island then the past 12 years living
in the united states
I decided to return at the least
expected at the time when everything
the world is already used to
hear figures from people who
they are emigrating that are leaving the
island for different reasons
this time we decided to go back
We decided to go back because I came back with my
husband my children and even with a puppy
It was an incredible experience to have
managed to decide to see something that always
we knew
we knew we were going we wanted
be here with the family that
We wanted our children to be brought up
in puerto rico but and really do it
at this moment, you really have to
seeing with a patriotic act has to
see with the desire to be part of the
solution with the desire to break with that
with any mountain and let understand that
we are all part of the change and
part of the revitalization of our
homeland
prior to the trip to my return I was
acting as advisor in matters of
public policy for the governor
of the state of new york during this
position take incredible challenges and what
I hugged but there was one in particular that
it had to do with environmental justice
the governor was interested in knowing
what was the best way to work
with the communities
so I took on the task of evaluating the
existing structure in all
new york state departments
what were the needs what
they were the resources that were needed and
honestly we did not have the platform
to work with them in a way
comprehensive and coherent
I gave myself the task immediately
raise and propose a new platform
of public policy for justice
environment was welcomed and today the
state of new york has a silver
is consistent with the problems that
confronts this state
situations like these are complex and
require structures require
organization by us
they require that all of us spend a
moment
let’s analyze the situation let’s see what
are the needs of inem is a
strategy and finally we take
action
if we do not take action we really have not
done nothing thus I’ll give you three
projects of which you have already been
wrapped for all my life
for some reason or another the first
project has to do with dredging
from the caño martín peña el caño martín
Peña is right in the area
metropolitan of puerto rico east spout
une is a three-point channel 7 miles
Attach the San Juan Bay Lagoon
Saint Joseph
just where the mosquito-theodor passes
before at the beginning of the century
this channel was pristine was
nice now today if one goes for
there you will see how are the
debris like there’s garbage and it’s
polluted the water by the waters
rain that run every time there is
floods or every time it rains a
coach got something light something was
floods all that area and all those waters
contaminated come to the body of water
the community and the government have joined
in this project for dredging the
Caño Martín Peña for cleaning and
have proposed certain measures
all in unity has been a long process
but the community has been
totally empowered when I
I found in the United States driving
the oldest government agency in
puerto rico in united states
I had the informal task of a
congressmen mayors to governors
foundations private agents on what
what was going on in the pipe
immediately and to my surprise
we invent a meeting series of meetings
where we arrived at puerto rico in just
one year the community
He received around for my part
four congressmen 11 foundations and
leaders from different than different
different parties both as a child the
how child is it if the process
middle empowerment to my understanding that
we can make a difference
projects like the link project that
eight are projects that really serve
of model for all of us
I invite you to study this model
and that two others work with them
projects that I will be talking about on
of vieques
as reported gaby been working
with that community since very small
vieques for a period of six of each
suffered the impact of bullets impacted from
pump by military practice
by the United States Navy
unfortunately, the
ecosystem especially from the east area
from this island but it was also destroyed
the moral of a people
after the navy left
Vieques grace sanz to the union of a
town
federal government agencies have
been carrying out some plans of
cleaning
however these cleaning plans do not
they have involved the community
in the same way that has been done with
the caño martín peña is important that
let’s analyze this situation because it is not
will move forward this town and
today they are suffering situations
of health at high rates of cancer rates
that we must see really evaluate it and
unite in solidarity with that people
finally I ‘m going to talk about the
Puerto Rican diaspora
as you know we are living a
very critical situation and only
joining us all in states
united worldwide as in puerto rico
sharing information is that we are going to
keep going when I was in states
United
we also hold a meeting
that the diaspora was historic
Puerto Rican that are the
Puerto Ricans that we’ve been
living outside
our island really is already
seized this empowerment process
there is now the information you need
proveyéndose him to follow them
echo our needs
last year we created in nacho not for
locate an agenda where a
series of priorities were presented before
the congress and we achieved incredible change
it really was spectacular to be in that
experience with people with so many
expertise in how to organize
groups and organize the fight to follow
forward
one of the issues that really was
key and that united us all as the
diaspora was the matter of the
liberation of two oscar lopez rivera
Don Oscar has been in jail for the
past thirty-five years
the reasons have them but it has not
hurt anyone
it’s really time to sign the
petition for clemency from this gentleman for
part of the president to come out in
freedom and share with your whole family
it’s a human rights issue for the
which we from both Puerto Rico
as in the diaspora
we want to see each one resolved
you can not help so much here as
in the world
we want them to be part of the fight that
exist but first they have to
find out they have to become experts
of all kinds of fighting then they have
that formulate strategies with people
who is suffering with the entities
who can always help with the
entities that can help and then by
last take action always
look that every fight has something good
paid before in the social action
social justice
so take control and leave them in your
hand thank you very much
ace
[Applause]
”
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