Boricua!
Joy at the Philly Puerto Rican Day Parade
Philly hosted its annual Puerto Rican Day Parade a couple of weekends ago. Though I have absolutely zero Puerto Rican heritage, I like to go every year if I can.
Why? A) it’s fun! You have students in traditional clothing representing dance schools from around the area. In addition, there are groups of students from various schools with a high Puerto Rican population. There is music. And if those things weren’t enough, there are even tricked-out cars (seriously, the sound systems were insane.) B) You don’t need a B.
But my favorite aspect of the parade this year came from the sidelines.
Approximately ten feet away from me was a young adult with Down’s Syndrome. He had on a Puerto Rican t-shirt, a straw hat and was waving a Puerto Rican flag. And with every group that went by, he would yell out, “Boricua!!”
He would often get a cheer or a “Boricua!” back. He added so much fun to the parade experience because one could tell how much he enjoyed himself and the importance of his Puerto Rican heritage to him.
I only stayed for about a half hour before I had another thing to go to, but I hope that young man comes to the parade every year and continues to be proud of his heritage. It was a lovely thing to see.