Resilience, Coloniality, and Sovereign Acts: The Role of Community Activism

Abstract

Puerto Rico has been a U.S. colony since 1898. For the past decades, it has been mired in public debt, social problems, and ineffective and corrupt governance. In 2017, the island was hit by hurricanes which devastated our country. After the event, the term "resilience" became ubiquitous. Labeling Puerto Ricans' capacity to tolerate misfortune and suffering "resilient" gave people a false sense of hope and offered government a pretext to postpone or inequitably dispense aid. So-called "resilience" also allowed Puerto Ricans to avoid the impact of colonialism and coloniality on pre-existing conditions which hurricanes accentuated. In this context, community activism played a major role. Community organizations initially provided aid and generated chains of solidarity. They initiated "sovereign acts" which are mostly guided by principles and values espoused by community psychology. Thus, we have a duty to contribute to efforts which can promote liberating our island from colonialism and coloniality.