Some 150 Puerto Rican elected officials, community leaders and activists from across the United States gathered Sunday near Philadelphia ahead of the Democratic National Convention to found the National Puerto Rican Agenda to organize support for Puerto Rico during the island’s unprecedented financial and economic crisis. This comes a month after Congress passed, and President Obama signed, the controversial PROMESA law, which provides a way for Puerto Rico to restructure its $70 billion debt but also creates a new financial control board to oversee the island’s financial affairs. Today, on the 118th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American War, and on the 64th anniversary of the creation of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the new group plans to press its concerns to Democratic Party delegates with a rally near Philadelphia’s City Hall.

Democrats Puerto Rico The Democratic National Convention (DNC)