Puerto Rican Flags Up, a title that rose from the ashes of a man that lost everything. A light at the end of a tunnel, the window that opens after the closing of a door, and the clouds dispersing after a dark time in David Avilés’ life.
Born in Harlem, raised and residing in the Bronx, forever calling it his home; David Avilés is the epitome of an inspirational story, proof that human beings can find their calling at any point in time, and that rock bottom is a starting point for success.
In the vibrant streets of New York City, a community thrives, carrying a unique and intricate identity woven from the threads of two cultures. The Nuyoricans, a term coined for Puerto Ricans born or raised in New York, face an extraordinary identity crisis due to an unreasonable society as they navigate the complexities of their heritage and assimilation into American society.
David Avilés uses Puerto Rican Flags Up, his thriving social media account, as a guide for these young Nuyoricans whose identities are challenged every day–never feeling American enough, never feeling Puerto Rican enough–a sentiment very well known by David Avilés, part of the diaspora himself.
In sporadic trips to his cousins’ house in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Avilés would often get into fights with his cousins–fights that originated by them calling him a Yankee. In turn, Avilés felt the need to show his cousins what it is like to be a Puerto Rican in New York. 8 years ago today Avilés got to do just that, taking his cousin to the annual Puerto Rican Day Parade during a visit to the big city.
“He came on the float with us, and in the middle of the parade he turns around and says ‘Primo, I’ve never seen so many Boricuas in one place, I can’t believe this’” said Avilés. His cousin couldn’t believe the pride coming from the people screaming and chanting along with his culture.
This urge to silence those who would question a Nuyorican’s seemingly tenuous roots isn’t unique to Avilés. This delicate dance often leads to advocating for acceptance and grappling with questions of belonging. All the while, there’s a very real fear of losing one’s identity in fast paced, American life.
These fears and concerns led to David Avilés creating Puerto Rican Flags Up. Mainly, he wanted to speak to a younger audience whose identity is not acknowledged in school, at home, or in their surrounding environment; to encourage them to actively engage in activities that reinforce their connection to Puerto Rican culture. These cultural expressions Avilés offers serve as anchors, grounding them in their identity and offering a sense of belonging in a world that constantly demands assimilation. It’s a place where they can come and get a glimpse of their place of origin.
“You know how they say pressure creates diamonds? I think it’s the same with Nuyoricans, it creates such a strong-willed Boricua because we always gotta prove ourselves, we always gotta show that we’re prouder, we always gotta show that, yeah, we belong,” Avilés expressed, “and not in a pity way, not in a ‘hey we want to fit in’ way, in a ‘we’re demanding it’ way.”
David Avilés offers himself and his team as a bridge to culture, history, and education. Making sure to expand his content to Puerto Ricans not just in New York, but in Pennsylvania, Chicago, Orlando, and any state hosting habitants, either Puerto Rican roots, because he acknowledges a need for unity and belonging between islanders. He is motivated to create a strong bond between Puerto Ricans in the island and outside of the island.
However, his purpose wasn’t always clear and focused. He used to spend his time and money owning two recording studios, an endeavor that, despite his immense passion for the nurturing of Boricua hip hop artists, he now calls a “money pit”.
“The times that I was in the studio I had, like, this pain in my stomach, this pit, but every time I would go to the doctor it was like ‘you have nothing’. I think it was all the stress of the studio, and just, you know, the frustration”.
Artists stopped playing, the audience stopped listening, and little by little David Avilés lost everything.
At the crossroads of despair, David Avilés found himself standing, shattered and broken. Life had dealt him a series of crushing blows, unforeseen financial collapse, and the dissolution of cherished relationships. Stripped of his possessions, his livelihood, and his sense of security, Avilés felt the weight of despair pressing upon his spirit.
But in the face of adversity, the human spirit has an incredible capacity to rise above challenges and transform despair into triumph.
Despite the financial ruin, he claims he felt a weight lifting off of his shoulders the moment the music business left his grasp. He donated all his equipment to a church and said, “bon voyage”. Suddenly, a gust of wind swooshed into frame in the form of the Nuyorican community, a social media account, and the inspiring need to unite.
It all started with the inspiration from the amazing women around him, primarily his mother, who taught him to give back to the community above all else.“Women are the heroes of this world,” Avilés notes. And what began from a Facebook group platform, and quarterly all-Boricua comedy shows, started to take a life of its own.
“It was all right there in front of me, it was like God created the group so I could find my way in it,” expressed Avilés.
Suddenly he realized that this was something he needed to take seriously. The account started maturing, posts started needing to be approved, seriousness took place, and earnestness overflowed. It was no longer a frivolous way to unwind and share a few laughs between Puerto Ricans, it was now, as Avilés says, “a bridge to culture, history, and education”.
“At the beginning, we were just having fun, we were very lenient with posts, but it got to the point where I really had to say to myself ‘wait a second, I’m being looked at as a leader now, I can’t just let anybody post anything they feel like posting,’” revealed Avilés.
And with the substance and the quality of his content increasing, he started creating a diverse following, all united under the page, carrying the name inspired by that fateful day with Avilés’ cousin.
“You will never see that many Puerto Ricans in one place, even people that are not Puerto Ricans, I’ve never seen that many people just scream and lift their flags up. We’re Puerto Rican and we love to lift our flags up” said Avilés about the origin of the brand name.
When asked what his goal is and what he’s trying to achieve with the social media account, he expressed a particular passion for the young people of this world, saying his purpose is to elevate, educate, and most importantly reach the youth- the most powerful force in this universe, our young people.
“None of our culture is being embedded in them, it’s being left out. So, it’s our job to keep that in their eyesight, to say ‘listen, they might not be teaching this in school, you might not be learning this in your house, but this is who you are, this is where we came from, these are the things we celebrate, and these are our heroes’” said the social-media-entrepreneur.
When asked where he sees his brand going, he mentioned various projects on the horizon for Puerto Rican Flags Up, one of those being an upcoming, brand-new, website for his commerce called puerotricans.com. I see nothing but success in the future website of Puerto Rican Flags Up, the only brand that sells the flags of all the pueblos of Puerto Rico, all 78 of them.
David Avilés is also involved in many Puerto Rican festivals and longs to take them to the next level. Trying to unite all the big and small festivals throughout the United States that are Puerto Rican, and to create a network of support for all the festivals that need a social media push so they may reach more Boricuas in their area.
David Avilés, part of the diaspora, and forever part of Puerto Rican history, leaves us with a reminder that he is right where he’s supposed to be, he has found his calling. He is Nuyorican and proud, yet his roots are alive within him, and lastly, he dignifies us with these inspiring words to all Puerto Ricans in the U.S.
“I want everybody to know that it’s their home, when they get off that plane in Puerto Rico and they smell that air it’s a different smell, it’s a different taste, it’s a different feel; when it’s your land, when it’s your patria. Your ancestors are talking to you through those smells, through that air, through the food. It’s everything that you are, it’s your DNA make up. So, everybody go back to your land, pay homage to it, and buy a piece of it back.”
