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                    <div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px;">Introducing her book <br />
                      &quot;I am my father's daughter&quot;</div>
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                <td class="contentheading" width="100%"> BEING PUERTO RICAN </td>
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                  <td width="70%" align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><span class="small"> Written by Maria Elena Salinas </span> &nbsp;&nbsp; </td>
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                  <td valign="top" colspan="2" class="createdate"> Thursday, July 18 2002 </td>
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                  <td valign="top" colspan="2"> Puerto Ricans are a proud people. Proud of their heritage, their language, their music, literature, and art. They have given the world famous actors such as Rita Moreno, Jose Ferrer and Benicio del Toro; great athletes such as Roberto Clemente and Chi Chi Rodriguez; and pop stars like Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez. Puerto Ricans are proud of their delicious cuisine-pasteles and arroz con gandules are a delicacy-of their music-from the soft rhythm of the danza to the native plenas to hot salsa-and of their beautiful island, known as La Isla del Encanto, The Isle of Enchantment.
                    
                    Puerto Ricans are quick to demonstrate their sense of nationalistic pride. If you've ever been to a Puerto Rican Day parade in any major American city, you have surely seen thousands of Puerto Rican flags proudly waving in the air. There is no doubt, Puerto Ricans have a lot to be proud of. But there is one important element missing in their lives. Technically, they don't have a country.
                    
                    This week Puerto Rico marks its 50th anniversary as a U.S. commonwealth. On July 25, 1952, Puerto Ricans adopted a new constitution, and a new relationship with the United States that has been the subject of much debate ever since. The date is a national holiday in lieu of its very own Independence Day. It has no official Independence Day because it has not been independent for 500 years. After 400 years under Spanish rule, the United States has controlled Puerto Rico for the last century. Some people call it a colony.
                    
                    The result is that Puerto Ricans have an interesting but confusing identity. They are officially American citizens, not by choice but by decree of the U.S. Congress. They have fought proudly for the U.S. in every war it has waged in modern history. They can travel back and forth to the mainland with their American passports. Those who live on the island can elect their local and state officials but can't vote for President. A Resident Commissioner who has a voice but no vote represents them in Congress. They have their own laws, but have to abide by U.S. federal laws. What they do get to have is their very own beauty queens and Olympic athletes.
                    
                    Two and a half million Puerto Ricans live in the United States. But in spite of their American citizenship they are still treated by many like immigrants. This exchange actually took place in a Florida courtroom: A man appears before a judge, who proceeds to ask him a series of routine questions.
                    
                    &quot;Where are you from?&quot; asks the judge.
                    
                    &quot;I'm Puerto Rican,&quot; the man responds.
                    
                    &quot;Do you have a green card?&quot; asks the judge.
                    
                    &quot;I'm Puerto Rican,&quot; the man responds.
                    
                    &quot;I heard you the first time,&quot; says the judge. &quot;Now tell me, do you have a green card.&quot;
                    
                    The exchange goes on for several minutes until finally, a court clerk steps up and whispers to the judge that Puerto Ricans are American citizens and do not need green cards. The judge, a person who should know better, did not know this simple fact about 3.8 million people from this island in the eastern Caribbean. 
                    
                    That judge is not alone. Unfortunately, many Americans do not realize the unique relationship that exists between the U.S. Puerto Rico, and many Puerto Ricans themselves struggle with their sense of identity. Three times they have gone to the polls to vote on the status of the island. Do they want independence, statehood or the status quo? Three times they have chosen to continue with what many Puerto Ricans consider &quot;the best of both worlds&quot;. 
                    
                    In the event Puerto Rico ever decided to become the 51st state, the question still remains whether the U.S. Congress would accept their will. In the meantime Puerto Ricans keep asking the perennial question: Are we Puerto Rican or are we American. In fact they are both. Proudly carrying on two languages and two cultures. For now that's what being Puerto Rican is all about. </td>
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