Public Employee Press

Cultivating Puerto Rican culture for the youth

By ALFREDO ALVARADO

“Cultivating and Harvesting Puerto Rican Culture for the Progress of our Youth” was the theme of the 23rd Annual Puerto Rican Heritage Celebration held Nov. 13-17 at the union.

The DC 37 Latino Heritage Committee sponsored the annual celebration, which included a ribbon-cutting on Nov. 13 and the main event on Nov. 17, where some 400 members enjoyed great live music and tasty Puerto Rican food.

“It is important to share,” said Carmen Flores, vice chairperson of the Latino Committee, as she welcomed everyone to the evening’s festivities. “We have a lot more similarities than we do differences.”

In keeping with the theme for the celebration, the guest speaker was Felix Urrutia Jr., executive director of The Police Athletic League, which serves 70,000 children in the metropolitan area. He said there are 16,000 homeless children in New York City, and 25 percent of the city’s children live in poverty.

“Take care of the children today so that in the future they can take care of themselves,” urged Urrutia, who was accompanied by his parents, long-time members of SEIU Local 32BJ. “I’ve got union in my blood,” he said proudly.

Committee Chair Santos Crespo, executive vice president of Local 372, and Flores presented committee awards to Aurea A. Mangual, president of the Puerto Rican Folkloric Festival; Clerical Division Grievance Rep Frank Maldonado; and Vicente “Panama” Alba of the National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights. A posthumous award went to Otilio Diaz, a founder of La Casa de la Herencia Puertorriqueña.

“The best way to celebrate Puerto Rican culture is to continue to fight on,” said Alba, an executive board member of Laborers Local 108. After all of the speeches were made and all of the awards presented, it was time for the music, and members danced the night away to the swinging salsa sounds of Luisito Reyes y Su Orquesta.