El Museo’s 45th Annual Three Kings Day
(Virtual) Celebration

Thursday, January 6, 2022
11am – 12pm (Families and Schools) | 6 – 7pm (All Ages)

El Museo del Barrio is delighted to present the 45th Annual Three Kings Day (Virtual) Celebration! This year, we will unfortunately not be hosting a physical parade through East Harlem for the health and safety of our community, but we will present a two-part virtual celebration on this special day. Our theme this year is Somos el Cambio: Protecting the Environment for Future Generations, honoring the work of those who call on us to sustainably steward our environment, and help foster cultural transformation through community empowerment and artistic expression. Join us for this joyous occasion that will be celebrated through a series of virtual and in-person programs in the coming weeks, featuring our colorful puppets, parrandas, music and dancing.

SPONSORS

El Museo del Barrio’s 45th Annual Three Kings Day (Virtual) Celebration is made possible thanks to the generous support of Con Edison and Ponce Bank. Additional support provided by New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs; and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor, the New York State Legislature, and New York State Senate. The Parranda’s lead sponsor is Ponce Bank.

CELEBRATION SCHEDULE

 THREE KINGS DAY STORIES + MUSIC | Families & Schools
Thursday, January 6th, 11am-12pm
Missed it? To see the program, click here.

PROGRAM INFORMATION

Hosted by Victor Cruz, and his animated character TITA, join us for a fun-filled morning and to learn about Three Kings Day, the treasured cultural celebration observed in the Caribbean, Latin America, and the diaspora. The program will feature a special presentation by Teatro SEA, and a performance by Tito Matos y La Máquina Insular from Taller Comunidad La Goyco in Puerto Rico, and more. Be sure to bring your crowns and instruments to join the fun!

THREE KINGS DAY CELEBRATION 2022 | All Ages
Thursday, January 6th, 6-7pm
Missed it? To see the program, click here.

PROGRAM INFORMATION

Celebrate Three Kings Day with El Museo and comedian Suni Reyes! Due to public health concerns regarding the spread of the COVID variant Omicron in New York City, El Museo has decided to cancel its scheduled Three Kings Day in-person event, to be held on January 6th from 3-5pm in El Teatro. In its place, we will present a Virtual Celebration at 6pm, featuring our Honorary Kings, Madrinas and Padrinos, along with performances by Kinto Zonó, an 11-piece ensemble group dedicated to keeping the musical traditions of Puerto Rico alive; Legacy Women and Alma Moyo, New York’s leading ladies of Afro Boricua Bomba and Afro Dominican Palos; and more!

PARRANDA EN EL BARRIO!
Saturday, December 18th, 3-5pm
El Barrio and La Marqueta (116th St and Park Ave)

PROGRAM INFORMATION

Get your maracas and join El Museo and Los Pleneros de la 21 as we kick off our Three Kings Day Celebration with a parranda along East 116th Street ending in a lively performance at the Harlem Night Market at La Marqueta. Organized by the New York City Economic Development Corporation, Union Settlement, and Uptown Grand Central, the event brings together dozens of local vendors from East Harlem and beyond. Rain or shine.

PARRANDA ROUTE

3:00pm | CASA MUSICA LATINA
(116th St bet. Lexington and Third)

3:30pm | BONIFACIO CORA TEXIDOR SENIOR CENTER
(116th St bet. 5th and Madison)

4:00pm | URBAN GARDEN CENTER
(116th St and Park Ave)

4:30pm | LA MARQUETA/LA PLACITA
(116th St and Park Ave)

*Proof of vaccination and ID required to enter indoor spaces, as well as face coverings are required. 

MANOS A LA OBRA: Crown-Making Workshop
Saturday, December 18th, 4-6pm
Sunday, December 19th, 3-6pm
Urban Garden Center at 116th St and Park Ave
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Calling all Kings (and Queens), get your crowns ready for El Museo’s Three Kings Day (Hybrid) Celebration! Join the Museum’s artist educators for a crown-making workshop for all ages at the Urban Garden Center’s Family Tent, part of the Harlem Night Market. Create your own jeweled headdress to wear on January 6th.
COQUÍ CLUB: A Coquí Parranda 
Tuesday, December 21st, 11-11:45am
To RSVP, click here.
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Join us for our next Coquí Club where we celebrate the holiday season with a young friend named Mimi and her special parranda. We will explore how our friends in Puerto Rico celebrate the holidays with food and music. Get ready to have fun and join the parranda!! Recommended for children ages 3-5.
HONOREES

KINGS

DOMINGO MORALES, Environmental Activist, and Founder, Compost Power
Shaped by his upbringing in public housing, Domingo’s obsession with composting and sustainability began with his enrollment in Green City Force, a non-profit that offers environmental programming to NYCHA residents. He came to see compositing as a path to community-building and neighborhood empowerment. Domingo went from composter and educator to leading the largest human-powered compost site in America. As a Master Composter at Red Hook Farms, he organized more than 15,000 volunteers, doubled compost production to 200 tons per year, and became known for his expertise nationwide. Lisbeth Shepherd, co-founder of Green City Force, says of Domingo, “Among our 500+ graduates, Domingo is not just a standout but a legend.” In 2020, Domingo was an inaugural awardee of the David Prize, a celebration of individuals and ideas to create a better, brighter New York City.
WILLIE PERDOMO, Author, and New York State Poet Laureate

Willie Perdomo was born and raised in East Harlem. He is the author of Smoking Lovely: The Remix, The Crazy Bunch, The Essential Hits of Shorty Bon Bon, and Where a Nickel Costs of Dime. Winner of the Foundation for Contemporary Arts Cy Twombly Award for Poetry, and the PEN Open Book Award, Perdomo was also a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Poetry Society of America Norma Farber First Book Award. He is co-editor of the anthology, Latínext, and his work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Poetry, Washington Post, The Best American Poetry 2019, and African Voices. He teaches at Phillips Exeter Academy and was recently appointed New York State Poet Laureate.

 

ELIZABETH YEAMPIERRE, Climate Justice Leader, Executive Director, UPROSE
Elizabeth Yeampierre is an internationally recognized Puerto Rican climate justice leader of African and Indigenous ancestry, born and raised in New York City. Elizabeth is co-chair of the Climate Justice Alliance, a national frontline led organization and Executive Director of UPROSE, Brooklyn’s oldest Puerto Rican community-based organization. Elizabeth was the 1st Latina Chair of the USEPA National Environmental Justice Advisory Council and opening speaker for the first White House Council on Environmental Quality Forum on Environmental Justice under Obama. Elizabeth has been featured in the NY Times as a visionary paving the path to Climate Justice. She was named by Apolitical as Climate 100: The World’s Most Influential People in Climate Policy, selected by VOGUE as one of 13 women leading in the world on climate change and a recipient of the Frederick Douglass Abolitionist Award FD200. Recently, she has spoken at Oxford University, the Ethos Conference in Brazil and the Hague.

KING EMERITUS + MADRINAS + PADRINOS

*KING EMERITUS* JESUS 'PAPOLETO' MELENDEZ, Poet, and Author
Long considered one of the original founders of the Nuyorican Movement, Papoleto addresses political, intellectual and linguistic topics in his work that remain relevant today. A New York-born Puerto Rican award-winning poet, playwright, teacher and activist, he began his career nearly 40 years ago as a poet-facilitator in public schools, working at workshop programs in California and New York. Over the years, Papoleto has performed his poetry with his musical group “Exiled Genius,” with Eugene Mingus on piano, and M’Chaka Uba on bass, a trio that combined the tradition of jazz spontaneity and precision with the natural melody of the poetic voice in poetry/jazz collaboration.
SULMA ARZU-BROWN, Author, and Director of Operations, New York Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
For over 15 years Sulma Arzu-Brown has worked professionally as a champion for Diversity and Inclusion. In 2005 Sulma began working with The Garifuna Coalition USA, which led to the NY State Senate declaring March 11th to April 12th as Garifuna-American Heritage Month. In her role as The NYC Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Director of Operations, Sulma’s platform has sparked a surge of professionals within the community identifying themselves as Afro-Latino. Sulma is the award-winning author of Bad Hair Does Not Exist/Pelo Malo No Existe!; Her follow up book, My Hair Comes With Me-Shifting the Paradigm of What Success Looks Like addresses the infinite possibilities of professional careers that young women of color can pursue. Sulma has been featured in Black Enterprise magazine, Huffington Post, Despierta America, and Remezcla; and has partnered with Barnes & Noble, Columbia University, and NYCDOE, among others.
EDDIE BAUTISTA, Executive Director, NYC Environmental Justice Alliance
Eddie Bautista is the Executive Director of the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance (NYC-EJA), a 30-year-old network of community-based organizations of color that has fought for the empowerment of environmentally overburdened neighborhoods. Under Eddie’s leadership, NYC-EJA’s campaign accomplishments have re-defined environmental/climate justice advocacy in New York – as leaders of allied coalitions, we championed: NYC’s first “Waste Equity” law (reducing permitted capacity for waste transfer stations in NYC’s most overburdened communities), Commercial Waste Zones (the most significant overhaul of NYC’s commercial waste system in decades), Congestion Pricing for NYC’s central business district (the first by any North American city), the NYC Climate Mobilization Act (the most ambitious energy efficiency mandate by any U.S. city), and the NYS Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act, the most aggressive state climate action law in the nation (mandating 100% net-zero greenhouse gas emissions reductions – economy-wide – by 2050. This law inspired President Biden’s Justice40 national initiative.)
RAY FIGUEROA, President, NYC Community Garden Coalition
Raymond Figueroa, Jr. is the Co-founder and Director of the Brook Park Youth Farm’s Alternatives-to-Incarceration program for formerly incarcerated youth. The Youth Farm helps heal the chronic trauma of the systemic criminalization, poverty, and hunger of Black/Latinx youth. Its work has become a model for those seeking locally developed nature-based solutions. As President of the New York City Community Garden Coalition, Ray coordinates grassroots-driven advocacy aimed at preserving community gardens on land originally stewarded by the Lenape, historically abandoned by the city and reclaimed by Black/Latinx residents, thus creating cultural and ecological hubs of resilience and self-determination. Ray also serves on the Sustainable Environmental Systems Faculty at Pratt Institute’s Graduate Center for Planning and Environment.
NILKA MARTELL, Environmental Advocate, and Founder of Loving the Bronx
Nilka Martell is a community organizer and Founder of Loving the Bronx, a Bronx-based environmental nonprofit dedicated to community building, development, and organizing around social and environmental issues through the use of parks, open spaces and waterways. She first started organizing in 2010 when she founded G.I.V.E. (Giving Involved Virginia Avenue Efforts), a small organization that gathered to clean up her block in an effort to further beautify the neighborhood. Her efforts eventually grew, and now, because of Nilka, great strides have been made in the Bronx toward environmental improvement and preservation. Nilka’s passion can be seen and felt in every aspect of her work. Along with leading Loving the Bronx, she is also the Co-Chair of the Bronx Alliance for Parks and Green Spaces, the president of Friends of Pelham Bay Park, and serves on the boards of the Bronx River Alliance and the Bronx Council for Environmental Equality.
JUSTIN MASHIA, Co-Founder, Bronx Sole
Bronx Sole is a running group with a mission to keep the Bronx healthy by creating a positive space where running, walking, socializing, and history meet. They pride themselves on building up the community in every way they can, whether it’s through park clean ups or making sure no one gets left behind on a run. Created in 2016, co-founders Justin Mashia and Pedro Rivera fa-cilitate fun, casual, social runs with a little Bronx history. Through Bronx Sole, they demon-strate their commitment to maintaining the Bronx healthy, green, and “Bronx Strong”. During COVID, they pivoted their focus as a running group to help the community, and they raised funds to feed six local Bronx hospitals. As keepers of St. James Park in the Bronx, Justin and Pedro are also outspoken environmental advocates. They are strong believers in the Bronx Sole mantra: “Your Health, Your Hood, Your History”.
MICHAEL MENDEZ, Conservation Manager, Bronx River Alliance
Michael Mendez is the Conservation Manager at the Bronx River Alliance and has been a member of the Bronx River Conservation Crew since 2004. In addition to supervising and implementing the work of the Conservation Crew, he is a water quality monitoring Site Leader and collaborates with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.
LILLIAN REYES, Senior Outreach Coordinator, GreenThumb
Lillian Reyes is the Senior Outreach Coordinator at NYC Parks GreenThumb where she has supported community gardeners across the city for 15 years. In her position, she is the first point of contact for an established network of gardeners and assists with the full renovation of gardens, resulting in more functional and welcoming spaces. In recent years, Lillian has been in charge of engaging communities in rebuilding community gardens in housing developments through an innovative partnership with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) that will engage and support 50 gardens across the city. Lillian is a proud Puerto Rican and from the Bronx.
PEDRO RIVERA, Co-Founder, Bronx Sole
Bronx Sole is a running group with a mission to keep the Bronx healthy by creating a positive space where running, walking, socializing, and history meet. They pride themselves on building up the community in every way they can, whether it’s through park clean ups or making sure no one gets left behind on a run. Created in 2016, co-founders Justin Mashia and Pedro Rivera fa-cilitate fun, casual, social runs with a little Bronx history. Through Bronx Sole, they demon-strate their commitment to maintaining the Bronx healthy, green, and “Bronx Strong”. During COVID, they pivoted their focus as a running group to help the community, and they raised funds to feed six local Bronx hospitals. As keepers of St. James Park in the Bronx, Justin and Pedro are also outspoken environmental advocates. They are strong believers in the Bronx Sole mantra: “Your Health, Your Hood, Your History”.
SANDRA RIVERA, Dancer, Choreographer, and Educator
Sandra Rivera is a dancer, choreographer, and educator. Among her fondest memories of growing up in El Barrio is attending Commander Shea School where she was a student of Elisa Belpré Maduro. Working as a teaching artist with El Museo del Barrio led to choreographing the 50-member ensemble piece, Star That Guided Three Kings. Inspired by her Puerto Rican heritage, she produced works for the Julia de Burgos Cultural Center (Barrio Girl, A Life Through Dance and An Homage to Julia de Burgos). Her film Zemi 2 was featured by ColectivXs in their production Toward A Latinx Practice. Drawing on experience as a founding member of Ballet Hispanico and training from Tina Ramirez, she wrote Spanish Dance in New York City’s Puerto Rican Community, published in the journal Dance Index. She is a member of Dances for a Variable Population. She gained her BA from CUNY for Dance in the Latino Diaspora.
DR. VANESSA K. VALDÉS, Scholar & Dean of CUNY Macaulay Honors College
Dr. Vanessa K. Valdés is the Interim Dean of the Macaulay Honors College at CUNY for the 2021-2022 academic year. She is the former director of the Black Studies Program at The City College of New York-CUNY. A graduate of Yale and Vanderbilt Universities, and a Professor of Spanish and Portuguese, her research interests focus on the cultural production of Black peoples throughout the Americas: the United States and Latin America, including Brazil, and the Caribbean. She is the author of Oshun’s Daughters: The Search for Womanhood in the Americas (2014) and Diasporic Blackness: The Life and Times of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg (2017). Her latest book, Racialized Visions: Haiti and the Hispanic Caribbean (2020) is an edited collection that re-centers Haiti in the disciplines of Caribbean, and more broadly, Latin American Studies.
VIRTUAL TOURS + EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

THREE KINGS DAY POSTER

This year’s Three Kings poster (seen above) was created by award winning Puerto Rican painter and artistan Daniel DelValle. A former freelance illustrator in publishing, he later transitioned to becoming a NYC gardener, where he informed children about the joy of gardening and the need to preserve our environment. This year’s Three Kings poster is inspired by this experience and illustrates children and educators planting.
DOWNLOAD HERE
VIRTUAL TOURS
Multicultural Connections: Three Kings Day
LEARN MORE
EDUCATION RESOURCE GUIDE
Three Kings Day 
LEARN MORE
CROWN-MAKING (Template)
LEARN MORE
3K2022 STEERING COMMITTEE
El Museo del Barrio would like to thank the following Steering Committee members for their tireless efforts and steadfast dedication to this year’s Three Kings Day Parade celebration: Clarisa Alayeto, Manager of Community and Government Affairs, DREAM; Leenda Bonilla, Partnership for Parks; Isabel M. Figueroa Creator, Educator, Organizer, Co-Founder, Siempre Contigo, Inc. Roberto G. Lebron, Office of the Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman; Christine Licata, Independent Curator and Arts Advocacy Consultant; Jesús-Papoleto Melendez Activist/Poet; Alberto Minotta, ProyectoBBRAVO; Joe Rogers Jr., Founder & Facilitator, Total Equity Now; Nina Saxon, Office of New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer; Taina Traverso, Taina Touch Enterprize, Inc. and Carmen Vasquez, Community Advocate.