As part the resistance to Spain, Puerto Ricans who wanted independence first adopted a flag called the Lares Flag. It was originally created by Ramón Emeterio Betances to be the flag of the Puerto Rico Republic once independent from Spain. The revolt against Spain was called “El Grito de Lares.”

The insurrection had several leaders the most prominent being; Ramón Emeterio Betances (1827-1898), leading the movement from exile in Santo Domingo and Segundo Ruiz Belvis (1829-1867) co-leader with Betances. Ana María (Mariana) Bracetti Cuevas (1825-1903), wife of one of the members of the insurrection, sewed the revolutionary flag designed by Betances. The reason for the insurrection were: POVERTY, SLAVERY, taxation, lack of opportunity, and military rule.

The flag we know today was actually designed in New York City, by Puerto Rican exiles who were fighting alongside Cubans in resistance to Spanish rule.

This Welcome to Puerto Rico site tells part of the story:

The design of the Commonwealth flag reflects the close ties that bound the Cuban and Puerto Rico patriots in the 19th century for the flag which waves over the Capital of San Juan is the Cuban flag color reversed. The flag was first used on December 22, 1895. A group of 59 Puerto Ricans led by Dr. Julio J. Henna, gather at "Chimney Corner Hall" in Manhattan, New YorkCity and organizes a political group, attached to the Cuban Revolutionary Party,which advocated independence for Puerto Rico and Cuba from Spanish rule. As partof their activities, a flag was created to rally support for independence fromSpain. The flag was soon adopted as a national symbol. In 1898, the flag became the mark of resistance to the US invasion; and in the 1930s it was adopted bythe Nationalist Party. When Puerto Rico became a Commonwealth in July 25, 1952 itwas officially adopted as the national flag.

What is glossed over is the period of time in Puerto Rico where owning or displaying the flag could land you in jail, a period similar to the McCarthy-era persecutions of the left here in the U.S. Many readers have raised questions here about why more Puerto Ricans don’t support Independence. Those who are older still remember the brutal repression that took place against nationalists and independentistas.

During increased pressure and uprisings for independence from the U.S., the government of Puerto Rico—with the backing of the United States—took action.

Law 53 – The Gag Law On June 10, 1948, they passed Law 53, otherwise known as La Ley de la Mordaza (Law of the Muzzle). This law was nearly a word-for-word translation of Section 2 of the U.S. anti-Communist Smith Act, and it authorized police and FBI to stop anyone on the street and invade any Puerto Rican home, particularly Nationalist homes. It was a gag law. It prohibited the singing of a patriotic tune; or to own or display a Puerto Rican flag anywhere, even in one’s own home, no matter how large or small. It also prohibited any speech against the U.S. government or in favor of Puerto Rican independence; or to print, publish, sell or exhibit any material about independence; or to organize any society, group or assembly of people on behalf of independence. Anyone found guilty of disobeying the law could be sentenced to ten years imprisonment, a fine of $10,000 dollars, or both.

After the repeal of the gag rule in 1957, it is no wonder that one of the most popular Puerto Rican songs is an anthem to the flag, Que Bonita Bandera (What a Beautiful Flag).

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One of the stanzas refers specifically to historical patriots:

"Dijo Jose de Diego, Betances y Munoz Rivera

que bonita bandera es la bandera Puertorriqueña.

Quisiera verla flotando sobre mi Borinquen bella.

Que bonita bandera, dime que bonita bandera."

I remember marching through the streets of New York City, as a member of The Young Lords Party, in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, with flags waving, singing it with thousands of other marchers.

This article by Marlon Bishop details some of that history. It’s titled “How ‘Que Bonita Bandera’ Became a Revolutionary Puerto Rican Anthem”:

The Young Lords, mostly in their late teens and early twenties, grew out beards and marched in army jackets and purple berets. Their goal was to bring attention to the deep inequality facing Puerto Ricans in the city – endemic poverty, inadequate housing, lack of city services. For their first action, they collected garbage festering on the streets of El Barrio, piled it up into a five-foot tall barricade in the middle of third Avenue, and set it ablaze. The city took notice, and garbage collection improved. The Young Lords declared the mission a success – they proved to the neighborhood they could get shit done. One song could inevitably be heard at the Young Lords’ marches and rallies. “Que Bonita Bandera” (“What a Beautiful Flag”) became the group’s unofficial anthem. The song is a plena, a Puerto Rican folk genre based around call-and-response. The lyrics – sung in Spanish – are made up of a chorus that repeats over and over again the words “what a beautiful flag, what a beautiful flag... the Puerto Rican flag,” interspersed with short improvised verses, such as: “Blue, white and red and the middle it has a star. What a beautiful flag my Puerto Rican flag is.” At first listen, it appears to be just a simple nationalistic song about a flag. But for Puerto Ricans, the flag is more than just a flag. “The Puerto Rican flag was banned for a long time, by colonial decree. So the song was viewed as subversive,” explains Carlito Rivera, a Young Lord who served in the group’s Ministry of Defence. Rivera is referring to the so-called “Gag Law” in Puerto Rico, which made it illegal to own or display a Puerto Rican flag until 1957, an attempt to suppress the pro-independence movement on the island “So for us, singing ‘What A Beautiful Flag’ is similar to when African-Americans began to say ‘Black is beautiful,’ because for centuries black people were told they were ugly. The narrative is changed. So when we said ‘the flag is beautiful’ the implication is that, if it’s beautiful, it should to be flying over Puerto Rico.”

A major tribute to the original name of the island is the national hymn of Puerto Rico, La Borinquena, whose original lyrics were written by Lola Rodríguez de Tió.

Lola Rodríguez de Tió

Lola Rodríguez de Tió was born in San Germán where she received her primary education. Her schooling continued at home where various intellectuals and politicians often met. In 1868, inspired by the call for Puerto Rican independence known as the "Grito de Lares," she wrote patriotic lyrics to the tune of “La Borinqueña." The song became very popular, but brought her into conflict with Spanish authorities. In 1876 she and her family moved to Mayagüez where she published her first book of poetry, Mis cantares, which sold 2,500 copies. In 1877 the family fled to Venezuela where they met Eugenio María de Hostos. Upon their return to Puerto Rico she and her husband founded the magazine La almojábana. They were exiled again in 1887, returning first to Venezuela and then to Cuba. Once in Havana, their home became a gathering point for politicians and intellectuals as well as exiled Puerto Ricans.

The lyrics of her revolutionary anthem are printed here, and can be heard sung here.

Here is the version which is used today, which is beautiful, but devoid of radical messages.

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Lyrics — Spanish and English

La Borinqueña is now a comic book super heroine created by Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez.

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La Borinqueña

La Borinqueña is an original character and patriotic symbol presented in a classic superhero story created and written by graphic novelist Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez. Her powers are drawn from history and and mysticism found on the island of Puerto Rico. The fictional character, Marisol Rios De La Luz, is a Columbia University Earth and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate student living with her parents in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She takes a semester of study abroad in collaboration with the University of Puerto Rico. There she explores the caves of Puerto Rico and finds five similar sized crystals. Atabex, the Taino mother goddess, appears before Marisol once the crystals are united and summons her sons Yúcahu, spirt of the seas and mountains and Juracan, spirit of the hurricanes. They give Marisol superhuman strength, the power of flight, and control of the storms.

Edgardo talks about raising money for Puerto Rico by doing a show at Casita Maria in the Bronx.

x Dressed in her islandÃ¢ÂÂs iconic flag, comic book superhero "La BorinqueÃÂ±a" is flying to Puerto RicoÃ¢ÂÂs rescue after Hurricane Maria pic.twitter.com/sMu86ZqVRw Ã¢ÂÂ AFP news agency (@AFP) October 18, 2017

A major historical reference to Boriken is the name adopted by the Puerto Rican 65th Infantry Regiment, “The Borinqueneers,” who I wrote about here back in 2013 during efforts to get Congress to award them the Gold Medal they deserved.

This documentary about them aired on PBS in 2007.

Narrated by Hector Elizondo, the documentary explores the fascinating stories of courage, triumph and struggle of the men of the 65th through rare archival materials and compelling interviews with veterans, commanding officers, and historians. The 65th Infantry Regiment was created in 1899 by the U.S. Congress as a segregated unit composed primarily of Puerto Ricans with mostly continental officers. It went on to serve meritoriously in three wars: World War I, World War II and the Korean War. The unit was nicknamed after "Borinquen", the word given to Puerto Rico by its original inhabitants, the Taino Indians, meaning "land of the brave lord". When they were finally called to the front lines in the Korean War, the men of the 65th performed impressively, earning praise from General MacArthur. They performed a critical role containing the Chinese advance and supporting the U.S. Marines in the aftermath of the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir. Sent to every corner of the peninsula, they showed outstanding resilience and a legendary fierceness as combatants, even as they faced discrimination within the Army. But in the fall of 1952 the regiment was at the center of a series of dramatic events that would threaten its very existence.

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Their toughest fight was not on the battlefield. The Borinqueneers chronicles the never-before told story of the Puerto Rican 65th Infantry Regiment, the only all-Hispanic unit in U.S. Army history. Through compelling interviews and rare archival footage, this film explores the unique experience of the 65th, culminating in the Korean War and the dramatic events that would threaten its very existence. Bound by a strong cultural identity, the men of the 65th were determined to prove their mettle, in spite of discrimination within the Army and curtailed rights in their own land, where to this day they can be drafted but cannot vote in U.S. elections. But in the fall of 1952, the 65th would face its toughest challenge when dozens of its soldiers abandoned their positions and were tried in one of the largest courts martial of the war.

Thank you to everyone working hard to support Puerto Rico in her time of need.

This series of articles will be continued next Sunday.