I am not aware that America is supposedly claiming Monica Puig’s Rio olympic gold medal. But, if it were to, the colonialism has to end. Close to 97% of Puerto Ricans living on the Island relish their american citizenship and will not switch it for anything else. Yet we are — using Rev. Jesse Jackson’s analogy — ”the hole in the donut”. We pay most federal taxes, (except on income generated within Puerto Rico), yet we do not participate on many federal programs and, regarding the ones we do, we do not participate equally in them as our fellow citizens living in the several states. We are all american citizens and we all are supposedly living in a “democracy”, yet we on the Island do not get to vote for the legislators that enact the laws in Washington nor for our Commander in Chief. All that has to end.

Yes, America. We will gladly contribute our olympic metal to the tally — not that you really need it, we are all quite aware — but inequality should be a thing of the past and — as citizens of our nation that we all are — you (or perhaps I should say “we”) shouldn’t have it any other way.

Roberto Santana, San Juan, P.R.