Race and the Political Status of Puerto Rico

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Race and the Political Status of Puerto Rico

Blacktino.net
Christopher Rodriguez  
Tuesday, 05 August 2008

Proponents of Puerto Rican statehood, independence and commonwealth disagree on the island's political future, but they all seem to agree to remain silent on how the issue of race affects Puerto Rico's political status. The political parties have diminished the issue of racism and White Supremacy, by labeling it an "American problem," that has no political relevance to Puerto Rico's racial democracy.

Please understand, when I refer to white supremacy, I am addressing the psychological need of white racial groups or power elites to demonstrate political power and control in economics, religion, education and maintenance of global Euro-American hegemony. I am not talking about the wide-eyed fanatics, such as the neo-Nazis skinheads or paramilitary groups.

Most of the island's population is viewed as non-white by the Washington policy makers. However, Puerto Rico¢s political leadership in contrast is mostly "White" or Creoles of European descent, educated at the elite schools of the United States, differing little from the elites of other Latin America¢s nations. They have represented the interest of their constituencies of color in Washington, DC with the strategy of racial political neutrality. Their strategic planning does not incorporate the complex issue of U.S. racial politics in the debate of Puerto Rico¢s ultimate political status. Meanwhile, the island political leadership continually preaches the illusion of racial democracy in Puerto Rico. They fail to acknowledge the legacy of the Atlantic slave trade on the Afro-Puerto Rican, that remain marginalized and poorly represented in all aspects of political and economic life.

Let's look at the impact of the statehood option from a race conscious perspective. If the United States granted Puerto Rico statehood, the municipal government in Washington, D.C. and other U.S. island territories will also demand statehood status. The African American population of Washington DC, who has been fighting for statehood for decades, will not tolerate the political conversion of Puerto Rico, without demanding similar rights. What if by some miracle the U.S. grants Puerto Rico, Washington, DC, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Pacific Island territories, the same opportunities for statehood? Do you really think that a lily-white U.S. Senate will allow the addition of ten non-white U.S. Senators? Will the United States tolerate such a power shift?

The issue of Puerto Rico as the 51st state will be even more contentious, as White American voters become truly informed about the 13 billion dollars of federally subsidized programs, the U.S. grants Puerto Rico. The creation of media images of a welfare dependent state, with a largely non-white population, will evoke great ire from fiscally conservative, anti-government whites. The idea that Puerto Rico would have 2 senatorial and 6-7 congressional representatives that would align with the Democratic Party would literally send the Washington establishment, into future shock. Puerto Rico could be a major player in taking leadership on behalf of the 30 million Latinos, in the U.S. in a significant way. The Hispanic Congressional Caucus balance of power would increase significantly in the Senate and House of Representatives.

What would be the cost benefit analysis of an independent Puerto Rico in today¢s global economy? With independence, Puerto Rico risks trade embargoes if island politics conflicts with the strategic interests of the United States. The powerful Creole Puerto Ricans and Cubans, who have benefited from their privileged status under the commonwealth, may attempt to stop the quest of sovereignty for the island soliciting external intervention by racist U.S. right wing interests¢, i.e. religious right, Fox News, Congressmen, etc.

Is it worth the economic risk for an independent Puerto Rico to compete with European and Latin American nations like Russia, Argentina, and Eastern European countries for World Bank or International Monetary Fund capital development projects? Will Wall Street firms treat Puerto Rico as a third world backwater country and force a devaluation of the government currency rating? Will Puerto Rico lose access to investment capital in the global capitalist system, and forced to negotiate international loans from these multilateral organizations?

It is common knowledge that these are U.S. controlled institutions that use foreign aid loans as leverage to impose its imperial policies. How does Puerto Rico make up 13 billion dollars in entitlement funds that provide social security benefits, veteran¢s benefits, low cost housing, food stamps, low cost student loans, and federal research grants to the universities? Who will ultimately be held responsible for the environmental damage, caused by pharmaceuticals and other industries?

It is highly unlikely that another Cuban styled socialist experiment will be tolerated in the western hemisphere, especially with the rise of President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and President Evo Morales of Bolivia. Both represent long suppressed majority groups of indigenous and people of African Descent, whose expectations of equal justice and civil rights are at an all-time high. The United Nation's Decolonization Committee determined in 12 June 2006, that Puerto Rico is one of the last remnants of the classic colonial model throughout the world, but commonwealth status remains the lesser of three evils, in the eyes of a people who never have experienced self-determination. Unfortunately, the people of Puerto Rico will continue to toil under the "separate but equal illusion" of the current Commonwealth status, if we do not wake up to the global reality.

The Puerto Rican Creole leadership has not adequately shared with their constituencies a race conscious analysis, which is essential to making an informed decision on our future political status as a people. The leadership needs to become more race conscious, which is different from simply sitting on the sidelines of neutrality. Race consciousness is the acknowledgment that white supremacy is institutionalized in every aspect of our lives. We as Puerto Ricans cannot afford to dismiss institutional racism as an American problem. Once we accept this, we can choose our own political destiny that will benefit our people and place the Puerto Rican people, in a moral plane that will not tolerate white supremacy in its present form.

Chris Rodriguez - Author, Latino Manifesto: A Critique of the Race Debate in the U.S. Latino Community, Published by Cimarron Publisher www.latinomanifesto .com