Why was the island protesting in July of 2019? 
The protests began after offensive chat messages between then Governor Rosselló and his allies leaked to the media. The messages exposed what protesters called a reprehensible indifference to Hurricane Maria victims, as well as alarming instances of bigotry and sexism. And following the arrests of two of Rosselló’s top officials on charges of fraud, the messages inflamed anger over what many say is the Puerto Rican government’s incompetence and corruption following the devastating 2017 storm and years of economic trouble.

What drew the most outrage from protestors was what many characterize as the casual disregard for the Puerto Rican people displayed in the messages, which they say proves Rosselló’s government did not have the welfare of its people in mind. Rosselló was forced to resign after two weeks of peaceful —and highly creative— national protests.
Excerpted from Time.com.

Read more in this New York Times article.

Forum on Puerto Rico/U.S. Relations
These are some of many complex issues that we will discuss during our Forum on Puerto Rico/U.S. Relations! SGC International’s vision for this meeting of cultures is to educate our membership on the complexity of the Puerto Rico/US relationship. At Puertográfico, we will learn from our Puerto Rican members about their view of our political ties. Join us during Puertográfico to learn more about the language and terminology used in this discussion.

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Photo by Fabián Rodríguez Torres, @fabianfrt