PHOTO ESSAY BY DONNA ACETO | An estimated 1.5 million New Yorkers turned out Sunday, June 12 on Fifth Avenue for the annual National Puerto Rican Day Parade, an exuberant celebration that travels north from 44th Street to 59th Street.
With the themes Familia es Familia (Family is Family) and Amor es Amor (Love is Love), the parade this year was dedicated to family unity, marriage equality, and LGBTQ rights. Sadly, despite this bridge across communities, participants woke up on the morning of the parade to the devastating news that 49 patrons of a gay bar in Orlando, Florida –– the vast majority of them Latino, most of Puerto Rican descent –– had been gunned down in that day’s early hours.
Community prevailed, however, creating a warm atmosphere of unity and cultural pride.
