While in graduate school this past spring, I engaged in a research paper project on people of color in the s New York City theatre scene. One of my case studies truly stuck with me personally as an underreported historical happening I felt I needed to share. Months later, as this essay makes its way to HowlRound in this time of visibly heightened white supremacy and based on a topic during a time period that occurred more than half a century ago, its message is still extremely relevant in thinking about how we can counter white supremacy in our arts, on our stages, and in our legacies.
In s New York City, the Puerto Rican community experienced an arts and culture appropriation that has continued to shape the way many people view Puerto Rican migrants and descendants in the United States. The culprit: the popular Shakespearean inspired musical, West Side Story. Instead, the Puerto Rican story these creators presented was that of gang violence and whitewashed casting.
Additionally, this cultural appropriation, or inaccurate and superficial use of a marginalized culture for the artistic benefit of white artists and audiences, reveals the fiscal inequity that occurs for artists who create work that does accurately represent their own culture.
In this essay, I seek to compare these two plays and look at the history of Puerto Ricans migrating to New York in order to better understand an example of cultural appropriation in the arts, its effects, its telltale signs, and some lessons for the future. Furthermore, taking a closer look at this important migration moment in the history of the United States reveals an overlooked story of Puerto Ricans from the mid-twentieth century that also resonates with many immigrants or migrants of today.
By fast-tracking the decline of agricultureโmostly sugar cane productionโand igniting the rise of industrialization, the Puerto Rican government gave the United States free rein to open hundreds of factories in Puerto Rico for the manufacturing and exporting of goods, textiles, plastics, and metal items for sale in the United States. As a result, Puerto Rican factory jobs increased, but they did not make up for the totality in loss of agriculture jobs. Thus, an expulsion of those living in the countryside began.
