People living with HIV/AIDS are stigmatized. Although personal and social consequences of this stigmatization have been documented, research regarding its impact on social interactions is scarce. Latinos, and Puerto Ricans in particular, have voiced concern regarding AIDS stigma. The authors investigated the key role of social interaction in the process of stigmatization through in-depth, semistructured interviews in a sample of 30 Puerto Ricans living with HIV/AIDS. Participants reported instances in which AIDS stigma negatively influenced social interactions with family, friends, sexual partners, coworkers, and health professionals. Some of the consequences they described were loss of social support, persecution, isolation, job loss, and problems accessing health services. Findings support the need for interventions to address AIDS stigma and its consequences.

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It is the participatory spirit of the research enterprise that cames it forward toward significant discovery, useful theory, and approximate application. (D. Klein, 1985) 171

Power is a word used frequently in our society in general, and within Community Psychology in particular. We use phrases such as "those who have and those who do not have power," "she knows how to use her power," "he does not have power over his life," "she can do that because she is powerful." We also say that "power corrupts"; "that the powerful control," that "the poor do not have equal access to power," and that "they are in the seat of power." Within Community Psychology we speak of "unequal distribution of power," "how to empower others," and of "empowerment" as a core concept of our discipline.Beneath these expressions there are various underlying conceptualizations of power. In some it is conceived as an object that can be possessed, and which we transfer from one person or group to another. In others, it is thought of as an ability or capacity, the exercise of which fosters our development and the lack of which limits even our control over the most personal aspects of our life. Yet in others we speak of power as being housed in particular sites where many of us are unwelcome.Ethics is another popular term. We generally speak of "behaving ethically or unethically," of the "ethics of a profession," and of "ethical conflicts or dilemmas." It is usually used to refer to the good, appropriate, or desirable ways in which a person should act, and to the norms or rules that require human beings to act in valued ways. It is generally recognized that behaving ethically is full of philosophical and value-laden issues.

ConclusionIn conclusion, with this Special Issue we have tried to point out the complexities of diversity and the challenges it poses for community psychology. The groups we present are only an example of the many that suffer similar plights and enjoy similar strengths. The richness of their cultural backgrounds, the learnings that stem from their struggles, their sameness and uniqueness should challenge us to collaborate with them and to unearth other groups which did not have an opportunity to present their histories in this issue.Silence, as previously stated, can be a clear “voice” of resistance. However, it is our contention that in the long run, it is not the best strategy to achieve change in oppressive power relationships. Our reading of the articles in this issue, strengthens this belief. Thus, this publication provides a vehicle so that the distant humming of some groups starts resonating in our halls, while the voice of others that has already been heard is amplified. Eventually we hope that the thunderous and deafening sound of all these previously unheard voices, can move community psychology, and those of us within it, into a harmonious world of sound.

Community psychology and the psychology of liberation provide a framework to analyze colonization. Puerto Rico has always been a colony. This experience has direct negative effects on Puerto Ricans' national identities and their emotions. The purpose of this study was to explore emotions associated with Puerto Rican national identities in a sample of 35 high school students. While participating in 4 focus groups, the youths discussed negative and positive emotions associated to their national identities. The most frequent ones were shame and pride. They also identified situations which promoted negative and positive emotions. The role of a community psychology of liberation in understanding these phenomena as well as in embracing resistance to colonization is discussed.

This article discusses the challenges faced by researchers and interventionists when attempting to promote change in social norms and normative beliefs that promote HIV/AIDS risk-related behaviors among Puerto Rican and Dominican women. The article focuses on the role of culture in HIV/AIDS prevention with women by analyzing the sociohistorical context of some cultural beliefs and by illustrating the tension between risk-related and protective cultural beliefs in research conducted by the authors with women in both New York and Puerto Rico. The authors propose that promoting changes in sex-related social norms and normative beliefs might be constructed as a subversive act and present the challenge this analysis poses for community psychology. They conclude that this conceptualization might be construed as subversive because rather than idealizing culture, it promotes changes that respect diversity within the culture and foster participation in the development of new cultural values, beliefs and norms.

Puerto Rico has been a U.S. colony since 1898. For the past decades, it has been mired in public debt, social problems, and ineffective and corrupt governance. In 2017, the island was hit by hurricanes which devastated our country. After the event, the term “resilience” became ubiquitous. Labeling Puerto Ricans’ capacity to tolerate misfortune and suffering “resilient” gave people a false sense of hope and offered government a pretext to postpone or inequitably dispense aid. So‐called “resilience” also allowed Puerto Ricans to avoid the impact of colonialism and coloniality on pre‐existing conditions which hurricanes accentuated. In this context, community activism played a major role. Community organizations initially provided aid and generated chains of solidarity. They initiated “sovereign acts” which are mostly guided by principles and values espoused by community psychology. Thus, we have a duty to contribute to efforts which can promote liberating our island from colonialism and coloniality.