Puerto Rico’s Plight: Framing Collective Action for the Sustainable and Just Recovery Post-Hurricane Maria

• In Event: 4165 - Latinas/os and Natural and Social Disasters

Abstract

When Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico on September 17, 2017, the devastation was unprecedented. A majority of the island’s roughly 3.5 million inhabitants lack basic necessities, such as food and water. The storm brought international attention to a defunct colonial relationship between the U.S. and its island territory. Puerto Rico’s ambiguous political status and crumbling economy seemed to complicate the government’s disaster response. When Puerto Rico’s people most needed assistance, the U.S. fell short and outdated laws prohibited the rest of the world from engaging in relief efforts. Grassroots mobilization for a sustainable and just recovery has been underway on and off the island. The #JustRecovery campaign seeks to collectively challenge both the inadequacies of a modern colonial relationship and food system failures. This working paper provides a case study analyzing a diverse set social movement organizations that have coalesced to promote a just recovery for Puerto Rico by supporting agroecology and food sovereignty on the island. The first section of the paper provides a review the environmental crisis arising from Hurricane Maria, followed by an outline of the historical pressures the island has faced to make a case for the causes of economic despondency using a political economic perspective. The latter half of the paper emphasizes how the combination of historical disenfranchisement, environmental disaster, and failed federal response led to collective action contesting colonial control and a globalizing food system. Using data from a digital content analysis of social media, organization websites, and published interviews, I posit the master frame shared by the various organizations is one of justice, while bridging frames vary from climate resilience, latinx identity, or farmer empowerment. Future work includes interviews to be conducted February through April 2018 to understand how the organizations have been mobilizing resources and capital in Puerto Rico.

Author

• Thelma Iris Velez, Ohio State University