintaining a Catholic empire in the Indian Ocean. Both the Church and the Crown influenced the owner-slave relationship across households, the most basic organizational unit of power over the populace. Responsible for their enslaved dependents’ […]

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

Travel Alert | Massive power outage paralysed airports  – Portugal

28 April 2025

Portugal experienced a nationwide power outage today, April 28, as part of a widespread blackout that also affected Spain, France, and other European countries. The exact cause is still under investigation. The outage began around 12:30 p.m. local time, severely disrupting airports in major cities including Lisbon, Porto, and Faro. The Lisbon Metro, trains, and […]

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

Azores | Pace University students visited the Azores to learn about Viola da Terra – New York, NY

27 April 2025

Pace University students, enrolled in the “Producing the Documentary” course (MCA 370/MCA 655), recently traveled to the Azorean islands of São Miguel and Terceira to film a documentary titled Viola da Terra: Harmony of the Azores. As part of a faculty-led study abroad program, the project explored the cultural significance of the Viola da Terra, […]

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Posted in Arts&Culture, Azores, Community, Education, Entertainment, Featured, Film, Heritage, Music, Organizations, People, São Miguel, Terceira

In Memoriam | The Portuguese nation mourns Pope Francis (1936-2025) – Portugal

23 April 2025

The Portuguese government declared a national day of mourning in honor of Pope Francis, following his death on April 21, expressing the nation’s respect and recognition of his contributions to global peace and social justice. The Portuguese government also declared three days of national mourning from April 24 to 26. During this period, flags across […]

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Posted in Featured, Organizations, People, Portugal, Religion, World

Community | Rhode Island College to suspend Portuguese language courses – Providence,RI

22 April 2025

Rhode Island College (RIC) has announced it will suspend several academic programs, including the Portuguese concentration within the Modern Languages BA, beginning in Fall 2025, prompting community outcry.  Community advocates are calling on RIC leadership to reverse course and engage meaningfully with students, faculty, and stakeholders. The decision, outlined in RIC’s recently released Productivity and […]

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Posted in Azores, Community, Education, Featured, Heritage, Madeira, Organizations, People, Portugal

Book | Sorrowful Mysteries: The Shepherd Children of Fatima and the Fate of the Twentieth Century | By Stephen Harrigan – Editor’s Note

18 April 2025

In 1917, in Fatima, Portugal, three shepherd children claimed that the Virgin Mary appeared before them and spoke the words, “Do not be afraid.” Stephen Harrigan first heard the story of Our Lady of Fatima when he was a young boy attending a Catholic school in Texas in the 1950s, struggling to come to grips […]

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Posted in Books, Featured, Heritage, People, Portugal, Religion