NPRC CONSIDERS PRESIDENT OBAMA'S VISIT TO ISLAND A HISTORIC AND STRATEGIC VISIT TO VALIDATE KEY HISPANIC U.S. CITIZENS

Washington, DC – The National Puerto Rican Coalition (NPRC) today praised President Barak Obama’s historical visit to the Island of Puerto Rico. During the 2010 campaign, then democratic candidate Obama promised that if elected to the presidency he would visit the Island as President of the United States. The last sitting president to make an official visit to the island was President John F. Kennedy in 1961, 50 years ago. According to The White House, his visit is another step toward the already significant focus that the administration has taken toward alleviating the economic challenges of the more than 3.6 million U.S. citizens that currently live in Puerto Rico. With an unemployment rate that fluctuates between 16% and 17% and a where at least 44% of the population live below the poverty line, the administration through the President’s Taskforce on Puerto Rico Status, has made a series of recommendations to address economic solutions driven by the federal government. 

“Although Island residents do not vote in the general election, our equivalent community on the mainland will see his visit as a gesture of support for our people. Puerto Rico will translate into a key Hispanic vote for Obama in 2012,” said Miguel D. Lausell, Chairman of the Board of the National Puerto Rican Coalition. “We know his visit represents another step toward addressing the issues of the Hispanic community, the largest minority in the United States.”

“The nomination of Associate Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court, the funding increases instituted during healthcare reform, and the recommendations suggested and implemented by the President’s Taskforce on Puerto Rico Status are some of the tangible and substantive actions that cement the commitment made by the President to equalize the disparities of our people,” stated Rafael A. Fantauzzi, President & CEO of the National Puerto Rican Coalition. “NPRC supports moral leaders that make significant efforts to engage our constituents and validate our concerns. Bienvenido a su isla Presidente Obama!” 

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About NPRC
NPRC is the premier non-profit non-partisan Hispanic organization representing the voice of the Puerto Rican communities. NPRC is committed to enhancing the social and economic well-being of Puerto Ricans through policy development, research, advocacy, civic engagement, and education.