August 31, 2012
Detroit’s Puerto Rican Community had its last festival about twenty five years ago. But with the support of the community elders… the younger generation decided to get together to celebrate their heritage.
WDET’s Martina Guzman spoke to Consuela Lopez about why she decided to revive The Puerto Rican festival.
Back in 2007… elementary school teacher …Consuela Lopez… had an aha moment. While she was teaching music… her students started a conversation about identity.
“I was teaching at Clipert in Southwest Detroit…the Clipert Academy and my students are all diverse and one of my students said “Ms. Lopez how come every time we have Cinco de Mayo the Puerto Ricans always come in with their flag? It’s not their holiday.”
Before she could sum up a credible answer…another student chimed in.
“David, one of my Puerto Rican students, said “because we don’t have a festival, that’s why” and so José said “well that’s not our fault” and David said “well the grown-ups forgot about us.”
The comment stunned her.
“That hit me so much to my soul because I’m the grown up they were talking about they don’t understand that this person did it they don’t care, children don’t care, so it was then, that was in 2007.”
She and other members of the Latino community resurrected the festival after it had died off years ago.
“We haven’t had one in like 15 years or so and um it used to be at hart plaza then it used to be at the community at the Puerto Rican club in southwest Detroit then it was in Pontiac then things happened economically here. People moved there was a brain drain and people left.”
Consuela says she understood what the children in her class were dealing with. She’s battled her own issues of race and ethnicity. She’s black… and says because of that no one ever considered her anything but African American.
"I’d say and being that my family has been here so long and a lot of times people either become assimilated or acculturated into the main culture here in the U.S."
She’s a graduate of Wayne State University. She says her years on campus were a critical in solidifying her identity as Afro-Puerto Rican.
“As a young adult I embraced my Puerto Rican ness.” 7:57 They reaffirmed my identity that’s what I would say. It was always there but it was a reaffirmation so it was like …”Yo Soy Boricua…Pa que tu no sepas.”
Yo Soy Boricua…means I’m Puerto Rican…a main theme at the event, Organizers also added the words “family picnic” into the title. Consuela says she wants to emphasize that the entire Latino community is welcome at the festival.
"Southwest Detroit is home to Dominicans, Cubans, and Panamanians, people from Belize, panama, Central Americans, and so having this festival is like an affirmation and people who have moved out of the community or who live outside of the community. I have people calling me from grand blanc, grand rapids, from Lansing, from Lorraine, Ohio, Cleveland, Chicago, new york, I mean its been fast."
The reincarnation of the festival is now in its third year. It’s created such excitement that it’s even ignited an old school cook off amongst the elders.
"I think there’s going to be some competition between Tias (aunts) and mamis (mothers), “my arroz con gandules …is better than yours! My alcapurias ….are better than yours! “ So as of this past weekend this past weekend everyone was at the store and in their garden and um its already crazy and one person has already said they’re making lechon azado...which is roasting a pig and things like that and there’s sofrito some people are having sofrito parties and that the main seasoning in almost anything."
But mostly.. Consuela says…the festival is for the next generation to come together and enjoy the sense of community, food and the music.
"It's youth driven so we have four live bands, um we have …which is going to do a Capoeira …from Brazil, we have rumba from Cuba, we have reggae tone."
The Puerto Rican Family Picnic takes place tomorrow (SAT) at Clark Park in Southwest Detroit.
I’m Martina Guzman WDET news.
