The Portuguese-American Leadership Council of the United States
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LUSUS Newsletter
New Edition of LUSUS to Highlight Portuguese Culture

Part of PALCUS' mission is to promote the Portuguese culture and those who are helping to keep it alive. We welcome input from anyone on people or groups to feature, as well as additional categories to include. 
FOLKLORE
Featured Folklore Group Rancho Folclórico da Igreja Nossa Senhora de Fatima Hartford, CT

This rancho was established on January 10, 2015. Five pairs were waiting for a youth group meeting to begin when they got together and began dancing. It was then decided that they wanted to begin a rancho to spread the joy of the Portuguese culture.
Watch videos of their performances and more by visiting the link: https://www.facebook.com/ranchofolclorico/
TRADITIONS/CUSTOMS
Photo by Henrique Mano
Traditions / Customs - Day of Portugal Celebration hosted by the Portuguese Community of Hartford

Annually, there is a raising of the Portuguese flag at the state capitol of Hartford, CT followed by a rancho performance. There are also weekend celebrations as well as a parade in early June.
 

Information regarding a past celebration can be found by liking the Portuguese Club of Hartford Facebook page:  
https://www.facebook.com/HartfordPortugueseClub/posts/10156297705132488/
FADO
Featured Fado Writer - 
David Mendonça 

"David Mendonça, a Portuguese-American with roots in the Azores, is a contributor to the Portuguese American Journal. A Fado music aficionado, his articles also appear on his blogs Fado Today (English) and Fado Hoje (Portuguese). He lives in New York State."

 
An example of an article he wrote for the Portuguese American Journal, on a fado singer named Camané, can be found using the link: https://portuguese-american-journal.com/fado-looking-to-the-future-with-camane-by-david-mendonca/
 
To access more of his articles in English as well as Portuguese, visit his blog using the link: http://fado-today.blogspot.com/

ART
Featured Photographer - 
Peter Souza 

Peter Souza is a Portuguese-American photographer. He has taken photographs in the White House of multiple presidents and much more.
 
His Biography, work, etc. can be found on his website: https://www.petesouza.com/
 
Image from:  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Souza
CULINARY
Featured Chef - 
Luisa Fernandes

"Luisa's ambition is evident in her extensive resume which includes working as pastry chef at United Nations, many New York  restaurants such as, Park Blue, Tintol, Georgia's Cafe and Bakery, Bairrada Restaurant, Nomad and most recently working at Best Chocolate Cake in the world. She has hosted several events at Jame Bear, Cordon Bleu Institute (Boston), William Sonoma, New York Volunteer of America and Portugal Day in Central Park. She was a private chef for pearl and jewelry mogul, Salvador Assael. She has also catered private parties for celebrities such as Johnny Deep and for Portuguese governmental entities. She continues to do consulting as well. She has been featured in numerous publications including the the New York Times,  Dinners Journal, Plate Magazine, Specialty Food Magazine, Luso Americano,  Jornal Expresso, Mundo Português, Jornal de Economia, and Ionline."
 
More information on Luisa Fernandes can be found on the website:  
http://portuguesediner.com/tiamaria/chef-luisa-fernandes/

ARCHITECTURE
Featured Architect -
Álvaro Siza Vieira

"Álvaro Joaquim Melo Siza Vieira, better known as Alvaro Siza, was born in Matosinhos near the city of Porto in Portugal in 1933. Between 1949 and 1955 he studied at the Faculty of Architecture University of Porto, completing his first project in 1954."
 
He is the creator behind the making of a building in New York on West 56th Street.
 
For further information visit the website: https://www.archilovers.com/alvaro-siza-vieira/
 
An article was written, about him and his project in New York, by Henrique Mano, in Portuguese, and can be found on his Facebook page. The article is titled: "APESAR DA PANDEMIA, TORRE DE SIZA VIEIRA EM NOVA IORQUE JÁ VENDEU QUASE 90% DOS SEUS 80 APARTAMENTOS"

DESIGN
Featured Designer - 
Jorge Pinho
 
Jorge Pinho is an artist as well as designer. He has "Pinart," where he sells as well as commissions paintings.

A link to the website where you can contact him, as well as view his work, is: https://jpinart.com

He created "The Luso Clothing Company," with the intent for Portuguese Americans to purchase items that showcase their Portuguese-American pride.
A link to the website is: https://lusoclothing.com/
 
He also has a YouTube channel where he teaches his art techniques: https://www.youtube.com/user/birdslappy

FASHION
Featured Fashionista - Christy Sousa

"Christy is the manager of the luxury boutique of 'Alice + Olivia' on Madison Avenue, NY since March 2020."

Below is a link to the website of the store: https://www.aliceandolivia.com/

An article was written about her, in Portuguese, by Henrique Mano. It is titled: "LUSO AMERICANA CHEFIA BOUTIQUE MAIN BRAND NEW LUXURY BRAND IN MADISON AVENUE." It can be found by liking his Facebook page.


LITERATURE
Featured Author - Nancy Couto

"Nancy Vieira Couto is the author of a poetry collection, The Face in the Water (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1990), and a chapbook, Carlisle & the Common Accident (FootHills Publishing, 2011).  Her awards include two NEA fellowships and the 1989 Agnes Lynch Starrett Prize.  She was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, attended Bridgewater State College, and earned her M.F.A. from Cornell University.  She lives in Ithaca, New York, where she is poetry editor of Epoch." 

Access her blog as well as more information using the link: 
VITICULTURE
Featured Winemaker - Joe Goveia

"Growing up in a Portuguese village, Joe Gouveia learned the importance of being a proactive member of society and the love of belonging to a community. Throughout his time in America, he noticed the enjoyment of work and the values of community were diminishing. He wanted to bring the value of a village to America, which inspired the idea of Gouveia Vineyards!"
 
For further information about Mr. Goveia, his family, Gouveia Vineyards, etc., visit the website: http://gouveiavineyards.com/about.html


SCIENCE
Featured Scientist - 
Gonçalo R. Abecasis, D.Phil.

"The focus of my research is the identification and characterization of genes determining human variation and disease. In particular, I have focused on developing analytical methods and statistical tools that will facilitate the mapping of complex traits and allow geneticists to realize the benefits of new high-throughput technologies in the lab. Much of my research has focused on the use of linkage disequilibrium in the mapping of complex disease susceptibility genes. Linkage disequilibrium based mapping strategies search for short segments of ancestral chromosomes shared among present day individuals. High-throughput technologies allow fine-scale characterization of genetic variation and have made these searches possible." ~ Gonçalo R. Abecasis


FILM
Featured Actor -
Joaquim de Almeida

"Joaquim de Almeida was born in Lisbon, Portugal. Son of two pharmacists and the sixth of eight kids, Joaquim showed signs at an early age that his future lay not in the family business. At the age of eighteen, after attending the theater course at the Lisbon Conservatory for two years, he left Portugal to pursue his studies after the Conservatory was temporarily closed following the 1974 democratic revolution. He lived a year in Vienna, Austria, working in various jobs from the Künstlerhaus-Theater to gardening. He moved to New York City in 1976. There, he studied with Lee Strasberg, Nicholas Ray and Stella Adler while working as a bartender."

For more information, visit: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0021835/bio


MUSICAL TALENT
Featured Musician - Craig Chaquico

"Craig Chaquico (pronounced Cha-KEE-so) is an American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has had fifty years of success in a variety of genres: in the 1970s as an original founding member, lead guitarist and songwriter of the gold and multi-platinum selling, Jefferson Starship, in that band's 1980's incarnation, Starship, and in the 1990s and 2000s as a Grammy-nominated, Billboard No. 1, million-selling contemporary jazz solo artist."

Both his parents were of Portuguese descent, as he mentions in this newsletter: http://craigchaquico.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Spring-2009.pdf
 
For more information regarding his music, performances, etc., visit: https://craigchaquico.com/

If you would like to feature your artwork or written works in this newsletter, please send your bio, images and other information to palcus@palcus.org
JOIN PALCUS
Are you a PALCUS member yet?  
We are stronger together!

Join now! Until August 31st, 5% of all new memberships will go to meals for the elderly.

If you agree with the work undertaken by PALCUS to build the social, cultural and political capital of our community, then please join us and become a member today!

Strong membership participation means a stronger voice in the national Portuguese-American agenda. In order to advance Portuguese language education, increase presence in the congressional caucuses, and provide economic opportunities, the collective voice of thousands is needed!  

In addition, PALCUS is a member-driven non-profit organization that depends on membership dues and fundraising events to fund its operations. Members of the all-volunteer board of directors donate their time and personal funds for travel, lodging and tickets to attend networking events and planning sessions so our administrative costs are relatively low but nonetheless critical to doing business on a daily basis.

There are membership categories to suit every budget and level of interest.  Please click on our membership webpage and join our voice today!


 Questions? Contact Graci for more information! 


Did you enjoy this newsletter? Do you know about all the programs PALCUS offers our community? Please visit our website and become a member today! 
We can't do what we do without your support!

Newsletter Archive

Read past issues of the LUSUS Newsletter at http://www.palcus.org/#!lusus-newsletter/cbac 

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Jobs for Portuguese Speakers
Jobs for Portuguese Speakers

If you want to put your Portuguese language skills to use in your next job, there are many opportunities out there! Visit the Jobs for Portuguese Speakers Facebook page to see some job openings.

Contact Information

Website: www.palcus.org
Phone: 202-466-4664

9255 Center St., Suite 404
Manassas, VA 20110
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PALCUS Mission

In order to create a singular voice to advocate  for the Portuguese-American and Luso-American communities at large, the Portuguese-American Leadership Council of the United States Inc. (PALCUS) was founded in 1991 as a non-partisan, non-profit, organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. 
 
The PALCUS mission is to address domestic and international concerns of the Portuguese-American Community.
 
The Council conducts an expanding program of educational and public affairs activities on issues of interest to the Portuguese-American community and of salience to the Luso-American Relationship.
 
PALCUS is committed to serving the community through increasingly active government relations efforts, the promotion of a greater awareness of ethnic accomplishments and encouraging stronger ties between Portugal and the United States. In this role PALCUS advances the community professionally, politically and culturally while working to ensure that issues directly affecting our community are addressed through our network of government and community leaders.

PALCUS is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization under the IRS tax code and  incorporated under the laws of the District of Columbia.  Donations are tax deductible to extent allowed by law and will be acknowledged.

PALCUS has earned the 2019 Gold GuideStarUSA Nonprofit Profile Seal of Transparency. Visit our profile HERE
Portuguese-American Leadership Council of the United States, Inc.
9255 Center Street, Ste. 404, Manassas, VA 20110
Email: palcus@palcus.org   PH: 202-466-4664   Web: www.palcus.org
EIN: 52-1739459
Copyright © 2019, PALCUS. All Rights Reserved.