Pride of Being Boricua: Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos
As we near the final week of National Hispanic Heritage Month, I’d like to share a pivotal experience in my life that contributed to my pride of being Boricua.?
It was during my time at Dominican University , a small private Catholic University located in Chicago, Illinois, that I volunteered for The Puerto Rican Cultural Center (PRCC). PRCC is a community-based, activist-oriented, grassroots, educational, health and cultural services organization founded on the principles of self-determination, self-actualization and self-sufficiency. Born in the period following the 1966 Division Street riots, PRCC addresses fundamental needs in the Puerto Rican/Latino communities of Humboldt Park, Logan Square and Hermosa Park. (1) Started by Jose Lopez, his famed brother and Puerto Rican activist Oscar Lopez Rivera, and other founding members, PRCC advocates for community needs, autonomy and growth. (2,3)
PRCC was among my first real-life exposures to public health.
Beginning at Vida/SIDA packaging condoms, I eventually completed a dietetic rotation with PRCC’s diabetes program. Among my final projects with PRCC was my capstone completed at the Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School.?
I wish I could say I had some grand epiphany during my capstone project that left me with a profound life lesson which I carry to this day. However, that would be a grand lie.
Plus it’s been my experience that the grandest life lessons are taught to us in the tiniest of details.?
That tiny detail I overlooked as a young 20 something year old was the name of the high school at which I completed my capstone project- Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School.?
Puerto Rican attorney and politician, Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos was a leading figure in the Puerto Rican Independence Movement. Brilliant and gifted with languages as evidenced by his ability to speak six, Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos graduated from Harvard Law School with the highest grade point average in his class thus allowing him the right to give the valedictorian speech at his graduation. However, animosity towards his mixed racial heritage caused his professors to delay his exams in an effort to prevent him from graduating on time.?
Never allowing setbacks to dictate his career, Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos became the president and spokesperson of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party from 1930 until his death in 1965. Jailed multiple times throughout his career, Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos would eventually be imprisoned for 26 years for attempting to overthrow the US Government in Puerto Rico. Towards the end of his life, while in prison, Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos was subject to human radiation experiments. Eventually pardoned in November 1964, Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos died months later in April 1965.?
His legacy subject to many discussions among supporters and detractors, Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos is a notable figure in Puerto Rican history. As a result, you may be wondering:?
Am I a supporter or a detractor??
If you asked grad school me, the version that volunteered at PRCC from 22 to 24, my opinion likely would have been one of indifference.?
Ten years later however, and I’m a supporter of Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos.?
Not only because of his brilliance, perseverance, and conviction but because I live in the nation’s capital, working in the field of advocacy and lobbying. This has imparted in me a deep understanding of what it takes to stand up and speak out against injustices committed against humanity.??
The Puerto Rican Cultural Center planted that seed of advocacy in me. And my professional career has since grown that seed into a tree that stands tall and proud in its convictions.?
The US government has repeatedly demonstrated, throughout history and up to this day, its lack of prioritization towards the livelihood of Puerto Ricans. Thus was the case in the 1920s so stands the case today about which Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos warned us.?
From medical experimentation to natural disasters, the US government has made its exploitation and indifference to this vital territory clear. Therefore, it’s time that Puerto Ricans across the diaspora once again stand up against the face of tyranny.?
Like & subscribe to my youtube channel which will discuss Puerto Rico and other territories worldwide that have been subject to colonial imperialism. And never forget the countless Hispanics, remembered and forgotten, that have contributed to the beautiful nation we know today.?
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