Ricky Martin, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Rita Moreno on Puerto Ricans’ Votes

Summary

Podcast Summary: "The Opinions" – Ricky Martin, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Rita Moreno on Puerto Ricans’ Votes

Introduction

In the November 2, 2024 episode of The Opinions, hosted by The New York Times Opinion section, Vanessa Mobley introduces a poignant discussion centered around Puerto Rican identity, culture, and political influence in the United States. Drawing from a guest essay titled "Clapping Back" authored by renowned artists Ricky Martin, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Rita Moreno, the episode delves into the complexities faced by Puerto Ricans both on the island and the mainland.

The Guest Essay: "Clapping Back"

Vanessa Mobley sets the stage by highlighting the collaboration between Martin, Miranda, and Moreno, emphasizing their collective voice in addressing misconceptions and challenges faced by Puerto Ricans. The essay serves as a rebuttal to derogatory comments and systemic issues impacting the Puerto Rican community.

Cultural Contributions and Misrepresentation

Lin-Manuel Miranda opens the essay by challenging stereotypes, stating, "You might be surprised who some people consider trash the most" ([00:40]). Ricky Martin elaborates on the rich artistic heritage of Puerto Rico, noting, "Our small islands have a rich artistic culture and history that was overlooked and undervalued for too long" ([01:46]). The artists critique Hollywood's limited and often caricatured portrayal of Puerto Ricans, referencing Rita Moreno's groundbreaking Oscar win and the subsequent narrow roles available to Latina actresses: "Hollywood's idea of a career after Anita was a succession of barefooted Lolitas and Conchitas in westerns and gang movies" ([02:17]).

The Impact of Hurricane Maria and Political Response

A significant portion of the discussion centers on Hurricane Maria's devastation in 2017 and the inadequate response from the U.S. government. Miranda highlights President Trump's dismissive attitude, "They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort, he tweeted" ([02:55]). Ricky Martin connects this to broader systemic racism, stating, "President Trump reacted with a level of disdain that had deep roots in decades of racism" ([02:44]). The artists underscore the tangible consequences of this neglect, including "more than 4,600 unnecessary deaths of American citizens" ([02:55]) and the crumbling infrastructure that left Puerto Ricans vulnerable: "In Puerto Rico, more than 3 million American citizens rely on a power grid suffering from decades of underinvestment" ([03:57]).

Puerto Rican Resilience and Contributions on the Mainland

Despite these challenges, Martin and Miranda celebrate the resilience and ingenuity of Puerto Ricans. Martin asserts, "Against all those odds, it has taken resilience, smarts and hard work to survive and thrive in a colony by any other name" ([03:33]). Miranda echoes this sentiment, emphasizing the community's role in building "families and careers that expand our economy, our culture and our communities" ([03:44]). They discuss the migration of Puerto Ricans to the mainland, where their contributions enrich American society across various sectors, including arts, healthcare, and education.

The Importance of Puerto Rican Votes in U.S. Elections

A crucial theme is the political influence of Puerto Rican voters on the mainland. Miranda points out, "Puerto Rico might not have a vote in the Electoral College, but Puerto Ricans will be voting in states such as Pennsylvania, where we could tip the result of a close election" ([04:17]). Martin adds, "Our vote won't be a reaction to racist jokes. We'll be voting for the future of a country that could be majority minority" ([04:21]). This underscores the growing political significance of the Puerto Rican community as the United States evolves demographically.

Conclusion

The episode concludes with a powerful affirmation of Puerto Rican identity and its integral role in America's future. Miranda remarks, "Listen to the harmony because history has its eyes on us" ([05:25]), while Martin encapsulates the enduring spirit of change and creativity: "Our capacity to change is our American superpower" ([05:07]). Together, they advocate for recognition, equitable treatment, and the celebration of Puerto Rican contributions as essential to the fabric of American society.

Key Takeaways

• Cultural Misrepresentation: Persistent stereotypes in media overshadow the true richness of Puerto Rican culture.
• Systemic Neglect: Hurricane Maria highlighted severe governmental shortcomings rooted in longstanding racism.
• Resilience and Contribution: Puerto Ricans demonstrate resilience and significantly contribute to various American sectors.
• Political Influence: The growing Puerto Rican electorate plays a pivotal role in shaping future U.S. elections.
• Call for Recognition: A unified plea for equitable treatment and acknowledgment of Puerto Rican contributions to American society.

This episode of The Opinions offers a compelling narrative that intertwines personal experiences with broader socio-political commentary, providing listeners with a deeper understanding of the Puerto Rican community's challenges and triumphs.

Transcript

[Host]

This is the Opinions, a show that brings you a mix of voices from New York Times opinion. You've heard the news. Here's what to make of it.

[Vanessa Mobley]

I'm Vanessa Mobley and I'm an editor for the New York Times Opinion section. After Trump's infamous Madison Square rally last Sunday, artistic luminaries Ricky Martin, Lin Manuel Miranda and Rita Moreno shared with us a guest essay, Clapping Back. Here is Miranda. Reading the essay.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

You might be surprised who some people consider trash the most.

[Ricky Martin]

Streamed musical star of this decade so far was born and raised in a.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

Small Puerto Rican town called Vegabaja. It's possible that Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, known to the world as Bad Bunny, could have captured the world's imagination if.

[Ricky Martin]

He'D been born and raised somewhere other.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

Than Puerto Rico, also now known as.

[Ricky Martin]

A floating island of garbage, according to.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

The comedian Tony Hinchcliffe. But it's unlikely. You see, the next town up the road is called Vega Alta, where the Miranda family hails from. It turns out the view from Vega Alta is a great perspective for writing.

[Ricky Martin]

A musical about one of our nation's.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

Founders, who grew up on another island in the middle of the same ocean. If you drive 30 minutes east from Vega Alta, you're in San Juan, where.

[Ricky Martin]

One of us would start a very different music career and end up selling more than 70 million records.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

You could fill Madison Square Garden every.

[Ricky Martin]

Night for several decades with all the.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

American fans of the artists born in, raised in, or nurtured by Puerto Rico. As the singer Lucia Sita Benitez has said at her concerts, if you pick up a rock in Puerto Rico, an artist comes out.

[Ricky Martin]

Our small islands have a rich artistic culture and history that was overlooked and.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

Undervalued for too long, like us or not. And it's obvious that some people really don't like us. The threads of Puerto Rican culture are.

[Ricky Martin]

Woven into our shared American story. That story speaks loudly and proudly to tens and millions of Americans.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

It wasn't always this way. The face of Puerto Ricans in our.

[Ricky Martin]

Culture was, until recently, distorted into a caricature that still lingers in some minds.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

You might not appreciate the creativity and.

[Ricky Martin]

Generosity of Puerto Ricans if you only.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

Knew us as the Sharks from West side Story. Even after one of us won an Oscar, the first Latina to do so for that 1961 movie, Hollywood's idea of a career after Anita was a succession of barefooted Lolitas and Conchitas in westerns and gang movies. So we have seen this movie before.

[Ricky Martin]

And we have millions of reasons to.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

Believe the audience has moved on the challenges facing us go far beyond a racist joke. When Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in.

[Ricky Martin]

2017, the same year Luis Fonsi topped.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

The charts in 47 countries with Despacito.

[Ricky Martin]

President Trump reacted with a level of disdain that had deep roots in decades of racism.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort, he tweeted. That attitude played a significant role in.

[Ricky Martin]

The mangled response to the hurricane and the more than 4,600 unnecessary deaths of American citizens.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

Puerto Ricans did not lose their loved ones because of laziness or a lack of community spirit. They lost family because of a lack of medicine, electrical power and empathy.

[Ricky Martin]

We're not ignorant of the very real.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

Failings of Puerto Rican leadership. In fact, we were outspoken in the.

[Ricky Martin]

Mass protests that led to the resignation.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

Of the scandal plagued Rosello administration, which played a part in the botched response to the hurricane.

[Ricky Martin]

Against all those odds, it has taken.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

Resilience, smarts and hard work to survive.

[Ricky Martin]

And thrive in a colony by any other other name.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

It takes these same qualities to move.

[Ricky Martin]

To the mainland to build families and.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

Careers that expand our economy, our culture and our communities. But it takes a willful ignorance of.

[Ricky Martin]

American history, law and politics to blame Puerto Ricans for their own woes.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

In Puerto rico, more than 3 million.

[Ricky Martin]

American citizens rely on a power grid suffering from decades of underinvestment that has.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

Left it at the mercy of extreme weather. The islands also need investment in our people. More doctors, nurses, teachers and Puerto Ricans.

[Ricky Martin]

Surely deserve the same access to food assistance and Medicaid as their cousins on the mainland.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

Puerto Rico might not have a vote in the Electoral College, but Puerto Ricans.

[Ricky Martin]

Will be voting in states such as.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

Pennsylvania, where we could tip the result of a close election. Our vote won't be a reaction to racist jokes. We'll be voting for the future of.

[Ricky Martin]

A country that could be majority minority.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

By mid century that isn't so far away. It's 25 years since we started singing about Live in La Vida Loca. The United States is changing as it always has, changing what it looks like, what it listens to, what it eats. Those changes help explain why the pushback in support of Puerto Rico and Latinos.

[Ricky Martin]

Has been so forceful. Mainstream audiences love our culture in ways that make racist jokes sound as archaic.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

As they are offensive. The country's changing sense of self is unsettling for some, and their backlash is part of our American tradition too.

[Ricky Martin]

Our capacity to change is our American.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

Superpower, the core energy that drives our.

[Ricky Martin]

Entrepreneurs, our artists, our visionaries.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

It's a beautiful creative force, and it.

[Ricky Martin]

Comes from a people who are young at heart, seeking new ideas and questioning old ways. Never mind the noise.

[Lin Manuel Miranda]

Listen to the harmony because history has its eyes on us.

[Host]

If you like this show, follow it on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts. This show is produced by Derek Arthur, Sofia Alvarez, Boyd, Visaka Derba, Phoebe Lett, Christina Samulewski, and Jillian Weinberger. It's edited by Kari Pitkin, Alison Brusek and Annie Rose Strasser. Engineering, mixing and original music by Isaac Jones, sonia Herrero, Pat McCusker, Carol Sabaro and Afim Shapiro. Additional music by Amin Sohota. The Fact Check team is Kate Sinclair, Mary, Marge Locker and Michelle Harris. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta, Christina Samulewski and Adrian Rivera. The executive producer of Times Opinion Audio is Annie Rose Dresser.