Puerto Rico Pride Parade
Katie Stevens|December 17, 2018| Photo Essay
On September 20th, 2017, the category 4 hurricane, Maria, struck the coast of Puerto Rico, costing countless lives, not to mention nearly 100 billion dollars. Nearly nine months later, hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans gather together in New York City to celebrate their culture and the resiliency of their nation. They also join together to mourn the loss of their brethren and protest the lack of government response to their predicament.
Supporters begin to gather about an hour before the parade is scheduled to start. Close to one-fifth as many Puerto Ricans reside in New York as on the actual island of Puerto Rico, resulting in no shortage of attendees.
Many carry flags or signs to show their support and enthusiasm. Some even take advantage of the crowds by setting up booths to sell refreshments, or flags and assorted memorabilia.
Other attendees display their camaraderie in more eccentric ways.
Teen and Junior pageant queens from a Puerto Rican municipality, Morovis, wave together from a float.
Other organizations that got involved include the NYPD, Google and the United Transit Leadership Organization.
Even respectful outsiders like myself were warmly included in the festivities. Here, a Hispanic performer notices me documenting the event and gives a friendly shout-out.
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Many prominent Puerto Rican figures graciously participated in the parade. José Román Abreu, mayor of the Puerto Rican municipality San Lorenzo, can be seen shaking hands and giving high-fives to the crowd.
Many organizations with Hispanic or Puerto Rican populations were quick to take part in, or provide sponsorship for, the celebration. One such group was Positive Workforce, a New York City based advocacy organization dedicated to obtaining employment in the construction industry for minority workers.
The event was very inclusive and welcomed anyone who took time to help out or appreciate Puerto Rican culture. A sign on the back of a float thanks the New York Police Department for their involvement and the security they provided for the parade.
The event was, of course, not all fun and games. A topic of major importance and sobriety was addressed during the parade by many marchers who donned black shirts.
They bore clothing and signs with the number “4645” on them. That’s the number of confirmed deaths due to Hurricane Maria.