Shared Shores: The Legacy and History of Puerto Ricans in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands have always shared a kinship with each other. They have shared struggles, similar narratives, and due to the migration of Puerto Rican families to the Virgin Islands throughout the years, it has fostered a new shared memory, identity and culture. The history of Puerto Ricans in the Virgin Islands is building home away from home. 

The US took occupation of Puerto Rico from Spain in 1898 during the Spanish-American War. The shift from Spanish colony to US colony took place, although they call it a “commonwealth” these days. The US purchased the Virgin Islands from Denmark in 1917 for a price of $25 million dollars. They shifted from Danish colony to US colony, although they call is an “unincorporated territory” these days. Both places are not part of the US state system, are not allowed to vote for president or US politics, only local elections, but each’s residents are considered US citizens. 

With the US in charge, migration between Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands increased. Other impacting issues such as economic changes, labor shortages in the Virgin Islands, and hardships in Puerto Rico, created opportunities for Puerto Rican workers to find more stability. Many families came from recommendations from their friends or family who had gone ahead looking for prospects of a better life. 

Those who took the chance to leave all that they knew behind them, move to a new place with a new language, no connections, no family, had to start over with nothing. They built new lives, new communities, assimilated, they opened small businesses, filled the gaps, and integrated into their new home. Throughout time, their children and grandchildren would see the Virgin Islands as home. 

One thing that the Puerto Ricans never left behind was their culture. In family get togethers the sound of music and singing was front and center, the smell of arroz con gandules cooking in the kitchen, families joining together to celebrate any and every event. But, as much as they retained their cultural traditions, they adapted to learn and apply their new home’s cultural customs. They and their children became bilingual, even learning Virgin Islands Creole in daily conversations. Tables now adorned with pasteles and kallaloo, tostones and fungi, and coquito and guavaberry rum. 

For those who migrated to the Virgin Islands, their identity is multilayered – they have a dual sense of belonging, one to their ancestral ties of Puerto Rico and, one to the Virgin Islands. For many later generations of these families, they just see themselves as Virgin Islanders with Puerto Rican heritage. There is great pride for both cultures and identities, equally.

It has not always been such an easy dynamic though. Differences in culture, language and access to resources has sometimes caused conflict and tension. Many Puerto Ricans came to the Virgin Islands with nothing more than themselves and their families, whatever they had they took to pay their way, and they had to find work immediately to survive. Many times neighborhood families from Puerto Rico found themselves in the Virgin Islands and supported one another, lifted each other up, and were the village each other needed to get a step up. 

My family was one of these families that migrated from Puerto Rico. My grandfather left Ceiba, came with his siblings and parents in the 1930s to St. Thomas when he was a young boy. They left jobs as generational cane cutters in Puerto Rico to become farm workers in St. Thomas. They joined resources as a family and saved everything they had to go into business for themselves as grocers and from there kept saving till they could purchase family land. My grandmother left Vieques as a young girl for St. Croix before relocating to St. Thomas as a young woman. She worked in the St. Thomas Apothecary until she met my grandfather. But they and the rest of my family were always larger than life characters in the community, there was always food for whoever might stop by the house, family or not, community was everything to them. This was their home, where their life had played out and where their happiness and pride found peace.

I am thankful for the many stories my abuela instilled in me growing up, owning my cultural pride, identity, the stories of my people. I am thankful for the community life my abuelo modeled, teachings about nature, people, plants and herbs. Because of them I carry a deep appreciation for my ancestors and their legacy, as well as the place we now call home which holds so much memory, moments, feelings, and pride.