Our annual tribute to José Martí on his birthday. Founding father of Cuba and leader of its last war of independence, José Martí (1853-1895) is also a towering figure in Cuban and Latin American literature. In his short life, he excelled as a poet, essayist, journalist, and revolutionary. Throughout the 1890’s and early 1990’s Martí worked as a foreign correspondent in New York City and his masterful narratives were the eyes through which much of Latin America saw the United States.
As in past years, we will gather in front of his iconic statue in Central Park (pictured below). Those attending should bring a white rose to lay in our traditional basket. The legendary song Clave a Martí will be performed on the sax by Orlando Sánchez Soto. Commemorative words and reading by Ricardo Gil, director of our History Program.
José Martí Statue
in Central Park
59th Street, off 6th Ave., NYC
PUBLIC GATHERING
(NO RESERVATION
REQUIRED)
For links to song cited above and Cuban historical footage from 1895,
please click below:
Clave a Martí
El Mambí
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