5 years ago today I married Puerto Rico. It was an effort to gather material aid and raise awareness about the impact of Hurricane Maria. Puerto Ricans across the archipelago were still in the dark. It was becoming more and more apparent that the death toll was much higher than officials declared. In the vast diaspora, many Puerto Ricans with close ties to family and friends were engaged in intense efforts to get material aid and supplies to our loved ones.
The wedding did not come out of nowhere. The wedding was not a publicity stunt or a whimsical idea. It came out of a community effort of Puerto Rican community in New York City. Puerto Ricans throughout the Puerto Rican diaspora, from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Philadelphia, Ohio, Boston, California, Florida, wherever Puerto Ricans lived, we worked tirelessly to help our people. The memories of this time bring back a rush of emotions. In New York City, the effort was intense. As reported in one New York Times article, New York’s Response to Puerto Rico Devastion, ‘It’s Personal for Us,” by Rick Rojas, described how people “staged community and individual efforts on their own, even flying back with chainsaws in their luggage.”
To say that we, as a people, went into overdrive, is not an understatement. Yes, Puerto Ricans went into overdrive to help. You better believe it. Neither time, nor distance, nor the impact of colonialism, could stop us. Nothing stopped us. The ties that bind us to our island and our people are very strong.
As report, in the article After Disasters, New York Goes Into Overdrive in Gathering Aid, by Liz Robbins, people worked non-stop, sometimes not eating or sleeping. For many Puerto Ricans in the diaspora it was emotionally unbearable. We did not stand by. We had to do something and we did. When 45 went to Puerto Rico and threw paper towels, adding insult to injury, we were incensed but unswayed and undetered.
The humanitarian crisis caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria occurred during the time span of devastating earthquakes in Mexico that killed 360 and injured thousands. Two of New York City’s largest Spanish speaking communities took relief efforts in their own hands when the Trump administration failed to provide aid.
“The sidewalks of Sunset Park, in Brooklyn, were overflowing with bottled water and boxes of donations on Tuesday, most bound for Puerto Rico, others to Mexico. At an East Harlem fund-raiser, Puerto Rican poets shouted their verses above the thunderous roar of the Metro-North Railroad trains,” Robbins reported.
Those poets shouting verses above the “thunderous roar of the Metro-North Railroad trains, were gathered by your truly and by the poets and residents of El Barrio, also known as Spanish Harlem, who volunteered to help. Volunteers included elders who live in Casabe Houses, a senior citizens residence, located on Lexington Avenue and E. 120th Street.
The article goes on to mention, Barrio Poetix in La Marqueta:
“In the Puerto Rican enclave of East Harlem, a few hundred local artists, poets, students and neighbors attended a poetry slam held by Barrio Poetix at La Marqueta underneath the Metro-North train tracks. The suggested donation was $10, and there were raffle tickets, food and paintings for sale to benefit hurricane relief for both Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.”
It describes how efforts ranged from communities groups, churches, individuals, businesses, officials and individuals, young and old banded together to help, from retirees to young people, including students from the City University of New York.
These efforts helped but also at times…. it felt as if it was not enough.
Many of us wanted to do more.
The idea of having a wedding to Puerto Rico, specifically, came out of The Bronx. On one sunny Sunday that I volunteered to load a container at El Maestro's Cultural Center and Boxing Gym located in the South Bronx, the idea came up during a conversation about how hard it was to ship items. Charlotte La Roja, someone I had just met, said she created a wedding registry to make it easy for friends and family to send her items that she planned to take to Puerto Rico herself in suitcases. I thought to myself, what a brilliant idea. To make a long story, short, it inspired a wedding!
Although I was the bride, it was an entire Bronx based community that gathered. My friend, and Daily Kos columnist Denise Oliver-Velez was the first human rights activist-writer to write a story about my wedding. It was titled, “She’s getting married...to Puerto Rico.” It created interest that led to support. Eventuallly, Bronx 12 News covered it, “Bronx woman marries Puerto Rico to raise support for island” and the story went viral. It helped me to gather more than $5,000 of material aid for Puerto Rico.
Many artists came together including legendary poet and playwright, Ntozake Shange, who served as my matron of honor.
Although I was the bride, many, if not all of the people who gathered took this vow that I officiated:
Mariposa se casa
The Vow | La Promesa
English
I, María Teresa Fernández Rosario, of the Little butterflies, accept you Puerto Rico and your Diaspora, Mother Earth and humanity as my true love, to love and protect, from this day on, in good times and in bad, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, for all of the days of my life. I promise to be faithful to you until death do us part.
Español
Yo, María Teresa Fernández Rosario Rodriguez de las maripositas, te acepto a ti PUERTO RICO y tú Diáspora, la Madre Tierra y la humanidad como mi amor de verdad, amarte y protegerte, de hoy en adelante, en lo próspero, en lo adverso, en la riqueza, en la pobreza, en la enfermedad y en la salúd para todos los días de mi vida. Prometo serte fiel en hasta que la muerte no separe.
The wedding registry helped me to gather about $5,000 of material aid, ranging from mosquiteros to solar laterns and water filters. I was able to get the items to various part of the island mostly with the help of women who carried the items to Puerto Rico in suitcases. I will write and publish a story that focuses on this aspect of the story.
The fact of the matter is, the crisis never ended. The economic and social problems rooted in and caused by the impact of over 100 years of United States’ colonialism of Puerto Rico and exacerbated by climate crisis, is real.
I do not wish to romanticize. Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico on the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Maria. It pains us. We continue to suffer and we continue to organize, hold each other close, grieve, mourn, dance, rebuild, and celebrate life. That is who we are. And the work continues.
Everyone should read Denise Oliver-Velez’s articles including, Caribbean Matters: A visit to Loíza, Puerto Rico—which was almost left behind after Hurricane Fiona and Hurricane Fiona’s catastrophic flooding across Puerto Rico continues: How you can help.
In the coming days, I will share more memories, photos, a playlist of love songs dedicated to my people and tweets about my wedding to Puerto Rico, what it meant and what it still means and how people can continue to help Puerto Rico as she continues to face crisis.
To Puerto Rico, My Love… I will never stop loving you.