Puerto Rican community-based Organizations take the Discussion of Their Political Status to Congress

The University of Puerto Rico Alumni and Friends Abroad Association (UPRAA), is making history by presenting for the first time ever in the Congress of the United States, the community based forum: “Puerto Rico at its Political Crossroads: A forum to discuss the political future of the island.” This is the first time that a political discussion of this magnitude regarding the status of the island, has been organized in Congress by a community group organization and not for a political hearing.
 
The forum will be held on the Cannon House Office Building-Caucus Room on Capitol Hill Washington, D.C. It will start at 8:30 am with a special presentation by Dr. Edwin Melendez, Director of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College (CUNY), New York. The forum will be moderated by Ray Suarez, Senior Correspondent of PBS.
 
The event will have representatives of the three parties’ ideologies of the island, starting with a welcoming remark Pedro Pierluisi, Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner in Congress. The Secretary of State of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Hon. Kenneth D. McClintock-Hernandez will represent his position in favor of statehood. To represent the Commonwealth Party, Senator Hon. Eduardo Bathia-Gautier will represent the current status and Hon. Manuel Rodriguez-Orellana, former Senator of Puerto Rico will be representing the independence status.
 
The event was coordinated and organized by UPRAA and is being sponsored by MicroTech, Inc. and co-sponsored by the Hotel Sheraton National, in Arlington VA., and is being Co-Hosted by the National Puerto Rican Coalition (NPRC) and ASPIRA.