Diaspora Stories Reflections

In March we began our Diaspora Stories campaign, collecting stories from the Puerto Rican and Caribbean diaspora about how folks all over the world honor their cultural heritage. We received stories from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic — even as far as Spain! — and from all over the contiguous United States. From New York to Virginia, from California to Colorado to Texas, it’s been a tremendous honor, and tremendously moving, to bear witness to such a kaleidoscopic set of stories, stories that are as colorful, beautiful, and profound as Puerto Rico itself. Inspired by projects like conPRmetidos, who believe “Puerto Ricans can build a global model of community-driven success,” and their El Comeback project, “a platform that connects professionals with trabajo en Puerto Rico,” we also believe that Puerto Rico’s future, and the future of Puerto Rican farmers in La Cordillera, lies in continuing to stimulate and raise consciousness around developing a robust economy in Puerto Rico for Puerto Ricans. And specialty coffee of course! While there will only be two winners of the Diaspora Stories campaign (to be announced soon!), who will win a trip to Centro Tanama, we wanted to take time to honor and share with you some of the stories we received.

We began with with some of our own stories, including Founder Domenico Celli’s reflection on how his own diasporic identity led him back to Puerto Rico to celebrate the Puerto Rican agrarian lifestyle and pursue a new economic horizon for Puerto Rican coffee farmers through creating social programs and by producing high quality specialty coffee. So he founded Forgotten Forest! We also heard from his Tia Nina, who, with beautiful verve and spirit, shared how the the holidays were always a time to celebrate their family’s heritage, with music on Spansh guitar and singing and dancing and pasteles and coquito! Augustina reflected on learning to play Puerto Rican songs as a child in Adjuntas, and Marlene (flor_salvaje) recounted how the tragedy of hurricane Maria also led to communal forms of solidarity on the island: a vision of a future consisting of mutual aid and comraderie.

Of course, we were thrilled to have some wonderful folks from the specialty coffee world sharing how their Puerto Rican and Caribbean heritage influences their work in coffee. In each of these stories, full of nostalgia and yearning, you can really sense how coffee is such an intrinsic part of the diasporic Caribbean experience. From hearing about wafting morning aromas to the beautiful land where coffee grows, we loved hearing these tales of coffee. Like Ariana Cabrera of Riposo reflecting on her own family’s coffee heritage, Maxie the Barista talking about growing up and her family’s bustling morning conversation oriented around drinking coffee. Frank Jordan of Yellow Rooster shared the way that coffee has re-connected him to the Spanish language. We heard how Javier, an NYC-based coffee consultant, thinks about his heritage in his work, and from brewers cup competitor Sebastian Legner at Coda Coffee, who grew up helping his dad on his coffee farm, and who has also worked raising money for farmers affected by Hurricane Maria. We heard the wonderful story of our friend Josh Gomez, currently at No Free Coffee in Nashville, who all his life has wanted to share the story of Puerto Rican coffee with folks in the specialty coffee industry. And from Jesh Perez of Perc Coffee with locations in Savannah and Atlanta. Born in Puerto Rico, Jesh shared that sometimes coming to terms with cultural identity is not easy, but that he is proud of his people and represents Puerto Rico with a strong work ethic and commitment to quality coffee.

And the kaleidoscope continues! With Diaspora Stories, we wanted to showcase the incredible diversity of the Puerto Rican and Caribbean diasporic experience. Indeed, as we move out of the coffee world, these stories showcase just how varied, how exciting, and how surprising the Caribbean diaspora is! We heard from freelance writer Francheska Melendez who is currently living in Spain and writes for Monocle, Lodestar’s Anthology, Konfekt, and more, and who shared the exhilarating way Puerto Ricans can turn even the most sordid business affair, like a trip to the bank, into a party, with community, conviviality, and bumpin’ music. Professional climber and writer William Flores shared his passionate love for his country for climbing, while serious surfer Vanessa Rolon shared her intimate re-connecting with her Puerto Rican roots by recently visiting the island. Meanwhile, restaurateur and former member of 2pac’s Outlawz Mutah Beale shared an impassioned call for diasporic folks to try and return to the island if they can to experience its beauty, culture, and wonderful people who live there.

From the Dominican Republic to Texas and back to Puerto Rico, this last set of stories warmed our hearts and made us want to salsa! To be sure, this is not the whole story! We’re only able to share a handful of the wonderful stories we received. Nevertheless, if you submitted, be sure that we watched and cared for your story, too. From a beach in the Dominican Republic, Leslie Hernandez, a teacher in the Bronx, shared how she brings the campo into the classroom, especially to create great relations among parents in her community. We loved Karina Cuenca’s family-driven narrative about her father bringing Puerto Rican flair, music, and dance into her life, and the way that these experiences “weave a tapestry of cultural identity” between diasporic folks. And Raúl Martinez Aponte shared his truly full-circle diaspora story. Born in Puerto Rico, he moved to the contiguous US while young, and after studying medicine stateside, he’s now completing a doctorate back in Puerto Rico! Finally, so many of us were moved by Ariana Belfiore’s authentic story of diasporic life, one colored by displacement, return, tragedy and the beautiful expression of the persistence of the Puerto Rican people even in the face of great difficulty. After moving back to the island to start her own business, Ariana’s move was cut short by Maria, which forced her to move back to the states. But her story does not end there. She continued dreaming, and returned to the states to continue her own business, Blessed Organix, which honors her heritage and the medicinal powers of Mother Earth.

So what is the diaspora today? Emotion, beauty, persistence, perseverance. Culture, dance, music, coffee. Family, celebration, rhythm and verve, passion and community, beauty and love. It’s been an honor to receive these wonderful stories and be able to share them with you. And it has been deeply humbling to witness each of these stories’ tellers tell the story of a passionate, beautiful, and diverse community spread all around the world, all of whom share the enormous power of their roots. So much has changed in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean in the last century, but something that has not is this cultural web of uncommon beauty and power characterizing our amazing people. A people committed to optimism and the occasional party, as well as the grit and nerve to get through any situation. As we draw Diaspora Stories to a close for now, we want to make clear our deep gratitude for everything that you all shared with us. Indeed, keeping culture alive requires that we keep telling these stories, that we give each other opportunities to keep sharing them, and that we all find time to keep listening to them. And that we keep making them together! As we approach an evolving world today, it is our shared storytelling that keeps us together.

Our heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who participated in Diaspora Stories!