"Even though we couldn't meet on 5th Avenue, people are going to get an idea of Puerto Rican tradition and Puerto Rican pride," says De La Luz, " The National Puerto Rican Day Parade is something that has been in my life, always."
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The Bronx native, known as La Bruja, and host of open mic night at the Nuyorican Poets Café, is one of the highlights of this year's Puerto Rican Day celebration. Her performance, a chronological tribute to the greats, including café founder Miguel Algarin, who passed away last year.
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"This is a great opportunity to share the poet's word of liberation, fight, struggle, unification and remembrance of the pride that we have," she says.
Not only will De La Luz appear live during the celebration, but part of her appearance was also filmed in Puerto Rico.
"I was just living in Puerto Rico the last five months, so I was able to shoot out there, learn out there. I learned a lot more about the roots of Puerto Rican poetry," said De La Luz.
During her time in Puerto Rico, she saw the continued struggle there after a barrage of natural disasters. The spoken word of that experience is just as important now, than ever.
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"To be able to do this, on this platform, during this time after this pandemic, after having survived this pandemic - it means the world to me. It fills me with so much pride, my hairs stand up," she says.
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