June 1–15, 2001
A Portrait of Puerto Ricans in South Williamsburg, Brooklyn
By Arun Kristian Das
When Manuel Rivera window shopped down Brooklyn's Graham Avenue just before the Fourth of July almost two years ago, an Asian immigrant merchant said to him, "Where do you come from? I don't understand you." Rivera, then a 45-year resident of New York City, was completely shocked. His only response was, "I am from here! We are all from here. I don't understand you."
Rivera, 57, owner of a record store in a predominantly Puerto Rican neighborhood in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, was born in the town of Junco, Puerto Rico, and came to New York in 1954. He is very proud to be Puerto Rican, he said, but feels equally proud to be American. Some other Americans and recent immigrants do not see him or his fellow Puerto Rican as Americans, he said, even though Puerto Ricans have had American--and only American--citizenship since a 1917 act of Congress.
In a way, this is at the heart of the statehood debate--whether Puerto Ricans feel more Puerto Rican than American, feel more American or feel some sort of dual identity. Puerto Ricans have a national identity, whatever Congress may say, making it more difficult for them to make an easy choice to have their homeland become another state of the Union, like Virginia. During Civil War time, being a Virginian first and an American second, in the immortal words of General Robert E. Lee, was the basis of the conflict. But that is a sentiment that does not hold as much water today--but in the case of Puerto Rico, it is not far from the truth.
"Ultimately Puerto Rico should become an independent nation," said Yolanda Sanchez, 69, executive director of the Puerto Rican Association for Community Affairs, a civil-rights advocacy group in New York City. "As with all countries that have a distinctive cultural, religious, linguistic and traditional heritage, Puerto Rico deserves to be free." Sanchez spoke as someone who was born and raised in New York City, and although said she has a dual identity, there is no doubt in her mind that statehood is morally wrong for her parents' homeland.
"I feel more and more American every day of my life," Rivera said, which is why he said a holiday like Independence Day is a day to celebrate and appreciate freedom, something that Puerto Ricans like his brother and cousin have fought and died for on behalf of the American, not the Puerto Rican, flag.
So it is no surprise, then, that Rivera's opinion on Puerto Rican statehood is clear: Stitch in that 51st star. "We are Americans," he said. "Puerto Rico has been under the American system for 100 years, so it can only be good for everybody when it finally becomes a state."
A younger man had a different perspective, but similar desires for Puerto Rico. Jessie Millan, 27, was born in New York but moved to Puerto Rico when he was 7. He returned permanently in early 1999 to work in his father's souvenir and music store. Millan said people in Puerto Rico are very different from the Puerto Ricans in New York. "The Puerto Rican culture in New York is all mixed up," Millan said. "It's less pure; people can't even speak Spanish properly."
Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory since 1899 as a result of a treaty signed after the Spanish-American War, has been a commonwealth since 1952. This means Puerto Ricans enjoy U.S. citizenship and $10 billion in federal aid per year, but, because their island is not a state of the Union, do not pay federal taxes or vote in presidential elections. This political limbo has been the subject of hot debate ever since the first referendum on Puerto Rican statehood in 1967. In that referendum, Puerto Ricans voted against a change in status, and two more referendums since then have presented very similar results. In 1993, just over 46 percent voted for statehood and 49 percent against. In the most recent referendum, in 1998, 46.5 percent voted for statehood, while the majority, 50.2 percent, cast the protest vote "none of the above," referring to the four other choices: statehood, independence, commonwealth status quo and "free association," a status that would entail a sovereign Puerto Rican state in treaty with the United States to retain U.S. citizenship, currency, military defense and postal system.
Millan, having grown up in Puerto Rico but influenced by American culture, said he believes that "Puerto Rican" is a national identity--in effect, he considers himself to have so-called dual citizenship even though no such thing exists on paper. The culture in Puerto Rico is very strong, Millan said; religion, tradition, language, family--these have specific meaning to Puerto Ricans, but the ever-increasing U.S. influence has changed the face of the island.
So his desire for Puerto Rico to become the 51st state is a little surprising. Millan is pragmatic: Statehood will elevate the good that U.S. rule has already brought to Puerto Rico. Education will improve, as will health care and infrastructure, he said. "You can't blame us for worrying about losing our culture, but the younger generations are moving toward statehood--American culture has influenced them the most, so it only makes sense for Puerto Rico to become a state."
With New York-based Puerto Ricans exerting influence on their island friends and relatives, and legislators of Puerto Rican heritage such as U.S. Representative José Serrano of the Bronx exerting influence on Congress, achieving statehood is a focused goal for many. In fact, the Fourth of July is already an important day for many Puerto Ricans whom Millan knows, but, "Let's be honest," he said, "even to American-Americans, the day is sometimes more about barbecue than patriotism." However, recognizing Puerto Rican veterans makes Independence Day poignant nonetheless, he said, and every July finds community residents celebrating with American and Puerto Rican flags and Latin music. A Fourth of July with a Caribbean twist, in effect.
The political issues are important, Millan said. But the everyday concerns of life are more on the forefront of everyday people's minds. "It's more important to survive and make things work," he said.
That sentiment was echoed by Rivera, who emphasized that individuals matter more than any one identity. "I'm proud to be Puerto Rican," he said, "but I'm more proud to be the person I am." ###