George Laws Garcia shares his personal story of why he supports statehood for Puerto Rico.
“As long as Puerto Rico remains a territory, we’ll never have political equality or be equal economically to our fellow citizens stateside,” George says.
Voices of Statehood
Puerto Rico has a larger U.S. citizen population than 20 of the current 50 states. People born in Puerto Rico have been citizens by birth since 1917. Yet Puerto Rico does not have a say in electing the President of the United States. The territory is represented in Congress by a single, non-voting representative in the House. There are no senators for Puerto Rico.
Politically, Puerto Rico lacks a voice. Congress makes the decisions for Puerto Rico. We have no vote in Congress. Members of Congress listen to their constituents — that is their job. Since Puerto Rico’s lone representative has no vote, Puerto Rico needs the support of people who live in the states, people who have voting representatives in Congress.
How can we gain this support? We believe that the people of the United States believe in human rights, in justice and equality for all. They need to understand why Puerto Rico wants statehood. Your voice can help!
The Voices of Statehood project is designed to amplify your voice and share your story.
What’s your story?
Tell us your reasons for supporting statehood.
Click the link above and you will find an easy way to share your audio or video file. Your voice can make a difference. Please share your story.
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