Taylín Wheeler, a Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA) senior, has had her life shaped by an island over a thousand miles away in the middle of the Caribbean that she has never seen. However, even though she’s never been to the American territory, she was raised surrounded by Puerto Rican culture. The language, traditions, and music are daily elements in her life that she uses to share her heritage with her family and friends.
Taylín’s father is African American, and her mother is Puerto Rican. Her mother was born in the Puerto Rican city of Ponce and raised in Guayanilla. She moved to the United States when she was six years old and has always prioritized educating Taylín about the heritage behind her childhood home and their family’s lineage.
Embracing her Puerto Rican Heritage
Taylín and her mother are descendants of Taíno. This Indigenous group inhabited Puerto Rico, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the Virgin Islands long before the Spaniards and other Europeans arrived. Today, the descendants of the Taíno work to recover and restore their culture. The Taíno initially called Puerto Rico “Boriken,” which is why some Puerto Ricans today refer to themselves as “Boricuas”.
“My mother already loves learning about the history of her island, so whenever she finds something, she is quick to show it to me as well. In fact, she was originally going to name me Taína after the Taínos. I guess Taylín is close enough,” Taylín recalled.
Taylín’s culture has affected many eras of her life. It led her to work in high school at their Adult Education program, where many Hispanic people came to learn English. Her knowledge of Spanish has also aided her studies as a music major by allowing her to sing what many consider complicated foreign pieces easily. While those are just two major examples, Taylín thinks her culture shows itself in many small ways in her everyday life, from the slang she uses with friends to her favorite brand of beans.
Faith, Culture and Community
While she’s only ever been to Puerto Rico through the power of imagination, Taylín hopes to visit someday and see all the places from her family members’ stories. Till then, she enjoys sharing her culture and faith as a Pentecostal with her friends. Her faith is heavily linked to her culture, with an estimated 15 to 25% of the Puerto Rican population identifying as Pentecostal. One fun fact Taylín finds very special as a Christian is that Puerto Rico is sometimes called “La Isla del Cordero, “which translates to “the Island of the Lamb.” This is a reference to the Lamb of God. She enjoys sharing Pentecostal hymns and Puerto Rican gospel songs with people from other faiths.
To Taylín, National Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity for others to open their eyes and think about where they come from and their own inherited culture. It’s a time of celebration but also reflection and gratitude. She considers herself extremely blessed to have such a “beautiful, crazy, and very loud” culture and to be part of the large Puerto Rican community in South Florida.
“Despite most of us not being born on the island, we can still embrace being Puerto Rican. Don’t listen to what people tell you. You are Puerto Rican, and that is that. Punto y final [Translation: Full Stop],” Taylín emphasized.
PBA’s College of the Arts is pleased to announce the 15th Annual Hispanic Heritage Festival to be held on October 10-13, 2024, in the Vera Lea Rinker Music and Fine Arts Building on our campus in West Palm Beach, Florida. To learn more, click here.
