Photo of Latina/o Caucus at Puerto Rican Day Parade with Juan Mendez
Author: Unknown
Date: Unknown
Demonstration: Puerto Rican Day Parade
People: Juan Mendez, Cándido Negrón
Description: The first time the Latina/o Caucus participates in the Puerto Rican Day Parade with Juan Mendez and Cándido Negrón holding a casket with the Puerto Rican flag. The action called attention to the AIDS epidemic in Puerto Rico and the complicity of the island’s Governor and Cardinal.
The Latina/o Caucus participated in the Puerto Rican Day parade for a few years. They were the first HIV/AIDS organization to do so. Pictured is Puerto Rican LC member Juan Mendez. Mendez was a media-savvy activist who worked in journalism and entertainment.
'EL E.L.A. ME MATA' poster appears in the background. With several Puerto Rican members in the Latina/o Caucus. Regardless of the differences in opinion about the issue of Puerto Rican sovereignty, the overarching rationale of the Latino Caucus was that the AIDS epidemic was a disaster on the island - even worse than in the US. From an investigative report by a journalist from the Boston Globe we learned that the government in San Juan had a "ton" of AZT stashed somewhere instead of distributing to HIV patients. At the time, this was still the only approved drug for the treatment of HIV infection. EL E.L.A. ME MATA is among the approved visuals for the ACT UP NY action in PR.
Fernando Mariscal notes that when the Latina/o Caucus participated in demonstrations, they would also attract activists who did not identify with ACT UP, but that were engaged specifically with the Latina/o Caucus and Latino issues. They did not "attend the ACT UP Monday meetings." Many of these included members of the Young Lords, intravenous drug-use (IDU) activists, STAND UP, an activist group of African Americans who had been imprisoned, and many Latina/o straight men and women living with AIDS.
Collection: Gonzalo Aburto