RACIAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE

From its origins as PRLDEF, the work of LatinoJustice has always centered racial justice, since Puerto Ricans have been historically designated as a marginalized group within the U.S. racial hierarchy. As our work has grown to encompass all Latinos in the states and Puerto Rico, we recognize and acknowledge that Latinos are racially diverse. Latinos in the U.S. also carry a legacy of colonial hierarchies that devalue Black, indigenous and other non-white racial identities. Black and indigenous Latinos suffer higher rates of discrimination, harassment and violence than lighter-skinned or white-presenting Latinos.  

To center those among us who are especially vulnerable because of racial identity, LatinoJustice launched in 2021 a Racial Justice Initiative to work more closely with Afro-Latino and indigenous Latino populations to address barriers based on race and ethnicity in laws, policies and practices that impact everyday life and civil rights. This includes work such as our ongoing activities to strike down the legal precedent set by the racist Insular Cases, which continue to render Puerto Ricans as second-class citizens of the United States.