Editor’s note: Members of the Northwest Boricua Resistance who spoke with the Emerald are identified by first names only due to safety and privacy concerns.
The Northwest Boricua Resistance is an organization of Puerto Rican diasporans, those of Puerto Rican heritage who do not live on the island, and their allies who seek Puerto Rican political and financial independence from the U.S. Though the members are far afield from the island, they see it as their duty to agitate for change.
“It’s important for people to advocate everywhere, anywhere they are. It’s important for people to get out and be loud,” a group member named Brandon said.
The Taíno, the Native people of Puerto Rico, call the Caribbean island Boriken. Boricua is a derivative of Boriken that some Puerto Ricans use to refer to themselves, rather than the Spanish word Puertorriqueños. The use of Boricua by NW Boricua Resistance is a demonstration of the first principal of their organization: decolonization.
Though Puerto Rico’s standing is legally distinct from a colony due to a 1953 U.N. resolution, a pamphlet made by the nationwide Boricua Resistance Alliance organization cites more than 500 years of “social, economic, and political exploitation” as proof that the island nation is a modern colony of the U.S.
The Pacific Northwest group was founded in Portland during the spring 2019. After being involved in activism in Portland for years, co-founder Angel, along with two others, were frustrated with the lack of attention paid to the island nation among other leftists. The three founded NW Boricua Resistance as a place for Boricuas across the Pacific Northwest to be heard politically. Together, they announced the group at a 2019 May Day rally in Portland where disparate groups of activists were demonstrating.
Initially, Angel didn’t think there would be many Boricuas in the Pacific Northwest to join the group, but during July of last year that perception changed.
An estimated 500,000 people took to the streets in San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico on July 17. The demonstrations were a response to leaked messages sent by Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló, which contained homophobic and misogynistic language as well as jokes about those who had died during Hurricane Maria, according to NPR.
The leak highlighted the need for political change in Puerto Rico to Boricuas both on the island and in the U.S. After 15 days of sustained demonstrations, Rosselló resigned his position, but the protests provided a surge in interest in diaspora struggle among Boricuas according to Angel.
Today, NW Boricua Resistance is administered by about a dozen organizers. The group operates on a purely volunteer basis and without titles. Though Angel co-founded the group, he said he has no more authority than the most recent member to join.
Current NW Boricua Resistance programs include outreach to new members, allying with other activist groups and providing services for the community at large. At one event in Portland last November, the group distributed free hot coffee and soup to those in need. The event was a protest against a Portland policy requiring activist groups to acquire a permit to serve food or other quality of life services in public parks.
NW Boricua Resistance member Brandon said he hopes that the group’s activism will serve as an inspiration to others to get involved wherever they are. “We have a moral obligation to stand up,” he said.
The group’s next event will be in partnership with Gabriela, a Portland-based Filipino women’s organization. As part of Gabriela’s Peoples’ Struggle School, NW Boricua Resistance will be teaching a workshop on Puerto Rican colonization and resistance. The workshop is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 1 at Tabor Square in Portland. More information can be found on the group’s Facebook page.
Northwest Boricia Resistance is accepting new members.