Borinquen vive en El Barrio

This is the story of a Puerto Rican family that has lived in East Harlem for the past fifty years. The play opens when Borinquen is visited by a young relative from Puerto Rico, her grand-niece Maite, who comes to study acting at NYU. Maite learns about the lives and struggles of so many Puerto Ricans in New York. Borinquen’s daughter, Minerva, who is married to a Jewish American, now lives in the suburbs of Connecticut after choosing to leave El Barrio and assimilate as an American. Carlos, a long-time family friend, has been in love with Minerva since childhood and resents her marriage to a non-Puerto Rican. Through these two characters, we learn about the Young Lords and the identity struggles of many U.S.-born Puerto Ricans. When suddenly Borinquen faces death, all characters are forced to re-examine their relationships with their families, Puerto Rico, and the United States.