Author, journalist, professor
Originally published in The Washington Post September 20, 2019 at 6:23 a.m. I want to take you on a journey that begins and ends with questions about the American Dream, about what being an American means, and what it means to be an “other.” I’ve survived the flowering and disintegration of that dream during my lifetime, […]
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Since my latest book, Fantasy Island: Colonialism, Exploitation and the Betrayal of Puerto Rico (Bold Type Press) went on sale last September, I’ve had an amazing time doing talks and interacting with people who are passionate about the island-nation. The book is a historical overview of Puerto Rico’s colonial relationship with the U.S. including a […]
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Originally published in The Nation August 2, 2019 On July 26, still giddy after the massive mobilization of Puerto Ricans that played a major role in forcing Governor Ricardo Rosselló to resign, plena musician Tito Matos and street-theater activist/music video director Israel Lugo were in the Hato Rey business district of San Juan, walking together […]
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What has happened on the streets of old San Juan and the distant west coast and mountain towns of Puerto Rico has been stunning, a hauntingly beautiful display of people power — a full-on awakening augured by the decades-invoked “Despierta Boricua” slogan, one that allows islanders to say things like “ya no es el mismo […]
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This week has been unlike any other in Puerto Rican history. An estimated 500,000 demonstrators filled Old San Juan’s cobblestone streets on Wednesday to demand the resignation of Governor Ricardo Rosselló. He has lost public confidence because of mounting scandals in his government and damning revelations from a leaked trove of private chats, published on […]
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A little over 20 minutes into Ava DuVernay’s “When They See Us,” her new Netflix miniseries about the Central Park Five case, the actress Felicity Huffman, who portrays prosecutor Linda Fairstein, captures the racial flash point that defined 1989 New York. “To think we were going to release these animals to family court,” she says […]
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When comedic actress Yeka Rosales physically transformed into Yalitza Aparicio, the Oscar-nominated star of “Roma,” to promote her show on the Mexican network Televisa, she gave us a glimpse into one of Latin America’s best-kept secrets: a deep and abiding racism. In images she posted on Instagram last month, Rosales donned a wig of straight […]
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