7-19-2015 Muy estimados compañeros(as): Below you will find a draft calling for a national conversation on the urgent crisis that Puerto Rico faces and the responsibility that the Puerto Rican diaspora needs to assume, particularly as we approach the 2016 presidential election and the role that Puerto Ricans will play in that election in Central Florida, Pennsylvania, and in Ohio. I have engaged many of you over the last period about the need to begin to articulate a national Puerto Rican agenda in light of the fact that the Puerto Rican diaspora constitutes, demographically, the majority of the Puerto Rican population. I would like to engage some of you in whatever regional discussion we can have prior to this proposed national conversation, which I hope can take place in the early fall, possibly October, in Orlando. Obviously, central Florida s Puerto Rican community must play a key role. We don t seek to parachute ourselves there. Those of you who have contacts in that area, please share this document. I welcome any suggestions or ideas that you may have. What I envision will be a conversation and not necessarily a highly structured meeting. Please let me know what you think via email by contacting Alejandro Molina at alejandrom@boricuahumanrights.org Hoping to engage you in this amazing journey. Eternamente agradecido, José E. López D R A F T Building an Agenda for the Puerto Rican Diaspora: A National Conversation A cascade of economic, political, social, and environmental challenges today confronts Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rican people, both on the island and in the Diaspora. As we know, the course of history and human events imposes obstacles and crossroads upon nations and peoples. Those who fail to adequately rise up to these challenges will suffer the weight of their indecision and inaction, a weight that might sink the people into a morass from which it will take much pain, sacrifice and time to rise again, if ever. Nations and peoples who adequately face up to the tasks imposed by history grow, develop and thrive. The responses to these challenges
Page 2 of 6 shall be based on these people s history, and will require wisdom, vision and above all the unity of the people whose destiny is at stake. The issues facing the Puerto Rican people are many. As widely discussed in the press, the Puerto Rican government is in a fiscal crisis. There is a stagnant economy on the island and in many barrios in the U.S., and the social problems they give rise to, such as rampant crime. These conditions have stimulated a continued wave of economically forced migration from the island. Moreover, a combination of environmental issues threatens life on the island and in several localities in the U.S. Furthermore, the civil and human rights of many Puerto Ricans continues to be suppressed, a fact exemplified most clearly by the continued incarceration of Oscar López Rivera, the longest held political prisoner of Latin American descent. A recent publication of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies (Hunter College) describes several of these problems in-depth: A new millennium with new realities. The demographic and socioeconomic profile of Puerto Ricans has changed dramatically. In less than a decade, the Puerto Rican population living in the US has surpassed those living in Puerto Rico. The migration wave of the past decade rivals the magnitude of the Great Migration of the 1950s. Even among Puerto Ricans on the mainland, the patterns of migration have changed significantly. With over a million Puerto Ricans crossing state lines over the past decade, a rate of mobility exceeding that of the US population as a whole, the traditional centers of the Puerto Rican community in the US are changing. Florida is on its way to eclipsing New York State as the major stateside location of Puerto Ricans. At the same time, the Puerto Rican community has endured the effects of the Great Recession of 2008 in distinct ways. Economic hard times spurred migration to the mainland, as the recession brought employment and poverty to a great many Puerto Ricans. Yet, stateside, Puerto Ricans recovered faster and fared better overall better than other ethnic groups. By 2011, Puerto Rican workers had improved when compared to average earnings of non-hispanic white workers. Puerto Rican women show the most significant gains in earnings during this period, in both absolute and relative terms. The depictions that emerged from this book are tales of resiliency among amid declining opportunity and the enduring challenges by those still caught in the trough of the recession. The book is also a story about those who left the island for the mainland United States in search of economic opportunities and about the social contexts of the new communities throughout the United States in which they have settled (Puerto Ricans at the Dawn of the New Millennium). The situation is urgent. Our present moment is dictated both by huge events in the economy, society, environment, civil rights and many other aspects of the lives of
Page 3 of 6 Puerto Ricans in Puerto Rico and in the U.S. It is time to take stock of our current situation and to find a way forward. Given this, we propose a conversation that aims to develop a national agenda for the Puerto Rican people. Of particular focus is how we can, as the Puerto Rican diaspora, intervene in debates and solutions to the fiscal crisis in Puerto Rico and how we can exercise a presence in the upcoming 2016 U.S. presidential election. The objective, to be clear, is not to provide a forum to discuss a formal endorsement to a party or a candidate; rather the objective is to develop an agenda that addresses the above issues and provides a platform for those seeking our support. A necessary note on the lingering status question: There is no doubt that the relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States plays a major role in the lives of all Puerto Ricans. It is also clear that the question is not only what status option is best, but also how the Puerto Rican people wherever they reside can develop and unite behind a procedure that builds unity and guarantees common self-determination. However, for historical and very practical reasons this issue will be tabled as a principle of unity. The proposal is for representatives of the broadest possible sectors of the Puerto Rican people to meet and develop an agenda that is simple and speaks to the major chords that are being discussed in our communities. The four proposed areas of discussion include: 1) The economy 2) The environment 3) The Diaspora and Puerto Rico 4) Human and Civil Rights The Economy We propose to discuss the following economic issues: The fiscal crisis of Puerto Rico government finances and the role the Puerto Rican diaspora can play in demanding the United States plays an appropriate role in responding to it; the economic crisis in Puerto Rico, in particular, the economic stagnation created by continued and increasing dependency, the economic crisis in our U.S. neighborhoods in light of raising income inequality in the U.S.; gentrification; the need to create jobs and the role of potential allies from Labor in our development; health care and education as anchors for economic development and social and economic justice. Discussion. The biggest concern is the spiraling crash and ongoing crisis of the Puerto Rican economy. It is causing the greatest exodus of people in the island s history. Is the island s economic model broken? What is the U.S. federal government s responsibility to fix or help solve it? Is it part of a massive gentrification (the gentrification of a nation)? How can organized Labor help solve the problem? What are the impacts of new booming centers for Puerto Rican
Page 4 of 6 migration like Florida, Texas, Georgia, and Louisiana? How do we focus on the issues of education, technology, the environment, and healthcare as the core of building a new sustainable economy for the Island and Puerto Ricans in their barrios here in the United States? What is the big picture economic agenda item that Puerto Ricans can rally around in 2016? The Environment We propose to discuss the following items: Climate change, Caño Martin Peña, strategies to promote conservation, the creation of Green Jobs, and how to hasten the cleanup of Vieques. Discussion. Global warming affects all of humanity but the threat is more severe for regions close to the ocean, islands in particular. Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, Florida as well as the entire eastern shore, including New York City, are at risk. Initiatives already exist among Puerto Ricans interested in moving this issue among our people both on the island and in the U.S. with programs in place in New York and Puerto Rico. There are also plans to organize around the issue in the Orlando metro area. El Puente is a major stakeholder and has access to resources to make this happen. In addition we may discuss other environmental issues such as Caño Martin Peña, clean water (a very important issue in Florida and Puerto Rico), and the cleanup of Vieques. Linking the environmental and economic, we also propose discussion on green jobs and preparing our youth to join the green workforce. What is the big picture environmental agenda item that we can rally around in 2016? The Diaspora Twenty years ago, the great majority of Puerto Ricans lived on the island. Ten years ago there was a balance between Puerto Ricans living in the U.S. and on the island. Today, for the first time the majority of Puerto Ricans live outside of the island and live in the United States, as indicated by the Centro publication cited above. Discussion. This discussion is centered on the role of Puerto Ricans in the United States. How do Puerto Ricans participate in the economy and politics in our new destinations? How do we take advantage of our at times strategic position in several important cities and states to help the island, while we contribute to shaping the future of a new increasingly diverse United Sates? How do Puerto Ricans on the island create politically inclusive and participatory organs for Puerto Ricans in the Unites States to share in the decisions taken in Puerto Rico that impact the lives of all Puerto Ricans regardless of where they reside?
Page 5 of 6 What are the big picture commitments we should make as a Diaspora for ourselves, our communities, cities and the world? What are the items that we can rally around in 2016 and beyond? Human Rights The relationship with the United States has produced a history of human rights challenges and violations by U.S. and Puerto Rican governments. This has lead to struggles and divisions among Puerto Ricans, both on the island and in the U.S. We brought that history with us to the Diaspora. Is it time for reconciliation? What are the steps to reach such reconciliation between ourselves, Puerto Ricans divided because of the status question? How do we move the human and civil rights of Puerto Rican forward? Discussion. The case of Oscar Lopez Rivera, because no other case better represents the need for justice and reconciliation, needs to be inserted as part of the Puerto Rican National Agenda. We may not be able to fully reconcile the effects of more than a century of U.S. colonialism in Puerto Rico, but we must take the necessary steps to solidly move in that direction. His freedom is the first step towards the possibility of reconciliation. We propose discussing how we can place ourselves in the forefront of other human rights issues in the island and in the states. For example, Puerto Ricans are a people of all colors, economic status, genders, ages, sexual preferences, physical conditions, religious or non-religious beliefs. All Puerto Ricans are entitled to their dignity and to the full respect of their human and civil rights. As a diverse people of mixed Taíno (indigenous), African, and European descent, we can play a crucial role in the transition the United States is making to be a diversely populated country for the first time in its history. We can be creative and constructive players in this difficult transition living out in the United States today. We must also continue to support our Latino and immigrant human brothers and sisters who are struggling for their place in this country through comprehensive immigration reform. What is the big picture human rights agenda item that we can rally around in 2016? Process The Way Forward We propose to have a conversation in Orlando in October 2015. The time to act is now. In order for this effort to succeed, we would need to get immediate commitments from people in the different regions who will undertake to move this call to action forward. This initiative is to be inclusive, broad, based on the Puerto Rican civic society, and entirely non-partisan. We propose to include people
Page 6 of 6 from all sectors of Puerto Rican politics and society. We ask those in agreement with this call to suggest the names of Puerto Rican leaders and interested individuals from around the U.S. and Puerto Rico, as well as guests from the immigration reform movement and other socially progressive sectors. Puerto Rican activists and leaders in Florida would manage the national conference logistics. We are aware that this call is a very tall order. However, we are confident that the creativity and willingness to work hard that characterizes us as a people will make us successful in organizing and carrying out this historic discussion. We believe our time together could set in motion a new movement for growth, sustainability, reconciliation, and progress for Puerto Rico, and Puerto Ricans. This will be of benefit not only to Puerto Ricans, but also by helping to lay a foundation for a shift in direction for the United States; it could be of assistance to all of the Americas. As the legendary Frank Bonilla wrote in Migrants, Citizenship and Social Pacts: Puerto Rican and other Latino/as in the United States will not easily become either passive tools of US policy nor willing critical agents of home governments eager to capitalize on their presence in the metropolis. It may yet be that in the long run, [we] will help change the Americas- by changing the United States from the inside.