“I remember one reporter asked me what was one of the most important things that I learned after Hurricanes Irma and Maria and I said, we will no longer be able to hide our inequality behind palm trees and piña coladas,” stated former Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Carmen Yulín Cruz.
Cruz spoke at Smith College’s Presidential Colloquium entitled Leadership for a New Democracy April 28, where she emphasized the need for a new system of governance built on a foundation of empathy and care.
Cruz said, “For you see, if I love you, I will make sure that you are taken care of. I think this new democracy is all about leading from the bottom up, and holding those at the top accountable.”
Puerto Rico has been a commonwealth of the United States since 1952, and while the people are American citizens, they do not receive representation or sufficient aid. They cannot ask for the help of other countries, which has been especially needed in recent years after hurricanes and earthquakes devastated the island.
“More than 3000 homes in San Juan were flattened after the hurricanes… Puerto Rico is said to have lost about thirty million trees, literally, the landscape of Puerto Rico changed completely overnight,” Cruz said.
As Mayor during the natural disasters, she saw firsthand how badly people suffered: “I spoke the inconvenient truth; my brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico were dying. I could see it in every person that I saw gasping for air… The aid that was promised never came and at some point, the injustice was too much to take.”
3,000 people died in the aftermath of the hurricanes, and thousands more are in poverty without any proper help from the American government. Cruz mentions knowing that today in Puerto Rico, “six out of ten Puerto Ricans are under the level of the poverty line.”
This is a startling fact that influenced her approach as a politician; she knew she needed to be bold and outright about these conflicts as a whole island’s life was on the line. She said, “If others are not taken care of, I will not be taken care of… we have to understand the raw and unfiltered truth about what is going on around us.”
Cruz maintains an optimistic view despite the tragedy her livelihood and island has been struck with, as she knows that using her voice and speaking up is the only way to bring tangible change.
“This is a time for unapologetic leadership. This is a time for ensuring that change happens at a rapid pace, because in some areas like climate change, time is running out. Because in some areas like racial injustice, we are really tired of it. Because… women are not making the same as men. Enough is enough.”
Her philosophy as a leader, particularly as a marginalized woman, is that courage and love are the only ways to rebuild an island in despair. They are the tools for constructing a new governance, and for bringing change to communities on a smaller level as well.
Cruz closed by saying, “I think that a little spark can start a fire. And I think that from where you’re standing in your dorm room you can begin a movement that will change your life and others forever. Let’s go out there and change the world.”
[Image: Former Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz (Photo by Joanna Chathman)]
