"A Puerto Rico without Puerto Ricans?"
Activist Berta Joubert-Ceci launched her educational tour to promote the decolonization of Puerto Rico in the United States. On April, Joubert-Ceci made her second tour stop in Philadelphia. Here is our coverage.
BY NÉMESIS MORA ON MAY 2, 2024
Berta Joubert-Ceci's goal is to put the island in the spotlight and focus the struggle to achieving Puerto Rico's independence from the United States by becoming its own country. (Canva)
This April, activist and former Philadelphia resident Berta Joubert-Ceci launched an educational tour to promote the decolonization of Puerto Rico within the United States. On Monday the 15th, she made her second tour stop in Philadelphia, marking a pivotal moment in her campaign.
The tour kicked off on April 10 in New York City, where 6.7% of the population is Puerto Rican, according to the 2020 Census. Jouber-Ceci's presentation was screened at Hostos Community College of The City University of New York, The Roberto Clemente Family Guidance Center, and La Sala de Pepe Cultural Center.
On Monday, April 15, it was Philadelphia's turn. Joubert-Ceci delivered her political retrospective to an audience of approximately 60 attendees at the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in the Spring Garden neighborhood. The audience was predominantly comprised of Puerto Ricans – the city’s largest Latino demographic.
Frustrated with living in a Puerto Rico that continues to lose its rights as a result of the United States’ presence, Joubert-Ceci said that she decided to focus her educational tour of the U.S. on the cities with the highest population of Puerto Ricans. Philadelphia has the second-largest Puerto Rican population in the U.S. after New York.
Ever since Berta Joubert-Ceci returned to live in her native Puerto Rico in 2019, her work has focused on raising international awareness of the colonial situation on the island. (Némesis Mora)
As Joubert-Ceci began her presentation, the first question she displayed on the screen was, "A Puerto Rico without Puerto Ricans?" followed by the infamous messages between former governor Ricardo Rosselló and his publicist, Edwin Miranda. The Telegram chat showcased misogynistic insults against female officials, threats to the press, mockery of Hurricane Maria victims, and what was then confidential and privileged information.
"I saw the future. It's so wonderful, there are no Puerto Ricans," read Miranda's message.
Among the key concerns that resonated with the audience are the increased gentrification and resultant community displacements catalyzed by Act 60. This legislation attracts investors with a 100% income tax exemption on specific passive income, dividends, interest, and select capital gains upon becoming residents of Puerto Rico.
The current climate in Puerto Rico
Now retired after devoting her entire professional career to medicine, Joubert-Ceci has become a full-time social and political activist. From her home in San Juan, Joubert-Ceci dedicates her time to studying, researching, and documenting Puerto Rico's current climate, including its economic, political, and social crisis. She highlights the escalating issues of gentrification, community displacement, migration, brain drain, and privatization of essential services like energy.
Joubert-Ceci returned to Puerto Rico precisely when the island was experiencing one of its worst fiscal and political crises in modern history. Over 1 million people took to the streets to protest and demand the resignation of then-Governor Rosselló, after a controversial Telegram chat with his cabinet leaked. The historic event has come to be known as “The Summer of 2019,” or, “The RickyLeaks.”
One of the most well-known cases presented by Joubert-Ceci was that of crypto entrepreneur and former Mighty Ducks actor Brock Pierce, who moved to Puerto Rico in 2017, and, as a beneficiary of Act 60, purchased a 127-year-old historic building in Old San Juan. According to Bloomberg, Pierce has built a real estate portfolio on the Commonwealth that is worth about $35 million.
Another similar case discussed by Joubert-Ceci is that of billionaire John Paulson, who, according to Bloomberg, has a real estate portfolio in Puerto Rico that could be worth as much as $1 billion.
"The sense of desperation and urgency is because we are losing Puerto Rico," said Joubert-Ceci, who said she wonders if those investors will become "the new Puerto Ricans," implying that the same benefits don’t exist for Puerto Ricans born and raised on the island.
Former Puerto Rican Secretary of Education Julia Keleher also gave Joubert-Ceci much to discuss during her visit. Now a Delaware resident, Keleher is a federal convict of public corruption. She pleaded guilty in 2021 to committing fraud while in office under the Rosselló administration. Federal indictments allege that Keleher relinquished school property in Santurce, Puerto Rico, to a contractor for the creation of a community park. In return, Keleher purportedly received benefits, including leasing an apartment valued at $297,500 for just $1.
Joubert-Ceci also addressed the lack of food sovereignty on the island, highlighting that 85% of food is imported. She discussed the closures of universities and public schools, as well as the economic crisis stemming from the $72 billion public debt in 2015. Additionally, the activist criticized the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) for "imposing" a fiscal control board, where six of the seven board members were appointed by the President of the U.S.—a situation Joubert-Ceci views as a clear manifestation of colonialism.
“What we can do?”
Since her return to her native Isla del Encanto in 2019, the Puerto Rican activist and retired psychiatrist has dedicated her time to raising international awareness of the island's colonial situation.
"I retired as a psychiatrist and left everything to do with medicine," Joubert-Ceci told ¡Presente! Media. "Because what is needed is a change in society."
Her goal is to put Puerto Rico in the spotlight by raising awareness of the crises facing the archipelago – from the U.S. invasion in 1898 to the present day. For Joubert-Ceci, the struggle must focus on achieving Puerto Rico's independence from the U.S. by becoming its own country.
For Joubert-Ceci, part of the solution lies in the political organization of the Puerto Rican community in the diaspora.
"What I hope from this is that Puerto Ricans can come together and break down the divisions," she said. "To those who are not from Puerto Rico, I want them to understand what this country is doing and bring that sense of emergency."
About 60 people came to the SEIU in the Spring Garden neighborhood to hear Joubert-Ceci's presentation. (Némesis Mora)
Lorraine Mejias, a Penn University doctoral student, said she attended Joubert-Ceci's presentation in Philly to "find her community."
"I want a community of decolonized Boricua for the cause. I saw this event, and I said: ‘I have to go,’" Mejias told ¡Presente! Media.
Alyssa Cairo, who was also part of the audience, said she was looking to get more involved in the community, to raise awareness among her colleagues and friends.
Although Katie Chan was not a Boricua and knew little about the "colonization issues," she was interested in learning through Joubert-Ceci’s visit to Philly. What she found more frustrating was that the citizens' interests were "not taken into account."
As part of her tour, Joubert-Ceci also visited Baltimore City and Los Angeles on April 18 and 19. Dates for New Orleans and Florida will be announced soon.
The tour is sponsored by the publication Women in Struggle, of which Joubert-Ceci is a founding member.
For more information, click here.
