VivirLatino

Living & Luchando la Vida Latin@

U.S. Media and Puerto Rico

September 24th, 2012

Yesterday marked the 144th anniversary of el Grito de Lares, an uprising in Puerto Rico that called for an end to Spanish rule and independence for the island. While Puerto Rico is no longer a Spanish colony, calls for self-determination remain relevant with increased if myopic  attention to the island because of upcoming local elections as well as a non-binding plebiscite regarding the political status of the U.S. colony.

Image Via / NY Latino Journal

The U.S. media attention to island affairs in both mainstream and so-called progressive media that I have noted over the last week or so has failed to mention the history of independence movements. No Lares and certainly not the fact that September 23 is also the 7th anniversary of the FBI assassination of Filiberto Ojeda Ríos, considered a leader of the modern fight.

Additionally while media is rightfully honing in on voter suppression efforts across the country and pushback against these efforts, little attention is paid to the fact that Puerto Rican citizens on the island have no vote in the U.S. presidential election, nor Congressional representation yet are subject to U.S. law. There has been buzz about how this year’s plebiscite is allegedly different from those of years past because of the wording of the option and a two step process, but not much discussion on how no matter how the vote turns out, a Congressional bill would have to be introduced to Congress to change the island’s status. Not one article or post I have seen has mentioned the numerous hearings before the United Nations Decolonization Committee and that committee’s recommendations. There also has been hardly any noise heard within the U.S. media about allegations of electoral fraud within the island. Just like during the 2008 presidential campaign, this year both candidates have made much ado about the influence of the Latino vote by campaigning in Puerto Rico and the media has focused on the participation numbers of voters on the island in the primaries there.

Meanwhile independent media makers remain focused on the not just the legacy of the struggle for Puerto Rican independence but carrying on that work today. A recent Kickstarter campaign attempts to finish a documentary looking at the life work of nationalist leader Pedro Albizu Campos.

 

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Check Out Some VivirLatino Editor Made Media

September 21st, 2012

The hustle for survival doesn’t allow Bianca and I to update this site as often as we would like but that doesn’t mean we aren’t making media.

Bianca has been updating her site, Latino Sexuality, daily. She’s been taking the 30 Day Latin@ Blog Challenge very seriously, sharing important perspective on culture, politics including immigration, and of course media!.

Meanwhile I have new posts up at The Nation and Colorlines, where I have been writing as a community journalist as part of their joint  Voting Rights Watch 2012 project, about efforts to push back against voter suppression.

This week I also have something up at Politic365 about the possible fate of California’s TRUST Act and who may be influencing Governor Brown. That post could probably use something beyond hateful comments that reflect a narrow understanding of current immigration policy.

Check out the links above, share them, and comment as independent Latin@ media makers keep writing loudly.

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