PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Nearly eight years after Hurricane Maria devastated the island of Puerto Rico, parts of the community are still recovering. A North Philly group is raising funds to help build a center for vulnerable women and children on the island.
Michelle Johnson is part of the Latino Partnership Institute’s Latino Leadership Program. It’s a 10-week class that dives deep into the history, culture and current events of Puerto Rico. They learned about the community’s struggles to rebuild without adequate support, blackouts under private power company Luma, and the killing of the coquis, the island’s iconic tree frog, by tourists.
Johnson called her experience in the program intense, at times frustrating, but ultimately extremely rewarding.
“I’ve been in this community all of my life, so being able to give back to the origin of our people is just amazing,” Johnson said.
That community is the Latino community of North Philadelphia, where the majority of people are from Puerto Rico. On Friday, Johnson and her classmates were in Las Parcelas, a community garden near Norris Square Park, raising money for a community along the island’s Southeast coast. Attendees enjoyed performances of Bomba and Plena and learned about the Puerto Rican population of Philadelphia.
“Fifty-five percent of the Latinos that live in Philadelphia are of Puerto Rican heritage, some that are born on the island and some that are not born on the island, but are a different generation,” said Mari Gonzalez.
Adamary Sosa, class president, said it’s important to be in tune.
“Have a night of culture, but also educate the community that there’s still issues that are happening on the island, and there are ways we can get involved as well.”
As part of a final project, members of the program have been invited to renovate an abandoned school in Manuabo, “from an eyesore to something that’s gonna change the lives of women and children.”