“Statehood Talks: How to Support the Puerto Rico Admission Act” is a recording of a Zoom event held earlier this month.
Watch the entire conversation below.
This is an opportunity to learn the specific steps you can take to make statehood for Puerto Rico a reality.
Our speakers for this occasion include policy experts and U.S. Army veterans.
Janille Rodriguez-Beamud
Rodriguez-Beamud is a policy, legislative, and labor relations executive with LGA Strategies, LLC, in San Juan. She served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Legal Counsel for Rep. Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon.
Rodriquez-Beamud earned her JD at Inter-American University of Puerto Rico School of Law, and also attended the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law.
In a post last year at Metro.pr, she wrote that economic development should be the top priority for the Island. “By placing the economy as a priority we will achieve multiple social changes; among others, stop the population exodus and increase employment. This, in turn, will result in an increase in income or sales contributions, and according to sociologists, a reduction in crime and school dropouts.”
Matt Helder
Helder served in the Washington State House of Representatives as a Policy Analyst with the House Republican Caucus. His work has included health care, the housing, veterans’ affairs, and labor standards. Prior to that, He also served as a Legislative Analyst for Rep. Dick Muri and until recently was a member of the DuPont, Washington, City Council.
He completed his degree in political science at Whitworth University.
A veteran, Helder is currently Director of Government Relations for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. He co-wrote an opinion piece at the Globe-Post with Jose Cabrera which pointed out, “Statehood for Puerto Rico is not only the right solution to the unequal treatment of Americans in Puerto Rico, but it is also the simplest.”
José A. Cabrera
Attorney José A. Cabrera is Chair of the Puerto Rico Star Project, a nonprofit organization that advocates for Puerto Rico statehood. He served as President of the Asociación de Estudiantes Estadistas de Puerto Rico (PRSSA) from 2007 to 2009.
Cabrera has written on Puerto Rico statehood for Latino Rebels, Cleveland.com, and many other platforms. Also a veteran, Cabrera wrote in a recent article, “Puerto Rican statehood should be a bipartisan matter because the islands’ political status is an American problem. Over 3 million U.S. citizens, including nearly 90,000 veterans, reside in a territory devoid of basic American rights, such as the right to vote for president and equal treatment under the law.”
He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from the University of Dayton and a law degree from the UD School of Law.
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