The Rebirth of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade: From a Commercial to Community Event
By Angelo Falcón (June 10, 2014)
A reborn Puerto Rican parade marched up Manhattan's Fifth Avenue on Sunday, reflecting the cultural and political resiliency of New York City's close to 800,000 Puerto Ricans. After a year of controversy over the future of this community institution, its successful transformation from a commercial to a genuine community event is an encouraging sign that for a community viewed by many to be on the wane; that it is, in fact, capable of pulling itself together to meet today's challenges. Although much more remains to be done in this regard, fixing the National Puerto Rican Day Parade stands as a great beginning.
Miguel Cotto, Rosie Perez, Calle 13's Rene "Residente" Pérez, Victor Cruz, NYC Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez mamboing up the Fifth, Lauren Velez, Polito Vega, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Chicago's José Lopez, the Borinquneers, Fat Joe and many others marched up Fifth Avenue, all proudly shouting
¡Yo Soy Boricua! ¡Para Que Lo Sepas!
According to the Parade, it involved over 125 delegations, 67 floats and double the ratings for its television broadcast. Thousands of Puerto Ricans came from throughout the city, across the United States and Puerto Rico to say
¡presente!
More than a couple of observers saw this year's Parade as representing an interesting transition. At several points, whether it was their news conference in Puerto Rico and other events here, there was a bit of a language problem that many of the Parade Board members' command of Spanish was not 100 percent. But rather than a deficit, it turns out that this represented the interesting takeover, once and for all for some, of the Parade by the Puerto Rican's diaspora's second, third and beyond generations, most of whom may feel more comfortable speaking in English, but also functioning bilingually to different degrees. Up until this point, the Parade had been dominated by a relatively small first generation clique centered in The Bronx. This new transition signaled the opening up of the Parade to the broader Puerto Rican experience that had been neglected for so long by the old Parade organizers.
The problems plaguing the Parade have been well-documented this past year, so we move on to discuss what elements made it overcome those problems. In doing so, we may be able to identify ways to revitalize other institutions and actors in the Puerto Rican community in the same way.
Political Leadership. Although the Parade's problems were evident for decades, it became an operation protected by the Puerto Rican political class of The Bronx. It took an elected official from Manhattan, NYC Councilmember Melissa Mark Viverito, to take the lead in criticizing the Parade's unethical practices and press for an investigation by NYS Attorney General Eric Schneiderman that made all the difference. Her ascendancy to the powerful position of Speaker of the NYC Council after taking such a strong stand on the Parade, with the support of Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, indicates that such activism can have positive political consequences.
The role of NYS Attorney General Schneiderman was also critical in returning the Parade to our community. His office's role was especially important given how risky and political sensitive the issue had become. He had the immediate problem of the perception of whether he was singling out Puerto Ricans, given that these problemata were shared by other Hispanic parades. Then there was the problem of the timing --- with only a few months to organize this massive event, would its reorganization doom it to failure and would Schniederman be blamed for killing this Parade? This turned out not to be the case, but it was a real issue that raised the stakes for the Attorney General. He took a chance in working with more progressive elements in the Puerto Rican community, and the end was successful. It is a tribute to his staff members like Assistant Attorney General David Nachman and senior advisor Lilliam Perez, the young Dominicana who coordinated the Board reorganization, who was widely known for years as "la senadora of Washington Heights."
Community Activists. As Ramon Jimenez documented for us, the role of Puerto Rican community activists through the efforts of Boricuas for a Positive Image, led by Lucky Rivera, Vinnie Torres, Ramon and others, was another critical element in assuring the reorganization of the Parade. A new organization formed in the fight against an ABC-TV sitcom's insulting depiction of Puerto Ricans, and based on the support of Positive Workforce organization, Boricuas for a Positive Self-In age took the streets to demonstrate, held meetings with the Attorney General's office, and put pressure on the reorganized Parade Board itself to the point where they became part of it. This was a community-based movement made up of regular working class people, not our Puerto Rican professional class. Their important role is an indication of the continuing need for this type of aggressive activism within the Puerto Rican community.
At the initial suggestion of South Bronx senior State Assemblyman José Rivera, a movement developed early on to have the Parade honor Puerto Rican political prisoner Oscar Lopez Rivera by calling for his release from federal prisoner after 33 years of incarceration. While to some of the new Parade Board members this seemed too controversial a subject, after community pressure it was agreed to designate a contingent of the Parade in honor of Oscar, which generated a major campaign to mobilize participation for the Parade that made it a major nd one of the most positive themes of the event. The Parade's honoring of the 56th Infantry Regiment (the "Borinqueneers") alongside Oscar Lopez Rivera was an example of the diversity of the Puerto Rican experience as well as the complexities of our realities as a people.
The Parade Board. The investigation led to the reorganization of the Parade Board, which resulted in only one of its original members remaining in what became a 14-member Board led by former NYS Secretary of State Lorraine Cortés-Vazquez. These 14, coming from different sectors and generations in the Puerto Rican community were thrown together to work together for the first time to organize this massive event in a few months. Orlando Plaza, owner of Camaradas in El Barrios played a special role on the day of the Parade as a commentator on the television broadcast; and Maria Elena Girone, longtime head of the Puerto Rican Family Institute, provided major support for this effort. The other Board members that helped to make history were: Rafael E. Domínguez, Sandra Garcia-Betancourt, Anthony Diaz, Rosa J. Gutierrez, Louis Maldonado, Ululy Rafael Martinez, Carmen A. Pacheco. Lorraine Rodriguez-Reyes, Rossana Rosado, Myra Santiago and Vincent Torres.
In contrast to the previous Parade Board that was disengaged and manipulated by a couple of people, the current Board was fully engaged by all accounts. One of the reasons was their individual commitments to make this event a success, but also the fact that they were being held accountable by the likes of journalist Gerson Borrero and Boricuas for a Positive Image.
In recognition of the dedication and success of the Parade Board, The NiLP Network on Latino Issues hereby deletes from our records all of the caricatures we produced during our Parade Updates:
The Media. Because of the controversies having to do with the Miller-Coors beer can and the Attorney General's investigation, the Parade issue was able to get good coverage from the New York Times and other major English-language papers in the city. But within the Puerto Rican community, it was journalist Gerson Borrero, who had been covering these problems with the Parade for more than a decade, who was writing about the latest problems with the Parade as a columnist for El Diario-La Prensa, until he was unceremoniously fired by the paper for doing so. He continued his in-depth coverage as a political commentator for NY1 News/Noticias, reporter for HITN and even wrote a major article on the Parade issue in the New York Post.
Borrero's role in this process was the most controversial because not only was he holding those exploiting the Parade accountable, but also holding the feet to the fire of those involved in the reorganization of the Parade. He was critical of the Attorney General's office for moving too slowly on the investigation, raised questions about the potential role of Councilmember Mark-Viverito's politicizing the reorganized Parade Board, and closely monitored the reorganized Board's leadership in promoting and organizing the event. He also played an important role in assuring that the Parade acknowledged political prisoner Oscar Lopez Rivera at the same level as other Parade honorees. In holding the new Parade Board publicly accountable, he was perhaps the most effective if controversial element. having lost his long-time position as El Diario columnist as a consequence of his coverage of the Parade controversy. He will, we are told, be continuing to monitor the follow-up to the Parade and its future planning, so he's not done yet.
There was also an important role within the Puerto Rican community that alternative media played. The regular forum provided for open discussion of the Parade issue by radio WBAI-FM's The Jordan Journal hosted by Hostos Community College professor Howard Jordan was an important factor in informing the community about the latest developments with the Parade. Much of what was occurring with the Parade, including more in-depth information on, for example, its founding, was provided by the National Puerto Rican Parade Updates of The NiLP Network on Latino Issues of the National Institute for Latino Policy. These NiLP Updates kept the broader Puerto Rican diaspora throughout the United States and Puerto Rico informed of the latest developments with the Parade.
The Role of Culture and Education. The tribute to the centennial of the birth of legendary Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos, the emphasis on the floats on Puerto Rican music and culture, and the importance given to support the education of Puerto Rican youth through scholarships and in other ways all showed that these could be important themes of a highly successful Parade. The past looters of the event had always argued that they had no choice but to commercialize the event to make it economically viable, this year this excuse for corruption was shown to be false. This year's Parade was a wholesome family affair that was seen as the nest Parade in years.
The Sponsors. Because of all of the bad publicity the Parade received having been looted by Carlos Velasquez and his Galos Corporation, there was a question whether the Parade's long-time corporate sponsors would come forward this year to support the reorganized event. While we are sure some passed on the opportunity, it was noteworthy to see such corporations as Goya Foods, Coca-Cola, JetBlue and others, such as the giant nonprofit Acacia Network, step up. Having Puerto Ricans in key roles in these corporations, such as Rafael "El Gigante" Toro at Goya and Lillian Lopez-Rodriguez at Coke, clearly made a big difference this year.
Next Year's Parade?
I am sure that the Parade organizers are relieved to have pulled off what some thought would be impossible, and they are probably all exhausted. But now the question is, what about next year's Parade?
It is acknowledged that the Parade audience and marchers were smaller this year than last year (perhaps 500,000 rather than the usual more than 1 million). This was to be expected as a natural result of all the troubles the Parade experienced this past year and the short amount of time the new organizers had to pull it together this year. However, the potential for growth exists for the coming year that a full year of planning should generate. We're sure that, given the failed attempt by former Parade President Ralph Morales and his new rival Puerto Rican Heritage Parade to usurp their parade date this year, that current Parade Board will be be applying immediately with the city for the permit for next year's date of June 14th!
What was interesting this year were the related Puerto Rican events that the Parade was not able to adequately link up to. There was the big free J-Lo concert in The Bronx of a week earlier and, of course, the mega boxing match in Madison Square Garden he night before in which Miguel Cotto faced WBC and The Ring Middleweight champion Sergio Martinez resulting in Cotto becoming the first Puerto Rican boxer to win world titles in four different weight classes. These and other local events could have been connected to the promotion of the Parade, presenting a lesson for future planning.
But before plans for next year begin, the Parade Board still has to account the community about the Parade's finances. Will they be writing a report and holding a community forum to report on how much money they raise, what they spent it on, to get feedback on their operations, plans to expand or change Parade Board membership, etc.?
The Puerto Rican community would also like to hear from the Attorney General's office on a number of issues. First, did the new Board fully comply with the results of the investigation? Will the Attorney General continue its monitoring of the Parade operations into this next year? Will an investigation of the role of Carlos Velazquez and his Galos Corporation be continued in terms of his dealings with the Dominican, Hispanic and other parades?
Another interesting question raised by the reorganization of the Parade that will play itself out more fully this coming year is its political implications for the Puerto Rican community. One concern has been whether all that was occurring with this reorganization was the replacement of one set of political players with another. The major problem facing the Parade over the years was its politicization and one of the goals of the investigation, and its reorganization was to made it much less political and more community-oriented. The positive role that Council Speaker Mark-Viverito played in the rebirth of the Parade could also result in her political control of the Parade by placing her political allies in control of the event to the exclusion of others. More than a few commented, for example, on the purely politically partisan promotion and prominent placement in the Parade of Mark-Viverito ally, Adriano Espaillat, in his campaign to unseat Congressman Charlie Rangel. While one of the positive aspects of this could be a new role for new faces, and the strengthening of a new role for Puerto Rican women, it also had many negative aspects to it. A major challenge for the coming years will be a assure that the Parade governance remains as open and community-based as possible.
There were also more than a couple of ironies during the Parade that should be noted. For example, El Diario-La Prensa newspaper had a float in the Parade, but this capped off a year in which the paper's new management implemented what could only be described as journalistic Puerto Rican genocide in their newsroom, which, as we hear it, has only one Puerto Rican left on its editorial staff. Then during the television broadcast of the Parade, toward the end they announced a number of organizations who marched but they were not able to cover in the broadcast. Among those they mentioned was the Grand Council of Hispanic Societies in Public Service, which they announced was still headed after decades and decades by Debra Martinez, who had been banned this year by the Attorney General from doing business with the Parade for the next five years!
Despite these lapses, as the campaigns to free Oscar Lopez River and to support the recognition by the federal government of the contributions of the Borinqueneers, the National Puerto Rican Day Parade has a tremendous potential to become a major vehicle for the Puerto Rican community to identify and mobilize on behalf of issues important to it. Whether it is mobilizing the Puerto Rican vote, addressing key issues as education, employment, housing and cultural expressions, the Parade can bring the Puerto Rican community together, not only in New York but also nationally and with Puerto Rico. There are, according to one count, more than fifty Puerto Rican parades and festivals across the United States that together could become a major mobilizing force for change on Puerto Rican issues. The National Puerto Rican Day Parade could play a pivotal role on pulling such a movement together.
The National Puerto Rican Day Parade was reborn on Sunday, June 8th, 2014. Let's hope that this is a sign of a new period of positive change for the Puerto Rican community as a whole, pa' que lo sepan!
And now the planning starts for the next Parade, scheduled for June 14, 2015.
Angelo Falcón is President of the National Institute for Latino Policy (NiLP). He can be reached at afalcon@latinopolicy.org.