The document provides a history of the Annual Regional Conference of Parades & Festivals, which has been organized since 1997 by Puerto Rican Federal Affairs Administration and Parada San Juan Bautista, Inc. to bring awareness of Hispanic culture and traditions. Juan J. González and Beatrice M. Caraballo have moderated the conference since its inception and helped compile a directory of over 65 participating organizations nationwide. The conference has helped create networks and bring together around 100 representatives annually to educate through workshops and events.

2. History of the
Annual Regional Conference of Parades & festivals
Puerto Rican Federal Affairs Administration and the Parada San Juan Bautista, Inc. have been
organizing the Annual Regional Conference of Parades & Festivals since 1997. The first Conference
was held in Trenton at the offices of El Congreso. Subsequently, the National Puerto Rican Parade
Day, Inc. got involved.
Juan J. González, Esq., President and Parade Coordinator of the Parada San Juan Bautista, Inc. of
Camden, New Jersey along with Beatrice M. Caraballo, Founder of El Coqui Del Caribe
Entertainment, have been moderating the conference since its inception. They continue to bring
important topics of discussion to the Conference every year.
The Parada San Juan Bautista, Inc. has kept records of the Conference. In 2000, Beatrice M.
Caraballo became very instrumental in compiling the data and distributing the information at the
Conferences. In 2004, Beatrice M. Caraballo incorporated the database into the Official National
Directory of Parades and Festivals which included over 65 organizations nationwide.
The purpose of the Annual Regional Conference of Parades & Festivals is to bring public awareness
of our Hispanic culture, history and traditions; to educate the public through our programs, activities,
workshops and social events. This Conference has helped to create networks nationwide and has
helped to bring together 100 representatives from across the region.

3. El Orgullo Latino

4. For the past 5 years the Conference and Directory have been
posted on the following pages of www.Aleida.net
The pages get a lot of traffic, up to 30,000 visits a week during
peak parade season in the summer!
www.aleida.net/nhho.html
Conference and Directory
on the web

5. 14 Years of Celebration and Educating Our People

6. Puerto Ricans in the US and the 2010 Census:
100 years and still counting … A reflection
by Victor Vázquez-Hernández
In the closing days of 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau began to release the data collected earlier this year. For
Puerto Ricans in the Diaspora (US-based), the 2010 census has a particular historical meaning — it marks the
100th anniversary since the first US Census, back in 1910, started counting Puerto Ricans as a separate group.
It would be a good time for our community to take stock of where we are and how far we have come in one
century.
In terms of socio-economic factors, the 2010 Census is likely to reflect some significant gains for Puerto
Ricans but also some troubling areas as well. Among Puerto Ricans in the U.S., there are probably more
college graduates than ever, more homeowners and more who have moved into middle-class status. But these
trends are probably going to vary from region to region. For instance, in terms of education, recent studies
conducted in Philadelphia and New York City have found that Puerto Rican youth are graduating high schools
at a 50% rate. In those cities, Puerto Rican youth are being outperformed even by newer immigrant groups,
namely Dominicans and Mexicans. And while Puerto Ricans made national news with the appointment of
Sonia Sotomayor, a second-generation Puerto Rican from the Bronx to the US Supreme Court, and José
Acaba, the first Boricua astronaut in outer space, there are disproportionately more young Puerto Ricans
incarcerated than in college.
Victor Vázquez-Hernández, PhD is President of the National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights (NCPRR) and
an Associate Professor of History at Miami Dade College. He is co-editor of The Puerto Rican Diaspora:
Historical Perspectives (2005). Dr. Vázquez-Hernández can be reached at vvazquez@mdc.edu
2010UNITEDSTATESCENSUS

7. History of the
Parada San Juan Bautista, Inc.
The Parada San Juan Bautista, Inc. committee’s dedication and the continued success of its activities,
programs and events are made possible due to its committee’s leadership and the generous financial
support of various corporate, public, state and local supporters.
In 1957, The parishioners of Our Lady of Mount Carmel/Fatima Church that give witness to their faith
and celebrate their Puerto Rican heritage assisted Father Leonard Carrieri in founding the Parada San Juan
Bautista, Inc. also known as the Saint John the Baptist Parade, Inc. The Parada San Juan Bautista, Inc. is
incorporated as a 501(c)3 tax exempted, not-for-profit charitable corporation in the State of New Jersey.
For several years the Parada San Juan Bautista, Inc. and its activities were stalled, but in 1982, the Parada
San Juan Bautista, Inc. was reorganized which signaled the Puerto Rican community’s desire to provide a
positive demonstration of cultural and civic pride. Over the years, the organization has evolved from a
single event to a celebration that spans from mid-May to the end of June. The parade is celebrated
annually on the last Sunday in June to coincide with the Feast of San Juan Bautista, the patron Saint of
Puerto Rico.
Since 1982, the Parada San Juan Bautista, Inc. Scholarship Fund has awarded over $250,000 in
scholarships to high school students who are residents of the City of Camden, New Jersey. The
Scholarship Fund has assisted students with their college educational expenditures. We are proud of the
many recipients through the years for their excellence and dedication. Today many of these recipients are
pillars of our community. They are now contributing factor to our society. Today they are doctors,
educators, administrators and business owners.

9. The first New York Puerto Rican Day Parade was held in “El Barrio” in Manhattan. In 1995 we felt 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 31 states,
including Alaska and Hawaii in the 1999 Parade.
The National Puerto Rican Day Parade, Inc. is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 corporation founded in 1995. It 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. Ramon S. Velez, Ralph Morales, Maria Roman and Madelyn
Lugo.
The National Puerto Rican Day Parade, Inc. was established to create 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 promote 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 National Puerto Rican Day Parade is televised for 3 hours. It achieves the highest Nielsen rating for stations in the New
York-New Jersey metropolitan area. The National Puerto Rican Day Parade is shown on New York Metropolitan area Spanish
television stations and via satellite throughout the world making it a truly international event.
The National Puerto Rican Day 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.

11. HISTORYOF THE
ATLANTICCOUNTY PUERTORICANPARADE
In 1995, a group came together with the stated purpose of preserving the heritage, culture and history of
Puerto Rico in New Jersey. Therefore, the Atlantic County Puerto Rican Parade was established as the
signature event around which all the other activities of the day revolve. This one day event is an annual
celebration of the past, present and future of all Puerto Ricans, keeping current the awareness and vitality
of the Puerto Rican heritage and culture.
The Parade Committee is very proud of its progress in establishing this parade as one of the largest in
New Jersey. Our goal is not only to have a parade, but also to continuously educate our community on the
history, heritage, culture and arts not only of Puerto Rico, but the entire Latino community. We are very
proud of the people, businesses and corporations who have year after year supported this annual
celebration, thereby helping to bring all cultures of our multicultural society closer together. The Puerto
Rican Parade of Atlantic County is excited about celebrating our 16th Anniversary!

13. History of
La Familia Hispana, Inc.
The name of the corporation is The Hispanic Family, Inc. - La Familia Hispana, Inc. The purpose of the
Corporation is fostering community betterment for all of the people of Holyoke with special emphasis on the
Hispanic community and on youth, through events and programs that foster the enrichment and development
of Hispanic culture and civic knowledge, including but not limited to organizing and implementing a yearly
Festival de la Familia Hispana, developing a library of Hispanic literature and Hispanic films, developing a
Hispanic Family Pageant, collaborating with other civic and cultural organizations, creating a charter school
and helping to develop scholarship funds for Latino students, and the conducting of such other activities and
programs in furtherance of such purposes as may be carried out by a corporation organized under
Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 180.

14. HISTORYOF THE
PUERTORICANPARADEAND CULTURALORGANIZATIONOFNORTHWEST
INDIANA,INC.
The Puerto Rican Parade and Cultural Organization of Northwest
Indiana, Inc. was established in 1996. We took over continuing the
event and venues of the Puerto Rican Parade Committee of Northwest
Indiana, Inc., which existed from 1981 to 1996. By doing so, we do not
loose all of the traditions that became established by our founding
fathers in 1981. In 2011, we are now celebrating our 30th Anniversary!

16. History of the
Aurora Puerto Rican Cultural Council, Inc.
The Aurora Puerto Rican Cultural Council, Inc. of Aurora, Illinois is a non-profit
organization. The late Doroteo Arroyo and Juan M. Ruberte founded this
organization in 1967. We knew it then as the “United Puerto Rican Parade
Committee.” The name change was done to help identify our new diversity. The
goals and commitments of our organization have not changed nor have they been
compromised in any way. We have only broadened the organization’s scope to
allow room for the growth and strength we need to service our community in the
21st Century.

18. History of the
Festival del Cuatro, Inc.
The Cuatro, Puerto Rico’s national instrument, is iconic of Puerto Rican culture. The Festival del Cuatro of California is a
sharing of Puerto Rican culture, through its music with other Puerto Rican and non-Puerto Rican who might not otherwise
have exposure to a musical tradition that is more than 300 years old.
The Festival Del Cuatro of California serves as a vehicle for promoting our national instrument, traditional Puerto Rican
music, and the broader Puerto Rican culture of which we are so proud. We do not do this in a narrow sense. We invite others
who are not Puerto Rican to join us and to partake of this culture feast as we seek to connect with other cultural traditions to
promote understanding and better communication among all peoples.
The Festival Del Cuatro aims to highlight and celebrate Puerto Rico’s rich musical and cultural traditions by educating,
entertaining, informing, and engaging the Puerto Rican community in California. We aim to promote a greater appreciation
and understanding of Puerto Rican culture and build bridges to other communities in California.
The Puerto Rican Cuatro is a ten-string instrument with over 300 years of history that is used to play Puerto Rican traditional
and modern music. The Festival Del Cuatro was founded in February 2005 to bring awareness of Puerto Rican culture and
traditional art forms to California communities.
The Festival Del Cuatro aims to be an educational resource for the community and its young people.

19. YonkersPuertoRicanandHispanic ParadeandFestival

20. Bayonne Hispanic Association, Inc.

21. Cleveland PuertoRicanParade& LatinoFestival

22. Special thanks to the following organizations and individuals for making this Conference a tremendous success!
Alston-Calaf & Associates
City of Camden
City of Camden Parking Authority
El Coqui Del Caribe Entertainment
IDEA Performing Arts Center
Parada San Juan Bautista, Inc.
Mancine’s Liquor
National Puerto Rican Day Parade, Inc.
Puerto Rican Federal Affairs Administration
Verizon
Wells Fargo

23. THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING THE
14TH ANNUAL REGIONAL CONFERENCE OF PARADES &
FESTIVALS
Power Point Presentation Created & Designed by Beatrice M. Caraballo