Decolonize Puerto Rico: Learning and Solidarity
Decolonize Puerto Rico
Decolonize Puerto Rico: Learning and Solidarity is an initiative of IDEA in close partnership with our partner VAMOS, to educate people in the United States about the colonial reality of Puerto Rico and the powerful community-based struggles for education and decolonization that are expressed through the construction of the Puerto Rico that will be.
Learning And Solidarity
From in-person gatherings to virtual convenings, book clubs and occasional newsletters, IDEA is educating, engaging, and building momentum towards living and acting in solidarity with the decolonization of Puerto Rico. Below you will find some of the ways in which our solidarity efforts take shape, an ask for your input, and an invitation for your collaboration.
In Person
Learning and Solidarity
In February, 2020, IDEA and some of our closest friends went to Puerto Rico for a week-long pilot experience titled, “Decolonize Puerto Rico: A Learning and Solidarity Experience,” co-organized with our partner VAMOS Puerto Rico. In March, 2023, we partnered with VAMOS again to support a second Learning and Solidarity Experience which supported a crew of educators and activists from Jackson, Mississippi, Jackson Public Schools, The Journey for Justice Alliance, ALAS, and Puerto Ricans living in the diaspora.
With these experiences, it’s important to acknowledge three things:
- VAMOS and IDEA will support more in-person experiences like this in the future – sign up here for future opportunities
- These efforts join with centuries-long action for the decolonization of Puerto Rico
- Participants join a growing network of educators and other activists already engaged in collaborative ongoing work for sovereignty and the end of colonization in Puerto Rico
Summaries from each day of the pilot Decolonize Puerto Rico: A Learning and Solidarity Experience are available on Facebook with photos and tagged partners here:
Overview of the Experience – Day One – Day Two – Day Three – Days four, five, & six
Watch this 5 minute video-recap from the March 2023 Experience:
Learning and Solidarity
based in the United States
Practicing solidarity with the decolonization of Puerto Rico does not require that we be in-person on the island. There are many ways that we can stay informed, organize, and collaborate without needing to leave the mainland United States. Here is an overview of some past and current IDEA-supported ways to connect.
Decolonize Puerto Rico on Social Media
Follow Decolonize Puerto Rico on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.
Future in-person learning and solidarity experiences in Puerto Rico
VAMOS and IDEA will support more in-person experiences like this in the future – sign up here to receive updates for future opportunities.
Learning and Solidarity Newsletter
Sign up here for IDEA’s Decolonize Puerto Rico: Learning and Solidarity Newsletter. Typical content of the newsletter includes calls to action, relevant news and current events, opportunities to connect, and more.
Decolonize Book Club
In 2020, IDEA hosted a virtual book club as a way to inform our solidarity and support learning, connection, and collaboration across the group.
Input and Collaboration
There are many ongoing efforts in support of the decolonization of Puerto Rico. If you are part of or know of such efforts, we invite you to share about them with us so we can engage with you in solidarity and look for opportunities to collaborate.
Please fill out this brief questionnaire to indicate how you would like to stay connected, lift up any resources you think we should be aware of, and indicate ways in which you think we might be able to collaborate.