AmeRican Poet Tato Laviera
AmeRícan Poet: Tato Laviera explores the life and legacy of Jesus Abraham ‘Tato’ Laviera, one of the leading figures of the Nuyorican movement, who passed away in 2013.
“AmeRícan” is one of Laviera’s best known poems, an affirmation of the Nuyorican experience grounded in the same tension that has persisted into the present: a country, the United States, at odds with the definition of who and what represents ‘America.’ An excerpt of the poem appears at the beginning of the film, as it does throughout, recited by either Laviera himself or by the numerous Nuyorican poets he has influenced.
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Documentary
AmeRican Poet TATO LAVIERA is a 57 minute documentary that explores the life and legacy of Jesus Abraham “Tato” Laviera with an emphasis on his deep roots in community activism. Tato was a renowned Nuyorican poet and playwright and his creative works, both published as well as theatrical productions, explore the positives and protests of bi-culturalism and the trans-cultural lives of Puerto Ricans living in the continental U.S. . Tato’s art and story is brought to life through words, images, and music as we learn about Tato through his own words and from the testimonials of people who worked with, admired, and celebrated him.
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