The image of the jíbaro and the concept of national identity it invokes, has been mobilized politically across several political parties and movements and for a variety of purposes. The Partido Popular Democrático (PPD) first used the silhouette of a jíbaro with the words below “Pan, Tierra, Libertad” in 1938 as their part logo and still today a variation of the original image is their official party emblem. The use of this image as emblem of the party and its electoral campaign reflects the successful strategy to draw a portion of the population that had been forgotten, positioning the party as in tune with populist politics. The New Jíbaro Democrats (NJD), a grassroots community organization based on Loisaida in the 1970s. The NJD membership card in this exhibit displays in the center a palm emerging from between buildings and skyscrapers, as if symbolizing that these jíbaros put their roots down and are now bearing fruits, the urban jíbaros are born and are here to stay.

[Partido Popular Democrático – PPD Emblem], 1938 and 2000s

Side by side comparison of the Partido Popular Democrático’s emblem eighty years apart.

New Jíbaro Democrats Official Member Card, n.d.

Identification card belonging to Puerto Rican activist and community leader Petra Santiago, treasurer of the New Jibaro Democrats, New York, NY, n.d. Petra Santiago Papers. New Jibaro Democrats Official Member Card, Center for Puerto Rican Studies Library & Archives.

[Resistance 101 Workbook cover], 1998-1999

Cover for curriculum workbook for political education at East Harlem / El Barrio, by Vagabond Beaumont from the anarcho-punk band RicanStruction, 8 1/2 x 11