The Puerto Ricans who support statehood always insist that the U.S. invasion was celebrated by the people of the island. What they fail to mention is that Gen. Miles and his 3300 soldiers were greeted as “liberators,” in quotes, not as mere substitutes for the Spanish colonizers.
By skipping through its emotional content for the sake of big-screen excitement and reinforcing a patriarchal message at the end, ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ ends up being just another mediocre addition to an ever-growing line of films and TV series that, just like a Big Mac, may be delicious and filling but isn’t fulfilling.
For a nation that suffers from as much economic hardship as Puerto Rico does, understanding more about its colonial and coffee history may allow for conversations to develop that focus on potentially using coffee as a vessel to improve Puerto Rico’s economy.
Although the topic of colonial reparations for Puerto Rico has been ongoing for decades, there is a newfound interest, as more people recognize that after 124 years of abuse, humiliation, human rights violations, and economic exploitation through colonialism the United States owes Puerto Rico compensation.
As was true in the 1970s, when the National Security Council gave its since-forgotten recommendation, is still true today: Puerto Rican decolonization and sovereignty are in the national, geopolitical, economic, and diplomatic interests of both Puerto Rico and the United States.
Even now that another hurricane has torn through the island, leaving its people in the dark and underwater, the “winners” of Puerto Rico still insist that the U.S. colony is better off begging for statehood than declaring its independence.
If the people of Puerto Rico want to retake control of their energy system, ensure their future, and keep the lights on, they need to kick out LUMA Energy and the PNP colonial governor, Pedro Pierluisi. Future generations will thank them.
The United States can no longer claim to be a democracy and deny the right to full representation and self-government to those it has the nerve to call its “citizens.” And it can no longer keep Puerto Rico as a colony without making an enemy of every freedom-loving human being on the earth.
