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The Unique Problems of Puerto Ricans
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15067 |
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Section : |
SPECIAL SECTION
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| Issue
Date : |
9 / 1988 |
1,510 Words |
| Author
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Robert Garcia
Robert Garcia is a congressman from New York and chairman of
the House Subcommittee on International Finance, Trade, and
Monetary Policy. |
The Puerto Rican community has traditionally been the afterthought of the afterthought. That is, Puerto Ricans have traditionally suffered more than other minorities, particularly in comparison to other groups within the Hispanic community.
Yet it is precisely this discrimination that ties the future of the Puerto Rican community within the United States to that of the Hispanic community at large, as well as to that of the black community. For Puerto Ricans living on the mainland to prosper, there must be a sense of unity with those who have suffered a similar fate. There must be also a continued sense of cultural and ethnic pride, not at the expense of other ethnic or racial groups, but in harmony with the kind of pride that all Americans have--whether they are black, Irish, or Jewish--a sense that we are all Americans who have something unique to contribute.
Our spiritual agenda and our political agenda are similar: the need to work with other ethnic and racial groups, as Puerto Ricans and as Hispanics, in order to bring a measure of prosperity to our community.
This is a lesson that I have learned time and time again throughout my career. When I was first elected to public life as a member of the New York state assembly over 23 years ago, I, together with Percy Sutton, Shirley Chisholm, Basil Paterson, and others, formed the Black-Puerto Rican Caucus within the New York legislature. I believed then, as I do now, that our two communities have to work together in order to be recognized in order to count. The Caucus is still in existence, and its purpose is as valid today as it was 23 years ago.
A National Agenda
The same zeal that compelled me to work with my colleagues in the state legislature also compelled me to play a role within the U.S. Congress. On coming to Congress in 1978, as the first New York-born Puerto Rican ever elected to the House of Representatives, I joined the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. In 1981, I was fortunate enough to be elected chairman of the Caucus. I held that position for an unprecedented four years. During that time, I tried to push forward a national agenda for the Hispanic community on issues like bilingual education, immigration reform, and U.S. policy toward Latin America. As more and more Hispanics were elected to Congress, the Caucus became increasingly important. Its voice was heard. There is no better example of this than on the issue of immigration
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