Puerto Rican/Hispanic Day parade in Brentwood brims with pride, celebration

Against the backdrop of the sounds, flavors and colors of Puerto Rico and Hispanic countries, thousands celebrated their culture during the annual Puerto Rican/Hispanic Day parade in Brentwood. 

Organizers estimated tens of thousands attended Sunday’s parade, which they say has continued growing each year. More than 3,000 people from 85 organizations walked the 2-mile route down Fifth Avenue, said organizer Margarita Espada, of Teatro Experimental Yerbabruja. Espada founded the nonprofit organization in 2004 as a place for Latino artists, with an emphasis on underserved communities. 

“The community keeps changing,” Espada said. “Immigration brings culture, new food, new experiences. … It’s an opportunity for us to embrace our identity and be proud of who we are.” 

The annual celebration is a multigenerational event for families, she said, adding that seeing grandmothers with grandchildren or fathers with babies is a heartwarming reminder that the parade is “part of the community's history.”

Sunday marked Teatro’s 10th year organizing the parade, a marquee event, which initially began as a celebration of Puerto Rican culture and transitioned into a day honoring all Latino Long Islanders, regardless of background, said Steve Bard, president of Teatro's board of directors. Paradegoers with Salvadoran, Honduran, Chilean, Argentine, Mexican and Peruvian heritage marched, said Espada. 

People began lining up early Sunday to secure a prime spot along the parade stretch, with vendors selling goods adorned with the Puerto Rican flag, along with sweet and savory food. As the noon hour approached and participants began their march down Fifth Avenue, dancers celebrated in the streets and attendees waved Puerto Rican flags. 

The parade honored Legis. Samuel Gonzalez (D-Brentwood), Olga El Sehamy, nonprofit Jibaritos With Troops and Ana Figueroa. Grand Marshal Gonzalez’s 9th District includes Brentwood, Central Islip and North Bay Shore. El Sehamy, the Suffolk assistant deputy county executive, received the presidential award. Bay Shore-based Jibaritos With Troops was honored for social justice. Figueroa, the director of parent and community engagement for Long Island Head Start, was awarded the parade’s advocacy honor.

“It’s very humbling, only because we do the work that we do because we care and have a heart for it,” Figueroa said of the public recognition, adding that to see the public display of Latino culture represented unity and “knowing that we came to a country that had open arms for us.” 

Last year’s parade was the first held since the coronavirus pandemic, and was marked with excitement at the revival of the annual event. Sunday was a continuation of that energy, said George Siberón, vice president of Teatro's board of directors. He added that it was important to honor Long Island’s changing demographics. 

Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter, who attended the parade, said she was pleased to see the celebration of Islip’s Latino cultures and the support they received from attendees.

By Brinley Hineman

brinley.hineman@newsday.com

Brinley Hineman covers the Town of Hempstead and the City of Long Beach for Newsday. She previously was a reporter in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a West Virginia native.