Like many of you, I have been following the stories of the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico with despair. Don’t people realize that these are American citizens? Why isn’t our government doing more than tossing paper towels at people? What can be done? Klein’s book and the work of Jessica Pabón-Colón both inspired me to reflect on what I could to do help.
Well one thing that we can all do is keep up with the situation in Puerto Rico and continuing to pressure our representatives to do something. Beyond that, I believe each of us has something, some special knowledge or talent, that we can offer people in need.
For what it’s worth, I can locate and curate (what I hope will be) valuable information for people who are concerned about particular topics. So I create resource guides and bibliographies at work and here, on my own website.
This guide is focused on the tragedy that has befallen Puerto Rico because of Hurricane Maria, with a focus on women and girls.
There isn’t a lot that has been written on the effects of the hurricane on women in particular but I will continue to collect what resources I find and to add to these pages. Click the links below for access to lists of books, articles, and organizations focused on this topic.
On a side note, please consider purchasing and reading The Battle for Paradise; it is so important to the understanding of the unjust and lasting legacy of colonialism in Puerto Rico. Catastrophes like Maria bring out disaster capitalists whose profit-seeking ultimately destroy the positive recovery efforts of the Puerto Rican people. All royalties from the sale of the book in English and Spanish go directly to JunteGente, a gathering of Puerto Rican organizations resisting disaster capitalism and advancing a fair and healthy recovery for their island.
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I’m disappointed that our government hasn’t not done more in providing assistants to help with the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. I’m definitely going to pick up this book. My son’s girlfriend is from Puerto Rico and her family still lives there. Months after Hurricane Maria, it was difficult to hear about the struggles to get electricity, clean water to drink, rebuild. Shame on US government for treating their American citizens with disregard.
I completely agree, Jovita. We could be doing so much more! To be able to so easily look the other way is disgraceful and the epitome of privilege and disregard; but that’s this administration IMO. I hope your son’s gf and her family are managing alright! Thank you for taking a look and if you have any suggestions for more resources for the lists, please do let me know.
I’ll confess that I know very little about the history of Puerto Rico. I should really educate myself. I agree that it’s very sad how our government has responded to Maria. The average person shouldn’t forget that Puerto Ricans are American citizens—our government definitely should not!
Right?! If the US government is going to treat PR so poorly, perhaps we should let them have their sovereignty. I’m no expert but since traveling to PR, I have definitely become more interest in its history and culture.