Remembering the Sin Colonias March of 1976: A Two-Part Panel Discussion
2026-04-11 13:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
at Taller Puertorriqueño 2600 N. 5th St

Remembering the Sin Colonias March of 1976 – A Two-Part Panel Discussion Part I: Voices from la Lucha 1976

“It is to assert the long and heroic tradition of our people’s resistance to all forms of tyranny, a tradition which today takes the form of the battle for democratic rights, against the effects of the system’s economic crisis and for an end to colonialism, that we will observe the Bicentennial in Philadelphia on July 4 in protest and in celebration of our unity in struggle.” – The July 4th Coalition Call to Action, 1976.

FREE RSVP BELOW

Full Name *Email Address *How many people are attending with you?Just me1 more person2 more people3 or more peopleRegister

On July 4, 1976, as the United States celebrated its 200th anniversary, a massive multiracial alliance—led by Puerto Rican and Native American activists—took to the streets of Philadelphia under the banner “A Bicentennial Without Colonies” (Sin Colonias). Tens of thousands marched to demand social and economic justice, exposing the gap between American ideals and the colonialist realities still shaping the lives of many communities.

As we approach the 50th anniversary of this historic rally, we invite you to join a special commemorative gathering. This event offers a meaningful counterpoint to official U.S. semiquincentennial celebrations by highlighting an essential chapter in Philadelphia’s activism and community history that has lessons for today.

If you were a participant in the 1976 march, there will be opportunities to share and record your memories and reflections. Photos, flyers, and other memorabilia from the July 4th Coalition protest will be displayed

Whether you marched in 1976 or are learning about this history for the first time, we want to hear your voice—join us in a panel discussion to remember, reflect, and connect with the spirit of this protest.

Featured panel, including:

Alyssa Ribeiro, Henry A. Logan, Sr. Professor of American History at Allegheny College. She has written about the July 4th, 1976, protest in the anthology Revolution Around the Corner. Her research explores how diverse coalitions have driven political and social change at the local level. Her forthcoming book, “Making the City Brotherly: Multiracial, Progressive Activism in North Philadelphia, 1960s–1980s,” will be published by the University of Chicago Press.

Pedro Rodriguez, a participant in the 1976 march and a longtime community activist. He has led several Philadelphia-based organizations, including the Open Borders Project (Proyecto Sin Fronteras) and the Action Alliance of Senior Citizens, where he served as Executive Director from 1997 to 2007.

Angel L. Ortiz, the first Puerto Rican and first Latino to serve on the Philadelphia City Council. He was first elected in 1985. Ortiz served on the Philadelphia City Council for 19 years and was a champion for working-class Philadelphians, marginalized communities, and the rights of women and LGBTQ individuals. In 1976, Ortiz was a young lawyer who had just moved to Philadelphia and played a pivotal role in organizing the July 4th protest.

Edwin Mayorga (moderator), Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Studies and in the Program in Latin American and Latino Studies at Swarthmore College. His engaged scholarship applies cultural, political, and economic perspectives to questions of urbanism, Latinx education, and social justice teaching.

Meet the Author Adriana Ramírez: The Violence My Family's Colombian War
2026-04-23 18:30 | Taller Puertorriqueño, North 5th Street 2600, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19133, United States
Thursday, April 23, 6:30pm

Taller Puertorriqueño | 2600 N. 5th St, Philadelphia, PA 19133

Register for Event

Free Event

Join us on Thursday, April 23, with author Adriana Ramírez to discuss her new book, The Violence: My Family’s Colombian War. RSVP and pre-order the book below.

A powerful chronicle of Colombia’s descent into decades of civil war through the lens of an intimate, multi-generational tale of upheaval and betrayal.

When presumed president-elect Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, champion of the working class and harbinger of a new era of progressive social change, is assassinated on the eve of Colombia’s 1948 presidential election, the capital is plunged into bloodshed. So begins a singularly brutal period of Colombia’s history known simply as la violencia—a bloody civil war that spawned decades of turmoil and splintered the country into ever-shifting factions.

The Violence is an intimate history of this conflict—told not from the political center of the war but from the mountainous finca that Adriana E. Ramírez’s family tended to for generations, and through the eyes of her formidable grandmother, Esther. With startling lyricism, Ramírez illuminates the specter of violence—from guerilla warfare to the brutalities found so often in romantic relationships to the spontaneous and senseless violence steeped into everyday Colombian life during this period—and the threat that it poses to a country, and a family, that is trying to stay whole. Gracefully braiding together macrohistory, family history, and personal narrative, Adriana E. Ramírez traces these parallel stories of upheaval in a sweeping portrait of a country and family in flux.

Reception: Hagudeza Rullán-Fantauzzi:Mi Isla y Yo
2026-04-24 17:30 - 20:00
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SHOW

Join us on Friday, April 24 at 5:30pm for the reception of Hagudeza Rullán-Fantauzzi’s exhibition, Mi Isla y yo, draws a parallel between the Puerto Rican people’s yearning for territorial sovereignty and the struggle for bodily autonomy. This theme echoes the upcoming semi-quincentennial celebration, yet feels increasingly out of reach for many.

Full Name *Email Address *How many people are attending with you?Just me1 more person2 more people3 or more peopleRegister

A central element of the exhibition is Rullán-Fantauzzi’s exploration of the Puerto Rican flag. In her photographic work La Guerrera (2024), the artist is painted in the historical sky blue, red, and white of the flag. This choice carries significant weight, as it references the 1948 Gag Law (Ley de la Parada), which criminalized the public display of the flag. The artist connects this historical suppression to contemporary resistance against trans visibility, suggesting that both are attempts to control identity and sovereignty.

Mi Isla y yo demonstrates how symbols persist and how patterns of oppression repeat across eras. Ultimately, the exhibition suggests that recognizing these patterns is essential to breaking negative historical cycles and offering a path toward personal and collective liberation.

Opening Reception: Miranda Lopez: Para mi niña
2026-04-24 17:30 - 20:00
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SHOW

Para Mi Niña reflects the past, present, and future dreams of our little Black and Brown girls. Three young girls — the youngest, middle, and oldest — play dress-up as their mothers, aunts, grandmothers, and matriarchs who worked during the World Trade Fair era.

Wearing vibrant colors, flowers, prints, and dresses inspired by Puerto Rican culture and the spirit of Plena, they mirror the strength and pride of the women before them. The youngest builds the Women’s Pavilion with blocks, symbolizing foundation and possibility.

This piece honors how older women clear the path so younger generations can dream, create, and shape lasting change.

Miranda Lopez: Para mi niña is included in Radical Americana, a citywide initiative organized by The Clay Studio to mark the Semiquincentennial.

What Kind of Queen? Book Launch
2026-05-02 11:00 - 13:00 | Taller Puertorriqueño, North 5th Street 2600, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19133, United States
Saturday, May 2, 11am

Taller Puertorriqueño | 2600 N. 5th St, Philadelphia, PA 19133

Register for Event

FREE EVENT

Join us on Saturday, May 2, with illustrator Cindy Lozito to celebrate the launch of What Kind of Queen? A Royal Biography of Drag Queen and Activist José Sarria. The reading will be followed by a craft and interactive activity. This free event is for all ages! RSVP and pre-order the book below.

About the illustrator

Cindy Lozito is a muralist, illustrator, and cartoonist based in Philadelphia. Originally from Queens, New York, she is the daughter of Nuyorican and Italian-American parents. Her murals and artwork have appeared in the World Trade Center, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and the Philadelphia Art Museum. When she is not illustrating, you can find Cindy giving her terrier mix belly rubs, singing in her local choir, or drinking too much cold brew.

Cold War Puerto Rico: Steve Howell in conversation with Vanessa Maria Graber
2026-05-13 18:30 | Taller Puertorriqueño, North 5th Street 2600, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19133, United States
Wednesday, May 13, 6:30pm

Taller Puertorriqueño | 2600 N. 5th St, Philadelphia, PA 19133

Get Tickets

Ticketing Options: Book + Admission | Sliding Scale Donation: $0 – $20

Join us for a riveting discussion with author Steve Howell in conversation with Vanessa Maria Graber about his new book, Cold War Puerto Rico.

Ticketing Options:

RECOMMENDED: Book + Admission

Sliding Scale Donation: $0-$20

About the book:

A gripping history of FBI surveillance, political repression, and the fight for Puerto Rican independence. In the 1940s, with the construction of a naval base and a bombing range, Puerto Rico became a major geo-political military outpost for the United States. For a power claiming global leadership in a decolonizing world, however, the archipelago’s colonial condition underscored the dissonance between American democratic rhetoric and its imperial reality. The solution was a deal that, in 1952, gave Puerto Rico a degree of self-government without changing its legal status as an “unincorporated” US territory. The US then publicly claimed Puerto Rico was now more autonomous while using repressive tactics such as FBI surveillance, arrests, destabilization, and other methods developed in Washington to silence activists and political parties pushing for full independence.

In Cold War Puerto Rico, Steve Howell examines how J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI targeted Puerto Rican communists as part of an offensive against pro-independence parties and activists generally. Howell’s US-born father, who fell afoul of Hoover for producing radical cartoons while working in San Juan in the 1940s, remained on the FBI’s watch list long after exiling himself in Britain. His close friends, the Puerto Rican author César Andreu Iglesias and Jane Speed de Andreu, were meanwhile arrested and imprisoned three times during the 1950s. Drawing on a wealth of new sources, including interviews and FBI files, Howell tells their stories along with those of other activists who battled indictment in 1954 under the Smith Act, challenged the jurisdiction of the House Un-American Activities Committee in San Juan in 1959, and revived the Puerto Rican independence movement in the 1960s, despite the FBI deploying the covert tactics of COINTELPRO against them.

Puerto Rico is virtually invisible in histories of what is generally called McCarthyism, yet anti-communist repression was in many ways more intense there than in the mainland US. Now, with Puerto Rico’s future currently hanging in the balance, Howell’s compelling history demonstrates why we need to understand the long enforcement of its colonial status.

Phamily Reunion
2026-06-01 17:00 - 20:00 | Taller Puertorriqueño, North 5th Street 2600, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19133, United States
Monday, June 1, 5pm – 8pm

Taller Puertorriqueño | 2600 N. 5th St, Philadelphia, PA 19133

Get Tickets

Ticketing Options: $10 tickets online

These times call for radical imagining rooted in love, community, and revolution.

Phamily Reunion is for Black, Latino, folks of the global majority, and/or LGBTQ+ folx to catch up on life, promote your business, share your upcoming event, and be in JOY. This is your space if you’re an

entrepreneur,

healer,

business leader, or

a creative (poet, artist, etc)

and interested in lifting up your biz/org, idea, poem, or call to action – get your ticket TODAY to reunite with Phamily!

Your ticket gives you access to the LIVE recording of the Dearly Beloved (un)pod storyshare with

hostess elicia – the Passion Doula

Erikka Goslin – Taller Puertorriqueño ED

Deza Rullán-Fantauzzi – Afro-Boricua trans woman artist whose Taller exhibit ends June 6

Naiymah Sanchez – trans Latina & longtime Philly organizer

But wait, there’s more! Feelin’ bold?! Enter the Phamily Pitch 4 UR Life contest. This is a safe space to shine! OH – and compete for CASH.

Come prepared with a 60-second pitch, poem, song, or call to action.

Buy a ticket (or 10) to enter the contest. (you can buy contest ticket at the event, too!)

Contestants will be selected randomly “karaoke style” to compete. Note: not everyone who enters will be selected! The more tickets, the greater your chances to win a chance to compete!

Incorporate joy, humor, energy or get CUT by the crowd. Winner selected by Phamily! (bonus points if it incorporates Prince!)

Get your tix today to vend, pitch your biz, or just show up to mingle and watch the Dearly Beloved (un)pod storyshare! Shine a light on your business or art – AND support local communities – 10% of all proceeds go to Taller Puertorriqueño & JUNTOS

Reception: Estamos Aquí - Student Arts Exhibition
2026-06-12 16:00 - 18:00
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SHOW

Join us on Friday, June 12th at 4pm for the reception of Estamos Aquí: Student Arts Exhibition. This year’s student exhibition celebrates memory, resilience, and cultural reconnection through the creative works of young artists. Through art, students explore identity, heritage, and the enduring connections between people, land, and history—even in the face of displacement and loss.

Each piece reflects stories of perseverance, empowerment, and belonging while honoring the cultural heritage and memories carried across generations. The exhibition seeks to uplift young voices as they reclaim and reimagine their place, identity, and creative expression within their communities and society.

Above all, it is a declaration that their stories, cultures, and artistic expressions deserve to be seen, valued, and celebrated.

Full Name *Email Address *How many people are attending with you?Just me1 more person2 more people3 or more peopleRegister

Estamos Aquí: Student Arts Exhibition forms part of Taller’s yearlong initiative WE WILL NOT HIDE, which reclaims the radical legacy of the 1976 Sin Colonias March to affirm everyone’s right to visibility, respect, and self-determination. Through exhibitions, talks, and community programs, the series uplifts voices often marginalized in national commemorations, emphasizing inclusion, critique, and transformation as Philadelphia and the nation observe the 250th anniversary.

Remembering the Sin Colonias March of 1976: Part ||: La Lucha Continúa 2026
2026-06-13 11:00 - 14:00 | Taller Puertorriqueño, North 5th Street 2600, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19133, United States
Saturday, June 13, 2026 | 11 am – 2 pm

Taller Puertorriqueño | 2600 N. 5th St, Philadelphia, PA 19133

RSVP BELOW

FREE EVENT

Join us for Part II of our July 4th Sin Colonias programming at Taller Puertorriqueño. Building on our Part I panel, where we heard from participants of the historic 1976 march, this next gathering brings the conversation into the present, linking that legacy to the urgent struggles shaping our communities today.

Full Name *Email Address *How many people are attending with you?Just me1 more person2 more people3 or more peopleRegister

This event takes the form of a forum-style discussion, centering today’s organizers, artists, and activists as they share how they are responding to ongoing injustice. Together, we will ask: What does resistance look like now? What lessons have we learned from past decades of struggle? How are movements evolving? And how can we continue to build powerful coalitions across communities?

Grounded in the belief that art is a vital tool for protest, expression, and collective action, the program will also include hands-on activist banner-making activities, inviting participants to create united visual messages that speak to today’s struggles and futures and can be used in upcoming activities.

As we approach the 50th anniversary of this historic march, we invite you to join us in discussing, creating, and organizing. This gathering serves as a powerful counterpoint to official U.S. semiquincentennial celebrations by centering community memory, present-day resistance, and the ongoing work of coalitions.

Presented by Taller Puertorriqueño + July 4th Sin Colonias Coalition

Remembering the Sin Colonias March of 1976 forms part of Taller’s yearlong initiative WE WILL NOT HIDE, which reclaims the radical legacy of the 1976 Sin Colonias March to affirm everyone’s right to visibility, respect, and self-determination. Through exhibitions, talks, and community programs, the series uplifts voices often marginalized in national commemorations, emphasizing inclusion, critique, and transformation as Philadelphia and the nation observe the 250th anniversary.

Paint & Listen
2026-06-23 18:00 - 20:00 | Taller Puertorriqueño, North 5th Street 2600, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19133, United States
Tuesday, June 23, 6pm

Taller Puertorriqueño | 2600 N. 5th St, Philadelphia, PA 19133

Get Tickets

Tickets: FREE for Taller Members $15 for non-members

June is Audiobook Month! Celebrate with us by painting a box of dominos while listening to an audiobook from Libro.fm. The first 10 people to register will receive a free audiobook provided by Libro.fm.

Free for Taller members

$15 for non-members

Dominos and paint materials included.

Spanglish: Recipes & Stories with Monti Carlo in conversation with Amy Rivera-Nassar
2026-07-30 18:30 | Taller Puertorriqueño, North 5th Street 2600, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19133, United States
Thursday, July 30, 6:30pm

Taller Puertorriqueño | 2600 N. 5th St, Philadelphia, PA 19133

Get Tickets

Ticketing Options: Book + Admission | Sliding Scale Donation: $0 – $20

Join us on Thursday, July 30, for a special evening with two Boricua chefs in conversation! Chef Monti Carlo, author of Spanglish: Recipes & Stories, will be discussing her new book with Amy Rivera-Nassar of Amy’s Pastelillos. The event will include Q&A, a cooking demo, book signing, and light bites.

Ticketing Options:

RECOMMENDED: Book + Admission

Sliding Scale Donation: $0-$20

Cooking con Omi: A Love Letter to Puerto Rican Home Cooking
2026-08-14 19:00 - 21:00 | Taller Puertorriqueño, North 5th Street 2600, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19133, United States
Friday, August 14, 7pm

Taller Puertorriqueño | 2600 N. 5th St, Philadelphia, PA 19133

Get Tickets

Tickets: $32.99 (includes Book + Admission)

Join us for an unforgettable evening with food entrepreneur Omi Hopper in conversation with Amy Rivera-Nassar of Amy’s Pastelillos. To celebrate the launch of Cooking con Omi: A Love Letter to Puerto Rican Home Cooking, these two Boricua chefs will be discussing all things food and culture.

Your ticket includes a copy of Cooking con Omi, which you may pick up at the event. Q&A will be followed by a book signing. Light bites will be provided by Amy’s Pastelillos and cocktails will be available.

Since this is an event for the whole family, with each ticket you may bring a +1 within the same household.

We can’t wait to see you there!
