A Child of the Boricua Diaspora – The Makeover of a Cultural Institution

by Louis Maldonado

Imagine being tapped to oversee an extreme makeover of a long-standing, cultural institution.  Imagine having one chance to get it right, with no do-overs and extremely high stakes.  Imagine having all eyes in the country’s largest city watching your every move ever so closely.  And imagine having to accomplish all this in record time, with vocal skeptics saying “you can’t get it done.”  This is precisely what was asked of the new Board of Directors for the National Puerto Rican Day Parade when we were tapped to serve and transform the Parade into the iconic celebration of culture, achievement and pride it was originally intended to be.  We have made significant progress during our brief time on the job, and we look forward to hosting a wonderful Parade on June 8. It will be done.

Honestly, we were all a bit crazy for taking this on! Humbly said, I think the fact that we all enthusiastically said “yes!” speaks to the cultural champion and community advocate in each of us, and our commitment to implement the change we all wanted to see with our Parade.  We have fire in our collective belly, and with every move and decision we make, we aim to represent Puerto Ricans everywhere and all Latinos with great dignity, honor, responsibility and pride. We have accomplished a lot in just a few weeks, and we have many ambitious plans ahead to make this the people’s parade, again.  

For me, though, serving on this Board comes with particularly special meaning and responsibility.  Why?  The “new and improved” Parade has specified that recognizing, including and honoring the Puerto Rican Diaspora is one of its charges moving forward.  As a proud Boricua born in Hawaii and raised in Lorain, Ohio, a city just outside of Cleveland, I have become the Board’s poster child for the Diaspora.  It is a role that I embrace and take very seriously, and I look forward to engaging Puerto Rican communities all over the country so that they, too, participate in this Parade with pride.

When I first moved to New York in the late ’90s, I was often asked about my heritage.  I would answer saying my family is from Puerto Rico but I was raised in the Cleveland area; to which I always received the same response:  Boricua from Cleveland?! Yes, there are lots of us there and millions of Puerto Ricans all over the world that make up the Diaspora.  The Parade is our cultural institution and serves as a platform to unite all of us in solidarity to honor our culture and history.

This truly is an historic moment, and you can be a part of ushering in the change we have all wanted for so long by giving of your support. Whether through participation in, or sponsorship, of the Parade, volunteering to lend your skills or offering in-kind support, you can contribute and make your mark on the glorious Parade that will march down 5th Avenue on June 8, 2014.  Visit the official Parade website,www.NPRDPinc.org, for more information and to download an application for participation.

Louis Maldonado is on the Board of Directors for the National Puerto Rican Day Parade. He is Partner and Managing Director at d expósito & Partners, an advertising and marketing communications agency in New York City.

 

 

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