We learn so little about Caribbean history, culture, and politics in our schools and via mainstream media. Is it any wonder when we don’t even know much about Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, which are Caribbean “territories” of the United States and whose residents are U.S. citizens? November is typically celebrated as Puerto Rican Heritage Month in mainland areas that have large Puerto Rican populations. According to 2020 Census estimates, more than 5 million people identify as Puerto Rican or are of Puerto Rican ancestry living in the contiguous United States. One would think that this group of Americans would be a part of national social studies curricula or their work included in the teaching of literature or the arts. Sadly, that tends not to be the case. New York City, home to the nation’s oldest and largest concentration of Puerto Ricans in one place, does have much more to offer K-12 students. Still, even there, far too many Puerto Rican contributions to our cultural mosaic go unheralded and untaught. I was singularly blessed to grow up in New York City, during a period when a distinctly New York Puerto Rican identity was developing, especially among artists and activists. This came to be known as the Nuyorican Movement; though I am not Puerto Rican, I was there at the movement’s birth and count many of the progenitors and those they inspired as friends and comrades. Caribbean Matters is a weekly series from Daily Kos. If you are unfamiliar with the region, check out Caribbean Matters: Getting to know the countries of the Caribbean. Read more