Anywhere between hundreds of thousands to over a million revelers cheered on yesterday's Puerto Rican Day Parade along Fifth Avenue. Some told NY1, "Puerto Rican is one, we all are one, It's the pride of all Puerto Ricans in New York and in the island," and "Nobody understands how proud we are to be from Puerto Rico. Just to show that is an honor."
Politics was on the minds of many, given that Sonia Sotomayor (usually a fixture at the parade but opted out, perhaps due to her broken ankle) was nominated to the Supreme Court and because of State Senators Hiram Monserrate and Pedro Espada Jr.'s recent Senate doings. Former Bronx borough president Fernando Ferrer was openly skeptical of Espada, "I’ve never seen Espada here. So it’s kind of ironic that he holds himself up as the champion of representation and diversity."
One parade watcher and reveler asked Daily News reporter Edgar Sandoval why he wasn't wearing an Puerto Rican flags, "Aren't you Puerto Rican?": "I told her I grew up in a small Mexican town but, taking in the contagious beats and Boricua energy around me, I added: 'Today everyone is Puerto Rican.'"
