Moving Forward

Esteemed members,

Please receive warm greetings on behalf of the National Board of Directors of the Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association, Inc. (PRSSA). I take this opportunity to inform you of some of the Association’s doings so far in 2009.

The PRSSA was invited to participate in the public radio program “BackStory with the American History Guys” on January 18, 2009. Yours truly discussed Puerto Rico’s second-class U.S. citizenship and the advancement of the statehood cause with historians Ed Ayers, Peter Onuf and Brian Balogh in this acclaimed show.

On January 19, 2009, the PRSSA hosted a reception with the Honorable Thomas Rivera Schatz, President of the Senate of Puerto Rico, and the Honorable Kenneth McClintock, Secretary of State of Puerto Rico, at Mio Restaurant in Washington, DC. The activity was organized by Executive Director Raúl Vidal and was a resounding success. PRSSA members discussed the advancement of Puerto Rican statehood along with the honored guests and other prominent invitees, including Jeffrey Farrow and former New York Congressman Robert García. The reception received attention from newspapers El Nuevo Día and Diario La Prensa, with articles published on January 20, 2009.

PRSSA has also been moving forward in Puerto Rico. PRSSA members recently constituted a chapter in the Pontifical Catholic University at Ponce. The new chapter looks to mobilize student action in the most important southern city of Puerto Rico. The UPR-Río Piedras Chapter is also preparing the first of a series of informational focus groups on statehood and Puerto Rico’s status. These educational events are geared toward giving students the intellectual tools to advance the cause of Puerto Rican statehood. More focus groups will follow in universities in Mayaguez, Arecibo and Ponce.

Furthermore, the Communications Department of the PRSSA is preparing a series of “videoblogs” that will cover a variety of topics. PRSSA leaders will analyze national and local current events and provide information to the public on Puerto Rican self-determination and statehood.

The members of the PRSSA continue to succeed and lead the way for the pro-statehood youth of Puerto Rico. Stay tuned for more events and activities. As always, thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

José Cabrera
President