Blackness in Puerto Rico
By Grace Asiegbu Medill Reports Driving down the winding roads of Piñones, cars are greeted with green leaves and bold flowers. Between barrios, roads are marked with bright, lively signs informing drivers of their current location. Soon the view shifts from natural vegetation to sights and smells of restaurants lining the strip. People are buzzing […]
San Juan outreach program supports local homeless community
By Chris Schulz Medill Reports SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO – It’s just before 8 p.m. when we arrive at Iniciativa Comunitaria in the Rio Piedras neighborhood of San Juan. Every Friday night, Iniciativa conducts Operación Compasión, a nighttime round to serve the local homeless population by providing food, coffee, juice, condoms, clothes, hygiene kits and […]
Reopening ‘War Against All Puerto Ricans’ in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria
By Gwen Aviles Medill Reports Authored by high-profile former New York State Representative Nelson A. Denis, “War Against All Puerto Ricans: Revolution and Terror in America’s Colony” is one of the most well-known books about Puerto Rico’s colonial status. And ever since Hurricane Maria tore through Puerto Rico—leaving thousands of people without basic necessities like […]
Six Months After the Storm: How Two Women Navigate Life Post-Hurricane Maria
By Griselda Flores and Sofi LaLonde Angie’s Hurricane Maria Experience “I remember I couldn’t sleep the whole night and day, whatever it was, I don’t even remember like what time it hit and what time it ended. The whole moment is kind of blurry.” When Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico on Sept. 20, […]
The era of big seaweed is upon us
Marine researcher Loretta Roberson believes rethinking how we grow seaweed has the potential to clean up oceans, replace fossil fuels and protect coastlines from violent weather. She’s headed to Puerto Rico early this year to put her theories to the test. By Rebecca Fanning Medill Reports On the southern coast of Puerto Rico, there’s a […]
Video: Poetry café in Old San Juan draws in locals and tourists
By Grace Austin The Poet’s Passage is an arts and spoken word café in Old San Juan. It brings together local artists and visitors to listen, socialize, work, and buy goods with inspirational poetry emblazed on them. Owner Lady Lee Andrews prides herself on creating an arts space that continues to make money, even after […]
La Perla: Vibrant San Juan neighborhood emerges from checkered reputation
By Nikita Mandhani La Perla is an old neighborhood just outside the northern historic city wall of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Stretching about 600 meters along the Caribbean Sea, the neighborhood is tucked between Calle Norzagaray and Fort San Cristobal. La Perla has been an infamous neighborhood since its early days. In the 19th […]
For Puerto Ricans in Chicago, no one’s an island
By Hannah Rank and Rebekah Frumkin Jose López sits comfortably in his wicker chair as a February blizzard rages on outside, the wall behind him a collage of Puerto Rican literature and artifacts. When it comes to his homeland of Puerto Rico, López has clear ambitions. He wants his countrymen to decide for themselves what […]
What price statehood? For some Puerto Ricans, a loss of independence
By Rebekah Frumkin and Hannah Rank LA PERLA, Puerto Rico — It’s a sunny February morning in La Perla, a low-income neighborhood beside Old San Juan’s northern city wall. Lifelong resident Lourdes López-Rivera stands on a beachside cliff, considering the Caribbean’s cyan expanse. “They keep talking about development here,” she says, shaking her head. “Then […]
Medical marijuana has potential to reduce Puerto Rico’s debt
By Hannah Rank Puerto Rico is about to welcome medical marijuana to the island. The action, by executive order, could have potential economic benefits for the debt-ridden country. But it’s also recalling memories of colonial exploitation. Drug policy activist Rafael Torruella, who is based in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, worries the budding industry will mirror other […]
