Isla del encanto
Can’t say I’m the least bit surprised by the clips that have emerged from what I hope is Donald’s final campaign rally this past weekend in NYC. While VP Harris pulled out the big guns with the president of Houston, the Trump team opted for a MAGA mixer in New York. As others have noted, the gathering at NYC’s Madison Square Garden more closely resembled a Nazi assembly from the 1930s. The side-by-side comparisons are undeniable.
Along with the customary dog whistles, hate-fueled rhetoric, and divisive lies, there was one segment of the rally that was as racist as it was odd, as awful as it was confusing. “Comedian” Tony Hinchcliffe delivered a 30-second “joke” about the island of Puerto Rico and Latinos. It was vile and unworthy of a link or full repeat coverage.
But in case you live outside of the U.S. (very lucky for you) and are not gripped by 24/7 election news like those of us here who are, and somehow missed it, the “joke” included a reference to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, you know, one of five unincorporated territories of the United States, being a “floating island of garbage.”
If you skipped AP History and/or Geography, like I did, don’t fret. Unincorporated territories that belong to the U.S. are regions where only parts of the Constitution apply. In most cases, people born in these regions are not granted citizenship rights, but not so in the case of Puerto Rico. In 1917, the U.S. granted citizenship rights to residents of the island.
Let’s go back to New York’s MSG.
Madison Square Garden holds a special place in the hearts of New Yorkers everywhere. It’s the oldest sports facility in the NYC area and the second home of American film director Spike Lee (kidding), who’s been photographed there more times than I can count as the die-hard NY Knicks fan that he is.
Beyond being the official home of NYC sports, the venue has long been recognized as a symbol for artists who’ve “made it.” Not everyone can play MSG. And playing it doesn’t mean you’ll sell out all 19,500 seats. Jay-Z sold out MSG, and so did Billy Joel, The Rolling Stones, Megan Thee Stallion, Grateful Dead, Burna Boy, Justin Bieber… you know, the best of them.
Want to know who else sold out Madison Square Garden? A little group called Fania All-Stars. Curious about who was in that group? The one and only…
Tito Puente.
If you know the phrase, “ Oye cómo va (oh-yay-como-va),” and the iconic cha-cha that has been featured everywhere from The Big Lebowski to What to Expect When You’re Expecting, then you have Señor Puente and Puerto Rico to thank. Have a dance break and listen to the clip above — your spirit will thank you.
I don’t need to recount all the amazing things Puerto Rico has given us to refute a baseless and hurtful attack on the beloved “isla del encanto” and its diaspora. It’s lame. In fact, whenever people spew harmful language and negatively target marginalized groups, often our first reaction is to say:
a) But wait, look at all the things we got from (insert group) – Wrong. It centers ways the marginalized group’s labor has benefited us.
b) The person/people from (insert group) I know aren’t like that – Wrong again. It centers you and your proximity to someone from the marginalized group as the reason they don’t deserve racist treatment.
We don’t need to surface people’s contributions or to know someone from an attacked group to understand that people, no matter where they’re from or their background, are human, just like us. People’s homes, no matter how grand or modest, aren’t trash. People’s cultures, no matter how different from our own, don’t deserve disrespect and hate.
However.
Since Puerto Rico has given us so, so, so much, I do think it’s worthy of a little spin around the Boricua block so that we can speak on it.
5 AMAZING THINGS Puerto Rico Has Given Us
1. Chief Justice Sonia Sotomayor
This needs no explanation. My god, we all owe a great debt to her for her service and lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court. Is there any job beyond parenthood that you would willfully commit your entire lifetime to? Should the unthinkable happen on Tuesday, she’s one final stand against our very vulnerable democracy. As one of only three Democratic justices, I cannot overstate the importance of her presence on the bench.
2. Bodegas
After Puerto Rico became a territory in 1917, NYC experienced a wave of Puerto Rican transplants who relocated with their families. The height of this migration was in the 1920s and ’30s, and by the ’50s and ’60s, Puerto Ricans had become so synonymous with NYC that they established a unique culture, nomenclature, and identity, and are often referred to as Nuyorican.
My stepmom is Nuyorican. She told my sister and me that when she was little, growing up in NYC, they had their own mixed language of Spanish and English. They would often make up words when they couldn’t remember the Spanish versions. For example, in her neighborhood, roof became roofo instead of techo. Adorable, right?
During the early waves of Puerto Rican immigration after WWI, grocery stores in NYC were still primarily owned by European immigrant families. The smaller corner stores, which sold hard-to-find goods from the island like dried fish, tropical preserves, and spices, quickly became pillars of the Puerto Rican community.
3. Tito Puente
I hope you took your much-deserved dance break earlier. Four notes, one phrase. You know it instinctively if you’ve grown up in the Americas or the Caribbean, studied music, or had parents or grandparents who were into music. His artistry is timeless, and his impact on Latin Jazz and so many genres is undeniable.
Beyond Tito Puente’s solo hits, which featured his prowess on the timbales, he was also a cherished member of the Fania All-Stars — a collective of Latinx musicians, including Celia Cruz, Johnny Pacheco, Héctor Lavoe (a personal fave), Eddie Palmieri, Cheo Feliciano, Ray Barretto, and many more.
4. Coquito
Make this recipe for your friends this holiday season. You can thank me by subscribing.
5. J.Lo
We were never fooled by the rocks that she’s got. Somehow, one of the first things I knew as a kid about Jennifer Lopez was that she was Puerto Rican. Maybe she led with that back in the ’90s when literally everyone was obsessed with her.
And to be fair, her body was the only one that could’ve done Selena justice. That role, in my humble opinion, is what catapulted her to icon status. Whether you’re a fan or not, J.Lo represents the sexy, sultry beauty many Puerto Rican women possess. All my guy cousins were (are?) obsessed with Puerto Rican women. Truth be told, growing up in Central Florida, most of the Puerto Rican girls I knew fit squarely in the baddie box. It is what it is.
Of the world’s five bioluminescent bays, three are in Puerto Rico. It’s also home to the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. and claims the oldest American city — San Juan — as its capital. None of this should have to be said. La isla bonita is an integral part of the fabric of our nation that merits our respect, inclusion, and support. But when ignorance shows up, as it seems to more frequently these days, so do we.
¡Que viva Puerto Rico!