Food: Puerto Rican food is a blend of Spanish, African, Taíno, and American influences being somewhat similar to Spanish, Cuban, and Mexican cuisine. Locals call their cuisine “cocina criolla” (Créole cooking) which can be traced back to the Arawaks and Tainos, the original inhabitants of the island, who thrived on corn, tropical fruit, and seafood. The Spanish brought beef, pork, rice, wheat, and olive oil while slaves from Africa brought okra and taro (known in Puerto Rico as yautia). All of the
As decades pass, Florida’s population continues to grow and change rapidly. Being from both Dominican and Puerto Rican decent, the difficulties Latin Americans encounter become obvious. Trying to make a comfortable living in any Hispanic country is not an easy task. Many Spanish families, for that reason, decide to move to the United States for a better standard of living. And many of these individuals have been able to achieve their goals in life considering their minority roles in our country.
The Exploitation of Puerto Rico by the United States Puerto Rico has had a long history of dependency. Puerto Rico was first colonized by Spain until the Spanish American war, which resulted in the colonization by the United States in 1898. While Spain was in the process of devising an agreement with Puerto Rico that would grant the island autonomy, the invasion of the United States ended any plans that would grant this reprise (Figueroa, 11/19/98). The U.S. decided to partake in this colonial expansion
"Urban Bandido" as a man in search of money and power in America. Not only do these immigrants fight for the warped American dream, but they often fight without fear, willing to risk almost anything to reach the top. In West Side Story, the Puerto Rican gang known as the Sharks always gets blamed for the conflicts that arise between the two groups. The Latino males are depicted as violent and angry, while the senoritas are portrayed as submissive and willing to assimilate into the anglo-governed
and pursue a law degree. Definitely my writing skills had to be developed. This September I found myself no longer as a high school student. I am now a college freshman in the University of Dayton. As a high school student in Puerto Rico, I competed with other Puerto Rican students who also had English as a second language. Now I panicked because I am submerged in a totally English-speaking environment. I was not sure that my ideas could su...
the summer, I read a novel entitled Nilda written by Nicholasa Mohr. I found the novel interesting and different from ordinary novels because Nilda had a different style of writing, a journal-like style. The story is mainly about the life a young Puerto Rican girl named Nilda during the years of World War II. Nilda goes through numerous experiences that are both good and catastrophic. From camp to miracles and new friends to losing loved ones, Nilda is a novel of surprises waiting to be uncovered. Nilda
Jennifer Lopez was born in the Bronx, New York on July 24, 1970. She was born in the United States to Puerto Rican Parents, Jennifer considers herself to be a Puerto Rican and she is very proud of her Hispanic heritage and culture. Her father is David Lopez, a computer specialist, and her mother Guadalupe Lopez, a Kindergarten teacher. Her parents recognized Jennifer’s talent and enthusiasm for performing and at the age of five the enrolled her in dance classes. Her mother said “Jennifer always loved
autobiography Almost A Woman by Esmeralda Santiago, there are many cultural differences. She feels alienated from the rest of the people in New York or the United States, for that matter. When Esmeralda was thirteen she moved to New York with her family from Puerto Rico. She did not know a word of English nor did she have any idea of what the American culture was like. To top off her ignorance of the American culture, she was poor, making her more of an outcast. As she was growing up in the United States, most
Anna Lisa Raya relates her experiences as a multicultural American at Columbia University in New York and the confusion she felt about her identity. She grew up in L.A. and mostly identified with her Mexican background, but occasionally with her Puerto Rican background as well. Upon arriving to New York however, she discovered that to everyone else, she was considered "Latina." She points out that a typical "Latina" must salsa dance, know Mexican history, and most importantly, speak Spanish. Raya argues
Laura Briggs' Reproducing Empire: Race, Sex, Science, and U.S. Imperialism in Puerto Rico In Reproducing Empire, Laura Briggs provides her readers with a very thorough history of the mainland U.S. and Puerto Rican discourses and its authors surrounding Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans, from Puerto Rico's formation in the mainland elite's "mind" as a model U.S. (not) colony in 1898* to its present status as semi-autonomous U.S. territory. Briggs opens her book by discussing the origins of globalization
Black Puerto Rican When the United States invaded and took over Puerto Rico in 1898, race relations acquired yet another facet. "At the beginning of the century, President McKinley carried out military interventions in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines with U.S. corporate interests in mind (Schirmer)" Like Spain, the United States also intended to use Puerto Rico to its own advantage. In his project, David Bernstein states, "The United States used its power to restrict Puerto Rican trade
Puerto Rican Experience in Hartford Hartford is the home to the highest percentage (27%) of Puerto Ricans in the country (Cruz, 5). Nonetheless, Puerto Ricans still face myriad challenges with respect to the integration and acceptance of their culture in Hartford. Although the PR community is only two generations old, Puerto Ricans have managed to both organize and mobilize in this relatively short time (Cruz, 2). Puerto Ricans have focused closely on their ethnic identity because they viewed
and influential reggaeton artists. Yankee’s carefully crafted lyrics and his free-style abilities have allowed him to share his views and reach the masses, regardless of his intentions. From love to socially-saturated comments on the everyday Puerto Rican culture, many of his songs have remained solid in the club scene and are considered reggaeton classics. Daddy Yankee’s constant focus and rapid development have allowed him to collaborate with artists such as NAS (they recorded “The Profecy” together)
teenage gang of American boys determined not only to check but to destroy the growth of Puerto Rican population and influence on their block. They are opposed by a Puerto Rican gang, the Sharks, led by Bernardo. In the entirely dance sene, the members of the two rival gangs provoke each other. A fight breaks out between them, but it's broken up by the arrival of two cops. After the police has got rid of the Puerto Ricans, Riff, the leader of the Jets, informs his gang that he will challenge Bernardo to
significance. Individual names and the names of cultural and racial groups can be very influential, however, as Malcolm X explains in his On Afro-American History, "So they'll say whites, Puerto Ricans and Negroes. Pick up on that. That's a drag, brothers. White is legitimate. It means what color they are. Puerto Ricans tell you that they're something else, came from somewhere else, but they're here now. Negro doesn't tell you anything" (16). In Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, which describes the
which weaves throughout many of the studies reviewed here is the dynamics of migration. In When Work Disappears, immigrants provide comparative data with which to highlight the problems of ghetto poverty affecting blacks. In No Shame in My Game, Puerto Rican and Dominican immigrants are part of the changing demographics in Harlem. In Canarsie, the possible migration of blacks into a working/middle-class neighborhood prompts conservative backlash from a traditionally liberal community. In Streetwise
SEINFELD: THE UNTOLD STORY Throughout Seinfeld’s eight-season stint on network television the show and its creator’s have stereotyped everything from young Puerto Rican boys to Jewish Priests. The main stereotype of this sit-com is the very florid portrayal of the generational age groups of the characters. The main characters represent the beginning of the Generation X culture. The parents and relatives of Jerry Seinfeld and that of George Costanza present the presence of the members of the Silent
wonderful love story. In the story, West Side Story, there is a huge social disagreement between two New York City gangs, the Jets and the Sharks. The Jets are primarily a white territorial gang that has been sworn to defend there street from a Puerto Rican gang, the Sharks. This social difference had made these two groups sworn enemies of each and there fore there, it was known that there was to be no interaction between the gangs unless it was expressed in hostility. At a dance on night that both
Clemente Walker was born in Barrio San Anton in Carolina, Puerto Rico, August 18, 1934. He was the youngest of four children. He stood 5 feet and 11 inches tall, and he weighed 175 pounds. Roberto excelled in track and field, winning medals in the javelin throw and short distance races. However, his real love was baseball. He played amateur baseball with Juncos Double A Club and soon went on to play with the Santurce Crabbers in the Puerto Rican Winter League. From Santurce he signed with Montreal's
rate of 9 deaths per 1,000 in 1995, but some Indian communities have an infant mortality rate almost twice that of the national rate. The same applies to the Hispanic community, whose rate of 7.6 deaths per 1,000 births in 1995 doesn’t reflect the Puerto Rican community, whose rate was 8.9 deaths per 1,000 births in 1995. The disparities may be attributed to the amount of prenatal care that pregnant women of different ethnicities receive. In 1996, 81.8% of all women in the nation received prenatal