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About five years ago,  I was introduced to Johnny Utah’s work via Instagram. As an art’s lover, his work captivated me instantly.  Johnny’s energetic shots document the gritty exuberance of New York City, a city I am madly in love with since birth.  Highly influenced by New York’s City Golden Era, his images exemplified the energy of the city as ... Read More »

My mother was a virgin when she met my father. I remember her drilling this to anyone who would listen. She was his first virgin. Maybe she was his only virgin. She bore him two children, girls. I am one of them, their eldest.   She was also one of his mistresses. I am the daughter of a mistress. My mother strived to be seen as una “mujer decente”. ... Read More »

Melissa Cunillera is a New York City makeup artist whose passionate about beauty and the arts. In 2008 she made the decision to channel her creativity into makeup artistry. Since then her artistry has led her to work with companies like NARS, Morphe, Sephora and Mercedes Benz New York City Fashion Week. Melissa also teaches makeup classes to women who like ... Read More »

For the past twenty-five years I’ve worked on Wall Street, a place that was very foreign to me in my childhood, but one that has been such a big part of who I am as an adult, and one that has driven my mission and work in the Latino community. Unlike many of my colleagues, I didn’t have a formal ... Read More »

In her 1985 one-woman show, Whoopi Goldberg morphed into a child and draped a shirt over her head to stand-in for long, blond hair. That piece of her show was real for me. My sister, Fox, and I used cardigans. Heavier than a blouse, a cardigan stayed in place without fussy re-adjusting, the neck- band shaped itself around our heads, ... Read More »

I’m the first Puerto Rican to have been admitted to the Delaware bar. Sans one Russian woman born in Cuba due to her family’s refugee status, I was the first Latina lawyer in the state of Delaware. That was back in 1980. I had been a lawyer only two years working in Boston when I moved to Delaware to be ... Read More »

I love a cold Jamaican Red Stripe beer or if I am in the mood for a drink, I will order a rum and coke with ice.  I love the art of communication. I enjoy talking to my fellow human beings but I have not mastered the art of articulating my inner emotions. I rely heavily on my favorite vocabulary ... Read More »

First time I heard the question, y porqué el? Not just romantic wonderment, but a trial. Why he, a string of accusations tucked into two words. Why an immigrant? Why someone with an accent? Why not an American like you?  And from the first person to the last person to ever ask, one thing became clear; they felt an immigrant was ... Read More »

I am always inspired by dreamers and doers, those who have a vision and go after it. Today, I chat with Steve and Sergeo,  friends not only shared a dream but also have worked together to make it a reality. For the past year they have developed The Restore Collection and in a few weeks, they will be ready to ... Read More »

I will always remember one of our first family vacations in the late 1990’s with our son, Jordan when he was about a year old. My wife, Norma Jean and I, were thrilled about our planned winter trip to Aruba with our baby boy. Norma and I were domestic partners then, as same-sex marriage wasn’t legal yet in New York. ... Read More »