Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many celebratory parades and festivals have been postponed indefinitely. Thankfully, many event organizers have brought us joyous virtual renditions of these same events, which is what the National Puerto Rican Day Parade (NPRDP) committee will be doing this year.
Television broadcast station WABC-TV announced that they will be honoring the postponed historic festival with a virtual 90-minute community celebration on Sunday, June 14.
The program will be hosted by WABC-TV anchors Joe Torres and David Navarro and The View co-host Sunny Hostin. The program will also feature appearances by Puerto Rican community leaders as Luis Miranda Jr. and Puerto Rican TV, film and music celebrities such as award-winning actor and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda.
“The Parade is more than a celebration of pride and culture. It’s a platform for preserving our heritage while advancing our community by informing on important issues and promoting educational achievement,” said Louis Maldonado, board chair for the parade committee, in a press release. “Given the profound impact COVID-19 has had on New York and communities across the nation, and with Puerto Rico still grappling with incessant earthquakes and its own COVID19-related pause, the Parade Board agrees it’s critically important to continue the Parade’s legacy while celebrating our resilience.”
As has been the tradition for the previous four years, the NPRDP will award $200,000 to 100 high school seniors as well as college freshmen, sophomores and juniors of Puerto Rican descent. The virtual celebration will feature winners of the NPRDP Scholarship program and “serve as a fundraiser for the scholarship fund.”
The National Puerto Rican Day Parade Celebration will be broadcasted on WABC-TV (Channel 7) from 12 to 1:30 p.m. ET.
