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Millions Celebrate National Puerto Rican Day – Metro US

Millions Celebrate National Puerto Rican Day

Millions Celebrate National Puerto Rican Day
Miles Dixon

The annual National Puerto Rican Day Parade marched along Fifth Avenue as an estimated 2 million spectators cheered on the marchers as they made their way from 44th Street to 79th Street.

Swinging to the sounds of salsa and bachata, excited participants waved the red and white stripes of the Puerto Rican flag.

Actress Rita Moreno, the parade’s grand marshal, stopped to dance with Cardinal Timothy Dolan in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Also in attendance were Alejandro Garcia Padilla, the governor of Puerto Rico, and New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito, the first Puerto Rican and first Latina ito be elected to a citywide position.

The parade, one of the largest ethnic celebrations in the country, was under scrutiny last year when an investigation by the New York Attorney General found that almost $1 million dollars raised for the event were misappropriated.