UNITED VOICES OF THE BORICUAN SOUL
BY STUDENT
Imagine, a hot day in June, as the school year is coming to an end and the second Sunday slowly approaches. You hear the distinct sounds of the Mr. Softee truck and the ring of bells for snow cones or flavored ice as the vendor yells, “COCO, MANGO, CHERRY, TAMARINDO…”. While all this is happening you hear Marc Anthony’s Vivir Mi Vidadancing through the city streets from cars covered in Puerto Rican pride as the Puerto Rican Day Parade calls for Boricuas far and wide to gather as one. Although their journey started off as trips to New York City via the ships in the early 1800s, they gradually gained a status of stationary citizenship through the Jones Act of 1917. As New York City, the concrete jungle became campos for many, their hearts stayed filled with Boricuan pride which also filled their souls, keeping them linked to their island, Puerto Rico. Though Puerto Ricans are citizens, their daily lives and experiences remind them how limited that citizenship is. Leading me to consider, what would nationalism look like for Puerto Ricans? I argue that the Puerto Rican Day Parade amplifies the voices of all Puerto Ricans giving them a chance to express their political agendas while reminding Americans of their citizenship and their presence as a community and support for one another.
To be Puerto Rican while being a ‘US citizen’ is a complex similar to contextualizing , “what might an ‘alternative society’ be, given the difficulty of defining ‘society’, and given that all such words lose any clear meaning” (Lefebvre 2010, 381). In relation to what identity is as an ‘US citizen’ and creating an alternate identity which is a limited extension of that being and ‘US citizen’. For Puerto Ricans it would be a limiting factor that silenced them politically but not as a culture as they took to the streets and celebrated their nationality. What is really amazing about this is that though they are a US territory they possessed pride, nationality, and a heart dedicated to everything boricua. We also see that as Puerto Ricans just celebrated their 61st Puerto Rican Day Parade how problematic their citizenship is. For even though Puerto Ricans were acknowledged and able celebrate their nationality before African Americans had a chance to gain Civil Rights. Also happening before the establishment of ‘radical’ groups like the Black Panthers and the Young Lords.
In honor of the 61st Puerto Rican Day Parade their hearts were heavy. As Puerto Ricans flooded the streets we saw they mourn their loved ones who where affected by Hurricane Maria during the past September in 2017. Many thought and hoped that the US government would be there to give aid or some sort of assistance to the(ir) people. Instead they found themselves supporting one another, through using the parade to advocate for resources and providing help for those affected by Hurricane Maria. Those who participated in the parade also made sure to send their love to those who lost their lives and reminding the government of their wrongful doing by producing an inaccurate count of lives lost and silencing many by doing so. Their platform stretched from 44th street to 79th street as they, reminded everyone that they are here and that they matter, they as Puerto Ricans represented, ‘One Nation, Many Voices’ (Guse, 2018). This sense of nationalism was also displayed as@chachination, a young Puerto Rican woman on a raft like swing, soaked by the waters while wrapped in a Puerto Rican flag as a dress, sways with the waters and cries out, , “Campo yo vivo triste/ Cada día sufriendo más/ Ay dios ¿qué será de mi?/ Si no bailo esta bomba voy a morir”. Which translates to “Countryside I live sadly/ Suffering more everyday/ Oh God what will become of me?/ If I do not dance this bomba I will die”. To many this would not have much sentiment or meaning, but to many Puerto Ricans it was a beacon of hope as they were just exposed to the unbearing reality of loss. Many within the island and on the mainland (United States) lost so much due to Hurricane Maria such as their family members/ loved ones, homes, resources, and the beauty known as Puerto Rico.
Bibliography
@chachination. 2017. Today I want to go back to last friday when I sang to the campo with all my
heart and swung to the rhythm of the lake. Video File. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/BZRAGo9lyhR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Guse, Clayton. 2018. Puerto Rican day parade in nyc: what you need to know. Time Out New York.
Lefebvre, Henri, and Donald Nicholson-Smith. 2010. The production of space.Malden: Blackwell.
O’Keeffe, Michael. 2018. Cheers, pride, and anger at Manhattan’s Puerto Rican Day Parade.am New
Staurt, Tessa. 2018. ‘It should have been a day of mourning’: one activist in sitting out the Puerto
Rican day parade. Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/it-should-have-been-a-day-of-mourning-one-activist-on-sitting-out-the-puerto-rican-day-parade-630206/
I have been to the parade and I believe that it is a great experience and it shows much pride Puerto Ricans have and how they celebrate their lives in this country. I love the visuals that you was able to create in the beginning it really brought your piece to life- Brandy
ReplyDeleteIt is very interesting that the Puerto Rican Day Parade was used as a way to express political agendas. However, I think it is very important that Puerto Ricans make themselves heard to the government and other people of the US especially after such a tragedy in Puerto Rico because we need to realize that they are Americans too and deserve our support.
ReplyDeleteThe parade has always been a great experience for friends and I. Its a wonderful experience that allows everyone to take part in Puerto Rican Culture. People usually forget the ploitical signigfcance of the event. Often do people forget that they are also Americans.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as I started reading this blog I was able to visualize all the things you said. It genuinely made me nostalgic even down to the way we act during the parade. Now thinking of Hurricane Maria, I'm certain that Puerto Ricans are going to come out in full force to make sure their voices are heard. It's just a shame that so much has to be done for some help. Sometimes I wish they would find a way to gain their independence but then I also wonder, how beneficial will that actually be?
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