Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico Needs Public Electric Utilities, Not More Privatization

by Alex Standen

Worker protest movements created the public utilities that used to provide electricity to Puerto Rico. In the face of the disastrous failure of the privatized utility system highlighted by Hurricanes Fiona and Maria, a similar movement is needed now. 

US Neglect of Puerto Rico is in the News, but the Main Historical Relationship has been Abuse

by Jaquira Diaz

From forced disruption of native industry through mass sterilization and forced austerity, one writer argues that the only escape from mainland abuse is full Puerto Rican independence. 

Ongoing US Territorial Possessions Perpetuate Colonialism and Racism

by Anders Bo Rasmussen

While much has changed over a century, the basic question of equal treatment for citizens in American territories has essentially remained the same.

West Side Story and the Tragedy of Progressive Hollywood

by Éric Morales-Franceschini

Critical debates about the "West Side Story" remake focus on representation, but ignore the politics of Puerto Rico. 

The End of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico

by Pedro Cában

Puerto Rico's status as Estado Libre Asociado (Free Associated State) arose in response to American desires to control the island as a colony while nodding to the island's autonomy during the Cold War. It is not up to the challenges Puerto Ricans face today, but Congress appears unwilling to move on from a colonial relationship.

Colony of Cobblestone

by Carlos Santiago

San Juan's cobblestones are an illusion, aesthetic flourishes of "old world charm" intended to boost the tourism economy and conceal the island's status as a U.S. territory.

A New Photo Exhibit Looks At Decades Of FBI Surveillance On American Citizens

Christopher Gregory-Rivera's new exhibit documents the FBI's surveillance, in concert with Puerto Rican authorities, of private citizens suspected of involvement in the island's independence movement.

Race, Violence, and Resistance in Puerto Rico (Review)

by Don S. Polite, Jr.

A review of Marisol LeBrón's "Policing Life and Death" which connects the turn to austerity governance in Puerto Rico with increasingly punitive and racially discriminatory policing practices. 

Remembering Roberto Clemente as a Black Man who Fought Against Racial Injustice

Roberto Clemente is often remembered as a pioneering Puerto Rican star in baseball, but as an Afro-Carribean player, he fought for Black civil rights as well. 

The Classist History Behind Bad Bunny's 'Bichiyal'

The introduction of the term opened the floodgates for a debate about class, womanhood, and Puerto Rico's long history of reggaeton production.

Puerto Rico earthquakes imperil island’s indigenous heritage

by Jorge L. Chinea

Many indigenous ruins lie along the shore, where ancient settlements thrived. A relatively new wave of researchers are only beginning to explore these endangered places, rediscovering the ancient relics, statues, stone engravings and paintings created and used by the Taíno people.

The Colonization of Puerto Rico and the Limits of Impeachment

by DJ Polite

It is misleading to call impeachment "justice" when it reflects the priorities of empire.

How music took down Puerto Rico’s governor

by Verónica Dávila and Marisol LeBrón

Underground music overcame censors to gain popularity and political power.

Breaking the Grip of Militarism: The Story of Vieques

by Lawrence Wittner

The successful struggle by the Viequenses to liberate their island from the burdens of militarism also provides a source of hope for people around the world.  

Are Puerto Ricans White?

by Jonathan Harrison

That’s what Tucker Carlson claimed when defending Trump from charges he neglected the island because he’s racist. Here’s the backstory.

Puerto Rico's power outages are the largest in US history, report says

In terms of the total number of lost hours of electricity, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands are in the midst of the largest blackout in US history, according to a report from an economic research company.

One Has to Wonder After Hurricane Maria How Trump Would Treat Hawaii and Guam

by Ronald L. Feinman

Would he go all out to help if they were attacked in a war with North Korea?

Trump Tells Puerto Ricans to be “Proud” that They Aren’t Dead

by Lillian Guerra

History calls on us to act.

Puerto Rico’s Hurricane María Proves Once Again that Natural Disasters Are Never Natural

by Stuart B. Schwartz

The island’s political and financial crisis and its problematic political status makes coping with disaster very difficult.

Are Puerto Ricans really American citizens?

by Charles R. Venator-Santiago

In a recent poll, 41 percent of respondents said they did not believe that Puerto Ricans were U.S. citizens, and 15 percent were not sure.