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<div class="header reader-header" style="display: block;"> <font
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href="https://waragainstallpuertoricans.com/2015/06/14/the-deep-secret-of-the-puerto-rican-day-parade/">https://waragainstallpuertoricans.com/2015/06/14/the-deep-secret-of-the-puerto-rican-day-parade/</a></font>
<h1 class="reader-title">The Deep Secret of the Puerto Rican Day
Parade</h1>
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<div class="reader-estimated-time">by <span class="author
notFaded" data-width=""> <a class="a-link-normal"
href="https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&text=Nelson+A+Denis&search-alias=books&field-author=Nelson+A+Denis&sort=relevancerank">Nelson
A Denis</a> </span></div>
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<p><span>The Puerto Rican Day Parade has a dark secret. </span></p>
<p><span>It has nothing to do with celebrities, rich
corporations, or slick politicians.</span></p>
<p><span>It is a deep mystery, from the heart and history
of Puerto Rico, which explains the whole parade…</span></p>
<p><span>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>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>Mothers clapped their hands…to the <em>bombas</em>
and <em>plenas</em> of their childhood.</span></p>
<p><span>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>The Puerto Rican pride spread rapidly.</span></p>
<p><span>By 1966, the parade was already a “must do” event
for politicians and celebrities.</span><br>
</p>
<pre><img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2013/06/08/nyregion/parade-1/parade-1-master675.jpg" alt="" height="404" width="612"></pre>
<p> <br>
<span>Today, the parade is a star-studded TV spectacle
with 90,000 marchers, 2 million spectators and a horde
of corporate sponsors. Marc Anthony, J.Lo, Ricky
Martin, Victor Cruz, and nine mayors — including
Michael Bloomberg and Bill De Blasio — have all
“starred” in it. </span><br>
</p>
<pre><img src="https://i2.wp.com/images.politico.com/global/2012/10/121018_music1_bloomberg_lopez_ap_328_605.jpg" alt="" height="291" width="537"></pre>
<p> <br>
<span>But even as the National Puerto Rican Day Parade
has become one of the nation’s largest and
best-known outdoor celebrations, there is a secret
that few people suspect…a secret that reaches into the
heart of every Puerto Rican, without their even
knowing it.</span></p>
<p><span>It is the secret of the Puerto Rican flag.</span></p>
<p><span>Have you ever noticed the passionate,
over-the-top, surrealistic display of Puerto Rican
flags at every Puerto Rican Day Parade? </span></p>
<p><span>Everywhere you look, it is an ocean of flags!</span></p>
<p><span>Block after block, you see this:</span><br>
</p>
<pre><img src="https://i2.wp.com/thesource.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/aaaaaaaaaaaaaa.jpg" alt="" height="342" width="515"></pre>
<p> <br>
<span>And this:</span><br>
</p>
<pre><img src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/72/e8/81/72e881fbe86392fc6a0f7b4aec9baced.jpg" alt="" height="313" width="556"></pre>
<p> <br>
<span>And this:</span><br>
</p>
<pre><img src="https://i0.wp.com/images.latinpost.com/data/images/full/13475/a-police-officer-waves-the-puerto-rican-flag-on-a-horse-during-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-national-puerto-rican-day-parade-along-5th-avenue.jpg" alt="" height="392" width="550"></pre>
<p> <br>
<span>And even this: </span></p>
<p>
<img
src="https://forwardlatino.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/puerto-rican-flag.jpg?w=719&h=479"
alt="" height="479" width="719"></p>
<p>
<span>This is no accident.</span> </p>
<p><span>There is a <strong><span>reason</span></strong> for
this emotional attachment.</span></p>
<p><span>There is a <strong><span>reason</span></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>It is because this flag represents an ideal…the
ideal of lost youth and forgotten illusions…much like
last night’s dream…or the prayers we once heard, at
our grandmothers’ feet. </span></p>
<p><span>But there is one <strong><span>more</span></strong>
reason, why this flag is the emotional heart of the
parade.</span></p>
<p><span>It is the secret which explains everything.</span></p>
<p><span>We are crazy about this flag because for many
years, any Puerto Rican who owned one, would go to
jail for ten years.</span></p>
<p><span><strong>WHEN OWNING A FLAG WAS A FELONY</strong>
</span></p>
<p><span>For many years, the United States wanted only <u>one</u>
flag in Puerto Rico. </span></p>
<p><span>Here is that flag, in the inauguration of the
first US Governor of Puerto Rico, in April 1900:</span><br>
</p>
<pre><img src="https://waragainstallpuertoricans.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/sj-governor_s-mansion-2.jpg?w=974&h=647" height="647" width="974"></pre>
<p> <br>
<span>Pedro Albizu Campos refused to salute this flag.</span></p>
<p><span>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>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>Law 53 made it a felony to sing a song, whistle a
tune, or utter <strong><u>one</u> <u>word</u></strong>
against the US government, or in favor of Puerto Rican
independence.</span></p>
<p><span>This included singing <em>La Borinqueña</em>, or
owning a Puerto Rican flag.</span></p>
<p><span>Own a flag…ten years in jail.</span><br>
</p>
<pre><img src="https://waragainstallpuertoricans.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/police-find-dangerous-puerto-rican-flags.jpg?w=500&h=350" height="350" width="500"></pre>
<p> <br>
<span>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>In many cases the flag – all by itself – was the
sole piece of evidence.</span></p>
<p><span>Own a flag…ten years in jail</span><br>
</p>
<pre><img src="https://waragainstallpuertoricans.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/police-find-more-dangerous-puerto-rican-flags.jpg?w=530&h=340" alt="" height="340" width="530"></pre>
<p> <br>
<span>They did it <strong><u>all</u> <u>over</u></strong>
the island.</span></p>
<p><span>In November 1950, they arrested <strong>3,000 </strong>Puerto
Ricans within one week! </span></p>
<p><span>Some of them were only eight years old.</span></p>
<p>
<img
src="https://waragainstallpuertoricans.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/jibaros-1.jpg?w=700&h=430"
height="430" width="700"></p>
<p>
<span>Public Law 53 was passed in 1948. </span></p>
<p><span>Even though it violated the US constitution, it
took nine years to repeal it, in 1957. The very <strong><span>next</span></strong>
year, in 1958, the first Puerto Rican Day Parade was
held in New York City.</span></p>
<p><span>The flags and celebration were everywhere. The
passion was astonishing. New York had never seen
anything like it.</span></p>
<p><span>The Puerto Rican Day parade exploded into New
York City, with the emotion and power of an entire
people…who had finally found a voice…for one day on
Fifth Avenue. </span></p>
<p><span>The U.S. politicians couldn’t explain it, but
they did know one thing…that they better get in front
of it, and yell <em>“¡Que viva Puerto Rico!”</em></span></p>
<p><span>That much they <em>did</em> understand.</span></p>
<p><span>And so, the deep secret of the Puerto Rican Day
Parade is this: </span></p>
<p><span>The parade was born in the hearts of an entire
nation…where every person was declared a criminal…if
they dared to show their flag.</span></p>
<p><span>Que bonita bandera</span></p>
<p><span>Que bonita bandera</span></p>
<p><span>Que bonita bandera es la bandera Puertorriqueña</span></p>
<p><strong><span>¡ QUE VIVA PUERTO RICO !</span></strong></p>
<p><span><strong>For a history of the <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/War-Against-All-Puerto-Ricans/dp/1568585012"
target="_blank">War Against All Puerto Ricans</a>,
read the book…</strong></span></p>
<p><br>
<span></span></p>
<p><span>Si prefiere ver la página web en español por
favor visite:</span> <span><a
href="http://www.guerracontratodoslospuertorriquenos.com/"
target="_blank">http://www.guerracontratodoslospuertorriquenos.com</a></span</span></p>
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