My Experience With Puerto Rican Pride

Hartford is the home to the highest percentage (27%) of Puerto Ricans in the country (Cruz, 5). Nonetheless, Puerto Ricans still face myriad challenges with respect to the integration and acceptance of their culture in Hartford. Although the PR community is only two generations old, Puerto Ricans have managed to both organize and mobilize in this relatively short time (Cruz, 2). Puerto Ricans have focused closely on their ethnic identity because they viewed their incorporation into the political sphere occurring only by means of asserting their difference (Cruz, 10). They have made their mark on politics in Hartford through demographic growth, development of leadership in the community, and their

Ironically, in my current position as a Payroll Specialist, I encounter change almost every day. Payroll processing always involves change and updates, which requires the staff to use whatever effective tools available to ensure that changes are continuously moving the team toward new innovations and implementations. Sometimes there is resistance, but for the most part, once the task are identified and the staff fully understand their roles, we begin with a conversation and work around the issues or concerns. There are instances when plans fail, or the outcome is not what we expected, but we come together as a team and analyze what went wrong and how come up with ideas as how we can we make the process better going forward. Most of the change

The 1965-1980 the Mexican Americans, were over the discrimination and the poor life conditions. They looked to find a new way of living from building a Chicano identity. The Pride and Prejudice action stated through a few farm workers named Ceasar Chavez and Dolores Huerta who protested on Sacramento for fair pay and justified working conditions. The level headed discussion over undocumented outsiders erupts, with a backfire that in the long run incorporates calls for fixed fringes, English-just laws and endeavors to mark undocumented workers as a deplete on open assets. All the while, the Latino impact is blasting in

Much to my own embarrassment, my Hispanic heritage had been a thing I hardly thought of. My Father left my family when I was young, and with him went the hopeful wisps I had of learning about myself. It’s not to say that I wasn’t aware that I was Hispanic, but rather, growing up in a mainly white household I didn’t think I had any right to claim my ethnicity. However, the more I look around me and learn about the community Hispanics have grown accustomed to, the more I find that I understand where I came from. To me, being Hispanic isn’t about what you were told when you were younger, or the traditions you grew up with. Rather, being Hispanic is about learning where you come from, and learning about those who share your same heritage. ‘Hispanic’

Saying ¨I am sorry¨ is not all, the key element is to forgive. The seven-lettered word might be hard for some to pronounce,yet it is the most essential weapon to fight pride. While it causes the liberation of feelings inside a person, it ,likewise, is the resolving of a sociocultural problem, pride and honor, among various types of people.

Another large component of Puerto Ricanness is Race. All of the different cultures that have throughout history combined to form Puerto Rico effect their nationality, history, lifestyles, traditions, music, and foods.

The most pervasive issue in my community is Latinos going downhill in pride and education. The reason for this is that upper classes such as Asians are above Latinos while Hispanics and African Americans are at the bottom. What addresses this are poverty and lack of education from family status. Hispanic students need to be more up there on top where Asian students are, which I mean doctors and lawyers that are high paying jobs. In order for Latinos to do well in school then there needs to be change in America and we need to be more recognized to succeed. There needs to be more awareness of the Hispanic populations to see their own issues and know what can be changed. I will educate Latinos to stay in school and then they will see how much progress they have made for themselves. A bachelor’s degree looks a lot better than having a high school diploma or no diploma at all.

I come from a place where patriotism runs through its citizen’s veins and where people face situations together, as the big community they are. In this place people are known to be loud and when someone has an issue, it becomes everyone’s issue. Puerto Rico may be relatively small in size, but big in its heart. Some people may argue that the heart of Puerto Rico is found on its people; while I debate that the heart of my beautiful island does not lie solemnly on its people, but on its cultural identity.

On 7 June 1969, hundreds of Puerto Ricans gathered in Spanish Harlem, New York City to protest the arrest of Juan" Fi" Ortiz for a series of falsified crimes.[2] As a crowd gathered outside the People 's Church in El Barrio, Felipe Luciano addressed those assembled asserting that, " We will not allow the brutalization of our community to go on without a response. For every Puerto Rican that is brutalized, there will be retaliation."[3]Luciano 's statements were not ignored, and as the crowd filtered into the streets their shouts of Despierta, Boricua. Defiende lo tuyo filled the air.

Like many Puerto Ricans before me, I have questioned my cultural identity. We claim to be a commonwealth, a free associated state, but we are neither free nor a state. This is where our dilemma lies. What are we if not a state? What are we if not free? We are stuck in the middle, we have become a paradox, a contradiction. Now the question here lies: what- or better yet- who are we?

In 2009 after the retirement David Souter from the Supreme Court president Obama appointed Sonia Sotomayor as the replacement judge. “The judge is the daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants...She is a first Generation Americans.” According to multiple multiple American news outlets such as CNN, Fox News, Msnbc, etc. To these news outlets this was the info that was groundbreaking the daughter of immigrants was both groundbreaking to the media as well as inspiring. The true definition of what the American dream stands for.The media thought the info was important enough that they covered this story on the “top of the newshour”, and relayed this information to people of the the US as a matter of fact. Yet this claim was false and the truth being that her parents aren 't immigrants didn’t it wasn’t before 1917. Yes it is true that Judge Montemayor is born of people who came from Puerto Rico but according to US law established 1917 called Jones-Shafroth Act people born in Puerto Rico are US citizen as well as a person from any other state. So this doesn 't make her parents immigrants as multiple news outlets say. So all her parent’s did was move they didn’t imigrate to a new country they like a lot of Americans moved to a different place. Through this spread of false information the pride of puerto ricans were angered.An example of this angerement came from my father the person who is hardly takes offense anything. Was infuriated by the 60 Minutes news report that he made me watch

The 1930’s, the era of the Great Depression, is a time where the distinct separation of gender roles in society sees the beginnings of unraveling. In the south, Southern Tradition dictated the ways women and men behaved and what their respective responsibilities were to their family and their community. Black women were expected to take care of their own families and then also raise the white children of the families of their employ. White women were to keep opinions and issues of the day to themselves, as they play hostess to their other female neighbors and their community. Women were praised by society on keeping a proper house, which meant keeping a clean home, providing family meals, and the family being properly attired. However,

The autobiography When I was Puerto Rican, written by Esmeralda Santiago, tells a story of a poor girl trying to succeed. The settings in this novel have an important influence on Esmeralda. They influence her behavior and change her ideals as an adult. Negi goes through many changes based on the challenges she faces by moving to new locations where society is different. All of these changes allow her to become a stronger person. When she lives in El Mangle, Negi has to face extreme prejudice against her upbringing as a jibara. When she leaves Puerto Rico to move to Brooklyn, she is forced to face an entirely different society. All of these events that took place in Esmeralda’s childhood had a significant impact in shaping her into an adult.

The privilege to move to California has exposed me to many different cultures. This has allowed me to grow in many ways. The opportunity to listen and learn was there for the taking and I indulged. I now live in a neighborhood filled with people much different from myself My children's classrooms are filled with people from around the globe.  I also have a diverse group of friends that I very much enjoy and spend time with.

Are you Puerto Rican or American? Hesitantly, I don't know what to say when people ask me this question because I feel that I have to choose between the two ethnicities. Since I was born in the U.S., I am considered American. But, if I say I am American, I am asked about my origins. Thus, controversy evolves around inhabitants of Puerto Rico because they are considered Americans since Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States.