Thank you for visiting our website. With the help of many people (Thank You Page) I created a script honoring the life and legacy of José Martí, Cuban patriot and poet.

This tribute can be, and hopefully will be used, by willing students (big brothers and sisters) on behalf of children. Purpose: to instill a love of learning along with a feeling of community. 

Creating Marti's Tribute: A Student Initiative

In the fall of 2001, Trinity College's Dean of Multicultural Affairs, Karla Spurlock-Evans, introduced my friend, Descatur Potier, and me to Holocaust survivor Eve Nussbaum Soumerai, originator of tributes. For the past thirty years she has celebrated the lives of inspirational individuals (Tributes) in the West Hartford schools and throughout Connecticut. She was anxious to spread these celebration to college groups such as our Trinity College. Since we already had an active ongoing community service program, AMP (Adolescent Mentoring Program), we were happy to include Tributes celebrations, specifically a Tribute to Jose Marti.

We discovered that the children not only enjoyed the reading and thinking about its relevance in their own lives, but also enjoyed the singing and group art activities. They were very proud to present "their" tribute to parents at the closing ceremony.  We noticed, with some surprise, that kids who had had trouble reading previously did very well saying the lines in concert with one another.  

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or if you want to see other Tributes:
E-mail me: Alain.Lopez@trincoll.edu
E-mail Eve Nussbaum Soumerai: Soumerai@webtv.net
E-mail the AMP Tribute Project Director: Wildaliz.Bermudez@trincoll.edu

Alain Lopez

Try the Tribute! Feel the spirit!

Check out the Webpage!