La Mesa Boricua:
Talking Points Memo

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La Mesa, a coalition of Florida community advocates, wants you to be informed as to how our people are having an impact. 

We are guided by Five Bold Steps to action: create a physical presence in every county with a large Puerto Rican community, increase political representation, develop a common issues platform for our community, control our narrative and develop leadership. Our goal is to build power for Puerto Ricans and Latinos in the state of Florida.

We’ll update you on the latest happenings catching our attention in the state and beyond, with a focus on how boricuas are making a mark. 

Here’s an update for the past few weeks.

In this issue

National News

Georgia

Con dos elecciones que determinarán el futuro del Senado federal, los demócratas dependen del apoyo de los votos latinos en su camino a la victoria. Los votantes hispanos, incluyendo un número significativo de puertorriqueños que residen cerca de Atlanta, ayudaron a Joe Biden a triunfar en el estado durante la elección de noviembre.

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National News

National

President Donald Trump appointed three people to three-year terms on the Puerto Rico Oversight Board last week. The move leaves out a staunch critic of the bondholders.

Read More

Puerto Rico News

Puerto Rico

Featuring a razor-thin margin and substantiated vote tallying irregularities, the race for mayor of Puerto Rico’s capital is yet to be certified, over a month after the election.

Read More

Puerto Rico News

Orlando

Miles de puertorriqueños en la Florida Central, incluso algunos que solo han sido residentes por un corto número de años, se están reinventando después de perder el trabajo o el negocio a resultado de la pandemia. Pero muchos otros no han tenido tanta suerte.

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Out of State

Connecticut

Connecticut has become the first U.S. state to require all high schools in the state to offer courses on African American, Black, Puerto Rican and Latino studies.

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Out of State

Miami

Investigadores académicos y de la salud de la Florida International University, una de las cinco universidades públicas más prestigiosas de la Florida, continua el trabajo de proveer ayudas a los puertorriqueños que quedaron traumatizados al tener que mudarse a la Florida luego del Huracán María.

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Out of State

Washignton

Puerto Rican educator Dr. Miguel Cardona has been announced by president-elect Joe Biden as his pick to lead the federal Department of Education, a historic choice that stands in stark contrast to the current leadership of that important department.

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The latest

Georgia

Mientras que en Georgia se deciden las dos elecciones clave que determinarán qué partido controlará el Senado de los Estados Unidos, los demócratas esperan contar con los votantes latinos en su bando. El voto latinó, incluyendo el de un número significativo de puertorriqueños que viven cerca de Atlanta, ayudó a impulsar a Joe Biden a la victoria en noviembre.

Los comités y grupos de acción política de todo el país, incluido el PAC United For Progress, están en Georgia intentando movilizar al cerca del millón de latinos en el estado. Luego de pasar años organizando a las comunidades y enfocándose en temas de interés a las comunidades de habla hispana, las organizaciones progresista lograron un desempeño en las papeletas de noviembre que excedió las expectativas.

Además de ayudar a lograr la victoria inesperada de Biden en el estado, la fuerte participación de los votantes hispanos ayudó a derrocar a dos alguaciles condales que apoyaban políticas de inmigración racistas. También se lograron varias elecciones históricas. La ex-legisladora Deborah González fue elegida en una segunda vuelta como la primera fiscal latina en el estado de Georgia, y la primera fiscal puertorriqueña.

Las disparidades de salud hechas obvias por la crisis de Covid-19 fue uno de los problemas más importantes para las comunidades latinas de Georgia. Los latinos no fueron los únicos responsables de la primera victoria presidencial demócrata en Georgia desde 1992. También se necesitó un gran número de votantes afroamericanos, algunos votantes en los suburbios que abandonaron sus inclinaciones republicanas tradicionales y el fuerte apoyo de los votantes asiáticos. Pero se considera que los votantes latinos son cruciales para lograr una victoria en enero.

National

President Donald Trump appointed three people to three-year terms on the Puerto Rico Oversight Board last week. The president named former Utah and Michigan budget director John Nixon and New York educator Betty Rosa. Rosa is Interim Commissioner of Education and President of University of State of New York. Her career has been as a teacher and education administrator.

Additionally, Trump reappointed pension specialist Andrew Biggs to the board. According to El Nuevo Día , House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. nominated Nixon to Trump, who made the appointment. Biggs was picked by Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell while Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer recommended Rosa.

The move displaces Ana Matosantos from the board, a member who has been one of the most aggressive board members in trying to reduce bondholder payouts. In her current role as House Speaker, Pelosi has two nominating slots to the board. It is unclear who Pelosi has chosen, as Trump has yet to act on her nominations.

Puerto Rico

Featuring a razor-thin margin and substantiated vote tallying irregularities, the race for mayor of Puerto Rico’s capital is yet to be certified, over a month after the election.

The vote count in San Juan has been a roller coaster— boxes of uncounted ballots appeared weeks after the election ended. A recount fraught with legal challenges is ongoing, but there are strong indications that the number of ballots and the number of electors is not matching in many precincts.

The is specially high-stakes in San Juan as it would be the biggest win of the election cycle for Movimiento Victoria Ciudadana, a new third party that ran on an anti-corruption and anti-colonial platform, and preaches “a political revolution here in Puerto Rico.” Manuel Natal Abelo, the candidate for mayor for Victoria Ciudadana, has become a lightning rod in Puerto Rican politics over the past few years, previously as an outspoken member of the opposition Partido Popular Democrático.

Orlando

Miles de puertorriqueños en la Florida Central, incluso algunos que solo han sido residentes por un corto número de años, se están reinventando después de perder el trabajo o el negocio a resultado de la pandemia. Pero muchos otros no han tenido tanta suerte.

El Orlando Sentinel destacó recientemente la determinación de varios ex empleados de los parques de Disney, que se han visto especialmente afectados por los despidos, y que han iniciado otros negocios para poder ganarse la vida.

Pero por cada historia de éxito conmovedora, hay muchas personas que todavía luchan. El condado de Osceola, donde se han asentado muchos de los puertorriqueños que han llegado en los últimos años, sigue teniendo una tasa de desempleo espantosa de 10.4 por ciento, la más alta de cualquier condado de Florida. El condado de Orange, otro municipio con un gran número de puertorriqueños, no se queda atrás.

De hecho, algunos han decidido regresar a Puerto Rico en medio de la crisis, eligiendo estar desempleados en una isla con un menor costo de vida y apoyo familiar.

    Connecticut

    Connecticut has become the first U.S. state to require all high schools in the state to offer courses on African American, Black, Puerto Rican and Latino studies.

    The high schools will have the option to offer the course in the 2021-2022 school year but will be required to offer it starting in fall 2022.

    The curriculum will provide high school students a better understanding of the African American, Black, Puerto Rican and Latino contributions to United States history, society, economy and culture using an inquiry-based approach, which includes both content knowledge and student identity development.

    Connecticut has the highest percentage of Puerto Ricans in its state population, estimated over 8%. The state mandate to study Puerto Rican achievements at the high school level is a first for any state in the nation. 

    Educational leaders describe the move as a way to allow all  students to learn about the contributions of Latinos and African Americans in a way that they see that they do add to the fabric of our country.

      Miami

      Investigadores académicos y de la salud de la Florida International University, una de las cinco universidades públicas más prestigiosas de la Florida, continua el trabajo de proveer ayudas a los puertorriqueños que quedaron traumatizados al tener que mudarse a la Florida luego del Huracán María.

      La Dra. Carissa Caban-Alemán, directora de Servicios de Salud del Comportamiento en el Centro de Salud Estudiantil de la Universidad Internacional de Florida, fue citada recientemente sobre los desafíos únicos que enfrenta este segmento en nuestra comunidad. En un artículo, la doctora habló sobre los estudiantes que tuvieron que salir de Puerto Rico en el 2017 para poder continuar con su educación universitaria.

      Además de lidiar con el impacto de una mudanza inesperado, los de la diáspora también están procesando los “factores sistémicos, complejos y sociopolíticos” que continúan afectando a Puerto Rico, algo que puede tener un marcado efecto en la salud mental.

        Washington

        Puerto Rican educator Dr. Miguel Cardona has been announced by president-elect Joe Biden as his pick to lead the federal Department of Education, a historic choice that stands in stark contrast to the current leadership of that important department.

        Dr. Cardona is the third Latino that Biden has picked to lead a federal Department as Cabinet Secretary, out of 12 announced so far. 

        As a former public school teacher, someone who grew up in public housing and learned English as a second language, Cardona’s biography and credentials are deeply at odds with those of current Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. DeVos, a billionaire donor chosen by Trump to lead the Education department in spite of not being an education leader or educator, has been hostile to public school funding and protections for students championed in the Obama era.

        It is expected Dr. Cardona will prioritize closing the gap in education achievement linked to children’s socioeconomic and racial background, gender identity and disability. Joe Biden campaigned on supporting educators, and making reopening schools safely a national priority. Expanding access to community colleges, addressing equity in the education system, and properly funding minority-majority institutions of higher education were also pledges the president-elect made during 2020.

        The choice of Dr. Cardona was praised by many, including Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, who called it “a historic choice for Puerto Ricans  and our nation.”

          Upcoming events

          ¿Qué pasa en Georgia? The fight isn't over

          Tuesday, December 22 » 7:00 p.m.

          Join Alianza, United for Progress and Mijente as we discuss what’s at stake and what we’re up to in Georgia to flip the Senate blue.

           

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          Conéctate con La Mesa Boricua

          Friday, December 18 » 7:00 p.m.

          Conéctate con La Mesa Boricua y Silverio Pérez para que disfrutes de nuestro Casita Series. En esta ocasión celebramos las fiestas con un Jolgorio Navideño. Habrá sorteo de cenas navideñas. ¡Los esperamos!

           

          View on Facebook

          Puerto Rican genealogy workshop

          Sunday, December 27 » 112:00 to 4:00 p.m.

          Learn easy methods to begin creating your own family tree. Hear anecdotes from genealogy conducted for Puerto Rican families over the last 20+ years. See the kind of archival records available for your own research. Understand which kind of DNA test will work best for your interests.

           

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          Our people in the media

          Marcos Vilar

          “Why do so-called Democratic political experts and supposedly neutral media insist regurgitating what are really GOP talking points about Trump strength amongst Latinos? Quite frankly, there’s a scapegoating factor at play by some liberal commentators, whose implicit assumption believes communities of color should vote en bloc and without question for Democratic candidates.”

          Read article

          Sami Haiman-Marrero

          Dr. Frances Colón

          “It is the issue that most keeps me up at night. Because of the way it will alter our way of life. But how little time we spend thinking about it, until it’s right at our doorstep! I would say that it’s not a long way off. I could tell everyone from personal experience how it’s already here. From the forest fires in California to the hurricanes that devastated Puerto Rico, the recurrent flooding in the streets of Miami, and the heat waves that are so hard for our elderly to endure here. None of this that we are experiencing is a coincidence.”

          FrontPage Live, discussing the policy implications of climate change.

          Frances Colon

          Jimmy Torres Velez

          “There is a push always to get us in bigger groups and in those bigger groups, sometimes our flavor gets lost. […] Sometimes our issues get lost in translation but also in the agenda, when the agenda of others is more important sometimes. We are now 8 million Puerto Ricans in the world. 5.2 million live in the United States. If we organize our communities, we can do a lot for our hometown, but also for the people in Mexico, in Venezuela and Ecuador, when we elect the right people.”

          “Found in Translation” podcast, about the need to organize the Puerto Rican community.

          Red de Accion Boricua

          Monday — Wednesday at 5 PM

          Don’t miss the online broadcast of Red de Acción Boricua for the latest updates from La Mesa.