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The Defiance of Survival

(IN)Justice, Politix | 0 comments

Written by Maria Hidalgo-Quintana

March 15, 2021
Dear Dartmouth, 

Borikén, or the island more commonly known as Puerto Rico, has been a colony for 528 years. The island has been under the control of the Imperial forces of both Spain and the Unites States and it has created unique geographies which impact Puerto Rican lives to this day. The current colonial infrastructure that the United States upholds in Borikén has created violent power structures—which are fueled by the Puerto Rican political parties—by amending and appropriating radical imagery and nationalist pride in order to create a more palatable colonialism more palatable. However, the active and violent repression of radical leaders, organizers and educators who often come from marginalized backgrounds reinforce this colonial reality. This is not done by chance—rather, as part of a structural movement by the state to stagnate the development of the island and its people.

The 528 years of Borikén’s colonization has been an era of colonial abuse in an attempt to neutralize and create violent conditions for the marginalized communities in the island. Even though colonialism marks all island residents, its impact disparately targets some geographies greater than others. This is especially true for the Black and Brown communities in the island which are disproportionally affected by the police state imposed by the United States unto our island. However, this was also true when we were a possession of Spain, and once we were passed to the hands of the Americans, the colonial system continued developing in unthinkable, catastrophic ways.
By 1898, the United States was already well-versed in the methods of settler-colonialism and exploitation of marginalized communities within their own fictional “borders”; however, they began to reach past continental confines, with William McKinley’s push toward South America and South Asia. Manifest Destiny, therefore, not only affected Puerto Rico and Guam, among other nations the United States acquired, but it also struck many places around the world and in the Western Hemisphere. Regrettably, the implications of these conditions created violent geographies that were enforced on the Puerto Rican people.
Essentially, the United States desired control and suppression over every aspect of the island: politically, economically, socially and culturally. There was and is a swift suppression of what is Puerto Rican as long as it is profitable for the big corporations. Meanwhile, Puerto Ricans suffer from the highest poverty rate in any US territory or state, possess an extremely under-resourced education system, owe tremendous financial debts to the United States—all the while dealing with the colonial control of the island which exponentially worsens these situations.

Meanwhile, Puerto Ricans suffer from the highest poverty rate in any US territory or state, possess an extremely under-resourced education system, owe tremendous financial debts to the United States—all the while dealing with the colonial control of the island which exponentially worsens these situations.

This creates unique conditions for all the generations that comprise Puerto Rican society as it generates a feeling of stagnation created by the government and institutions which benefit. Therefore, only the power of community care and mutual aid can counter this immobility. The aftermath of Hurricane Maria jarringly revealed the violent geographies enforced upon the Puerto Rican people and how it so desperately necessitates change. Following historical trends, both the local and the federal government did not step up, only for community organizations to continue the role they have occupied for decades, which is care.

A high school part of the Benton Harbor Area Schools

Graphic by Abby Smith

Nonetheless, even though community is necessary and has always been present, it is also the job of the government to provide for their people—yet in Puerto Rico, governmental entities view Puerto Rican lives as expendable.

 

Stagnation does not solely manifest itself through failed projects or unfulfilled promises but through death and the commodification of culture. This is exactly what progresses in Puerto Rico. Community is vibrant and alive in Borikén—it is the key to our survival, but the circumstances that Puerto Ricans face are extremely difficult swift state repression against anything that strays from their norms. Therefore, thanks to activism driven by organizers and educators from different sectors of Puerto Rican society, we are able to move forward and fight against these realities. Though Borikén is undergoing these difficult circumstances, it does not mean that the Puerto Rican people are passive victims, but rather, the island’s people are active fighters against this stagnation through both our survival and presence.

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