NASHUA, NH – Residents gathered at the Nashua Public Library on June 7 for the Passport to the World Series, this time celebrating Puerto Rico with food, crafts, music, and performances.
The series is sponsored by the Friends of the Nashua Public Library.
“Nashua is filled with so many great local leaders from a wide variety of backgrounds, and we’ve been able to work with nearly a dozen local groups to bring these concerts together,” said Pamela Baker, programming and marketing librarian.
Baker organized the event along with three local leaders of Puerto Rican heritage, Jasmine Allen, and public health workers Iraida Munoz and Adriana Lopera.
Rice and Beans 603 served traditional Puerto Rican food, and Bob Fritsch of the Nashua Coin Club donated presentation boards with pictures of the island’s main attractions.
Puerto Rican musician and educator Jorge Santiago Arce educated attendees on the history and culture of the island through music and storytelling, Jennice Chewlin read bilingual children’s books about the island, and Beats and Vibes Wellness put on a dance performance.
“Some of the most meaningful moments from these events have been attendees who left feeling closer to their cultural heritage and proud to see their roots represented,” Baker said. “It’s also been a chance for some of these organizers to highlight ongoing issues in these countries or cities.”
With Passport to Puerto Rico, residents with connections to the island were able to proudly display and celebrate their culture, something that they weren’t always able to do.
“For Puerto Ricans, the flag is a really important symbol,” Lopera said. “It’s really had an evolution. Even though it might seem like a minor change, the differences in the shades of blue actually have meaning.”
The Grito de Lares flag in 1868 during the uprising against Spanish colonial rule.
In 1892, Puerto Rico created a flag inspired by the Cuban flag with a sky blue triangle. However, when the island became a US territory in 1952, this flag was outlawed, and the blue was made darker, similar to the blue of the American flag.
When a regulation confirmed the colors of the flag as red, white, and blue in 1995, the flag took on a medium shade of blue as the most common version. The sky blue is associated with calls for independence.
Allen, with help from her father, created a black and white Puerto Rican flag door, inspired by the doors of San Juan. This flag is a symbol of resistance and grief, and was created after president Barack Obama passed the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA), putting the island’s finances under federal oversight.
“I figured it would be a great photo opportunity and a great way to teach people about the history of the flag and how, at one point, our people weren’t even allowed to show it,” she said.
Allen also led a craft for people to make El Flor de Maga – the national flower of Puerto Rico – out of pipe cleaners and construction paper.
“Hurricanes happen and this flower is pretty resistant, and so we use it as our symbol of resilience,” Allen said.
“It feels nice to be in an environment where people want to learn,” Allen added. “Puerto Rico is such a small island, but it’s got a lot of character, so it’s just one of those things where it’s nice to share a little of that island.”
