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One person’s garbage is another person’s treasure, or so the saying goes. When you think of garbage, you might imagine unwanted things, discarded goods, broken artifacts, foul odors and all things unpleasant. But that’s definitely NOT what comes to mind when I picture my homeland.
I had the privilege of being born and raised in the paradise archipelago of Borikén, now known as Puerto Rico. It’s a place of incredible natural beauty: lush rainforests, intricate cave systems, glowing bioluminescent bays, mangroves, miles of beautiful beaches, and so much more.
And that’s only a glimpse into its natural riches — I haven’t even touched on our vibrant culture or the talents of our people.
On Sunday, Oct. 27, an American Nazi rally took place at Madison Square Garden in New York City. What was expected to happen, happened. Fascist rhetoric and hateful remarks inciting violence filled the atmosphere.
Were you expecting a different outcome? I wasn’t. I wasn’t the least bit surprised when immigrants were called criminals, Latinos were blamed for the country’s destruction, a presidential candidate was described as the antichrist and Hitler’s slogan was adapted for the United States with “America is for Americans and Americans only.”
Hitler’s original slogan, after all, was “Germany is for Germans and Germans only.” They even referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.” Hearing that stung, because I know it isn’t true — but hate of this magnitude is illogical and rooted in supremacy, where facts and truth are irrelevant.
These comments have been disguised as “jokes,” but don’t be fooled —this is what they’ve always thought of us. The United States invaded Puerto Rico on July 25, 1898, as part of the Spanish-American War.
Since then, Puerto Rico has been under colonial rule by the United States. During this time, the U.S. has implemented laws and operations aimed at dehumanizing us and stripping away our cultural identity.
For instance, during the Ponce Massacre, a peaceful nationalist and pro-independence march turned violent when police opened fire, resulting in the deaths of 17 civilians and injuries to 200 others.
This event led to the Gag Law of 1948, which made it illegal to own or display a Puerto Rican flag, support independence, sing patriotic songs, meet with other independence supporters, and more.
Cornelius P. Rhoads, an oncologist assigned by the Rockefeller Foundation to conduct research in Puerto Rico, wrote a letter in November 1931, in which he said, “Puerto Ricans are beyond doubt the dirtiest, laziest, most degenerate and thievish race of men ever inhabiting this sphere. What the island needs is not public health work but a tidal wave or something to totally exterminate the population. I have done my best to further the process of extermination by killing off eight.”
In 1955, the first human trials for birth control pills were conducted on Puerto Rican women without their consent. Additionally, U.S. political cartoons from the 19th century depicted Puerto Rico, along with other colonies like Hawaii, the Philippines and Guam, as dirty, infantile and unintelligent. And to top it all off, in Puerto Rico, we can’t even vote for the president of the United States.
This list is long and there is so much more. I encourage you to dig deeper and seek the truth.
Yes, this is an important conversation to have, but let’s not lose sight of our shared struggles. When one of us is oppressed, all of us are oppressed.
As Puerto Ricans, we are no different from our immigrant siblings who come to the United States to work, thrive and serve as the backbone of a country that often under appreciates and vilifies their existence.
We are no different from families being bombed in the Middle East. We are no different from the Black community, facing violence at the hands of the police. We are no different from the children mining for natural resources to sustain the Western lifestyle. We may have different privileges, but we are not different.
Boricua, United States will never value us; now, more than ever we need to value ourselves! In moments like these, we must look back at our ancestors and embody figures like Pedro Albizu Campos, Ramón Emeterio Betances, Julia de Burgos, Celestina Cordero, Mariana Bracetti, Luisa Capetillo and countless others who stood for the principles and ideals of a sovereign Boricua Nation. They believed that we are enough, that we deserve better, that we can triumph and that we can create unimaginable greatness.
Pedro knew we had the strength to stand on our own two feet. Ramón rebelled, lighting the path toward freedom. Mariana sewed the flag, a symbol of our nation. Julia wrote to inspire generations. Celestina organized to educate. Luisa was arrested to reveal the true face of our oppressors.
Now is our time to stand on our own two feet, to shine a light on our path, to honor our flag, to inspire generations and educate in the wake of our oppression.
We must educate our communities about our history, organize our families to be engaged in civic conversations, and ensure our voices are heard through action at a local, regional and national level. It’s our turn to step onto the path they’ve laid before us, to reimagine our future and create it in our own image.
¡¡¡Un Puerto Rico por y para puertorriqueños, puñ#&@!!! (A Puerto Rico for and by Puerto Ricans!)
Ck Ledesma Borrero is a multidisciplinary artist from San Juan, Puerto Rico, living between Milwaukee and their homeland. Ledesma Borrero is the co-founder of Cosecha Creative Space and the recipient of the 2023 gener8tor Art x Sherman Phoenix grant, a 2022 Mildred L. Harpole Milwaukee Artist of the Year award and a 2020 Mary L. Nohl Fellow. They have served as the artist-in-residence for the Cesar Chavez Drive Business Improvement District in Milwaukee, the Mitchell Street Branch of the Milwaukee Public Library and Casa Candela in Cayey, Puerto Rico. Their work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, with a strong emphasis on community projects.
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