¡Yo Soy Boricua, Pa'Que Tu Lo Sepas!

Rosie Perez directs and stars in this IFC documentary about her family and Puerto Rico. This duo-documentary goes back and forth between her life and retracing her roots and the history of Puerto Rico.
Bushwick, Brooklyn born Rosie Perez gets into every aspect of her life from being abandon by her mother, growing up with an aunt and finding out her great-grandmother had an affair with a man and he would deny his illegitimate children.

Jimmy Smits who is also Brooklyn born and half Puerto Rican and half Surinamese does the narration on the history of Puerto Rico.
I knew everything they said in this documentary and nothing was left out or added with what I know of the history of Puerto Rico although they did play down certain bad events.

I don't assume people know anything about Puerto Rico so here is a quick lesson.

1. All Puerto Ricans are U.S citizens.
2. Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the U.S.
   
3. Puerto Ricans send more troops to Iraq and every war then any state in the U.S.
4. Puerto Ricans do pay taxes just not some federal taxes.

Forced sterilization and testing the birth control pill on one third of the women in Puerto Rico showed how they were treated to benefit the white American women. Also the racism of America would put Puerto Ricans in categories like white-blue eyed Puerto Ricans in black troops, and dark skinned men in all white troops.

Some parts Rosie under played was the terrorist aspects of Puerto Rican Independents groups. While they did show that they stormed the Congress and shot 5 congressmen they didn't mention the time they took over the Statue of Liberty, twice.

Overall the documentary was okay. I see with interviews of her family members that both Puerto Ricans and Americans are ignorant about the long history of Puerto Rico. People didn't realize that at until 1969 NYC did not collect poor communities until a Puerto Rican group called the Young Lords forced the issue. Most Young Lords later became politicians and reporters. Also Rosie made a good point on why Puerto Ricans are so loud, simply because that is how to survive. I don't see it like another country waving flags during a parade instead another state. Idaho, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, Maine they are all part of the U.S. and the people born their always speak proudly of their birthplace.

On a side note I think Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. should both become states. Add two stars to the flag and at least half of the Puerto Ricans believe the same only a small percentage wants to become an independent country.