The Nuyorican Movement: Obituary Of A Puerto Rican

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The Nuyorican movement was born during a period of increasing Puerto Rican immigration to New York City, bringing with it a new style of poetry that reflected the bicultural and linguistic identities and experiences of mid-20th century poets. Although initially "Nuyorican" was considered a derogatory term, this identity symbol has now become a source of pride for these poets. They used their memories of home and oral history traditions to transmit literature, and in 1973, the emergence of the New York Rican Poets Café provided a platform for poets, playwrights, and musicians of color whose work was not accepted by mainstream academia or entertainment. With the roots of the Nuyorican movement firmly planted in socio-political resistance and the desire for self-expression, Nuyoricans explored the shifting identities and hidden spaces in their lives, including the loss of their homes and the effects of cultural consumption and assimilation.

The Nuyorican movement was born during a period of immigration. after the United States granted Puerto Rico Commonwealth status in 1950, the immigration of Puerto Ricans to New York City increased and a number of Puerto Rican communities formed in neighborhoods such as the Lower East Side and East …show more content…

He was a member of the Puerto Rican civic activist group Young Lords, and in 1969 he gave the first reading of his poem "Obituary of a Puerto Rican" (published in 1973). The poem depicts the lives of five Puerto Ricans who came to the United States with dreams that remain unfulfilled. Angry, heartbroken and hopeful, it is embraced by young Puerto Ricans who are imbued with a sense of pride and nationalism. The poem speaks of racial injustice, labor and death. The main themes focus on the dangers of racial injustice, the emptiness of the American dream, the oppression caused by the majority, religion, capitalism and