CULTURE | HISTORY
July 25th — The Trauma of Constitution Day on the Puerto Rican Psyche
Four ways we commemorate this [un]holiday
No tengo nada por lo que pedir perdón y nunca le pediré clemencia a un gobierno que mantiene a mi pueblo esclavizado.
~ Dolores “Lolita” Lebrón Sotomayor, Freedom Fighter & Revolutionary
Today marks the 72nd anniversary of el Día de la Constitución del Estado Libre Associado. Others call it “Liberation Day.” What and from whom we’re being “liberated” remains a conundrum.
Here in Borikén — since 1952 — my people have had July 25th forever forged on their consciousness. It stands as the day in our annals of when the ELA (Estado Libre Asociado ~ The “Free Associated State” aka The Commonwealth) was established.
Signed into law by José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín, the first governor elected by fellow Puerto Rican countrywomen and men, the Constitution was birthed via a majority-voted March 3, 1952 referendum. While some claim it is the vehicle that offers us a fully transparent democratic process, others remain adamant in their stance — la constitución is nothing more than a continuation of the U.S. imperial monster in action.
Catch the full pdf document en español and the English version here.
