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American Boricua is the first modern visual history of Puerto Rican life in all 50 states of the U.S. Wanda is traveling throughout the country to interview and photograph Boricuas who live, work, love, and carry on the business of being Puerto Rican here in the United States. What most people do not know about Puerto Ricans is that while we have been citizens of the U.S. for nearly 100 years, we are the only Latino group with U.S. citizenship status on both the island and the mainland. What this means is that who we are is rooted in deep tradition, yet living within the U.S. creates cultural transformation and new traditions. The word "Boricua" itself, as a term of endearment Puerto Ricans use for one another, is steeped in history. It is derived from the Native Taino word for the island, "Boriken", which means "Brave Noble Lord". It is the essence of that "sabor", that flavor that makes Boricua culture unique. This documentary project examines how Boricuas define home, family, culture, and identity.
Wanda Benvenutti was born in Denville, New Jersey and currently lives in the Northwest. Her father Jesus arrived in New York from Salinas, Puerto Rico in 1961. Wanda is a freelance photojournalist who earned a B. A. in English and Latin American Studies from Oberlin College (1994) and an M. S. from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism (1995). American Boricua is her first book.
Want to be a part of making American Boricua happen? Click on the button below to help with travel costs. With your support we will show the world that Puerto Rican culture deserves recognition and respect as an unsung part of the American Experience.
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