Features

Dozens of pigeons roamed around the Plaza de Colón in Old San Juan. They were not afraid to go up to the tourists that were mingling together enjoying the warm weather. The plaza was mostly filled with locals, and a few sat on a bench smoking a cigarette, which was rare to see on the island.   One man […]

St. Francis of Assisi Catholic church in Milwaukee welcomed the LGTBQ community, started ministries for Puerto Ricans and Spanish speakers during the 1950s, as well as ministries for Black people, and helped German immigrants during the early 20th century. At North Vel R. Philips Ave and West Brown Street, St. Francis of Assisi church was […]

SALINAS, Puerto Rico — In every Puerto Rican municipal or town, there is the same set up: a plaza, a Catholic church and the city hall building, according to Samuel González Rodríguez, a Puerto Rican architect and mosaic painter. Salinas had a tan, cobblestone plaza with some stone benches placed directly in the Puerto Rican […]

YAUCO, Puerto Rico — There is a street in Yauco that follows a steep incline up a mountain. It’s bursting with color, wildlife, and smiling welcoming faces. The vibrant blues, oranges, pinks, and yellows bouncing off the buildings submerse visitors into a unique cultural experience that truly encapsulates the island’s pride. But it wasn’t always […]

SALINAS, Puerto Rico — Martin Laboy works all day, Monday through Friday, at his hot dog stand in downtown Salinas, right across from the town’s main square. For the last 36 years, he has sat under his rainbow-colored umbrella, surrounded by colorful, vibrant blue and purple buildings as the sausages roast on his grill.  Salinas, […]

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — While the LGBT Community has come a long way in Puerto Rico, there are still many issues of concern facing the community today. Waves Ahead works hard at tackling these issues head on. Waves Ahead is an organization dedicated to serving the needs of the LGBT and elder communities. According […]

Edrick Pagan-Ruiz runs a mobile jewelry store based in Yauco, in which he and his wife custom make all their jewelry, selling it on the island and shipping it to the States. Luckily, Pagan-Ruiz’s family home suffered minimal damage in the hurricane and was able to get it repaired. He resides higher up in the […]

Traveling through the town of Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, it was clear a disaster had torn the town apart. Old, abandoned, broken boats sat on the grassy fields, fences lining the rural town were left bent and twisted in unnatural ways, occasional blue tarps lined the sides of buildings as if they had been tossed aside […]

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Alexa was homeless. After she was kicked out, she spent her time making her way around the island looking for a place to live. She became a familiar face to many throughout her travels and was known on a first-name basis. She never found a secure place to stay. On […]

It all started 45 years ago. Ingrid Jeffs was just a small child when her parents traveled to Ecuador, found hats and started selling them “by the dozen.” But before hats became a “big hit,” her parents ran a small handicrafts business where everything was handmade. “My dad moved to Puerto Rico 50 years ago,” […]

Puerto Rico’s Yaucromatic, in Yauco, was an urban art intervention that started in 2017, which promoted economic growth, attracted tourism and reimagined vulnerable communities that were suppressed by class, prone to crime and had poor living conditions. The intervention was developed by Jonathan Hernandez Leon, a community organizer and president of the not-for-profit organization Arte […]

The celebration of World Water Day brought the Milwaukee community together with the goal of raising money to fund water projects in Latin American communities. Glenda Valdes has the story.