Demonstrators protest in front of the mansion of Puerto Rico’s Governor, Ricardo Rossello, known as La Fortaleza, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on July 24, 2019. (Photo by Eric Rojas/AFP/Getty Images)
Last week, Ricardo Rosselló resigned from his position as governor of Puerto Rico following two weeks of historic protests. While the moment that pushed the public to take to the streets was the #Telegramgate leak exposing sexist and homophobic language from officials, and a disregard for the victims of Hurricane María, for many the movement goes beyond these recent developments. On the latest episode of Chris Hayes’ podcast “Why Is This Happening?” our founder Julio Ricardo Varela dives into the history of Puerto Rico that led up to this movement.
He breaks down key instances that marked the island’s current political landscape, from Puerto Rico’s relationship to the United States, to Hurricane María, and the present moment.
“I do think Puerto Ricans who are on the island, who are in this movement, I think they’re questioning it all,” Ricardo Varela says, “And this could be a process to decolonize ourselves.”
Listen to the insightful episode here:
For the latest Latino Rebels coverage of Puerto Rico, click here.
[…] nearly two weeks of vociferous protest, which you can get some context on here via the Why Is This Happening? podcast, also thrust artists and celebrities with Puerto Rican roots […]