Oscar López Rivera on U.S. Colonialism After Hurricane Maria
Oscar López Rivera has been called the Nelson Mandela of Puerto Rico. Indeed,
like the South African legend, Rivera was imprisoned for his anti-colonial activism
and spent decades in prison. But in January 2017, after serving 35 years of his
70-year sentence, President Barack Obama, as one of his last acts in office,
commuted Rivera’s sentence. In May 2017 Oscar López Rivera was a free man.
Oscar López Rivera has become a symbol of resistance to people the world over
and became one of the longest serving political prisoners in the world. Among
those who spoke out for his release were Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Pope
Francis, Senator Bernie Sanders, playwright Lin Manuel Miranda and others.
Organizers of the 2017 National Puerto Rican Day Parade designated him as
the National Freedom Hero. Recently Lopez Rivera sat down with Building
Bridges’ Mimi Rosenberg, to discuss his frustration and anger with the American
government, detailing how Puerto Ricans have been treated since the Caribbean
island became an unincorporated territory of the United States in 1898. He
lamented that Puerto Ricans “are still a colonized people 120 years later,” Lopez
Rivera said, “Puerto Ricans didn’t ask for citizenship; we didn’t want it. Since
being colonized, Puerto Ricans haven’t been treated as humans; we have been
marginalized, exploited and used by the United States who wanted our sugar
cane and to create military bases.” Lopez Rivera said there are two things he
knows how to do best- struggle and work. He stated multiple times that he has
never advocated any form of violence and this “fight for independence” must be
an act of love. “People who love freedom and justice should care about Puerto
Rico,” Lopez Rivera emphasized. “We have the potential to be a free nation, but
it’s up to us. We will struggle and do what needs to be done.” Lopez Rivera also
spoke at length about Hurricane Maria and the humanitarian crisis taking place.
Although it struck September 20, 2017, there are still more than 400,000 people
without power. More than 550 residents were killed, and others are still missing.
Maria is considered the worst natural disaster to ever strike the area.
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