Solidaridad Mundial Con Puerto Rico / World Solidarity With Puerto Rico
Alberto Blanco
Organización de Solidaridad de los Pueblos de Africa, Asia y América Latina (OSPAAAL)
Offset, 1980
Havana, CUba
2879
Boricuas Unidos / Puerto Ricans United
Nelson Madera (@darealgenius)
Digital, 2022
In 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico. Five years later, they still had not recovered. Then two weeks ago, the island was hit with Fiona, another category 4 Hurricane. 100s of thousands remain without power and without water.
Although Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, they do not have full representation, and the U.S. government continuously turns its back on Puerto Rico when its people are most in need. In 2017, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, Donald Trump repeatedly delayed aid to Puerto Ricans and purposely undercounted the death toll. Despite President Biden’s remarks about Hurricane Fiona last week, less than one fifth of the $28 billion dollars Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) promised to Puerto Rico has been spent on permanent solutions and aid since 2017.
As Puerto Rico suffers, wealthy nations like the United States are amongst the top polluters of carbon emissions. This climate-change-driven destruction of places like Puerto Rico is compounded further by land developers, investors, and large corporations seeking to make profits from the high tax incentives and the low cost of living in Puerto Rico.
On Thursday, September 22nd, President Biden also approved the emergency declaration disaster which allows for “100% retroactive federal funding to cover debris removal, emergency protective measures, and direct federal assistance for a period of 30 days
from the incident period.” Although some applaud these efforts, others fear delays in
aid distribution, if the money even reaches those most affected at all. And with media attention shifting to Florida after the state's own category 4 hurricane, Ian, Puerto Rico's needs may continue to be set back.
Many administrative officials in Puerto Rico have been urging the federal government to waive the Jones Act, a World War I-era law that requires shipped goods between points of the United States to be carried on ships with U.S. flags, built and owned by U.S. companies. This act prevents aid from nations wanting to provide Puerto Rico with emergency supplies from doing so. Since Monday, a British-owned BP ship carrying diesel fuel has been idling nearby waiting for U.S. approval to dock at Puerto Rico.This week we're highlighting a Cuban-made poster from 1980 that expresses solidarity with the PR independence movement.
In the wake of Hurricane Maria and a lack of proper response from the federal government, communities in Puerto Rico organized to help each other and a phrase quickly became popular among the residents, “Solo el Pueblo Salva al Pueblo,” translated “Only the People Save the People.” The urgency of need is demanding the people of Puerto Rico to rely on their neighbors once again.
Puerto Rico needs substantial support. A partial list of organizations providing aid is listed below. Please donate if you are able.
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How to Help: