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On today's episode, Roqayah and Kumars are joined by longtime activist Amanda Bloom, who is recently back from Puerto Rico where she worked at la clínica Bantiox, a free health clinic and emergency room in the town of Toa Baja. Bloom discusses her decades of work supporting political prisoners from the Puerto Rican independence movement and her recent volunteer work in Puerto Rico following Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Bloom describes the devastation wrought on the people of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, and why the United States government has left Puerto Ricans with little to no assistance, while at the same time undermining reconstruction efforts. We explore the legacy of United States’ colonization of Puerto Rico and the massive debt crisis that has been imposed on Puerto Rico against the will of its people. We also learn about grassroots initiatives to rebuild the country, and find out what people can do to help residents of Puerto Rico.
You can follow Amanda Bloom and read her updates on Facebook. You can also read about her work in Puerto Rico at Poor Magazine. If you want to support groups in Puerto Rico doing great work, we recommend checking out la clínica Bantiox, Defend Puerto Rico, Resilient Power Puerto Rico, and Boricuá Organization for Ecological Agriculture.
A transcript for this episode is forthcoming. Please send an email to deleteuracct @ gmail to get a copy sent to you when it is completed.