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<h1 class="headline">The Dark Truth, of the Puerto Rican Day Parade</h1>
<p> <font color="#3366ff">June 12, 2016 (last year)</font></p>
<p><font size="-2" color="#3366ff"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://waragainstallpuertoricans.com/2016/06/12/the-dark-forgotten-truth-of-the-puerto-rican-day-parade/">https://waragainstallpuertoricans.com/2016/06/12/the-dark-forgotten-truth-of-the-puerto-rican-day-parade/</a></font></p>
<p><b><font color="#3366ff"><font color="#000000">By Nelson Denis</font></font></b><br>
</p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">The Puerto Rican Day Parade has a
dark secret. </span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">It has nothing to do with
celebrities, rich corporations, or slick politicians.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">It is a deep mystery, from the heart
and history of Puerto Rico, which explains the whole parade…</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">Seventy years ago, Boricuas were
given the worst jobs and housing in New York City. They were
also beaten by their neighbors and the NYPD.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">And yet in 1958, some brave Boricuas
dared to hold a humble parade where they could march with pride,
arm-in-arm, through the heart of Manhattan.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">Mothers clapped their hands…to the <em>bombas</em>
and <em>plenas</em> of their childhood.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">Fathers schooled their
children…explaining the floats dedicated to Puerto Rican towns
known for sugar cane, tobacco, coffee, pineapples and
plantains. </span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">The Puerto Rican pride spread
rapidly.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">By 1966, the parade was already a
“must do” event for politicians and celebrities.</span></p>
<pre><img class="aligncenter" src="https://i0.wp.com/digitalcollections.archives.nysed.gov/media/collectiveaccess/images/1/8/7/90369_ca_object_representations_media_18710_mediumlarge.jpg" height="487" width="680"></pre>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">Today, the parade is a celebrity
spectacle with 2 million spectators, 100,000 marchers, and
a stampede of corporate sponsors.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">Rita Moreno, Ricky Martin, Jennifer
Lopez, Marc Anthony, Hillary Clinton and Mayor Bloomberg have
all “starred” in it.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;"><font size="-2">This year Rosario
Dawson, Carmelo Anthony, Ednita Nazario and Adam Rodríguez
will lead the parade up Fifth Avenue.</font> (2016)<br>
</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">But even as “The Parade” has become
one of the nation’s largest outdoor celebrations, there is a
secret that few people suspect…</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">A secret that reaches into the heart
of every Puerto Rican, without their even knowing it.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">It is the secret of the Puerto Rican
flag.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>AN INCREDIBLE DISPLAY</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">Have you ever noticed the wild,
uncontrollable, impassioned display of flags at every Puerto
Rican Day Parade? </span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">No matter where you look…it is a
tidal wave of flags!</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">Mile after mile, you see this:</span></p>
<pre><img class="aligncenter" src="https://i1.wp.com/thesource.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/aaaaaaaaaaaaaa.jpg" height="532" width="800"></pre>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">And this: </span></p>
<pre><img class="aligncenter" src="https://i1.wp.com/img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/scalefit_600_noupscale/575af4941500002b00739e7f.jpeg" height="415" width="600"></pre>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">And this:</span></p>
<pre><img class="aligncenter" src="https://i1.wp.com/benevolentbaron.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/PR_parade.jpg" height="400" width="600"></pre>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">And even this:</span></p>
<pre><img class="aligncenter" src="https://i0.wp.com/img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/scalefit_600_noupscale/575aef121500002b00739e69.jpeg" height="400" width="600"></pre>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">This is no coincidence.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">There is a <strong><u>deep</u></strong><u>
<strong>reason</strong></u> for this emotional attachment.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">There is a <strong><u>reason</u></strong>
why <em>Que Bonita Bandera</em> and <em>Preciosa </em>bring
tears to our eyes…and sometimes we don’t even know why.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">It is because this flag
represents an ideal…the ideal of lost youth and forgotten
illusions…just like last night’s dream, or tomorrow’s TV
advertisement.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">But there is one more reason, why
this flag is the emotional heart of the parade.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">It is the secret which explains <strong><u>everything</u></strong>.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">We adore our flag because for many
years, any Puerto Rican who owned one, would go to jail for ten
years.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>THEY TRIED TO CRUSH DON
PEDRO</strong><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">For many years, the United States
wanted only <u>one</u> flag in Puerto Rico. </span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">Here is that flag, in the
inauguration of the first US Governor of Puerto Rico, in April
1900:</span></p>
<pre><img class="aligncenter" src="https://waragainstallpuertoricans.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/sj-governor_s-mansion-2.jpg?w=974&h=647" height="647" width="974"></pre>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">Pedro Albizu Campos refused to
salute this flag.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">In order to crush Don Pedro and the
Nationalist movement, a law was passed in 1948, right after Don
Pedro got out of jail.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">It was called <strong>Public Law 53</strong>,
and also known as <em>La Ley de la Mordaza</em>…the Gag Law.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">Law 53 made it a felony to sing a
song, whistle a tune, or utter <strong><u>one word</u></strong>
against the US government, or in favor of Puerto Rican
independence.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">This included singing <em>La
Borinqueña</em>, or owning a Puerto Rican flag.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">Own a flag…ten years in jail.</span></p>
<pre><img class="aligncenter" src="https://waragainstallpuertoricans.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/police-find-dangerous-puerto-rican-flags.jpg?w=460&h=320" height="320" width="460"></pre>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">Every day, the FBI and Insular
Police raided people’s homes, searched for flags, and hauled
Puerto Ricans off to jail. </span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">They did it <strong><u>all over</u></strong>
the island.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">In November 1950, they arrested <strong><u>3,000</u>
</strong>Puerto Ricans within one week! Some of them were only
eight years old.</span></p>
<pre><img class="aligncenter" src="https://waragainstallpuertoricans.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/jibaros-1.jpg?w=700&h=430" height="430" width="700"></pre>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">In many cases the flag – all by
itself – was the sole piece of evidence.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">Own a flag…ten years in jail.</span></p>
<pre> <img class="aligncenter" src="https://waragainstallpuertoricans.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/police-find-more-dangerous-puerto-rican-flags.jpg?w=467&h=300" height="300" width="467"></pre>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">The Gag Law violated the US
constitution. But it took nine years to repeal it, in 1957. </span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">The very <strong><u>next</u></strong>
year, in 1958, the first <strong>Puerto Rican Day Parade</strong>
was held in New York City.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>THE PARADE EXPLODES</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">The Puerto Rican flags and
celebration were everywhere…the passion was astonishing…New York
had never seen anything like it!</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">The Puerto Rican Day parade exploded
into New York City, with the emotion and power of an entire
people…that had finally found a voice…for one day…on Fifth
Avenue. </span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">The politicians couldn’t explain it,
but they did know one thing…that they better get in front of
this parade, and yell <em>“¡Que viva Puerto Rico!”</em></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">That much they <u>did</u>
understand.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>THE DEEP SECRET OF OUR
PARADE</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">The deep secret of the Puerto Rican
Day Parade is this: </span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>The parade was born in the
hearts of an entire natio</strong><strong>n…</strong><strong>where
everyone was declared a crimina</strong><strong>l… </strong><strong>if
they dared to show their flag.</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">And now for one beautiful day,
through the heart of New York City, we show that flag to the
whole world.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">Let them throw a Financial Control
Board at us.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">Let the US Supreme Court call us a
“territorial possession.”</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">We all <strong><u>know</u></strong>
what is in our hearts, and in our memory…</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">We will <strong><u>never</u></strong>
give up our island…</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">And that is why we will <strong><u>win</u></strong>.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;"><strong><em>Que bonita bandera</em></strong><strong><em>
</em></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;"><strong><em>Que bonita bandera</em></strong><strong><em>
</em></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;"><strong><em>Que bonita bandera es la
bandera Puertorriqueña</em></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>¡ QUE VIVA PUERTO RICO</strong>
<strong>!</strong></span></p>
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San Francisco, CA 94110
415 863.9977
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.freedomarchives.org">www.freedomarchives.org</a>
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