The Board of Directors of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade dropped its first announcements for the 2024 Puerto Rican Day Parade. Themes, tributes, and honorees for the 67th annual festivities were some of the major announcements.
Parade Theme & Community
2024’s theme is – Boricua de Corazón. Lillian Rodríguez Lopez, who serves as Parade Board Chair provided some insight on the selection, stating “Our 2024 theme, Boricua de Corazón, captures our collective sentiment that being Puerto Rican is central to our identity and lives in our hearts no matter where we find ourselves in the world.”
This year’s Parade celebration is dedicated to the municipality of San Germán, Puerto Rico. Affectionately known as “La Ciudad de las Lomas” (City of the Hills) and settled in 1511, San Germán is Puerto Rico’s second-oldest municipality and one of its first Spanish settlements.
But that’s not all. This year the Puerto Rican communities of Hawaii will also be honored. With roots that date back to the late 1800s, the Puerto Rican communities of Hawaii have built a long legacy of maintaining cultural heritage while embracing their Hawaiian identity, enriching the diverse tapestry of the Hawaiian people, and contributing to local economic development.
“The tributes to the people of San German and the Puerto Rican community in Hawaii include the eastern and western-most parts of the Puerto Rican communities across the United States,” said Lopez.
Madrina
Also announced were the first installment of honorees. The 2024 Madrina is none other than Lisa Vélez, perhaps better known as Lisa Lisa, of the 80’s platinum selling group Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam. Recognized as an iconic singer/songwriter and pioneer in the genres of Latin Freestyle and Pop, Lisa Lisa had anthems before anthems were a thing, with her classic hit, “I Wonder If I Take You Home,” which will mark 40 years since its release.
Lifetime Achievement
For 2024 two distinguished veteran journalists will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement award. Carmen Jovet and Jorge Rivera Nieves. Jovet is recognized for being Puerto Rico’s first female TV presenter, in 1968. Her illustrious, decades-long career has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including the Emmy, the José de Diego Award and an honorary Doctorate in Criminal Justice from John Jay College in New York City.
Jorge Rivera Nieves, also a TV news anchor in Puerto Rico, is recognized for his award-winning career spanning almost half a century. He received the 2021 Silver Circle award from the Suncoast Emmy Awards in recognition for excellence in journalism and contributions to the industry.
Orgullo Puertorriqueño
Honored with the title of Orgullo Puertorriqueño (Puerto Rican Pride) is the virtuoso cellist, conductor and composer, Emilio Colón. Founder and director of the International Chamber Orchestra of Puerto Rico, Colón has garnered consecutive awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, Humanidades Puerto Rico, and National Endowment for the Humanities for providing access to the arts for children and communities throughout Puerto Rico and abroad. For the last 34 years, Emilio has been on the faculty of the prestigious Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.
Also honored with the Orgullo Puertorriqueño title are multimedia artists and cultural curators, Pedro Adorno y Cathy Vigo. They founded the collective; Agua, Sal y Sereno (ASYS); and for the past 30 years have served as artistic directors for a number of theatrical works, artistic workshops, musical and dance ensembles and more. They are the creators of the iconic “cabezudos” that form part of the Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián, which were also featured in Bad Bunny’s opening performance at the 2023 GRAMMY Awards show.
The 67th Annual National Puerto Rican Day Parade goes down on Sunday, June 9th. With the festivities beginning at 11 a.m. along 5th Avenue in New York City. Until then stay tuned for more updates and announcements about 2024’s festivities.