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. […]

Portuguese students to be segregated – Toronto

14 March 2011

The Toronto School Board, in Canada,  is considering segregating Portuguese students in a separate school in an attempt to lower the 33 percent dropout rate, the highest of any ethnic group in the city. In the meantime Toronto District School Board trustees have voted to establish a task force to examine why graduation rates are […]

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Posted in Community, Education

Snow in Madeira and the Azores

14 March 2011

Temperatures fell sharply in mid-Atlantic this past weekend with snow falling in both archipelagos of Madeira and the Azores, where temperatures registered below minus  4 centigrade, the lowest in the last 40 years.  In Madeira snow fell Sunday afternoon attracting sightseers to Poiso and Pico do Arieiro. In the Azores snow fell in the mountainous […]

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Posted in Azores, Madeira, Pico, Santa Maria, São Miguel

Portugal resists bail-out – Lisbon

14 March 2011

Amid popular unrest Portugal announced Friaday new fiscal measures aimed at reducing the need for foreign financial assistance. Finance Minister Fernando Teixeira dos Santos said that Portugal would tighten austerity measures to ensure it meets its deficit reduction targets. The plan includes cuts in state pensions and reductions in health spending, unemployment benefits and other welfare […]

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Posted in Politics

Basic Portuguese courses cut – UC Berkley

14 March 2011

Faced with a $42 million cut in public funding, the University  of California Berkley announced  the elimination of basic instruction in Portuguese, Russian, Swahili and Japanese, while adding more than 30 new foreign language courses to its offerings. Beginning in 2011-12, over $500,000 will go towards supporting an additional eight Chinese courses, six Spanish courses, […]

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Posted in Education

Daniel Sousa excels at film – Providence

14 March 2011

According to  The Harvard Crimson, “Dan Sousa is not a typical animator. Instead of creating films with strong narrative structure and central characters, he prefers to captivate his audience with an immediate visceral reaction.” A Providence-based film-maker Daniel Sousa – born in Cape Verde and raised in Portugal –  moved to the United States in […]

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Posted in Arts&Culture, Cape Verde, Community, Film, People

Museum of Contemporary Art underway – Ponta Delgada

13 March 2011

The project to build the new Museum of Contemporary Art in Ponta Delgada, Azores, is well underway in partnership with Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. The project will connect the Autonomous Region with the ‘Paths Niemeyer’ worldwide. The project was worked out in Brazil between Ponta Delgada’s Mayor, Berta Cabral, and the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer […]

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Posted in Azores