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The Puerto Rican Diaspora (book)
Migrating and building communities in the U.S.A.
From Hawai'i in 1900 to New England—the Puerto Rican diaspora
grows in the States...more than in Puerto Rico itself. 
Don Jibaro: "I own this book. It makes me churn."
 Grammy Nominated
1900s PR Music...
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NY Puerto Rican Day Parade 2006
NY (UPI) -- The huge Puerto Rican Day parade up Fifth
Avenue drew millions of spectators on a sunny, breezy Sunday. This year's parade
had extra star power with Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony marching in it.
Eyewitness News reporter Nina Pineda was on the Upper East Side with it all. The
efficiency of the city was amazing. One hundred thousand people marched up Fifth
Avenue, and by the time the sanitation department gets done here you won't even
know it.
It was a very colorful day filled with stars, including one very bright one who
almost stole the show.
Before the fun and the floats turned Fifth Avenue into a huge fiesta, the "JLo
factor" put the crowds in a frenzy. The Bronx-born Boriqua was a surprise show,
joining her husband, singer Marc Anthony who was the parade's grand marshal.
Marc Anthony: "The Puerto Rican Day parade has been a longstanding tradition in
my life. It was always an event that I looked forward to every single year."
When this parade began 49 years ago, it was a way
to proclaim Puerto Rican presence in this city. Today that presence means huge
political clout. Candidates courted, and current pols played up their inner
Puerto Rican. "We Vote, We Count" was this year's parade theme.
The pride and unity of the Puerto Rican community came shining through: A
tradition passing from generation to generation. We spotted a grandmother at her
20th parade, and a three month old baby named Liberty at her first. An estimated
three million people came out to watch the Puerto Rican Day Parade. The
collective shrieks of hundreds of thousands of fans sounded like the yowl of a
windstorm blowing along Fifth Avenue yesterday.
"My friends are not going to believe this!"
Brittany Arroyo, 16, of Farmingdale, N.J., screamed to no one in particular when
she caught a glimpse of Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez, the husband-and-wife
team of Hollywood stars who led the Puerto Rican Day Parade along its 42-block
route.
Brittany got up at 4 a.m. and caught an early train to the city with an aunt and
two cousins, scoring a prime viewing spot between 44th and 45th Streets, against
one of the barricades that lined the sidewalks.
Ms. Lopez, in a tight-fitting gold dress, and Mr. Anthony, the parade's grand
marshal, were besieged by paparazzi and ended up needing a makeshift escort. A
group of Guardian Angels and uniformed police officers locked arms around the
couple, but disbanded on 69th Street, where Ms. Lopez and Mr. Anthony hopped on
the back seat of a Corvette convertible, which carried them the rest of the way.
The parade, one of the city's largest, went on
largely without a glitch, except for a float that stalled near 74th Street,
delaying the procession at least 15 minutes. Coincidentally, the float had been
promoting the coming movie "El Cantante," starring Ms. Lopez and Mr. Anthony,
who plays Hector Lavoe, a Puerto Rican salsa singer who died of AIDS.
On the streets surrounding the parade route, though, the police were kept busy
directing traffic. They also arrested at least 50 people, some of whom were
wearing the black and gold of the Latin Kings, on charges of disorderly conduct
and unlawful assembly.
The Latin Kings have tried to portray themselves in recent years as an advocacy
group championing Hispanic culture and pride, but law enforcement officials call
them a violent street gang. They were set to march in this year's parade as one
of the last of the organized contingents, just as they have in the past two
years.
However, a group of Latino correction officers,
the New York City Department of Correction Hispanic Society, withdrew their
participation on the eve of the event when they found out they would have to
march behind the Latin Kings, according to Samuel Martinez, the society's vice
president. The group's withdrawal was reported by The Daily News yesterday.
"We cannot follow the same criminals whose influence we try so hard to eliminate
from the city's jails," Mr. Martinez said. "We asked the parade organizers to
change our placement, but they refused."
The parade's chairman, Ralph Morales, could not be reached for comment. Mayor
Michael R. Bloomberg said at a news conference that he did not know that the
Latin Kings had been invited to march. He said he told Mr. Morales two things:
"One, it should not be the city's business to tell parade organizers who marches
and who can't march. And two, if I were him, I would not have invited them."
None of the controversy served to dissuade Capt.
Alex Parrilla, who works for the Correction Department at Rikers Island, from
displaying his Puerto Rican pride on Fifth Avenue. In his navy-blue dress
uniform, Captain Parrilla stopped near 45th Street and performed a show for the
people who lined up 10-deep on the sidewalk.
He put his right hand on his belly and his left arm in the air, as if he were
holding an invisible dancing partner. Then, he swayed to the rhythm of salsa
music that blared from one of the passing floats.
"I give him a perfect 10," said Madeline Rios, 43, of Asbury Park, N.J. "He sure
knows how to move."
The police had no reports of injuries at the parade yesterday. In 2000, dozens
of women were sexually assaulted in and around Central Park.
By and large, residents and business owners along Fifth Avenue heeded the
mayor's request not to erect barriers around their buildings, as they did in the
past. Some building owners have said the barriers were meant to prevent unruly
paradegoers from causing damage, but event organizers say the practice is
racist.
Several candidates for governor — Eliot Spitzer, Thomas R. Suozzi and John Faso
— showed up to shake hands with prospective voters. Few spectators, however,
gave them much attention.
Waving flags big and small, the paradegoers covered Fifth Avenue in a sea of
red, white and blue, the colors of the Puerto Rican flag.
All eyes were on Mr. Anthony, Ms. Lopez and the parade's many other stars,
including actress Rosie Perez and salsa pioneer Willie Colón, and Wisin and
Yandel, who sing reggaeton, a tangle of Spanish rap and Jamaica dance-hall
reggae.
"This is not a time to think about serious stuff," said David Rincón, 27. "This
is a time to party, whether you're Puerto Rican or not."
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The Puerto Rican Diaspora (book)
Migrating and building communities in the U.S.A.
From Hawai'i in 1900 to New England—the Puerto Rican diaspora
grows in the States...more than in Puerto Rico itself.
Don Jibaro: "I own this book. It makes me churn. "
Grammy Nominated
1900s PR Music...
Tito,
Eddie Finally
" I can do all things through Christ
who strengthens me."
—Phillipians 4:13
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A Taste of
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Earth and Spirit: Medicinal Plants
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PR's History
in Photos
The pages of this pictorial opus expresses the legacy, struggle, beauty, misery, joy
of Puerto Rico of days past. Delano saves the spirit of Puerto Rico's past,
once thought to be lost with faded memories. This is a book to keep for oneself, it
strenghtens one's soul.
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