In Spanish it means “I’m here to stay” and many Hispanics have done just that by settling permanently in Connecticut from the mid-twentieth century onward. In fact, as of 2014 fifteen percent of Connecticut’s population described themselves as Hispanic. (In case you are wondering, according to the Census Bureau “Hispanics or Latinos are those people who classified themselves in one of the specific Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino categories listed on the Census 2010 questionnaire -“Mexican,” “Puerto Rican”, or “Cuban”-as well as those who indicate that they are “another Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin.”)
Unlike other groups who migrated to the the state over the centuries, and especially those who came in the big immigration waves of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, not nearly as much has been recorded or written about Hispanics in Connecticut. In other words, why and where did they settled here? The Census Bureau’s report indicates that of all those who identify as Hispanic or Latino in the state, over half identify as Puerto Rican. One excellent book on this subject is Aqui Me Quedo, by Ruth Glasser, which takes a look at Connecticut’s Puerto Rican population in some depth and “Puerto Rican Passages,” a film on the same subject matter.
Here are a few other resources:
Maria Sánchez – The first Connecticut state representative
Windsor Tobacco: Made in the Shade – some of the reason why many Puerto Ricans settled in Connecticut
Latino Americans: 500 years of history – a six-part documentary regarding Latinos in the U.S.
So, let’s celebrate!