HOLYOKE, Mass. — Community leaders, organizers, researchers, and practitioners from Puerto Rico and Holyoke will gather on Monday, July 13, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Holyoke Media (1 Court Plaza, Holyoke, MA) for "Borikua Power: Building Energy & Climate Resilience Across the Diaspora," a hybrid public forum focused on community-led solutions to energy justice, climate resilience, and environmental stewardship across the Puerto Rican diaspora.
The event is part of a new UMass Amherst Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies-funded project, "Puerto Rican Power: Networking Across the Diaspora to Design Energy Resilience,” led by Carolina Aragón, associate professor of landscape architecture, and Eve Vogel, associate professor of geography. Through partnerships with community organizations in Puerto Rico and Holyoke, Aragón, Vogel, and their team are exploring how strengthening relationships across the diaspora can contribute to more equitable and resilient energy systems both on the island and in the continental United States.
Puerto Rico has been in the news since Hurricane Maria hit the island in 2017, leaving parts of the island without power for over a year. Less well known is how community organizations across the island have responded by building some of the most remarkable energy resilience and advocacy institutions anywhere in the U.S., driven by urgency, ingenuity, expertise, and a powerful sense of shared Puerto Rican identity. Exciting work that will be discussed at the forum includes solar and battery micro-grid systems, community education, and international networks of engineers that are advocating for energy justice.
“In the face of economic crisis, environmental injustice, and increasingly frequent climate disasters, communities across the island have developed models of energy sovereignty, mutual aid, and disaster recovery that offer valuable lessons far beyond Puerto Rico,” said Andrea Mendez Cerame, a master of landscape architecture candidate at UMass Amherst and a graduate student researcher on the project.
A native of Ponce, Mendez Cerame was inspired to pursue work in energy equity, climate resilience, and community organizing after Hurricane Maria.
“Too often, conversations about Puerto Rico focus on what the island lacks, reinforcing one-sided models of knowledge exchange rooted in colonial dynamics. This project began with a different assumption: that Puerto Rico has knowledge, experience, and community-led solutions that can inspire diaspora communities elsewhere,” she explained.
Holyoke is one such community. With the highest per-capita Puerto Rican population of any U.S. city outside Puerto Rico, Holyoke is uniquely positioned to deepen connections across the diaspora. For decades, the city has faced similar challenges as the island—from environmental injustice to aging infrastructure—while it has also built a strong legacy of public power and grassroots organizing. These shared experiences between Holyoke and Puerto Rico create a powerful basis for collaboration on energy justice and resilience.
Over the past year, Mendez Cerame has gotten to know community leaders in Holyoke by working as a researcher on the UMass Holyoke Community Energy Project; through these exchanges, she has learned how much they admire efforts inPuerto Rico.
In June, Mendez Cerame traveled to Puerto Rico with representatives from Holyoke community organizations, Neighbor to Neighbor and OneHolyoke CDC, to meet with leaders from the Puerto Rican energy resilience and advocacy groups that will be represented at Monday's forum. Mia Aponte-Román, an incoming master of geography student at UMass Amherst and fellow researcher on the project, met the team in Puerto Rico to help facilitate this exchange.
This visit built on relationships developed in spring 2025 when Eve Vogel; Christine Hatch, UMass Extension Professor of Hydrogeology; and Pedro Matos-Llavona, Assistant Researcher in Geology at the University of Puerto Rico–Mayagüez and a recent UMass PhD graduate, led a field trip to the island for their course, “Flows of Power.” During the trip, students met with energy leaders across Puerto Rico and witnessed the importance of grassroots efforts to advocate for and develop clean, affordable, and resilient energy systems.
Monday’s public forum will serve as an opportunity to both amplify the visibility of these community-driven energy initiatives and share lessons and strategies with residents and groups advancing energy justice in Holyoke.
Puerto Rican energy leaders who will speak at the forum include Marcel Castro-Sitiriche of Co-Hemis at UPRM and Barrio Eléctrico, who has built an international group of researchers working and advocating for energy justice; Ruth Santiago, a community and environmental lawyer based in southeastern Puerto Rico, who has worked with multiple organizations and groups on issues including energy system transformation; Arturo Massol-Deyá of Casa Pueblo, an award-winning community energy and education center; and C.P. Smith of Cooperativa Hidroeléctrica de la Montaña, which is building a regional network of solar-battery microgrids on the island. Together, panelists will share what they have accomplished and discuss ways that communities across the diaspora can work together to build more equitable, sustainable, and resilient futures.
“We hope this exchange marks the beginning of lasting partnerships grounded in mutual learning, because resilience isn't something we build alone,” said Andrea Mendez Cerame.
The forum will be conducted primarily in Spanish, with live Spanish-to-English interpretation available, and it will be recorded for those unable to attend in person. The Puerto Rican Power team extends special thanks to Holyoke Media for its partnership in hosting this hybrid forum and helping bring these exciting conversations to Holyoke residents and beyond. This event is made possible through the leadership and collaboration of OneHolyoke CDC, UMass Amherst, and Neighbor to Neighbor.
Doors will open at 5:15 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
Event Details:
Borikua Power: Building Energy & Climate Resilience Across the Diaspora
Date: Monday, July 13, 2026
Time: 5:30–7:30 p.m. (Doors open at 5:15 p.m.)
Location: Holyoke Media, 1 Court Plaza, Holyoke, MA
Format: Hybrid public forum
Language: Primarily Spanish, with live Spanish-to-English interpretation available
Registration: Register here
Sponsors and Collaborators:
The event is sponsored and supported by:
· The Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies (CLACLS), UMass Amherst
· The Energy Transition Institute, UMass Amherst
· The Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, UMass Amherst
· The Department of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences, UMass Amherst
· The Holyoke Community Energy Project, UMass Amherst
· OneHolyoke CDC
· Neighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts
· Holyoke Media