Latest posts by Ángel Carrión
What Democracy? Questioning Oscar López Rivera's Imprisonment in the United States
Puerto Rico's most widely circulated newspaper, El Nuevo Día, published an editorial [es] in its Sunday edition on June 1, 2014 in which it questions the moral standard of the United States’ government to intercede in favor of political prisoners around the world while insisting on unjustly maintaining Puerto Rican political...
Puerto Rican Diaspora Calls for Oscar López Rivera's Release
The digital magazine La Respuesta has put together a series of photo galleries that chronicle efforts in Chicago, New York City, and Cleveland to release Puerto Rican political prisoner Oscar López Rivera from prison. Oscar has already served 33 years in prison, an exaggerated amount of time for the charge...
Retaking the Streets of Puerto Rico…On a Bicycle
In some urban areas of Puerto Rico, more and more people choose to leave their cars in favor of cycling.
Farewell to Puerto Rican Salsa Singer Cheo Feliciano
The music world mourns the unexpected loss of one of salsa's most important singers of all time.
Documentary Unearths the Story of Eminent Puerto Rican Ramón Emeterio Betances
Despite being considered one of “the fathers of the homeland,” Puerto Rican official history barely mentions him, and many people on the island perhaps only know his name.
5 Fascinating Facts About the Leatherback Turtle
Nesting season is here. Learn a few facts about this sea turtle, which returns to the beaches of Puerto Rico each year to lay its eggs.
Celebrating Puerto Rican Poet Julia de Burgos on the 100th Anniversary of Her Birth
The Spanish-speaking world celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos.
Puerto Rico’s Debt Downgraded to “Junk” Status
While the government tries to inspire confidence in the public, citizens fear the worse.
The Online Presence of Puerto Rican Women: Gender, Creativity, and Equality
Angel Carrión features some of the online spaces Puerto Rican women have created to express ideas, creativity, exchange information, or provide resources that further education on women's issues and equality.
Traditional Puerto Rican Saint Sebastian Street Festival Fills Every Corner of Old San Juan
The festival has lost much of its religious character, and has transformed more into a city festivity that attracts more than 300,000 people annually.
Christmas in the Puerto Rican Diaspora
To mark the end of the “official” Christmas season in Puerto Rico, we share some links to the online magazine La Respuesta, which focuses on gathering the experience of the Puerto Rican diaspora in the United States, about some thoughts regarding Puerto Rican Christmas traditions by two authors living in...
Moment of Truth for Puerto Rico's Economy Looms on the Horizon
Puerto Rico is currently going through one of the worst economic crises in its history. Its public debt reached $70 billion in 2013, an amount that is practically unpayable for the country. The severity of the problem has resulted in Puerto Rico being called “the Greece of the Caribbean” on...
Puerto Rico Is a Global Music Powerhouse
Renowned, multi-talented Puerto Rican pianist and composer Brenda Hopkins Miranda has written an article for the online magazine 80 grados in which she asks herself why Puerto Rico has not taken full advantage of its wealth of homegrown musical talent and calls for music to become one of the pilars of the country's economic development [es]....
Tour Builder, Another Google Service Not Allowed for Cubans
Google maintains that it bases its decision on the provisions of the United States' economic embargo on Cuba.
A Brief Unity of Purpose: Marching for Puerto Rican Prisoner Oscar López Rivera
Thousands gathered this past November to demand the release of unjustly held political prisoner, Oscar López Rivera. Ángel Carrión shares some thoughts from that day.
Open Letter to President Obama Calling for the Release of Oscar López Rivera Goes Viral
Sociologist, poet, and blogger Guillermo Rebollo-Gil wrote an open letter on his blog to U.S. President Barack Obama in which he calls for the release of Oscar López Rivera, one of the longest-held political prisoners ever. The letter has quickly gone viral over the past two days. Oscar López Rivera has been...
Where Does Puerto Rico Stand on LGBT Issues?
Or perhaps a better question: where does the LGBT community stand in the struggle to gain visibility and recognition of its rights?
Puerto Ricans Demand Oscar López Rivera's Release From Prison
The Movimiento Independentista Nacional Hostosiano (MINH), a Puerto Rican pro-independence movement, is organizing a peaceful protest on November 23 to demand the liberation of Oscar López Rivera. López Rivera is the longest-held political prisoner in the western hemisphere, charged with “seditious conspiracy” for his struggle for Puerto Rico's independence from...
Dominican Republic and Haiti: Two very different versions
The blog Repeating Islands republished two letters to the editor of the New York Times that paint two very different pictures on the situation regarding the recent decision of the Constitutional Tribunal of the Dominican Republic to strip citizenship from all descendants of immigrants who entered the country extralegally, retroactive...
“I'm Dominican, Just Like You”: Thousands of Dominicans of Haitian Descent Are Left Stateless
The decision by the Dominican Republic's Constitutional Court to strip descendants of "foreigners" of their citizenship ignores the human reality of thousands of Dominicans.
Chelsea Manning Case Surfaces Issues of Transparency, Security, Journalism, and Sexuality
What Chelsea (formerly Bradley) Manning's case means for whistleblowers, journalism, state secrecy, security, and the transgender community.
