Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Cultural Event topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Greenburgh raises Puerto Rican flag, honors community leaders at Hispanic Heritage Month program
Summary
Community leaders and residents gathered at a special Greenburgh program to raise the Puerto Rican flag, honor two late community members and hear speeches about cultural history and advocacy, including fundraising for Hurricane Maria relief and calls to address laws affecting Puerto Rico.
A special Greenburgh program on Hispanic Heritage Month drew residents, civic leaders and visiting officials for a Puerto Rican flag‑raising, tributes and cultural performances.
The event opened with Evelyn Santiago, chair of the White Plains Puerto Rican Cultural Committee, welcoming the audience and introducing the program and its mission to promote Puerto Rican and Latinx culture. "Because it is a symbol of a nation's courage," said Teresa Santiago, the evening's featured speaker, explaining the flag's historical meaning and why a flag‑raising matters to diaspora communities.
The program included a memorial dedication by Stephanie Laura, a Puerto Rican Army veteran and local PTA leader, who said the flag raising would honor Millie Ortiz Sheehan and Diana Trochez Sheehan, who "entered eternal rest together on 09/16/2024," and described Millie's more than 25 years of service as a school psychologist in Greenburgh.
Teresa Santiago, introduced as the founder and director of a long‑standing Puerto Rican advocacy organization, traced the flag's history, recounted the island's political status and U.S. citizenship for Puerto Ricans (1917), and described her group's humanitarian and advocacy work since Hurricane Maria. She said the organization had helped raise more than $600,000 for island communities and cited an estimate of roughly 200,000 Puerto Ricans displaced to the U.S. after the storm. "We are proud of each of our differences," she told the audience, urging continued recognition of distinct cultures within the broader Hispanic community.
Griselda Feliciano, a co‑leader of Girl Scout troop 2491, introduced honoree Louie Sanchez, a union representative and local Democratic organization leader. Sanchez thanked organizers and framed the honor as belonging to the wider Hispanic community: "This honor is really for all Hispanics today," he said, describing his personal ties to Puerto Rico and the region's broader Hispanic heritage.
Performances by a local Girl Scout troop, a Latin‑jazz trio led by Carlos Jimenez and a traditional group from northern Peru rounded out the program. Town Clerk Lisa Maria Nero presented citations and tokens to commemorate Millie and Diana, and newly appointed Deputy Town Clerk Luis Beltran spoke about the value of bilingual staff for residents.
After the cultural program concluded, the town board transitioned to its regular meeting agenda. The event highlighted both local recognition of Puerto Rican history and ongoing civic work supporting cultural visibility and community services.
The program closed with organizers inviting attendees to take photos and encouraging future participation in similar events.
