• Originally published at https://theocho.net/mariamonument/

We want to thank everyone who came out to support this momentous occasion. A special thank goes to all who helped by participating in the day's events. It was a beautiful tribute to the people of Puerto Rico and the families and friends of those who perished as a result of the Hurricane.

On April 2nd while Catholics worldwide observed Good Friday, the people of Culebra and Vieques took to the streets to protest the maritime transportation system.The outcry for justice echoed "We want transportation with dignity and efficiency" "The waterway is our road, it is not luxury" and "We denounce inhumanity and unite our hands". The islands of Culebra and Vieques are part of the archipelago of islands that constitute Puerto Rico, which has been a colony of the United States for the past 123 years.

October 30th, 2020, marked the 70th anniversary of the Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico's uprising in Jayuya, Puerto Rico, in 1950, against the United States Military Government, which was brutally imposed on Puerto Rico by Washington DC. The Latinx Caucus supports the decolonization and Independence of Puerto Rico as a sovereign Nation and joined the International Community in a Media Blitz to establish henceforth on that day, October 30th, "International Day of Solidarity with the Independence of Puerto".

I think a lot about the future of Puerto Rico. Especially after the hurricanes and recent earthquakes. Puerto Rico has been in a recession the last twelve years. It also has been plagued by corruption and the imposition of the Junta (financial control board) has just made matters worse.

• Greens Deplore Conviction of Cheri Honkala as attack on First Amendment rights

Green Party leaders responded to yesterday's ruling in the case of United States vs. Honkala with strong words of condemnation for government officials involved and strong support for Honkala. On June 10, 2019, a federal court in Washington, D.C., issued a guilty verdict in the case, finding former Green Party Vice Presidential candidate Cheri Honkala guilty of charges of trespassing. Honkala is an internationally-known activist and founder of the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC).

The US territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands remain devastated from hurricane Maria in 2017. People still lack adequate food, water, housing, power, transportation, communications, schools, and health care while Trump seeks to cutoff disaster relief funds. 45% of Puerto Ricans and 22% of Virgin Islanders live below the poverty line

• United Nations Hearings On The Decolonization Of Puerto Rico, June 24, 2019.

• From Puerto Rico To Palestine, Colonialism Is A Crime!

Latinx Caucus of the Green Party of the United States  – Every year the United Nations holds hearings on the Decolonization of Puerto Rico during which individuals, groups and organizations from Puerto Rico, the United States, and other countries testify in support of decolonization and for the independence of Puerto Rico. We are grateful to the UN, to Keisha Anita McGuire and the UN Committee of 24, (that deals with Colonized Nations under domination of Colonizers), for holding these very important hearings.

S.E. Walton Alfonso Webson of Antigua & Barbuda
President of United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization of Puerto Rico
New York, NY 10017

Your Excellency,

My name is Darlene Elias, and I am a National Co Chair of the Green Party of the United States. Thank you for permitting me to speak before yourself and this prestigious committee.

A Call to Action on Puerto Rico Collective was formed in July of 2015. It is an integral part of the rebellious, militant and determined diaspora that understands that the precarious political, social and economic conditions that confront Puerto Rico are a direct result of its colonial relationship of subordination to the United States.

We wish to invite the Green Party members to participate in the 3rd Annual Day of Solidarity with the Independence of Puerto Rico, recognizing that the Green Party's national platform supports the self determination of Puerto Rican people and has a progressive political vision of a just society. 

La mayoría de los ciudadanos estadounidense creen que su gobierno respecta el estado de derecho. Eso es lo que sus escuelas enseñan. Pero, si uno estudiaría por su cuenta la historia de Estados Unidos, uno se daría cuenta que el gobierno de Estados Unidos cree que el fin justifica los medios.

Los libros de historia de Estados Unidos dicen que España le cedió a Puerto Rico como un botín de guerra después de la Guerra Hispana-Americana del 1898. Eso suena inocente. ¿Pero qué realmente sucedió?