On Tuesday, April 24th, 2012 Lucky Rivera & Julio Pabón, the two co-founders of Boricuas For A Positive Image (BFPI) were interviewed on the WABC - TV show Tiempo with José Torres. The show will air on Sunday April 29th, 2012 at 11am on the local channel 7.
The interview was on the organizations ongoing protest against the national ABC Network for the insulting joke aired January 3rd, 2012 on the now cancelled show, Work It, where the line: "I'm Puerto Rican I would be great at selling drugs" drew a firestorm of protest from the Puerto Rican community. As a result of the networks lack of a response the protest grew and became a weekly event in front of the local affiliate, WABC - TV (that had nothing to do with the show, but they are part of the overall company) on 66th St and Columbus Avenue in New York City.
Those ongoing protests led to an organization being born, Boricuas For A Positive Image. The organization has been crowned the "voice of the Puerto Rican community" by several entities as they have helped to wake up many in a community that has been without any outspoken leaders, thus too quiet for way much too long.
The mission of BFPI is to be the vocal voice of the Puerto Rican community when it comes to defending itself from abuses, insults and attacks on our image and our community. In fact, several individuals and organizations have already solicited the organization for support on a variety of issues that they believe need to be addressed, or advocated on.
BFPI interview on the local WABC affiliate is part of the overall victory that is a result of many individuals from many walks of life and from other parts of the country that came through and supported this issue of respect for the Puerto Rican community. Over 9 weeks of protest in the cold, in the rain and from individuals on the Internet who kept this issue alive and spread it throughout the country. We believe in the slogan that we will borrow from a South Bronx company, Latino Sports that has been saying this since 1989: It's About Us It's About Time! Es Nuestro, Ya Era Tiempo!
Spread the word and let everyone know that there is a victory to this struggle for respect against the ABC network, a victory that needs to be shared with our community. ABC gave a written apology, something that many naysayers said they would "not do." The second demand was a meeting with the network. We got the meeting with the executives from the ABC corporate offices in California where we were able to express our concerns in person and advocate for more Puerto Rican inclusion in the infrastructure both in front and more importantly behind the cameras. Now we have this segment to be aired this coming Sunday. Tune in on Sunday at 11am and see more than two Puerto Ricans talking about the ABC issue, see the beginning of a new movement that will make us all proud.
If you want to contact Boricuas For A Positive Image you can write to 1814 Third Avenue 1st Fl. New York, NY 10029. Telephone: 212 470-7812