In July of 2019, the people of Puerto Rico, through weeks of massive, creative demonstrations, forced the Governor to resign. Although the immediate trigger was the revelation of his misogynist and homophobic comments in an online "chat," the Puerto Rican people also arose to protest many decades of corrupt exercise of power to favor the few and to target marginalized communities and political dissidents with harsh and inhumane policies and the heightened imposition of colonial rule in the form of U.S. law PROMESA and its odious Fiscal Oversight Management Board. Over 12 days, there were daily protests, without overt participation of traditional parties or traditional "leaders". The protests were characterized by the wide participation of women, LGBTTQI activists, community groups, and young people. During July and August, the activism has continued through People's Assemblies in every corner of Puerto Rico, reaching across the broad spectrum of communities, to plan and design a Puerto Rico which will address the needs of the population, rather than those of the colonial power.
Zoan Davila Roldan, a young woman of color from Puerto Rico, is one of the spokespeople for the "Colectiva Feminista en Construcción," a group which for several years has fought the patriarchal, homophobic and racist exercise of power in Puerto Rico, through concrete actions which had a significant impact on the discourse and demands of the mass movement in July, 2019. The Colectiva has been demanding that the Government declare a state of emergency regarding rampant domestic violence, especially since Hurricane Maria in 2017, as well as the reinstatement of gender studies curriculum in the public schools. Zoan is an attorney in the legal clinic of the Interamerican University School of Law and a frequent contributor of articles for a number of publications, primarily focusing on issues affecting women and marginalized communities.
Carla Minet, a Puerto Rican woman, is a journalist and the Executive Director of the Center for Independent Journalism (CPI), a non-profit organization which focuses on investigative journalism, access to information from corporations and government entities, and training of independent, investigative journalists. Her investigative work ranges from political campaign donations to environmental issues and government affairs. For the past 15 years she worked as a reporter, researcher, editor and producer for radio, television and online, in traditional and independent media. For six years, she was executive director of an organization called Community Press. The CPI has played a major role in uncovering government corruption. Its journalists were the first to uncover and publicize the government cover-up with respect to the number of deaths from Hurricane Maria. In mid-July, 2019, the CPI published the full 889 pages of the "chat" in which former Governor Rosselló and his cohorts displayed their homophobic, misogynist and corrupt conduct, a major factor in the vast movement which forced the Governor's resignation on August 2, 2019. Carla graduated from the Public Communication School at the University of Puerto Rico, and her master's in journalism is a joint degree between the University of Barcelona and Columbia University in New York. She has been a speaker at conferences and forums, a media trainer, and professor at the University of Puerto Rico.
Mariana Nogales, a Puerto Rican woman, attorney and NLG member, is a leading member of Brigada Legal Solidaria of Puerto Rico, recipients of the 2019 Arthur Kinoy Award for its exemplary legal work in support of the movement in Puerto Rico. Since its founding some two years ago, the Brigada Legal has been a critical voice in monitoring police abuse and offering space for lawyers, law students, and other legal activists interested in the defense of human rights. Mariana herself has represented any number of activists accused by the government of a host of charges related to mass demonstrations. She has been a key figure in mentoring younger attorneys and legal workers in work related to observation of police violence during demonstrations and defense of those accused in that context. Mariana is also an active member and past President of the Puerto Rican Coalition against the Death Penalty and the feminist Movimiento Amplio de Mujeres de Puerto Rico. She was the 2016 candidate for Resident Commissioner, representing the PPT (Working People's Party of Puerto Rico).
