Puerto Rican Day Parade looks to move past controversy

The annual Puerto Rican Day Parade on June 11 is expected to draw 1 million spectators. Photo Credit: Jillian Jorgensen

No matter what the weather forecast is this weekend, the annual Puerto Rican Day Parade will march under a shadow cast by controversy.

Following weeks of outcry, Puerto Rican nationalist Oscar López Rivera rescinded his role as a parade honoree last week. But by then, several sponsors, groups and elected officials, including Coca-Cola, JetBlue, the NYPD Hispanic Society and Gov. Andrew Cuomo had already dropped out.

Sunday’s parade planned to honor López Rivera as a National Freedom Hero, a move that drew protest over his association with FALN, a radical group tied to terrorist acts in New York and other cities. López Rivera spent 35 years in prison for a conviction of transporting weapons and explosives with intent to kill or injure.

Louis Maldonado, a member of the parade’s board, said organizers won’t let this year’s challenges hamper their focus on Puerto Rican culture.

“The general tone on social media is that people want to turn the page and celebrate our heritage and pride,” Maldonado said.

Crowds are eager to see the special guests, he said, including the grand marshal, singer Gilberto Santa Rosa, and Olympic gold medalist Laurie Hernandez.

“A lot of the focus has been on one honoree, but there are other people who are leading and bringing a lot of buzz,” he said.

Maldonado added there will be a specific focus on the 60th anniversary of the parade, which this year is expected to draw some 1 million spectators and 75,000 marchers, and the 100th anniversary of the United States government granting Puerto Rican residents American citizenship.

This approach helps spark a discussion about the state of the island, said Gregory Acevedo, an associate professor at Fordham University who focuses on Puerto Rican-American issues. For one, on an economic level, Puerto Rico’s current bankruptcy process affects all Americans, he said.

Acevedo said it was hard to predict if the negative press behind López Rivera’s involvement would distract from the parade’s overall message. But he noted that it has bounced back from previous controversies, such as an incident in 2000 when paradegoers were caught on video harassing women in Central Park.

“It will always survive, and keep going on strong,” Acevedo said.