Puerto Rico Equality and Statehood Summit. Image credit: Puerto Rico Statehood Council
From March 3 to 5, the Puerto Rico Statehood Council, Governor Jenniffer González-Colón (NPP, R), and the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration held the first annual Puerto Rico Equality and Statehood Summit in Washington, DC.
The event invited statehood advocates to meet with representatives with the ultimate goal of pushing for Puerto Rico Statehood. The event resulted in over 80 meetings with congressional offices and a letter urging congressional leaders to introduce legislation signed by activists from Puerto Rico and seven US states.
“Congress must respond to the will of the majority of Puerto Rico’s voters who have…favored statehood at the ballot box,” George Laws Garcia, executive director of the Puerto Rico Statehood Council, highlighted.
Governor González-Colón attended meetings with several federal agency leaders, including President Trump’s Chief of Staff Susie Wiles (R), Secretary of the US Department of the Interior Doug Burgum (R), and Secretary of the US Department of Education Linda McMahon (R). They discussed several issues regarding Puerto Rico’s economy, infrastructure, and academic outcomes. At the summit, González-Colón conveyed that, “The United States has been a beacon of democracy around the world…but still you have a colony that has 109 years waiting for the next step and that next step is becoming the state of the nation.”
Those who oppose Statehood for Puerto Rico promptly organized a response to this summit to demand “the immediate end of the colonial relationship between the US and Puerto Rico.” On March 4, Boricuas Unidos En La Diáspora Puerto Rico (BUDPR), Juventud Unida por la Independencia (JUPI), and Diaspora Pa’lante Collective DMV (DPCDMV) came together to hold the Reject US Statehood Counter Summit in Washington, DC.
JUPI states their goal to be “the overthrow of US imperialism, which is the highest stage of capitalism, in Puerto Rico and replace it with an independent Puerto Rico with a socialist perspective.” BUDPR and DPCDMV share similar motives of “mak(ing) the case for the rightness and urgency of Puerto Rican independence” and “fighting for an independent and socialist Puerto Rico,” respectively. The organizations provided an alternative solution to obtaining statehood, citing that statehood would devote more of Puerto Rico’s resources to war and make Puerto Rico vulnerable to exploitation.
The two summits brought renewed attention to an ongoing question in Puerto Rican politics: is statehood or independence the better solution for Puerto Rico? Regardless of stance, the turnout and support for both summits show that Puerto Rico’s status is a pressing issue for the Puerto Rican community.
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Amber Jiao is a student at Poolesville High School in Poolesville, Maryland. She is passionate about public policy and social justice. In her free time, Amber enjoys rock climbing, visiting art museums, and exploring the city with her friends. At Pasquines, she is a Political Affairs Intern Correspondent.
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