Opinion for The Latino Newsletter

Thousands of people marched for Puerto Rican independence on Sunday, August 31, as boricuas, young and old, hit the streets to denounce colonialism and demand sovereignty for the long-suffering U.S. territory.

Puerto Ricans and their allies came together in San Juan, as well as at satellite marches in major cities across the United States, including New York, Jersey City, Orlando, and Cleveland. More than 20 organizations on the island and in the diaspora, including my own, Boricuas Unidos en la Diáspora (BUDPR), officially supported the demonstration.

The march marked nine years to the day since President Obama appointed the first seven members of the Puerto Rico Financial Oversight and Management Board (FOMB): the colonial entity that essentially governs Puerto Rico.

The oversight board has spent the past decade imposing massive austerity to pay off bondholders. Last month, President Trump fired six of the seven members of the Board; any day now, he will likely install new overlords for Puerto Rico that are even friendlier to the vulture funds that profit off Puerto Ricans’ pain.

These deadly serious developments serve as the unavoidable context for the August 31 marches. But, in true Puerto Rican protest fashion, the demonstrations were alive with art, music, and creative expression.

Puerto Rican singer iLe, fresh off her guest appearance at Bad Bunny’s residency, kicked things off with a powerful rendition of Puerto Rico’s revolutionary national anthem.

Las Lolitas, a group of women who dress up like Puerto Rican Nationalist Lolita Lebrón, marched through the streets in their trademark gray outfits adorned with red flowers.

Activists placed white cardboard in the shape of KKK hoods over the statues of U.S. presidents across from Puerto Rico’s Capitol.

And the sounds of bomba, plena, and Bad Bunny filled the streets all the way to Old San Juan.

It was also a march of solidarity. Some marchers waved the Palestinian flag, while others held the flags of the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, Mexico, and other Latin American nations. One sign read “DEPORT EMPIRE,” as many Puerto Ricans also denounced the Trump administration’s abuse of our fellow Latinos on the island and beyond.

Calvin Yohannan, a New York City-based BUDPR board member who was in Puerto Rico for the march and is the one who took the photos in this piece, told me the following about the day: “The execution and thoughtfulness from the organizers was incredible, and it was great to see the diaspora show up in support and unity. Today was a good benchmark for our collective goal, and the energy must continue to grow as Puerto Rico’s crises will only continue to worsen under the new phase of La Junta.”

Fresh off its historic showing in last year’s election, and with cultural icons like Bad Bunny supercharging the movement, support for Puerto Rico’s independence continues to grow.

These marches were the latest show of force for a movement that is showing its ability to make gains at the ballot box and summon people to the streets. As the island colony continues to face major crises and statehood remains a political fantasy, the notion of a sovereign Puerto Rico feels more realistic — and urgent — every day.

Alberto C. Medina of Boricuas Unidos en la Diáspora is a Puerto Rico-born, now U.S.-based writer, editor, and advocate for Puerto Rican independence. Read his Substack, Free Puerto Rico, and follow him on X/Twitter at @AlbertoMedinaPR.

Immigrant Labor Down: Based on initial data made public by the Pew Research Center on August 21, the Associated Press published a detailed story about the impacts of an immigrant labor force that is shrinking.

The Latino Newsletter welcomes opinion pieces in English and/or Spanish from community voices. You can email us here. The views expressed by outside opinion contributors do not necessarily reflect the editorial views of this outlet or its employees.