July 25, 2019 Today is July 25. It is also Puerto Rico Constitution Day.
The holiday commemorates the day in 1952 that the Constitución del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico officially went into effect. The timing was poignant even then: On the same day in 1898, the United States invaded and seized Puerto Rico as part of the Spanish-American War.
July 25 has long been a special day of remembrance, the foundational event that makes a de-colonization effort necessary; and one that has never gotten the traction it deserves.
Now, it is also "RENUNCIÓ!" day.
Puerto Rico's Gov. Ricardo Rosselló resigned last night in a recorded message posted on Facebook. It came after days of widespread protest sparked, in part, by a chat scandal which included his top aides, and that permanently damaged the public trust.
In some ways, the resignation was a cheat.
Rosselló's government was ridden with scandal—six officials were arrested on criminal charges earlier this month. Island citizens had long suffered under a twelve-year recession, made worse by his administration's alleged economic mismanagement, and woefully inadequate public services.
And the end was near: Puerto Rico's House speaker, Carlos "Johnny" Mendez, told Nuevo Dia that his team believed the leaked texts—misogynist, homophobic, and dismissive of the loss of life after Hurricane Maria—also showed that crimes had been committed. As a result, impeachment proceedings had begun.
But today is a new day offering proof that “the people” can hold corrupt leaders accountable.
There's terrific on-the-ground coverage of the news here, here, and in Spanish here. For first-person accounts, follow #RickySeFue.
Since it's also Constitución Day, you might join the celebration from your desk by reviewing the document's Article II, which is the Puerto Rican Carta de Derecho (Bill of Rights).
It's a quick but inspiring read.
Some of the language will be familiar, some a bit outdated. Some of it is particularly modern: Wiretapping is specifically prohibited, no person under age 16 may be incarcerated, and collective bargaining is guaranteed.
But so much of it reflects the aspirations of the time it was written, a mid-century ideal of a society that could prosper while protecting clearly enumerated human rights: The right to work, to adequate living conditions, to social protections, to be educated, to special care for mothers and children, to be free from discrimination.
It was also a call for the dignity that comes from economic self-sufficiency, which is worth a special toast on Renunció Day:
"The rights set forth in this section are closely connected with the progressive development of the economy of the Commonwealth and require, for their full effectiveness, sufficient resources and an agricultural and industrial development not yet attained by the Puerto Rican community."
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