“La solidaridad no perece”: Community organizing, political agency, and mutual aid in Puerto Rico

Abstract

In the wake of Hurricane Maria and in response to the negligent inefficiency of the local and federal governments, community groups and collectives, grassroots organizations, and activists of multiple causes began organizing under the principles of mutual aid and solidarity in Puerto Rico. One of these is the Colectivo Casco Urbano de Cayey (CCUC), a community organization comprised of local activists and community leaders, undergraduate students, and a professor. This essay brings together four members of the collective in a dialogue where they reflect on the central role of solidarity in the CCUC’s organizing and projects and the ways solidarity operates as a praxis of self-determination in the face of neoliberal austerity measures in Puerto Rico. We also highlight the relational work that was done prior to establishing the CCUC that enabled its creation. We also discuss how we negotiate our collaborative relationship across difference through critical dialogue and reflection, the challenges that arise because of our colonial subjectivities, and the ways we circumvent colonial logics through other ways of being and relating anchored in solidarity and interdependence.

Keywords:

• Action research
• community-based learning
• decolonization
• participatory research
• social justice education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 Pseudonyms.

2 Urbe Apie is a nonprofit organization that promotes the economic development of the urban hub of Caguas, Puerto Rico by transforming abandoned buildings into a community kitchen, garden, boutique, gallery, housing, and theater, among other initiatives (Urbe Apie, 2015).

3 We are alluding to phrase written by publicist Edwin Miranda, in an infamous Telegram chat that was leaked to the public, setting off the events that led to the resignation of former Governor Ricardo Rosselló. He wrote, “I see the future and it is splendid, there will be no Puerto Ricans” (translation by the authors).

4 The alacenas feministas, or feminist pantries, emerged during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic in different towns of the main island of the Puerto Rican archipelago.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Aurora Santiago Ortiz

Aurora Santiago Ortiz is a Lyman T. Johnson Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Kentucky. Her research centers antiracist feminisms, decolonial perspectives, popular education, and participatory action research. She is a founding and current member of the Colectivo Casco Urbano de Cayey.

Antonio Navarro Pérez

Antonio Navarro Pérez is an artisan based in Cayey. He holds a B.A. on Sociology from the University of Puerto Rico-Cayey and is a founding and current member of the Colectivo Casco Urbano de Cayey.

Paulette Agosto Ortiz

Paulette Agosto is a graduate student in Clinical Psychology at Carlos Albizu University in Puerto Rico. Her research interests include children, LGBTQIA + communities in Puerto Rico, public policy, and disparities in access to health services. She is a founding member of the Colectivo Casco Urbano de Cayey.

Coralis Cruz González

Coralis Cruz González is a graduate student in Social Work at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras campus. Her research interests include antiblack racism in Puerto Rico, food autonomy, Black decolonial feminisms, and community-engaged research.

Michelle Román Oyola

Michelle Román Oyola studies Sociology at the University of Puerto Rico-Cayey. Her research interests are driven by social justice and feminist perspectives. She is a founding member of the Colectivo Casco Urano de Cayey.