October 22, 2009
Labor Unions helped put together the largest mass demonstration in Puerto Rican history on October 15 in San Juan. (Flickr Photo by SEIU International.)
Most people are unaware that Massachusetts, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Kentucky aren’t just states, but, in fact, commonwealths. The term means “common good” and was used by the English to describe a political community in which all participants have equal standing. But those who live in the U.S. commonwealth of Puerto Rico generally do not have the same standing as those living in Massachusetts, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Kentucky.
Yet, Puerto Ricans are American citizens by act of Congress.
As citizens, Puerto Ricans can freely move stateside and participate fully in all aspects of American society. But on the island Puerto Ricans can’t vote for President. The territory’s non-voting congressional representative can only observe. In fact, all current health care reform bills in Congress would not provide coverage for Puerto Rico, even though its 15 - 17% unemployment rate is much higher than the national average.
So when the governor of Puerto Rico laid off some 4000 government worker this past summer, and announced another 17,000 lay offs this fall (including teachers), many of the islands unions decided to protest. And on October 15, the largest mass demonstration in Puerto Rican history took place in the capital city of San Juan.
To discuss some of the issues surrounding Puerto Rico, Maria Hinojosa is joined by Juan Manuel García Passalacqua, a political analyst based in San Juan, and Angelo Falcón, director of the National Institute for Latino Policy based in New York.
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Diaz Family and the Great Depression
In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson signed into law the Jones Act, which granted American citizenship to the people of Puerto Rico. The territory had come under U.S. jurisdiction after the Spanish-American War of 1898. Between 1898 and 1917 any Puerto Rican who lived on the U.S. mainland was considered a “resident alien.”
As Puerto Rican citizens, however, the people on the island could not serve in the U.S. military. By making them American citizens, the Jones Act enabled some 20,000 Puerto Ricans to serve in active duty during World War I.
During the 1920s, thousands of Puerto Ricans took advantage of their new American citizenship and came “stateside.” It was a time of economic boom and large cities welcomed the influx of cheap labor.
In 1927, Manny Diaz moved with his family from Puerto Rico to New York. The family had hardly settled in when suddenly the country was in the throes of The Great Depression.
As part of our partnership series Story Corp Historias, here is Manny Diaz’s story. 
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B as in Beauty
Alberto Ferreras is probably not content with sitting still or doing any one thing for too long. Born in Madrid, Spain and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, Ferreras has been New York based since the 1990s. He has adapted plays based on classic Latin American novels in Spanish. He designs and promotes film and documentary projects for cable outlets like MTV and HBO. He even has written music that has been performed by such artists as Madonna.
All of those elements, music, books, movies, and pop culture are incorporated into his first novel titled B as in Beauty. Well received by critics and audiences alike, Ferrera’s “B” is a large girl who is miserable as she struggles with her looks in a thin-crazed society. It’s not until she embraces her large size that she finally begins to live life more fully. Okay, so she becomes a “comfort provider” for men who love large women. But it’s a fun story told with lots of comedy.
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Happy Halloween! and ¡Feliz Día de los Muertos!
The good thing about being Latino is the bicultural approach families often employ when it comes to the holidays, food, self-expression, or just about anything. But not everyone can have it both ways, as Maria Hinojosa observes.
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