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Once upon a time, long ago after World War II, a wave of Puerto Ricans moved to New York City, growing the largest population of Puertorriqueños in the United States. In a blink, East Harlem transformed into El Barrio, while these hardworking, family-focused, music-loving people moved further downtown, creating “Loisaida,” a Nuyorican pronunciation of the Lower East Side.
Nostalgia grips me as I mourn the fading echoes of a Harlem I once knew. It doesn’t even sound like the place I grew up in during the late ‘80s. The beat of Puerto Rican hands on the bongos is gone. Back then, the Puerto Rican flag didn’t just fly — it danced, fluttering proudly from cars, light posts, and outside so many apartment windows. You would think those waving flags were one beating heart. I. I remember the music was everywhere, perfuming the air and infusing every block with ritmo (rhythm) and alma (soul). I. I remember … old men, seated at their domino tables, announcing their victories with the sweet lilt of the island on their tongues, and everything about them showing pride. They were always dressed sharp, even when the clothes were Harlem casual and that quiet dignity spoke louder than any words.
And I. I remember the food. Argue with me if you dare, but nothing compares to Puerto Rican rice and beans, especially when paired with classics like roast pork, sausage, or cuchifrito. Each bite takes you on a trip to the island and these spots were once on every corner. Not now. I can’t just roll out of my apartment and get delicious stewed bacalao, rellenos de papa, pastelillos, morcilla, lechón with its crackling skin … I’m blinking back tears just thinking about it. And of course, the coffee — unmatched.
But today, in my Harlem, I search for the people I grew up with. Not that I don’t love and honor the Dominican, Mexican, and growing Ecuadorian and Guatemalan communities. I am Afro Mexican, after all. It’s just that I miss the Puerto Ricans.
I. I will never forget, and to honor the Puerto Rican culture of my younger years, here are a few people and places that continue to represent their culture with such love and beauty that I cannot pretend their work isn’t inspiring my own journey as an Afro-Mexican storyteller.
Edra Soto — her newest piece “GRAFT” on Display at Doris C. Freedman Plaza
A Puerto Rican-born artist, curator, and educator, Edra Soto is co-director of the outdoor project space, The Franklin. Her latest piece, “Graft,” is on display at Doris C. Freedman Plaza, Central Park at 60th Street and 5th Avenue, until Aug. 24, 2025. This series of installations is based on rejas, wrought iron screens frequently seen outside homes in Puerto Rico. These screens, often featuring repeating geometric motifs, trace back to West Africa’s Yoruba symbol systems, contrasting the Spanish architecture celebrated in official Puerto Rican tourism. “Graft” investigates how Puerto Rican cultural memory often masks the island’s Black heritage as folklore.
Made from corten steel and terrazzo, Graft is a monument to working-class Puerto Rican communities and Soto’s first sculpture inspired by a specific house façade. Tables and seating invite visitors to enjoy a moment of rest, connection, and reflection. The sculpture creates a threshold, with one side representing a home’s exterior; the other, a more intimate interior.
Flaco Navaja — Playing the role of Jesús in “The Warriors” concept album
Flaco Navaja is one of the most gifted human beings to ever step foot — anywhere. This Bronx-born poet, singer and actor was recently added to composer Lin-Manuel Miranda and singer-songwriter Eisa Davis’s “Warriors” album — a 26-song project inspired by the novel and 1979 classic New York City film. He joins Marc Anthony, Luis Figueroa, Chris Rivers and others. Navaja will portray Jesús. The album, slated for an Oct. 18 debut, is executive-produced by Grammy-winning rapper Nas and is produced by multi-instrumentalist Mike Elizondo.
What truly grabbed my attention was Navaja’s one-man show, “Evolution of a Sonero.” If there’s one performance that leaves a lasting impact, it’s this — Navaja’s love letter to Puerto Rican culture. He dives deep into the heart and soul of a sonero — a Puerto Rican singer who masterfully improvises during salsa performances, capturing the essence of the music and the culture.
Richard Rodriguez — Work on Display at Art on the Avenue NYC, Oct. 21, 2024
A former graffiti street artist, Richard Rodriguez has used art and technology to transform his life, as detailed in the 2023 Bronx Times series Married to the Game. At the “Art on the Avenue NYC” exhibit this October, Rodriguez will honor his father and uncles, who were bongo players, by playing a recording of his father, adding a raw, personal touch to the performance.
Rodriguez is also developing his first play with music, which delves into growing up in New York City and the legendary Friday night music sessions in his family’s cramped apartment. These gatherings transported listeners back to the Bronx and captured the struggles of Puerto Rican immigrants through powerful, soul-stirring rhythms.
Melissa DuPrey — Currently co-starring in Hulu’s “How To Die Alone”
Melissa DuPrey is an undeniable force, and I believe she’s a future EGOT winner — a rare distinction reserved for those who’ve won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. Her talents span acting, stand-up, music, and more, with her work rooted in diasporic Blackness, queerness, healing, and liberation. Currently co-starring in the Hulu comedy “How To Die Alone,” she’s also preparing for a tour of her acclaimed one-woman show.
Melissa’s artistry proudly reflects her Puerto Rican heritage. Her full-length play “BRUJAJA” was recently digitized as a theatrical film, expanding its reach and resonating with audiences through its powerful themes. On the stand-up circuit, she has captivated audiences in cities like Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. Her acting credits include “Chicago PD” (NBC), “The Chi” (Showtime), and the Emmy-nominated web series “Brown Girls,” where she delivers a nuanced portrayal of identity and culture.
Beyond the stage and screen, Melissa is a musician and cultural advocate, preserving Puerto Rican traditions through the rhythms of Bomba y Plena, performing with Africaribe and Las BomPleneras. Her commitment to healing and liberation extends to her community, where she is a strong voice for Puerto Rican and Afro-Latinx heritage. As an ensemble member at UrbanTheater Company and director of production and community relations at Free Street Theater, she combines her artistic vision with her passion for community engagement. Melissa’s multidisciplinary work, infused with the richness of her heritage, makes her a transformative force in the arts.
When you’re craving real, homemade Puerto Rican food, I recommend:
Casa Adela
This spot has earned the approval of Fat Joe and Rosario Dawson. Founded in 1976 by the late Adela Vargas, Casa Adela is synonymous with Puerto Rican food in NYC. Their tostones, mofongo, and chicharrón de pollo with rice and beans are unmatched.
La Fonda Boricua
Making stomachs happy for the past 25 years, La Fonda Boricua is known for its chuleta kan kan — a bone-in pork chop with a bit of belly and crispy skin attached, a Puerto Rican specialty created in 1957.
Cuchifritos
An East Harlem institution since the 1960s, Cuchifritos serves up home-cooked Puerto Rican classics. The restaurant on 116th and its second location on 188th feed the cravings of many hungry souls.
Sofrito
Don’t let the rainbow lights and salsa music fool you — this restaurant in the Heights is known for delicious empanadas, pernil, and churrasco. Make a reservation and try to get a table with a view of the George Washington Bridge.
The Freakin Rican
Often hailed for having the best pasteles in the city, The Freakin Rican started as a food truck and now has a brick-and-mortar location in Astoria.
La Isla Cuchifritos
In Williamsburg, Brooklyn, La Isla Cuchifritos has been serving up fried pork, ears, tongue, and sweet plantain since 1960, beloved by locals for decades.
Throughout September and October, buses full of dedicated canvassers from New York’s worker unions and Democratic party are targeting “purple” battleground districts and states that could help Vice President Kamala Harris and other electeds win their respective races in November.
Door-knocking before an election is a time-honored tradition, and other than during the pandemic, considered the best method to connect with voters by meeting them at home or in the streets. Many canvassers have flooded Rockland County and Nassau County, as well as nearby Pennsylvania, in an effort to swing local voters to choose Democratic candidates.
“This is an exciting day for us because we’re getting Brooklynites, along with 1199ers (union members) to go to Pennsylvania, to really put our civic work into play. This is an opportunity for Brooklynites to help deciding states turn blue,” said Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, who’s the Brooklyn Dem Party boss. Her party and 1199 Service Employees International Union (1199SEIU) members began their bus trips on Saturday, Sept. 21.
“We are here in big force. We have food. We have drinks. We’re energized,” said Bichotte Hermelyn. “We’re going to spend the whole day out in Pennsylvania knocking on doors, encouraging people to go out and vote early, and encouraging people to know that they can protect their rights just by voting.”
Bichotte Hermelyn said the canvassers mainly speak with people about equal rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, gun control, and access to healthcare.
Cynthia Neita, 72, an 1199SEIU administrative organizer, said she hoped for positive answers and positive vibes as she boarded her bus. “It’s important to remind workers who can vote, especially young people who think they don’t matter,” Neita said.
Ariama C. Long photo
Brooklyn Democratic Party member Sabrina Gates
Brooklyn Dems hand out matching blue Harris/Walz shirts for their canvassing trip
A coach bus of 1199SEIU union canvassers get ready to leave Brooklyn county to door-knock registered voters in Bethlehem, Penna., in September 2024
“I hope they’re open to the conversation,” said Rosa Cruz, a Brooklyn Dem from Hunter College. “Everyone understands the value of the vote. It’s important that we’re there to help make that final decision.”
Like countless other New York State Democratic clubs, county parties, and political groups with bus loads of canvassers, the focus is not just on getting Harris elected as president. There’s also a bevy of state and congressional races in Republican-leaning districts that Dems are scrambling to flip.
“New York is now a battleground for the first time in decades,” said Ny Whitaker, a former White House senior advisor and founder of Project Nyne Productions, who created the campaign group New York for Harris. “People talk a lot about swing states—Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Wisconsin—but we don’t talk enough about battleground states. The difference is a battleground means [that] by registration, there’s more Democrats than Republicans [and] turnout is low.”
Whitaker said New York technically has seven races where Dems are running in highly competitive Republican districts: Laura Gillen in Long Island’s 4th Congressional District (Nassau County); former Congressmember Mondaire Jones in upstate’s (Rockland County) 17th Congressional District; Congressmember Tom Suozzi, 3rd Congressional District; John Avlon, Long Island’s 1st Congressional District; Congressmember Pat Ryan, upstate’s 18th Congressional District in Hudson Valley; Josh Riley, Ithaca’s 19th Congressional District; and John Mannion, 22nd Congressional District in Syracuse’s Onondaga and Madison counties.
What’s at stake, said Whitaker, is Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries becoming Speaker of the House, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer holding his position as Senate Majority Leader, and making sure Harris has a cooperating Senate and Congress should she get elected.
“Onward to victory in November,” said Gov. Kathy Hochul at the annual AmNews labor breakfast in Manhattan. “Let’s talk about this, my friends. We have to win in November and make Kamala Harris president of the United States, and I’m working on making sure Yvette Clarke is now in the majority with Hakeem Jeffries as the Speaker of the House of Representatives. That’s real power.”
Hochul said she plans to make the state party a powerhouse for national Democrats. “This year, it’s all or everything,” she said. “Get on a bus and go to a battleground area.”
With success comes high expectations. Last season, the Knicks made a valiant journey to the Eastern Conference semifinals, losing 4-3 to the Indiana Pacers, finally succumbing to a rash of injuries in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. The 130-109 defeat didn’t feel as much as the finality as it did the end of the beginning, a period in which the Knicks will be a title contender for at least a three-or four-year window. Much can happen to change the course of their potential, but as of today it is trending upward, resting on a sturdy foundation built by a front office staff headed by team president Leon Rose. Across the NBA, Monday was Media Day as the league’s preseason schedule starts this week. The Knicks held their presser at their training facility in Greenburgh, Westchester County.
Before last weekend, the Knicks’ most prominent offseason addition was forward Mikal Bridges, acquired in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets. Then, late Friday, the Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves agreed to a deal to bring Edison, New Jersey native and four-time NBA All-Star forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns into the fold in exchange for three-time All-Star forward Julius Randle, guard Donte DiVincenzo and a 2025 top-13 protected first round draft pick.
As of AmNews press time and Knicks media day the trade had not been officially finalized so no one in the Knicks organization could explicitly comment publicly on the weighty transaction.
“Who’s Karl? I have no idea who that is,” Knicks guard Jalen Brunson joked when asked about Towns. He was more serious when discussing his professional and personal relationships with Randle, and his former Villanova college roommate and teammate DiVincenzo. “That was definitely tough,” he reflected on the trio parting ways. “Thankful that Julius welcomed me with open arms here. That news, it was crazy. I’m really thankful for them, their friendships and everything, and what they brought to the team. Really thankful I got to get a good relationship with Julius and the memories we made together was really fun.
“And Donte, he was a groomsman in my wedding, so that should tell you everything you need to know about our relationship.” The NBA community and basketball world at large is mourning Hall of Fame center Dikembe Mutombo, who died on Monday from brain cancer. Mutombo played collegiately at Georgetown for the late, legendary coach, John Thompson, and 19 years in the NBA. He was literally and figuratively one of sport’s towering statesmen and global ambassadors. The 7’2″ Mutombo’s philanthropic endeavors included building the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital, named after his late mother, who passed away in 1997. Since opening in 2007 in his native Republic of the Congo in Africa, the hospital has served over one million people.
Legends and luminaries from the basketball world recently united in the south Bronx for a groundbreaking ceremony of the Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball Charter School at 647 Elton Avenue (just north of 149th Street and Third Avenue).
Speakers included NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, New York Knicks Head Coach Tom Thibodeau, three-time NBA All-Star power forward Julius Randle, NBA Hall of Famer and Knicks icon Walt Clyde Frazier, and the man after whom the school is named: NBA Hall of Famer and Knicks great Earl Monroe.
“It is such a great moment for us here—first of all, to see you guys out there to welcome this new school,” Monroe said to the audience, which included students from the class of 2025, who will be the school’s first graduating class. “It’s been a long time in planning and it’s something that we are all very, very proud of.”
Speaking about the significance of the occasion, Silver said: “What this building and what this school represents are all incredible opportunities that stem from the game of basketball. We all know about the great players who played in the NBA and who are now playing in the WNBA, and many of those great players are here with me today. And of course, we wouldn’t have the game without them, but what gets lost sometimes are all the careers that stem from this game of basketball. For every single player in the NBA or WNBA, it creates hundreds of jobs in this basketball ecosystem.”
A student from the graduating class thanked Randle for helping to raise $1.3 million for the school. The gymnasium will be called “the Julius Randle All-Star Court.”
Randle thanked the Knicks organization and his “big brothers” in the organization for being there, notably John Starks, Allan Houston, Tim Thomas, Frazier, and Monroe.
Randle also addressed the students. “None of this works without you guys putting in the work,” he said. “You guys have to show up to class. You guys have to absorb the knowledge. You have to listen.
”It doesn’t matter about the opportunity. The opportunities come and go, but you guys have taken advantage of that and put the work in every day, so I want to say ‘thank you, guys.’ I’m extremely proud of you guys and I’m just excited to see where this continues to go.”
