The first New York Puerto Rican Day Parade was held in "El Barrio" in Manhattan. Amongst its founders were; José "Chuito" Caballero, Peter Ortiz, Luisa Quintero, Victor López, Luis Amando Feliciano, Vicente Hernández, Angel M. Arroyo, Atanacio Rivera Feliciano, y Amalio Maisanave Ríos. Its first President was Victor López and it was coordinated by José Caballero. The Grand Marshall was Oscar González Suarez, Esq. Prominent personalites from Puerto Rico headed by then Governor Don Luis Muñoz Marin, attended the initial parade. Several Mayors from Puerto Rico, led by the Mayor of the Municipality of Corozal, Hon. Leo Cabranes also participated.
In 1995 we felt that it was time to expand this event to the national scene, reminding Puerto Ricans throughout the country of their heritage and fostering the positive image of our people. An example of the national interest in this expansion effort is the participation of delegations from thirty-one states, including Alaska and Hawaii in the 1999 Parade.
The National Puerto Rican Day Parade is the successor to the New York Puerto Rican Day Parade, an event that operated for thirty-eight (38) consecutive years, enhancing the pride of the Puerto Rican people and promoting their contributions to the United States.
The National Puerto Rican Day Parade, Inc., a nonprofit 501 ( c )(3) corporation founded in 1995, has been created to provide Puerto Ricans throughout the United States and all its possessions with a vehicle for the promotion of our people and their culture in a national setting. Its founding members were; Dr. Ramón S. Vélez, Ralph Morales, María Román and Madelyn Lugo.
The National Puerto Rican Day Parade, Inc. was established to create a national awareness and appreciation of Puerto Rican culture and its contribution to the culture and society of the United States. In addition, it promotes the study, improvement, and/or advancement of Puerto Rican culture and the arts by encouraging, promoting, coordinating, developing, managing and participating in various cultural events, including musical productions, plays art exhibits, and the conduct of parades in the City of New York and throughout the United States.
Our mission is to enhance the self-esteem of our people and use their pride to promoted economic development, education, cultural recognition, and advancement. We know that we must emphasize the achievements made by thousands of Puerto Ricans in business, government, and industry to encourage our youth to achieve their dreams and ambitions through education and hard work.
The Parade, televised for three hours, achieves the highest Nielsen rating for stations in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area. More than 80,000 participants marched with delegations from the towns of Puerto Rico and various states across the nation.
The Parade is attended by an average of more than 2 million people along its route making it one of the largest outdoor events in the United States. The Parade is shown on New York Metropolitan area Spanish television stations and via satellite, throughout the world, making it a truly international event.
The Parade up Fifth Avenue, while certainly the most visible aspect of the celebration of the culture and heritage of the Puerto Rican People, is not the only event associated with The National Puerto Rican Day Parade, Inc.'s activities. More than 10,000 people each year attend a variety of Parade related award ceremonies, banquets and cultural events.
At the same time, by educating our future Puerto Rican generations in the United States, about their history we will be promoting pride in our roots, culture, and traditions and further promote the empowerment in leadership and self-esteem.