VI-PR Friendship Parade on St. Croix in 2015. Photo Credit: VI CONSORTIUM
The Virgin Islands-Puerto Rico Friendship Committee is preparing to celebrate Virgin Islands – Puerto Rico Friendship weekend with a number of activities next week.
According to a release issued Wednesday, the celebration will begin October 7 and end October 12 with VI-PR Friendship Day, a local holiday. The holiday was created in the 1960s in recognition of the unique relationship between Virgin Islanders and Puerto Ricans — at the time the largest immigrant community in the territory, especially on St. Croix.
Maria Colon-Clarke, VIPR Committee president, said Friendship events will include a Virgin Islands- Puerto Rico Friendship Forum, Virtual Church Service and Awards Reception. She said the events have been scaled back this year to exclude the parade, village, block party and other social events because of social distancing mandates.
This year the committee will honor Carmen Felix Encarnacion, Dr. Kisha Christian and Jose Alberto Sanchez for their contributions given daily to the community. “Our honorees this year are real gems and we want to show our appreciation for all the work they have done for our community,” Colon-Clarke said. “We will also be posthumously honoring Brizaidy Saldaña who had been a major contributor to the committee and the work done to keep the culture and tradition alive. She died earlier this year.”
Colon-Clarke said the committee plans to livestream video of the events to give residents and friends near and afar an opportunity to be a part of the celebration. Those links will be shared on the committee's Facebook page.
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