Gilberto Concepción de Gracia, born in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico on July 9, 1909, was a lawyer, journalist and politician. Gilberto earned a Master's degree in Law and Public Administration from the University of Puerto Rico and later a Doctorate in Law from George Washington University.
Early in his career he set up firm in San Juan where he became known as a constitutionalist. In 1936 he set off for New York and Washington D.C. to represent Pedro Albizu Campos and other Puerto Rican Nationalists. He remained in New York and became involved in politics and in the cause for Puerto Rican independence. The Independence of Puerto Rico became his goal.
In 1946, the Puerto Rican Independence Party (Partido Independista Puertorriqueño, PIP) was created and Gilberto became its first president. He eventually went on to become speaker for his party in the Puerto Rico Senate. In 1964 he represented his party as candidate for Governor of Puerto Rico. Gilberto also opposed the political status, Associated Free State (Estado Libre Asociado, ELA) or Commonwealth claiming it was only a way to hide and continue the colonial relationship with the U.S.
Gilberto continued in his efforts by taking Puerto Rico's case to the United Nations, protesting sterilization practices in the U.S. of Puerto Ricans and representing Puerto Rico and the PIP in various conferences and commissions in Indonesia, Cuba and Venezuela. He died on March 15, 1968.
Instituto Gilberto Concepción de Gracia.
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When I first found out about the sterilization practices that were performed on the women in Puerto Rico...I was absolutely livid....so you can imagine how happy I am to hear of another individual who has stood up to the "great" U.S., representing and defending the people of Puerto Rico.
ReplyDeleteGreat post by the way....I've been schooled... :-D
Thx!